An MLB fan's rooting guide to the 2016 Best Picture nominees

There are eight films nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars this year. If you watched them all, it would take 1,049 minutes (almost 17 and a half hours) of your life. So, with the ceremony on Sunday, you may very well be out of time to catch up on all the nominees. Even if you have seen all of the movies (which, nice work), you still might not have any idea which film to root for.
Below we've paired every MLB team with a Best Picture nominee: "The Big Short," "Bridge of Spies," "Brooklyn," "Mad Max: Fury Road," "The Martian," "The Revenant," "Room" or "Spotlight." That should definitely give you a place to start when picking which movie to cheer for on Sunday.
Angels: Here, we have two cases of commanding performances by impressively young individuals. There's Mike Trout, whose 9 WAR at age 23 last season was tops in the American League. And there's 26-year-old Brie Larson, who's the Best Actress favorite for her standout performance in "Room." Plus, Larson is from Sacramento, just up the coast from Anaheim -- that basically makes Brie Larson the Mike Trout of movies. Can you not root for Mike Trout, Angels fans? No you can't.
Astros: No, Orbit doesn't hail from the fourth planet from the sun (unless we've all been living in the Grand Slam Galaxy without realizing it), but he and all Astros fans are probably rooting for "The Martian" in outer space solidarity anyway.
Athletics: The last time a movie based on a book written by Michael Lewis was up for an Oscar, it was the tale of Billy Beane and the A's. This time, it's "The Big Short." Don't turn your back now, A's fans. 
Blue Jays: One of the most talked about moments in baseball this year was Jose Bautista's ALDS Game 5 home run and bat flip. Similarly, one of the most talked about moments in the movies this year was Leo DiCaprio's run in with an angry grizzly bear in "The Revenant." As partners in stoking the zeitgeist, Blue Jays fans have a clear choice here.

Braves: There's a character in "Max Max: Fury Road," played by Nicholas Hoult, named Nux. That's awfully close to the nickname bestowed to knuckleballin' Braves Hall of Famer Phil Niekro. We know Atlanta fans rooted for Knucksy, and we think they can root for Nux, too. 
Brewers: One of the many emotional moments of "Room" revolves around Jack meeting a dog for the first time. As a team whose mascot is one of the most famous dogs in MLB, it's a moment Brewers cans can root for. If you look closely, the dog even looks a little bit like Hank.
Cardinals: "Not too flashy," "astoundingly competent," "potentially trophy winning" -- those are all ways to describe "Spotlight" as a film, and also how St. Louis fans describe the Cardinals.
Cubs: After a few moves this offseason, the Cubs have one of the most complete roster in MLB. For "Spotlight," which took home the SAG Award for Best Cast Ensemble, that kind of top-to-bottom talent is the name of the game.
D-backs: The crux of "Brooklyn" is Eillis's internal struggle between returning to her home in Ireland or forging a new path in America. In the end, (SPOILERS) she chooses her new life in Brooklyn -- kind of like Zack Greinke left Los Angeles for his new life with the D-backs. 
Dodgers: Emory Cohen's character in "Brooklyn" is one of the two love interests for Saoirse Ronan's Eillis, and he's a huge Dodgers fan. L.A. fans, you gotta reciprocate. 
Giants: Whether you've seen "The Revenant" or are still getting around to it, try to imagine which, if any, MLB player could replace Leo's Hugh Glass as the main character. Eventually, you'll realize the only answer is Madison Bumgarner -- the man did come to Spring Training with a horse, after all. 
Indians: During All-Star Week 2015, we discovered that Jason Kipnis is an All-Star shower singer in need of a band. At the time, we recommended guitarist Brian Dozier. But after seeing "Mad Max," we've reconsidered our suggestion:

Mariners: This offseason, the Mariners very nearly lost Hisashi Iwakuma in free agency. He'd agreed to a deal with the Dodgers in December, and the fans in Seattle had all but said goodbye -- but the story didn't end there. The L.A. deal fell through, and Iwakuma re-signed with the Mariners, who announced the signing at their holiday party. That's the kind of harrowing homecoming story that could make M's fans appreciate "The Martian."
Marlins: Of the 10 longest home runs in 2015, only Giancarlo Stanton hit more than one. His three were all moonshots, but at least one of them probably made it all the way to Mark Watney, aka "The Martian." 
Mets: There is no MLB team in Brooklyn anymore, but there is an MiLB team: The Cyclones are the Mets' Class A affiliate, and a quite a few of the 2015 NL pennant winners started in "Brooklyn." Plus boroughs gotta stick together, you know?
Nationals: In 2015, Mad Max Scherzer gave Nats fans two no-hitters. The least they can do is root for one Best Picture Oscar for "Max Max: Fury Road" on Sunday.
Orioles: Unlike many other spy movies, "Bridge of Spies" wasn't based on a Tom Clancy book, but we think the one-time co-owner of the Orioles would appreciate the Cold War espionage thriller nonetheless.
Padres: Can you tell the difference between Dale Thayer's beard and Leo's "The Revenant" beard? If you can, you're probably a Padres fan -- and you know which movie to root for.

Phillies: Adam McKay, director of "The Big Short," grew up in Philadelphia and has a story about prank calling former GM Bill Giles. He's clearly committed to his team, and Philly fans should commit to "The Big Short."
Pirates: Pirates fans are most definitely rooting for Michael Keaton and "Spotlight" on Sunday.

Rangers: "Room" features Jacob Tremblay, a 9-year-old actor who more than holds his own. Surely Rangers fans can appreciate that showcase of young talent. After all, no one younger than Rougned Odor had more plate appearances in 2015 -- not to mention Odor's 114 games at age 20 in 2014. 
Rays: To help break down some of the complex financial concepts in the movie, "The Big Short" uses a variety of fourth wall-breaking celebrity cameos. Chris Archer, who as a broadcaster during the postseason proved himself adept at explaining things to an audience, would've been an ideal celebrity cameo. 
Red Sox: Steve Carell might be disappointed, but "Spotlight" takes place in Boston and even features a scene at Fenway Park. So, yeah, that's decided.
Reds: Did you know that though John Franco spent more than twice as many years with the Mets as he did with the Reds, three of his four All-Star appearances came while he played in Cincinnati? Did you also know that Franco was born in "Brooklyn?" Both of those are pretty good facts that Reds fans should use to taunt any Mets fans at their Oscars party. 
Rockies: Unless "Brooklyn" was a very different movie than we thought, only one Best Picture nominee filmed in the Rocky Mountains. Sure, it was the Canadian Rockies, but that's just a reminder of how long the mountain range is, and it's as good as any reason for Colorado fans to pull for "The Revenant."
Royals: In 2015, "Birdman," directed by Alejandro Inarritu won Best Picture, and the Royals won the World Series. If Kansas City fans are hoping for a repeat (and they definitely are) in 2016, they should be hoping Inarritu repeats with "The Revenant."
Tigers: Yes, star of the film Matt Damon is a Red Sox fan. But Jeff Daniels, the man at NASA who's in charge of bringing Damon back to Earth in "The Martian", is a Tigers fan. And it's never a bad idea to side with the guy in charge.
Twins: Tom Hardy only plays one person in "Mad Max," but in 2015's "Legend", he plays a set of identical twin crime bosses. That should be enough for Twins to throw their support behind the post-apocalyptic crowdpleaser. 
White Sox: Catcher Moe Berg played five seasons with the White Sox during his career, after which he became a U.S. spy. Yes, a spy. If there's ever an Oscar-nominated movie about his life, maybe it'll be called "Home Plate of Spies" rather than "Bridge of Spies" and Southside fans can foot for it at the Oscars. But for now, Spielberg's latest is the next closest thing.
Yankees: Steven Spielberg himself wasn't nominated for Best Director, but with "Bridge of Spies'" Best Picture nom, he's now second on the all-time list of directors with the most films nominated for the big prize (and he's first among living directors). Yankees fans and their 27 World Series championships should be rooting for Spielberg's 10th Best Picture nomination.