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It was pointed out on the web last week (kottke.org is where I first saw it) that, if the film Back to the Future was released today, Marty would travel back in time all the way to the year 1980. Not only did that observation cause a whole generation (or two) to feel ridiculously old, but it also helped to start a conversation or two about one of the greatest film trilogies there is.
In reading those conversations, I was reminded of something interesting shown in Back to the Future II. When Marty arrives in Hilldale in 2015, he's inundated with the technology of the future, including a "realistic" hologram of the shark in Jaws 19. He also sees a newsreel highlighting the news that the Cubs have won the World Series over Miami - a team that didn't exist in 1985, and whose mascot, apparently, is a gator with a bat. The news prompts Marty to go buy the Gray's Sports Almanac, and adventures ensue...
But what I love about it is the prediction for the 2015 World Series, between the "lovable losers" (who have yet to win a World Series) and the completely invented Miami squad. This is old news, of course, and urban legend that Back to the Future predicted the Marlins' World Series victories has been going around the net for years. It's still fun to see, though.
And it got me thinking about other movies or tv shows set in the future that have tried their hand at predicting baseball's future. I don't mean the Rookie of the Year or Major League or Air Bud type movies, where the whole point of the movie is what happens to a fictional ballclub. Instead, I mean the movies or shows that are set in the future and only casually mention baseball as a way to anchor their reality in something we might be familiar with. I think you'll see what I mean.
The list below are just a few of the movies and shows that I could think of off the top of my head. I know I've missed one or two or ten, so feel free to leave any examples in the comments.
(click "Read More" to continue reading.)
seaQuest DSV
Maybe this is a bad idea because this exercise is bound to show just how much of a geek I am. This is the first and best example. In 1993, the show "seaQuest" debuted as a sort of "Star Trek of the sea". It followed a submarine crew 25 years in the future - all the way to the year 2018 - as they explored "the last unexplored region on Earth." You might remember it for the teenie-bopper status that it levied on Jonathan Brandis, the teenage genius on board.
Anyhow, in various episodes of the series, Brandis is seen wearing a Florida Marlins jersey. That's kind of neat in and of itself, since the Marlins debuted that same year. But Brandis's jersey is unique because written across the back are the words "World Series 2010". I remember watching this as a young kid and making some kind of smart remark to my older brother. Somehow, that's stay with me for 15 years.
There's at least one other reference to future baseball in "seaQuest". In one episode, one of the characters tells the story of the 2009 World Series: "October 19, 2009. Game 7 of the World Series. Seattle was chasing Havana with two on, bottom of the ninth, down by 1..."
Star Trek
More geekdom. I never really got into "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" itself, but I've seen plenty of episodes and I know enough about it. The captain on DS9 was Benjamin Sisko. Among other things, Sisko is a fan of the American pastime, and even keeps a ball on his desk. His love for the game comes up on a regular basis, but it's really explored in a couple of episodes.
In one episode, we learn the tale of Buck Bokai, baseball's last great superstar. Bokai began his career in the Planetary Baseball League with the Crenshaw Monarchs. He plays a few seasons with the Gotham City Bats, Tanis, and Seibu before ending up on the London Kings. In 2026, his twelfth year in the league, he broke Joe DiMaggio's record 56-game hitting streak. In 2042, the Kings played in the final World Series. Bokai hit a home run to win the Series, but there were only 300 people in attendance. Professional baseball died out soon after.
Newsradio
One of the best and most underrated shows of the 1990s, Newsradio was great stuff. Dave Foley, Stephen Root, pre-"Fear Factor" Joe Rogan, Maura Tierney, and the incomparable Phil Hartman made for one of the best casts you could find. The Season 3 episode "Space" takes place in some imaginary future, where some of the news that is read over the air includes a report on Lord Vader's Death Star getting blown up. In the scene below (gotta love Hulu!), Joe wakes up from his 83 year hibernation and asks to know who won the World Series while he was asleep:
It's a completely off-the-wall episode, but, man, is it funny.
Futurama
Finally, I have to mention "Futurama". One thousand years in the future, in a world of drunk robots, alien broadcasters, and Bob Uecker's head in a jar, baseball is no longer a celebrated sport. It "was as boring as Mom and apple pie", after all. In it's place, there is Blernsball, a spiced up and confusing game. We don't know when baseball was replaced, but we do know that there was an old Robots League that starred the likes of Wireless Joe Jackson and Pitchomat 5000 (who was a merely a modified Howitzer). We also know that Hank Aaron XXIV is the worst player ever to play the game.
I've shown this before, but enjoy this blernsball clip:
The general theme of these predictions, besides utter wackiness, is expansion and "surprise teams" winning it all. In the late-80s, Back to the Future was predicting expansion into Miami and a Cubs World Series win after 108 years of futility. In 1993, "seaQuest" was predicting a Marlins World Series within 20 years (which my 12 year old self found hilarious, for some reason) and an expansion team in Havana. I guess that was also a prediction for the death of Castro and the end of Communism too. Those "seaQuest" guys were visionaries.
"Star Trek" couldn't let them get by with that, though, instead opting to predict teams in England, Japan, and wherever Batman calls home. The death of the sport in 2042 was also pretty bold.
Like I said before, I know I've missed a few good examples of baseball's future's past - maybe something in The Running Man or Total Recall - so please feel free to add any in the comments. Comments about my geekdom can be left unsaid, though. I mean, I just quoted episdoes of "seaQuest" and "Star Trek"... what more needs to be said?
Very nice. I'd forgotten all about that bit in Back to the Future 2...but totally remembered it as soon as I saw this. I'm sure it'll be pretty funny to watch that (sadly, IMO, by far the worst of the BttF movies) five years from now.
I don't have a reference for you, but I remember reading a Star Trek: the Next Generation book as a kid that referenced baseball's demise as well. That would have well-predated the DS9 episode you're mentioning. As I remember, Riker had a holodeck sim that let him play the role of a rookie in one of the last remaining teams.
That's all I got, though...the book was probably published ~20 years ago. -j
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Another Futurama Prediction written by jessedouglas,
January 26, 2010
There's one episode in Futurama when the crew flies by Shea Stadium. Outside of Shea, the sign reads "Home of the 1969 and 1986" World Champion NY Mets. This of course, is the year 3000. The prediction that the Mets wouldn't win a WS for another 1000 years was of great consternation to the Mets fans I know. Of course, now that they left Shea, the joke's not as effective.
Bill: It's kind of too bad the Marlins are an NL team because, with their upcoming name-change, that Cubs-Miami series could've been possible. And BTTF2 might be the worst of the 3, but I still enjoy it immensely. Plus, the very first thing Marty sees in the future is a charcoal-gray Ford Probe made to look futuristic... and that was my first car. So that's pretty fun to see.
Jinaz: Thanks for that. I only ever read one Star Trek novel, so I hadn't seen that. The Buck Bokai-broke-Joe Dimaggio's streak thing was first mentioned in an early-season TNG episode, and DS9 just went off of that. So everything was probably based off of that...
Jesse: Good call on the Futurama Mets reference. I know I've seen that before, but it must've slipped my mind.
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Cubs vs. Miami written by Dan@NJBaseball,
January 26, 2010
Great stuff. I had actually thought about that BTTF2 scene again a few days ago. When I first visited Universal Studios in 1990, the Hill Valley town square (with the clock tower) was still set up for the second movie. I still remember the diner on the corner, which was the "retro" diner decorated in '80s style.
A few years ago, I wrote something about the "Homer at the Bat" Simpsons episode looking at the Major Leaguers then and now (linked from my name). The show kind of predicted Roger Clemens' future.
This is the most hope I've had as a Cubs fan in years!
In all seriousness, nice work, it's funny how the Cubs futility still remains as much a part of pop culture as it did back in 1985, though it's growing less amusing to me by the year.
Keep up the good work. It's great to have a fellow Milwaukeean on the Bloguin roll.
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About Me
What's with the name? "Wezen" is the name of a star in the constellation Canis Major ("The Great Dog"). It's the star that marks the, ahem, point where the dog's tail meets its hindlegs. It's a name that I've always liked the sound of and so I used it around the internet.
When I started this blog, I didn't expect to put a lot of time into it, so I just gave it the first name I could think of. Now I like it, no matter how strange it may sound, and I just love how the new banner and background make use of it.
What's the site about? There is no real, overriding philosophy guiding the posts here at Wezen-Ball.com. Instead, it's just a place for me to write about what I find interesting in the baseball world. Sometimes that means it'll be original statistical research that I've been working on or some other opinions that I might have. Usually, though, I'll be writing about how a certain player, team, or event from the past was viewed through contemporary accounts.
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Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account! 