In fact, from the first moments of the film, it's clear that neither young Hollywood, nor author Stephenie Meyer's characters are the stars: baseball is. It plays a role in nearly every important plot-point. Protagonist Bella Swan has to move from the safety of Phoenix, Ariz. to vampire-ridden Forks, Wash. because her mother's new baseball-player husband is heading to Jacksonville for spring training. (Eventually an injury and lack of talent puts an end to his career, and he takes a more permanent Florida-based job as a high school baseball coach, cementing Bella's open-ended stay in Forks.) She moves in with her real father who is a huge sports fan, spending most of his time watching Mariners games with his best friend, Billy Black, whose son Jacob plays a pivotal position (see how I did that?) in the film's sequels.

And in what is arguably the film's most dramatic moment, vampire heartthrob Edward takes Bella to play baseball with his family, only to draw the attention of some visiting vamps who challenge the coven to a game, realize Bella's a human, attempt to take a bite out of what they believe to be an after-game snack and kick off the film's violent climax.

(Sidenote: Watching an entire field full of ridiculously attractive vampires play a baseball game in which both super-human sides are matched so equally that no one has a chance at winning is like watching the ultimate All-Star game. Only all of the players look like Derrek Lee, A-Rod and Jeter. And can fly.)

So next time you get a hankering to be taken out to the cinematic ballgame, reach no further than to your wife/girlfriend/little sister's DVD collection and spend a some quality time on the field with the uber-emo cast of Twilight. Maybe you'll finally understand why we ladies all make Edward our first-round fantasy league pick.


Alison Abbey is an Atlanta-based writer and the author of the Awesome Twilight Musings blog and AwesomeTeenMag.com. Follow her on Twitter @awabbey.