David L. Gordon

An airliner collides with a light plane just after takeoff, causing its elevators to jam in the full climb position. It will crash as soon as the fuel runs out, unless some desperate measure succeeds in bringing the nose down.

Sparky Smith (Joe Mantegna) was manager of the Seattle Mariners until he had one too many shouting matches with the team's owner (Michael Lerner) and winds up fired. Now Sparky's ready to coach any team who'll have him. The only problem is, no one will, until the day the Russian Sports Ministry led by the delectable Tanya (Natalya Negoda) comes knocking at his door. The Russians need a baseball coach for their Olympic team, and Sparky is just the man for the job. Once on Russian soil though, he soon discovers that the Russian team is composed of athletes, hockey players, and shot putters who barely know their way around a diamond. Confronted with this losing team, hilarious comedy ensues when Sparky is told to accept an invitation to have his team visit the States and play his old team the Mariners.

A cold-blooded killer infiltrates the lives of two actors who refuse to return stolen money that the killer claims belongs to him. A classic, film noir feast for the millenium.