An imperfect arrival for 'Perfect'

"The Perfect Game," a Lionsgate film recalling how the 1957 Monterrey Mexico team became the first non-U.S. team to win the Little League World Series, finally makes it theatric debut Friday after a two years in movie purgatory.

The movie, based on the 2008 book by W. William Winokur, was to have been released as well that year but the producers say it lacked money to market it properly.

Cheech Marin, who grew up playing Little League in Granada Hills, was an Alemany of Mission Hills High grad ('64) and went to San Fernando Valley State (before it was Cal State Northridge), plays Padre Esteban, the priest in Monterrey who introduces the boys in the town to baseball by gathering them to listen to Brooklyn Dodgers games over the radio after mass on Sundays.

"It was a really big deal back then ... I remember listening to the championship game on the radio. Angel Macias threw a perfect game. But what really stuck with me was that he could throw right or left-handed. I'd never heard of anything like that before," Marin told the Daily News back in August, 2007, as the film was being made.

"My agent was like, 'It's a true story' and I'm like, 'I know, I remember.' I already knew it was a really, really good story. And the script was good, so I signed on."

More info at the movie's official site (linked here)