Game 125: Phillies at Twins

First Chuck: 1:10 PM (new anthem each week!)

The Tube: Twins.TV

The Dial: Treasure Island Baseball Network

Spies ‘R Us: The Good Phight

Fifty years ago, a little film about an underdog boxer was released to theaters…

Made for one million dollars—a relative pittance for films even in ‘76—the flick about an unlikely pugilist from Philly went on to gross $225 million and take home the Academy Award for Best Picture against all odds. It perhaps goes without saying, but the movie is a personal favorite of mine.

Rocky is still bucking the odds—connecting and inspiring new audiences even in 2026! So, with the Minnesota Twins hosting the Philadelphia Phillies this afternoon, here are a few upcoming ways in which one can revel in 50 years of Rocky:

• This November, I Play Rocky hits cinemas nationwide. Based on the trailer, it tells the story of how a young Sylvester Stallone wrote the screenplay for Rocky—modeling it on his own tenaciousness as a writer/actor—and refused to let the studio cast a different actor in the lead role. In a way, the making of Rocky is nearly as inspiring as the final product itself.
• Also in November: the annual Rocky Run, in which racers begin/end at the iconic Philadelphia Museum of Art steps that Rocky Balboa ascends in nearly every film.

• Literature more your style? Well, check out Stallone’s own reminisces, an outside 50th anniversary Rocky examination, or even a Dolph Lundgren (Ivan Drago in Rocky IV) autobiography!

Perhaps the coup de gras of any potential Rocky experience? The Yo, Philly! Film Tour led by Mike Kunda. My brother and I did this tour a couple of years ago and it is absolutely incredible! There is no greater authority on Stallone/Rocky out there than Kunda, and his private tour will take you to iconic locations across all the Rocky films. Truly one of the best tours I’ve ever experienced!

Not many films get this outpouring of support 50 years after their release—but Rocky is special in that way. Let’s see if the Twins can embrace that underdog mentality and defeat the Phillies this afternoon.

(Recap will be later-than-usual today as I’ll be celebrating my nephew’s 5th birthday. He’s into Legos right now, so I got him a Lego DeLorean set from Back To The Future. Start ‘em young—hahaha!)

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