She So Purposely Dropped That Ball
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — A League of Their Own
dvdher69 — 15 years ago(October 27, 2010 06:24 PM)
for her sister. C'mon, she held onto the ball with a harder hit from a bigger girl previously and held on to the ball falling into the dugout. She's a toughie but had a soft spot for her sister always being in her shadow.
This should be a no-brainer and not a debate. -
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MissCars78 — 15 years ago(November 13, 2010 09:12 AM)
I agree. It truly amazes me how people can even debate it.
As if it isn't obvious enough there is also the opening sequence which sets it up with her telling the older grandson to let the younger one win.
She had to let her win to give her confidence & allow her to step out of her shadow. It was an act of love. -
soggybottom — 15 years ago(November 27, 2010 08:51 PM)
It shouldn't amaze you when things are left completely open for interpretation like this.
I always thought that she DIDN'T drop the ball on purpose. Just because she held onto the ball ONCE, that doesn't mean that she's gonna hold onto it every time.
Besides, Kit probably had more determination to knock the ball out of her glove than any base-runner in history!
And telling the older grandson to let the younger one win doesn't prove anything. Maybe in hindsight, she realizes that it was a good thing that she dropped the ball because Kit really needed to win (for once!), and she sees now that maybe she was a bit rough on her little sister growing up (People tend to learn from their mistakes)
I really believe that Dottie wanted to win at that time. She didn't drive all the way back from Yellowstone JUST to throw a game for her sisterShe came back to WIN! (And don't forget how she told the pitcher to ONLY throw her high ones)
And you could also argue that she didn't intentionally drop the ball, but she dropped it subconsciously because way deep down inside, she knew her sister needed to win WAY more than she did.
I am truly amazed at people who come to these boards, read other people's thoughts (that they had not thought of before), and STILL remain so narrow-minded that they can't consider for even a second that other interpretations (besides their own) might actually be possible.
After all, isn't that what these boards are for? To open up your mind and make you think a little? -
Only_Eights — 15 years ago(December 30, 2010 05:17 AM)
Ignoring the setup shots, you have to consider impact. If Dottie dropped the ball because the other player hit her, why didn't the ball pop out of her hand or go flying off? Dottie hits the ground, her arm hits the ground, her hand hits the ground, beat beat beat beat beat, then her hand rolls open releasing the ball.
Her hand
opens
. That's not an interpretation; watch the scene again. It's like saying Jimmy didn't spit after walking away from Evelyn, the saliva
dripped
from his mouth.
Dottie gave Kit the World Series. And it pisses me off to no end when I watch that movie because Dottie didn't let herself get attached to the sport growing up. She helped on the farm and worked. Helped run the house, had a husband. She was playing ball longer than Kit (obviously). But she was too good at it, and too smart about it, to only be playing it because of natural ability. Like Jimmy said, she played it like she loved it. And the rest of the Peaches played it because they loved it and they worked their butts off. They deserved the World Series because they were better. Kit was a crybaby; she wanted passes and deals rather than carving out her own legacy. And Dottie should have stayed away if she wasn't going to play hard and help her team win because the Peaches basically ran their butts off for nothing. -
soggybottom — 15 years ago(December 30, 2010 01:25 PM)
Kit barreled into her so hard that she hit the ground so hard that it came out.
Yes, we see her hand OPENThat typically happens when extremely-forceful things FORCE your fist to unclench.
And remember that we're watching it in slow motionThings happen MUCH slower that way.
LookIt can go either wayWhy do people have to be so determined that THEIR interpretation is the only possible way it can be?
Can't you just accept the possibility that other interpretations other than your own exist? Come onOpen your mind a little. I know you can do it!
(And by the way, I totally agree about Jimmy spittingI saw the saliva too, but if somebody doesn't see it that way, that's okay too!) -
lpcbuckeye — 12 years ago(May 23, 2013 08:00 AM)
You said it perfectly and you are right. She clearly drops the ball on purpose. It is not that hard to hold onto a baseball in a collision. She gave her bratty childish sister the win and she shafted her team. She had no right to do it. She should have stayed away.
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mlaiuppa — 12 years ago(August 21, 2013 01:31 PM)
Yes, Dottie loves to play.
But remember that Dottie is a pragmatist with both feet firmly planted in reality.
Dottie loves to play but it's JUST A GAME.
She even says so at one point.
She doesn't see a future in it. She loves to play, she played and she'll probably play with her children as they grow older and maybe in church leagues, etc.
But baseball isn't her life.
Let her team down? Yes. But for them there will be other games.
She weighed the negatives her her team losing with the positives of giving Kit (yes, the spoiled, whiny crybaby) the last little push to be independent and break away to make her own life.
Had things gone the other way, Kit would have returned to Oregon with Dottie and Bob and possibly never played again. This way, she stayed, got a job, played again and eventually got married. She grew into her own person.
Yeah, I think Dottie threw the game but you'd be hard pressed to prove it. None of her teammates or Jimmy ever called her on it. None accused her of it. It was an opportunity to give her sister a gift and would forever be a secret. Because if Kit knew Dottie had thrown the game things would be even worse between them.
Dottie took a chance and it paid off. Also a theme of the movie. -
roshieifra — 11 years ago(March 30, 2015 09:20 AM)
Definitely other games, but maybe never another championship. To let a whole team of supposed friends down, some of whom had their own issues and continued working through their obstacles (unlike that bratty little sister of dottie's - I think I've purposely blocked her name because I can never remember it) was horrible of dottie.
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mlaiuppa — 12 years ago(August 21, 2013 01:32 PM)
Yes, Dottie loves to play.
But remember that Dottie is a pragmatist with both feet firmly planted in reality.
Dottie loves to play but it's JUST A GAME.
She even says so at one point.
She doesn't see a future in it. She loves to play, she played and she'll probably play with her children as they grow older and maybe in church leagues, etc.
But baseball isn't her life.
Let her team down? Yes. But for them there will be other games.
She weighed the negatives her her team losing with the positives of giving Kit (yes, the spoiled, whiny crybaby) the last little push to be independent and break away to make her own life.
Had things gone the other way, Kit would have returned to Oregon with Dottie and Bob and possibly never played again. This way, she stayed, got a job, played again and eventually got married. She grew into her own person.
Yeah, I think Dottie threw the game but you'd be hard pressed to prove it. None of her teammates or Jimmy ever called her on it. None accused her of it. It was an opportunity to give her sister a gift and would forever be a secret. Because if Kit knew Dottie had thrown the game things would be even worse between them.
Dottie took a chance and it paid off. Also a theme of the movie. -
michelleflynn2003 — 12 years ago(October 01, 2013 01:53 PM)
You said it perfectly and you are right. She clearly drops the ball on purpose. It is not that hard to hold onto a baseball in a collision. She gave her bratty childish sister the win and she shafted her team. She had no right to do it. She should have stayed away.
ITA!!!! I was so mad that she made that decision on her own, the Peaches deserved the win. Then I saw Rosie ODonnell cry and then I was happy they lost HAHAHA -
kirkjacobs — 12 years ago(June 15, 2013 09:04 AM)
I'm with you, the movie's message seems to be crybabies win because someone will feel sorry them and give them a break. Also, it didn't seem fair to Dottie's teammates to throw the game just to make her kid sister feel good about herself. I would rather have seen Kit win it outright, rise above her whiny attitude. That's a better message.
There's no terror in a bang, only in the anticipation of it. -Hitchcock -
jillian.diamond — 13 years ago(December 26, 2012 11:23 AM)
Agreed, I never felt that Dottie dropped it on purpose. The fact that she held onto in on a previous occasion means nothing. In basketball I can make a tough 3 point shot and then miss an easy 2 pointer. It happens and I certainly did not do it intentionally. That other girl might have been bigger than Kit but Kit was extremely determined and on that day in that instance she prevailed.
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roshieifra — 11 years ago(March 30, 2015 09:11 AM)
She dropped it, no doubt. The fact that they're sisters makes it even more obvious. She GREW UP with that little, whiny, annoying person probably trying to knock her down her whole life. She would be more than prepared to take one more hit from her.
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mssumner — 13 years ago(July 27, 2012 12:10 PM)
That's true. It's a good thing she screwed over teammates so that her sister could feel rosy. Dottie's actions are similarly questionable when she immediately ditches her team after her husband shows up. I understand that her character was never really into it, but why quit so close to the end of the season? Are we supposed to believe that her husband would mind taking in a world series before heading back to Oregon? These two points are the main failings of a movie which should have portrayed its heroine and women as more serious athletes.
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danmankp37 — 13 years ago(May 08, 2012 10:35 PM)
Yes.. Dottie is far and away the best player in the league.. The look on Hanks face basically acknowledges it. She could do anything she wanted to on the field but her compassion for her sister took over in that moment..
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Mickyfinn — 15 years ago(December 03, 2010 11:28 AM)
As much as alot of people feel about "the love of a sister", which is a good sentiment, I think it is a real mistake to deny Kit's character the grit, determination, and accomplishment of finally becoming what she had wanted to since the first 2 minutes of the film.
Secondly, it is a rude departure from one other very important theme of the film, teammates and sportsmanship. If any of the Peaches thought that Dottie threw the game, she would be skewered. And if it was so obvious to you that she did, so it would be to those playing on her team. To add: Dropping the ball on purpose would also be analogous to her spitting on the rest of her teammates. There is no greater offence in a team sport. One of the many themes in the movie is integrity and sportsmanship. That doesn't work. She didn't drop it on purpose.
So what's the message?
A. Older sister, who happens to be a very good athlete and loves the game and competition, and who has been dealing with an (I think we all agree) generally unlikable character of her younger sister, throws the biggest game in her life and in effect stabs the hearts of her teammates minutes after instructing the pitcher exactly how to defeat her little sister, by intentionally dropping the ball in a completely unexpected, and it the case of Kit, ill advised showdown at home plate.
or
B. A younger sister, who has spent all her life living in the shadow of her older, more beautiful an more talented older sister, has one chance to erase all her fears (did you see the shot of her 'on deck' - "c'mon Kit, you have to bat next!") and through determination and 'heart' becomes the hero she always wanted to be. And ignoring the 'safe' route by recklessly running through the 'hold up' sign at 3rd base, and use that determination and pent up frustration to ultimately 'take' that win instead of having it given to her.
I like B.
You just have to be resigned-
You're crashing by design