Hey, Russell, you're not in the boxing ring. No need to cover up! Matthew King/Getty Images
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The defending Oscar champ is a sports movie. Will this summer's sports-themed flicks produce next year's winner? Seems doubtful, but it's never wise to bet against Russell Crowe, particularly when his character tugs at your heartstrings.

But other than Crowe's Cinderella Man, which hopes to follow Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby as the next great boxing movie, don't expect any sports movie released this summer to receive much Oscar hype next year.

That doesn't mean you'll have to stay home and watch Caddyshack 12 more times. If you want to combine your love of sports with your ability to sit in a dark theater and eat a large bucket of popcorn, you'll have plenty of chances. And many of the flicks will interest the kids, too.

To help you out, here's a list of sports-related movies due out in the next four months.

May

FIGHTING TOMMY RILEY
Opens: May 6
Stars: Eddie Jones, J.P. Davis
Concept: Poor man's Rocky
Story line: Davis plays a self-destructive boxer whose potential is discovered by his grizzled trainer (Jones). But instead of a climatic fight against the champ, the boxer and trainer end up in an emotional battle against each other.
Bottom line: An unknown actor scripts a boxing movie and also stars in it. Sound familiar? This independent movie, already released, won't have a Rocky-type impact. But maybe it'll earn Davis a spot in the next installment of The Contender.

KICKING & SCREAMING
Opens: May 13
Stars: Will Ferrell, Robert Duvall, Mike Ditka
Concept: Ladybugs meets Little Giants
Story line: Ferrell, working through some mental baggage from his youth, coaches a kids soccer team against a squad led by his dad (Duvall). Ditka lends a hand in a role that likely won't be as funny as the last time he really coached, back in New Orleans.
Bottom line: Ferrell's on a hot streak with Old School, Elf and Anchorman, but this seems little more than a movie that's "fun for the whole family." (The sports equivalent of that phrase, by the way, is the dreaded "vote of confidence" for a coach in last place). Another summer movie starring Ferrell, Bewitched, seems to have more potential.

THE LONGEST YARD
Opens: May 27
Stars: Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Burt Reynolds
Concept: Remake of the 1974 film starring Reynolds. That means the always hilarious "throw a football into an opponent's groin" play will no doubt make an appearance.
Story line: Sandler leads a group of inmates who form a football team to play the prison guards. Reynolds played that role in '74; this time, he's the coach.
Bottom line: Say what you will about the general stupidity of Sandler flicks, but he's at his funniest in sports movies (Happy Gilmore, The Waterboy). He's taken a few more serious roles lately, and The Longest Yard offers a strong moral dilemma for his character. It might be a good mix, and his fans, who tend to skew young, won't care if this summer's version pales in comparison to the '74 original.

A LEAGUE OF ORDINARY GENTLEMEN
Opens: May 27
Stars: Walter Ray Williams Jr., Pete Weber
Concept: Super Size Me meets Kingpin
Story line: This documentary details the rise in popularity of the Professional Bowlers Association after former Nike exec Steve Miller became PBA president. Get ready for plenty of crotch-chops from the over-the-top Weber.
Bottom line: It's a documentary about bowling ... goodbye, Best Picture nomination. Still, bowling is underappreciated for its theater of the absurd, and if you're not laughing at them, you're probably cheering for them. If nothing else, this has to be better than that awful Sean Connery vehicle, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

June

CINDERELLA MAN
Opens: June 3
Stars: Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger, Paul Giamatti
Concept: Rocky meets Seabiscuit
Story line: Crowe is Jim Braddock, a retired boxer who stages a comeback to support his family and wins the heavyweight crown by beating the deadly Max Baer. Zellweger plays the "Yo, Adrian" role.
Bottom line: A boxing movie. Megastar power. Guaranteed to tug at your heart. That would be ... Million Dollar Baby. Perhaps filmgoers are ready for two such boxing movies in a six-month span. Or maybe they won't even see Cinderella Man as a boxing movie, but as a feel-good movie. Oh, let's face it -- Crowe will pack 'em in.

LORDS OF DOGTOWN
Opens: June 3
Stars: Heath Ledger, Johnny Knoxville, Emile Hirsch
Concept: Point Break meets The Skateboard Kid
Story line: Southern California surfers discover the thrills of skateboarding ... and then discover fame and fortune. But can they handle the lifestyle? More important: Are we ready for two Johnny Knoxville movies this summer? (He's also in The Dukes of Hazzard.)
Bottom line: The documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys came out in 2001, and the same writer (Stacy Peralta) penned this movie. The younger crowd that avoids documentaries like mom's meatloaf special will head to the theater; the rest of us who just avoid movies about skateboarders will stay at home.