2015 Oscar Best Picture nominees and the Cleveland Indians

The Academy Awards are tonight, which wouldn't seem to have a whole lot to do with baseball (what with "Million Dollar Arm" being robbed of the many nominations it so richly deserved), but actual serve as an intriguing parallel for the national pastime's rich history of...

Alright, you were right, there isn't much of a connection.

Still, in addition to almost all of us being big Indians fans, many of us are also avid movie viewers, and I have to think I won't be the only one among us parked on their couch tonight, watching the happenings at Hollywood's Dolby Theater. In the spirit of making unnecessary connections between varied things I like, I thought I'd take a stab at pairing each of tonight's Best Picture nominees with someone on the Indians.

(For anyone interested, you can find my top ten movies of 2014 here. I thought it was a good year at the cinema, with some really releases big and small.)

This pst will also serve as a game thread of sorts, for anyone interested in talking movies before, during, or after tonight's telecast.

This is a completely objective exercise; there are correct answers and I definitely nailed them all. Feel free to disagree with me though.

American Sniper - Yan Gomes

Hey, no one said it had to be a North American Sniper! Gomes' ability to cut down runners on the base paths makes him a natural choice for this one.

The Theory of Everything - Michael Brantley

200 hits, 45 doubles, 20 home runs, 23 of 24 on stolen bases, 12 outfield assists, clutch hitting all year, and a 3rd place finish in the MVP voting. ...Everything indeed.

The Imitation Game - Corey Kluber

A supercomputer capable of incredible calculations that allow it to accomplish things no one imagined. ...The joke writes itself. We can also hope the rest of the rotation can do something of a Kluber imitation in 2015.

Selma - Cody Allen

I'm not saying there's any logical conclusion between the small town in Alabama where thousands of right-minded citizens chose to make a stand and the Tribe' closer. I just think the Tribe's closer needs a nickname, and Selma would be a pretty funny one.

Whiplash - Jason Kipnis

In reference to the feeling we all had when Kipnis followed up his incredible 2013 with his dreadful 2014. Here's to hoping he finds the beat again in 2015.

Birdman - Michael Bourn

Bourn was at one point the best defensive center fielder and base runner in baseball, a superhero of sorts. He's fallen on hard times though, and it's unclear if he can pull off a dramatic comeback that will return him to his former glory.

The Grand Budapest Hotel - Carlos Santana

I love Wes Anderson and I love Carlos Santana. If you want something more than that... well, Carlos is built sort of like the hotel, in that he's shorter and heavier than the average player. And I bet he looks great in pink. Santana already has a nickname (El Oso), but "Grand Budapest" would be a pretty sweet one.

Boyhood - Francisco Lindor

You watch a boy grow into a young man, a process not so much marked by huge, dramatic moments, but dozens and dozens of little ones, many of them seemingly insignificant. Now if only Lindor can give us twelve years as good as the ones Richard Linklater and Ellar Coltrane produced.

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