The Baseball Furies (gang)

The Baseball Furies are a fictional gang from the 1979 cult film "The Warriors". They also appeared in the 2005 video game "The Warriors". They are sometimes referred to as The Furies. Their turf is Riverside Park, the baseball fields in particular. Their leader is named Cobb (after Baseball legend Ty Cobb).

Film

The Furies wear white pinstriped baseball outfits (which closely resemble Yankee uniforms), with their "Furies" logo embroidered on the back. Their Overlord, War Chief (deputy leader) and Lieutenants wear black pinstriped uniforms. They wield baseball bats and have various arrangements of "warpaint" (facial makeup). They are never heard to speak; this adds to their frightening presence and mysterious intentions, which soon become clear as they chase the Warriors through Riverside Park. The Furies' Overlord is the black-clad, 6'5" Cobb. His weapon of choice is a set of two baseball bats duct-taped together. He wears an umpire's chest-plate, and his "warpaint" suggests the head of death (the Grim Reaper). However, Cobb only makes an appearance in the video game, but never the film.

They are an intimidating presence as they chase The Warriors through Riverside, but prove, just like every other gang that comes in to contact with the Warriors, that the desire to survive the night overrides the glory being sought from the bounty on the AWOL gangs heads. The Furies were created because of Walter Hill's love for baseball. In Greek mythology, the Furies were the embodiment of vengeance.

Video game

In the video game, The Furies are encountered twice. The first time is in Level 4 "Blackout," they are first spotted beating on a pair of Rogues and then chase three of the Warriors (Vermin, Snow and Ash) to the Subway station. The second encoutner occurs in Level 16 "Home Run". The first two portions of this level are recreations of the iconic chase scene and Riverside park fight from the film. The final portion of the level takes place in the Riverside Park Rotunda and pits the Warriors against Cobb, the Furies' leader.

In the video game, provided the player earns 100% completion in the game on "Hardcore" difficulty, they unlock "Unleash the Fury" difficulty. This allows you to play the game as the Baseball Furies(though in reality, you are merely the Warriors wearing the Furies uniform). During the levels where the Furies are encountered, the Furies appear as the Warriors(though they remain mute). In this scenario, their introduction during "Blackout" shows the Furies in their normal outfits(not the Warriors uniform). During the fight in the Rotunda in the "Home Run" level, Cobb is replaced by Cleon (still mute and wielding the dual bats).

ee also

* The Boppers
* The Gramercy Riffs
* The Hi-Hats
* The Hurricanes
* The Jones Street Boys
* The Orphans
* The Rogues
* The Saracens
* The Turnbull AC's
* The Warriors

References

*imdb title | id=0080120 | title=The Warriors (original)
*imdb title | id=0423512 | title=The Warriors (remake)
*imdb title | id=0486048 | title=The Warriors (video game)
* [http://warriorsmovie.co.uk The Warriors Movie Site]