The endearing documentary The Saint of Second Chances is about a guy who is both a character himself and the son of another character. Mike Veeck, the film’s subject, is the son of the legendary Bill Veeck, who was kind of the P.T. Barnum of baseball, known for the many gimmicks he used to draw paying fans into the ballpark. Unlike his father, Mike Veeck is not in the Hall of Fame, but he has earned his place in his self-described “family of baseball hustlers”.
This a movie about baseball people that really isn’t about baseball itself. It’s about Mike’s irrepressibility, ingenuity and audacity in conjuring up publicity stunt after publicity stunt. The story, cleverly divided into innings, traces Mike’s life through his very high highs and his very low lows. You may already know about his most famous low point – the Chicago White Sox’s “Disco Sucks Night” in 1979 that turned into a riot. That disaster drove Mike out of baseball, until, years later, he started promoting obscure minor league baseball teams with wacky novelties like the St. Paul Saints and their baseball-delivering pig, their nun masseuse and their blind radio broadcaster.
Like anyone’s life, Mike’s has had his share of heartaches, and The Saint of Second Chances‘ wistful moments are genuine and touching.
The Saint of Second Chances is co-directed by Morgan Neville, director of Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain, Won’t You Be My Neighbor and 20 Feet from Stardom, for which he won an Oscar.
The Saint of Second Chances is streaming on Netflix.