“I’m Keith Hernandez” is one of the funniest and most enduring lines from Seinfeld.
You’ve surely seen the well-known and oft-quoted episodes of the show that featured the former Mets great, and you probably laughed quite heartily at them – especially the “Spitting Incident” episode that very well may be the greatest single episode of Seinfeld ever (though “The Contest” has a good argument too).
But have you ever stopped to think about what made Keith Hernandez such a compelling subject for the greatest sitcom of the 90s? Especially if you are not a native New Yorker, the allure of Hernandez may well have been lost on you. It was for me.
But not anymore.
During the course of my Internet adventures this morning I came across a remarkably well done documentary by Rob Perri entitled, appropriately, I’m Keith Hernandez. I just spent the last 20 minutes watching it, and I embed it now for your enjoyment and education with only this thought: I highly, highly recommend that you watch it.
[WARNING: Heavy drug use is a main theme of the documentary and there are graphic clips from a porno that come in around the 15:00 mark. Just want to warn - but not deter - you.]
I’m Keith Hernandez
Here is the official description of the documentary from the official website:
Part baseball documentary, part anti drug film, part socio-political satire, I’M KEITH HERNANDEZ utilizes a version of Hernandez life as a vehicle to discuss how male identity is shaped by TV/film, sports, advertising, and pornography.
By examining the aforementioned types of media in conjunction with Lacan’s “Mirror Theory”, a clearer picture of masculinity emerges.As part of this discourse, the physical attribute of the mustache is explored as a symbol of male virility. Other topics include the Iran/Contra Affair and the resulting “Crack Explosion”, celebrity obsessed culture, and the subtleties of children’s television programming.
I am not sure I could sum it up any better. The auteurs also go a step further, likely in response to incessant questions, and include the following disclaimer about their goals behind the doc:
For those of you who are confused about this project it was made entirely as an artistic pursuit and not for any commercial gain. At its core, the piece is satirical in nature and although elements of truth exist the project aims to excite, provoke, and entertain for the purposes of education. It is the creators’ belief that through the use of humor and gross inaccuracy that a certain truth can be gained. In this case the filmmakers have chosen Keith Hernandez as a subject in order to make a social commentary. The filmmakers have a great respect for Keith Hernandez as a baseball player, announcer, and personality. It is their hope that if you have enjoyed this site and the film that you will donate to the Alzheimer’s Association a charity supported by Keith Hernandez.
So why am I posted it here, on Midwest Sports Fans, and with such a strong recommendation that you take 20 minutes to watch it? Mainly because it’s entertaining. I did not particularly gain any special kind of societal insight from this 20-minute look at the career of Keith Hernandez, not that I expected to, but plenty of elements made me laugh or were especially entertaining:
- The best music from the 80s is deftly used throughout, including the Rocky IV soundtrack, which pleased me greatly.
- Hernandez is credited with introducing Don Mattingly to the awesome power of the mustache, in part because of the success of Magnum P.I.
- The overall tone of sarcasm that permeates the film is amusing.
- I had never heard the story about Hernandez going into his manager’s office and cracking open a Budweiser right before the infamous Bill Buckner play in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series.
And there is plenty more. If you don’t appreciate well-executed sarcasm and are not, in general, a fan of documentary-style films, then this one will probably bore you. Otherwise, it’s probably the best 20 minutes you’ll spend on the Internet today.
My final thought about this film is that I’m shocked other bloggers never picked up on it, as this seems like something right in all of our collective wheelhouses (and it’s embeddable!). But a quick Google search did show many results from other sports sites like this one, even from back when it was released in 2006. Maybe they did and all of those posts have faded into Google oblivion. Who knows. A very real possibility exists that I’m the turd sandwich who is five years late to the party and this post will just produce a collective yawn from scores of people who have already seen it.
If not though, watch it. You’ll never hear the phrase “I’m Keith Hernandez” or view this iconic scene quite the same way again.
About Jerod Morris
