Angels in the Outfield (1994) is a delightful Disney family film starring Danny Glover as George Knox and Tony Danza as Mel Clark. A foster child named Roger Bommon (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) believes he can be with his father again when the California Angels win the pennant. In a miraculous twist, Roger’s prayer for the Angels to win results in heavenly Angels assigned to make that dream come true. You can find the film here.
The hitch is this: Roger can see the Angels as they pick up a player (Ben) so he can make an impossible catch. Al, the lead Angel, communicates with Roger but reminds him he is the only one who can see the Angels. George Knox, the manager of the California Angels baseball team, tells Roger to let him know when he sees an Angel. Roger flaps his arms like he is flying. Before long the fans are doing it too!
In the end, the California Angels win the pennant and Roger got a family, but not the one he was expecting. George Knox adopts Roger and his close friend J.P. and becomes a father and a manager whose players believe in him. Califonia Angels fans, Along with George, found faith in miraculous happenings.
Angels in the Outfield Quotes
Enjoy the magic and the miracle once more with these 28 wonderful quotes.
- (Danny Hemmerling) “I guess no matter how many times you hear that song played in a Major League stadium, on a warm afternoon, it’s still emotionally evocative.” (George Knox) “Drop dead. I got sunscreen in my eye.”
- (George Knox) “You can’t go through life thinking everyone you meet will one day let you down. Because if you do, a very bad thing will happen. You’ll end up like me.”
- (George Knox) “Let’s keep the profanity down!”(Players) “Huh?”(George Knox) “I mean it! No swearing!”(Ray Mitchell) “That eliminates all the speech for most of the team.”
- (Roger Bomman) “God… if there is a God… if you’re a man or a woman… if you’re listening, I’d really, really like a family. My dad says that will only happen if the Angels win the pennant. The baseball team, I mean. So, maybe you can help them win a little. Amen. Oh, A-woman, too.”
- (George Knox) There’s a thing called “talent”! They don’t have it!
- (Mel Clark) [standing] “I’d also like to say something. I don’t know if there are angels out there, other than the twenty-five of us in uniform. But I know, there is one thing I won’t do. I won’t play for anyone but George Knox. I believe in him.”
- (George Knox) “Great. A psycho kid. David, you’d think they’d screen these people.”
- (George Knox) “I can’t explain it, but something has happened to my players this year. Something… that’s changed the way they play… and the way I manage. You can call it faith, you can call it angels, you can call it whatever you want. That’s all I have to say.”
- (George Knox) “You can call it faith, you can call it angels, you can call it whatever you want.”
- (George Knox) “You’ve got an angel with you right now… just got here, and he’s going to help.”(Mel Clark) “The kid sees an angel?” (George Knox) “Yeah, he must. That’s the signal.”
- (George Knox) [Shouting angrily] Do you call that a call?! Did you call that a call?! In all my years of baseball, I have never seen such a– [calms down] such an astute evaluation of a potentially difficult decision. Masterful call. Oh! have a nice day.
- (Maggie) “My name is Maggie Nelson. I take care of foster kids. One of these boys is, uh, the child who can see angels. He could stand up right now and tell you exactly what’s happened and I know you’d just laugh at him. But when a professional football player drops to one knee to thank God after making a touchdown, nobody laughs at that. Or when a pitcher crosses himself before going to the mound, nobody laughs at that. Seems like you’re saying it’s okay to believe in God, but it’s not okay to believe in angels. Now I thought they were on the same team.”
- (JP) Roger, do you believe in heaven?(Roger Bomman) I guess. That’s where they said my mom went.
- (George Knox) [after dinner] “Next time I’ll try lasagna. You guys like lasagna?” (Roger Bomman , JP) “No… What is it?”
- (George Knox) [Knox and Williams watch a replay of Williams’ amazing catch] “Nice catch yesterday, man. How did it feel? Or did it all happen so fast you don’t even remember?”(Ben Williams) “I felt weightless, like somebody had me by the arms, Skip. How did I do that?”
- (Al) “Sit down, already. I left in a hurry yesterday. I forgot a few of the rules. Numero uno: don’t tell anyone about us. Now, I heard you already told a little kid and El Capitan. But nobody else. We hate recognition. We’re a very sensitive group. If people know we’re around, I wouldn’t be able to get an angel within a mile of this team.”(Roger Bommon) “Okay. Are you guys gonna help out today?”(Al) “We’ll see. We never make commitments. We go and come and come and go. We’re a capricious crowd.”(Roger Bommon) “What’s capri–[notices J.P. and David are coming back] What’s capricious?”
- (Ranch Wilder) [flinging the stats book and pamphlet the assistant offers him aside, after Clark’s first two pitches fail miserably] “I’m checking to see if Dan Prince pulled a muscle during his warmup tosses. There has to be some reason why Knox would make such a radical change. I have personally checked the stats, sports fans, and Mel Clark has not started a game in this decade.”
- (Roger Bomman) [to George] “Four angels came out of the sky and they picked up Ben Williams.”
- (Wally) “I can’t believe it – he’s got an angel!”
- (George Knox) “You oughtta know how one incident can change the course of events.”(Ranch Wilder) “Well, you know, you play the game. You take your chances. Sometimes, you’re just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”(George Knox) “Yeah, you’re an expert at that.”(Ranch Wilder) “I could say the same about you.”(George Knox) “Well, actions speak louder than words.”
- (Al) “Shh. Shh-shh. This is between you and me, little guy. No one can see me but you. Remember?”(Roger Bomman) [noticing the people, who’re sitting behind him and waves to them] “Hi.”
- (Ranch Wilder)” I’d say the fans seem a little bouncier today, wouldn’t you, Wally?”(Wally) “That’s right, Ranch. As we saw last game…”(Ranch Wilder) [Turns off Wally’s mike for the second time] “Easy Wally, less is more.”
- (George Knox) “One more loss. One more loss which could’ve been a win. And you call yourselves professionals. I have never, ever seen a worse group of twenty-five players. You don’t think as a team, you don’t play as a team, you don’t even LOSE as a team. “
- (Roger Bomman) “Who are you?”(Al) “Just call me Al. No one can see me or hear me but you.”
- (George Knox) [to Marvin Vincent Archer] “You stay on base and do just what I say.”(Marvin Vincent Archer) [to George Knox] “OK.”(George Knox) [to the other kids] “We got runners on first and second.”
- (Maggie Nelson) My name is Maggie Nelson. I take care of foster kids. One of these boys is the child who can see angels. He could stand up right now and tell you what’s going on and I’d know you’d just laugh at him. But, when a professional football player drops to one knee to thank God for making a touchdown, nobody laughs at that. Or when a pitcher crosses himself before going to the mound, no one laughs at that either. It’s like your saying it’s okay to believe in God, but it’s not okay to believe in angels. Now, I thought that they were on the same team… We all need someone to believe in. Every child I have ever looked after has someone: an angel. You’ve got to have faith. You’ve got to believe. You have to look inside yourself. The footprints of an angel are love, and where there is love, miraculous things can happen. I’ve seen it.”
- {Hank Murphy) “Are you crackin’ up, or is this a repeat of Cincinnati?” (George Knox) “No, no, it’s nothing like that.
- (Maggie Nelson) “No, we’re not related. This is a short-term foster care facility, I run it. Roger is a ward of the state.” (George Knox) “I see. So Roger, he’s got a wild imagination? Always coming up with stories?” (Maggie Nelson) “No actually, he’s very grounded. Truth is most kids who are taken away from their parents by the court system, have a good handle on reality.”
See also: La La Land Movie Quotes
Angels in the Outfield – Official Trailer
If these quotes inspired you, check out the trailer for the movie. The movie summary in one sentence is that when a boy prays for a chance to have a family if the California Angels win the pennant, angels are assigned to make that possible.
Watching it will probably inspire you to check out the movie.
Related: Bob Uecker Quotes
Summary
These quotes remind us all that the most unexpected miracle of all, faith in God and in ourselves, comes from the most unlikely places. The California Angels had been a losing team, and the heavenly Angels led them to win the pennant.
Look around you, and pay attention, for you just might find your own Angels. Remember these quotes when times seem rough, and remember miracles happen every day.
Finally see uplifting and fun quotes from Mamma Mia, The Musical
Image Credit: Unknown author, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
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