The Comrades of Summer

The Comrades of Summer
Genre	Comedy Sport
Written by	Robert Rodat
Directed by	Tommy Lee Wallace
Starring	Joe Mantegna
Theme music composer	William Olvis
Country of origin	United States Canada
Original language	English
Production
Producers	Tim Braine David Pritchard
Production locations	Nat Bailey Stadium, Vancouver
Cinematography	David Leiterman Richard Leiterman
Editor	Stephen E. Rivkin
Running time	96 minutes
Production company	HBO Pictures
Original release
Network	HBO
Release	July 11, 1992

The Comrades of Summer is a 1992 television film featuring Joe Mantegna. It was directed by Tommy Lee Wallace, written by Robert Rodat and aired on HBO on July 11, 1992.

Plot

Major League Baseball manager Sparky Smith is fired from his job with the Seattle Mariners. His attitude has gotten him into trouble with George, the owner of the Mariners, and no other teams seem to want any part of him.

The Olympic Games are coming up, however, and a spirit of glasnost exists in the new Russia, which is trying to field its first Olympic baseball team. Sparky reluctantly accepts an offer to move to Moscow to coach the players, many of whom don't even know the game's fundamentals. The players are predictably inept at first, but Sparky begins to learn the real joy in baseball is in the effort and the camaraderie.

An exhibition game ultimately is arranged in which Sparky and his young, eager Russians get to play against his old team, the Mariners.

Cast

• Joe Mantegna as Sparky
• Natalya Negoda as Tanya
• Michael Lerner as George
• Mark Rolston as Voronov

Production

Filming took place in Nat Bailey Stadium, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

External links

• The Comrades of Summer at IMDb