Andy Billman is an award-winning producer for ESPN’s much-acclaimed “30 for 30” docuseries and director of the Clevland-sports-centric film “Believeland.”
The Ohio native is a Cleveland Guardians diehard. His new film “WAR ON THE DIAMOND” tells the story of Ray Chapman – the only MLB player killed by a pitch – and the 100-year rivalry between two baseball teams and two cities – Cleveland and New York.
The Yankees and Guardians may not be the sexiest rivalry. If you ask many New Yorkers, they don’t even consider it a rivalry. However, there is no denying the big moments these two teams have had over the years.
The latest chapter of the New York vs. Clevland rivalry came during the ALDS. However, if you ask any White Sox fan, this was a chapter that should not have even been written. The White Sox entered the 2022 season as heavy favorites, only to sputter through 162 games and allow the Guardians to steal the division.
Billman shared his thoughts on the 2022 White Sox from a Cleveland fan’s perspective during an interview promoting his upcoming film. Even from Ohio, the White Sox’s flaws were obvious.
“As a fan who watched all the games, that Naylor game (May 9th) changed the whole projection of the season,” Billman said. “The air went out of the balloon from the White Sox from that moment, and the White Sox, who clearly had more talent, just made error after error. I have never seen a team with so many errors.”
Billman also thought Yoan Moncada’s error on September 20th against the Guardians was the backbreaker for the White Sox season.
“That third baseman, when he made that error, and he made several errors against the Indians this year, I thought, ‘God, they just cannot play clean baseball.”
You can listen to the full interview below:
The 2022 season was definitely a missed opportunity for the White Sox, who now have an entire offseason to ponder their mistakes. In the meantime, if you are in need of something to scratch your baseball itch, check out War on the Diamond.
War on the Diamond explores how a deadly pitch launched the Indians to their first World Series win and into an endless rivalry with the Yankees. The battle featured an attempted baseball ban, fights on the field, tension-filled fans, exciting pennant races, championship glory, and Hall of Famers. In the seventies, the feud even reached ownership as prominent Clevelander George Steinbrenner was denied the chance to own his hometown team. Instead, he purchased the Yankees and turned them into baseball’s most successful team. Using never-before-heard audio interviews of Carl Mays, exclusive interviews with baseball insiders, and reenactments of the fatal submarine pitch, WAR ON THE DIAMOND exposes a deep-seated emotional rivalry that has lasted over 100 years.
Link To Film:https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/war-on-the-diamond/id1652796135
