The only thing more American than the Yankees might be...well, hating the Yankees. ESPN juggles both of these warring American pastimes in The Bronx is Burning, an eight-part series (starting July 9) about the obnoxiously combative — but ultimately triumphant — 1977 New York Yankees. Love them or hate them, the Yanks are entertaining. Just ask Hollywood, which has been casting them as heroes and villains for 65 years.

PRIDE OF THE YANKEES (1942)
Only a year after Lou Gehrig died of the disease that now bears his name, Gary Cooper's portrayal of the ''Iron Horse'' immortalized him as a stoic, hardworking hero who courageously stares down his ''tough break,'' while maintaining he's ''the luckiest man on the face of the earth.''