winning streak. On the verge of a pennant, however, Cantrell is told that throwing the big game would give a substantial boost to his sagging career. He is offered a managerial position in the minor leagues with the Cardinals organization, on the condition he does not show up for the final game. If he plays, his future managerial career is over. Brown, poverty-stricken since childhood, is also bribed not to play (with the promise of a fancy car). The team's owners, the Buchmans, are involved in the match-fixing as well. They set up a trivial yet undeniable scandal in which Cantrell could be implicated in betting on his team's games (for $1.00 per game), giving them leverage by which they can threaten to have him suspended for life. While the pennant-deciding game is being played at Tampico, Cantrell and Brown meet at a local bar where they discuss their moral and ethical dilemmas. Brown erupts in anger, smashing his new car with his baseball bat. They elect to hurry to the park and play, much to the anger and regret of the owners. Cantrell instructs the PA announcer to introduce Brown by his actual name, Joe Louis Brown. Cast Reception and home media Released in 1987 by HBO, Long Gone is a little-known and difficult-to-obtain film which has become somewhat of a sports cult film. It has been described as "three parts Bull Durham, two parts Slap Shot, add a dose of Bingo Long and a pinch of The Longest Yard". It has also been described as the best baseball movie most of you never saw. A book, The Baseball Filmography, 1915 Through 2001, described Long Gone as one of the most thoroughly enjoyable baseball comedies made in the last two decades. Robert Creamer, a writer for Sports Illustrated, wrote that it was probably the best made-for-television movie he had ever seen. John O'Connor, a writer for The New York Times, wrote that Long Gone makes classics such as The Pride of the Yankees look like promotional fantasies. The Bleacher Report wrote that this film deserves to be included in anyone's collection of baseball features. Newsday called it one of the best sports movies ever made. Long Gone was ranked 50th in The Ultimate Book of Sports Movies: Featuring the 100 Greatest Sports Films. It also rated a mention in another book, The Great Baseball Films, which stated Long Gone