One of the nominees for this year’s Academy Award for Best Director has a surprising connection to baseball, and to a popular product long associated with baseball. Todd Field, director of Tár (which is nominated for six Oscars overall), has a remarkable backstory involving gum Big League Chew. As per a new piece from Lindsey Adler and Ben Cohen at The Wall Street Journal, the story of Big League Chew starts with the independent Portland Mavericks in the 1970s, when Field was a teenage batboy for them. Before Steven Spielberg made “The Fabelmans,” he made “Jaws.” Before Todd Field made “Tár,” he made Big League Chew. But regardless of what happens there, they’ll always have Big League Chew.

Source: Wall Street Journal March 09, 2023 01:04 UTC