''The Emerald Diamond'' is a documentary following the history of
Baseball Ireland
The Irish Baseball and Softball Federation, also known as Baseball Ireland, is the governing body of baseball and softball on the island of Ireland, covering both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Baseball Ireland is responsible for th ...
and the
Irish national baseball team directed by
John Fitzgerald and starring Chris Foy. It was released in 2006.
Director John Fitzgerald financed the film almost entirely on credit cards while working freelance at various jobs in the TV and film industries. The film crew was made up of professionals from in and around Fitzgerald's hometown of Valhalla, NY, with each crew member coincidentally living in towns along the Metro North Railroad's Harlem Line – leading to the creation of Harlem Line Pictures and, later, Harlem Line Media.
Release
Although the film received positive reviews from ''The New York Times'', ''New York Post'', ''Irish Echo'', and National Public Radio, Fitzgerald opted to release it immediately before receiving a traditional distribution deal. On 25 February 2006, ''The Emerald Diamond'' debuted to a sold out crowd of 250 people at the
Jacob Burns Film Center
The Jacob Burns Film Center (JBFC) is a nonprofit cultural arts center located in Pleasantville, New York. It occupies the old Rome Theater, a Spanish mission-style theater built in 1925.
Along with independent and documentary films, the cente ...
in New York. Among those in the crowd was Major League Baseball Executive Vice-President Robert Manfred. Manfred was taken with the Irish National Team's story and promised to help the film and the team in any way he could. He arranged to have the film's trailer played at
Shea Stadium
Shea Stadium (), formally known as William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, Queens, New York City.[Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (commonly called the Metrodome) was a domed sports stadium located in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. It opened in 1982 as a replacement for Metropolitan Stadium, the former home of the National Football League ...](_blank)
(Minneapolis), and
AT&T Park
Oracle Park is a Major League Baseball stadium in the SoMa neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Since 2000, it has been the home of the San Francisco Giants. Previously named Pacific Bell Park, SBC Park, and AT&T Park, the stadium's curren ...
(San Francisco).
''The Emerald Diamond'' was screened in theatres in 22 US cities and two Irish cities, between February and August 2006. Many of the US screenings were sponsored by Irish heritage organisations, baseball museums or Irish-based vodka company Boru Vodka.
Film festivals
The film received the Critic's Choice Award at the 2006 Baseball Film Festival at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in
Cooperstown, NY
Cooperstown is a village in and county seat of Otsego County, New York, United States. Most of the village lies within the town of Otsego, but some of the eastern part is in the town of Middlefield. Located at the foot of Otsego Lake in the C ...
. The award was selected and presented by film critic Jeffrey Lyons.
Media reviews
The film received positive reviews from ''The New York Times'', ''New York Post'', National Public Radio and several Irish-American newspapers. In addition, the film was featured by
Fox News
The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...
,
National Public Radio
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other n ...
and Boston's CBS-4. The attraction of major media outlets is rare for a low-budget film, but was likely due to the underdog story of the Irish National Team, coupled with Fitzgerald's determination to make the film entirely on credit cards.
* "Think of
Rudy
Rudy or Rudi is a masculine given name, sometimes short for Rudolf, Rudolph, Rawad, Rudra, Ruairidh, or variations thereof, a nickname and a surname which may refer to:
People Given name or nickname
*Rudolf Rudy Andeweg (born 1952), Dutch poli ...
, the
Notre Dame walk-on, and multiply it by about a dozen." – Jack Curry, ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''
* "A terrific film!" – Kevin Kernan, ''
The New York Post
The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com.
It was established ...
''
* "A tale of perseverance, salted with humor and irrigated with beer." – Bill Littlefield,
National Public Radio
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other n ...
* "''Emerald Diamond'' restores the innocence of the sport for 90 wonderful minutes, easily ranking as one of the best documentaries I've seen this year. The Irish National Baseball Team, much like other countries currently building their clubs, is where the heart of the game lies today. I highly recommend this opportunity to live the dream with these hard-working men and their amazing journey." – Brian Orndorff,
DVD Talk
DVD Talk is a home video news and review website launched in 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman.
History
Kleinman founded the site in January 1999 in Beaverton, Oregon. Besides news and reviews, it features information on hidden DVD features known as ...
Related projects
After winning the Critic's Choice Award at the 2006 Baseball Film Festival, Fitzgerald confirmed that he was writing a feature film script based on the story of the Irish National Baseball Team. He noted that the script will contain several stories that didn't make it to the documentary. He refused to confirm or deny interest or involvement of any actors.
Fitzgerald also announced that he has founded a nonprofit group to help further the development of Irish youth baseball and the Irish National Baseball Team. The organisation is called "The Baseball United Foundation" and is focused on making the game of baseball accessible to communities where the game is not traditionally played.
References
External links
''The Emerald Diamond'' Official Movie Page on MySpace''The Emerald Diamond'' CD Soundtrack Page on MySpace*
Support Irish Baseball websiteFilmmaker John Fitzgerald's production blogReviews at BaseballMovie.comWhy is Emerald Cut Diamond Ring Famous?
{{DEFAULTSORT:Emerald Diamond, The
2006 films
2006 documentary films
2000s sports films
Baseball in Ireland
Documentary films about baseball
Irish documentary films
2000s English-language films