The Rookie (2002 film)

The Rookie
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	John Lee Hancock
Produced by	Mark Ciardi, Gordon Gray, Mark Johnson
Written by	Mike Rich
Starring	Dennis Quaid Rachel Griffiths Jay Hernandez Brian Cox Angus T. Jones
Cinematography	John Schwartzman
Editing by	Eric L. Beason
Distributed by	Walt Disney Pictures
Release date(s)	March 29, 2002
Running time	127 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$22,000,000
Box office	$80,000,000

The Rookie is a 2002 drama sports film directed by John Lee Hancock. It is based on the true story of Jim Morris, who had a brief, but famous Major League Baseball career in 1999. The film stars Dennis Quaid, Rachel Griffiths, Jay Hernandez, and Brian Cox.

Plot

Jim Morris is the son of a career Navy man, who moves the family to a small Texas town. The lack of a baseball league there for youngsters inhibits the young left-handed pitcher's progress and an injured shoulder ends any shot at a professional career.

Years later in 1999, Morris, married with three children, is a high school science teacher as well as head baseball coach. His team from Big Lake finds it impossible to hit his pitching when he throws batting practice. Hoping for some degree of mutual motivation, his struggling players offer him this agreement: if they win the district championship to reach the state playoffs, he must attend a tryout camp for Major League Baseball.

The team makes it, forcing Jimmy to keep his end of the bargain. When he does, the professional scouts discover his ability to repeatedly throw a baseball at 98 miles per hour, a feat that fewer than 10 professional baseball players at the time could accomplish.

Despite his advanced age (35), Morris is offered a chance to pitch with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays organization. He is reluctant to go, though, because of his responsibilities to his family. His father discourages Jimmy further, more or less telling him it is time to accept reality and put aside impossible dreams.

He is initially assigned to the minor league Class AA Orlando Rays (now the Montgomery Biscuits) but quickly moves up to the AAA Durham Bulls. Concerned for his family due to mounting bills (the pay in the minor leagues being low) and unhappy that some of the organization's younger prospects view him as a publicity stunt, Jimmy decides to give it up and come home. But his wife Lorri talks him out of it.

One day, during the September roster expansions, he is called up to the Major Leagues by the Devil Rays, thrilling his young son Hunter in particular. His proud family, including his father, and his high school players come to Arlington, Texas, to see his first game.

A brief epilogue explains that Jim Morris spent two seasons in the big leagues.

Cast

• Dennis Quaid as Jim Morris
• Rachel Griffiths as Lorri
• Brian Cox as Jim Sr.
• Angus T. Jones as Hunter
• Angelo Spizzirri as Joel De La Garza (Owls catcher)
• Jay Hernandez as Joaquin 'Wack' Campos
• Rick Gonzalez as Rudy Bonilla (Owls pitcher)

Reception

The movie received generally favorable reviews with Metacritic giving it a 72 out of 100 based on 31 reviews.

Real life differences

• The film has Morris making his debut against the Texas Rangers, striking out Royce Clayton on three pitches, with the last strike coming on a full swing. In reality, Morris struck out Clayton on four pitches. The third swing was a foul ball, but because the filmmakers were working on a very tight schedule--the scene was shot at the actual Ballpark at Arlington, following an actual game, with much of the crowd still in the stands--it was determined in advance that there wouldn't be time to institute the numerous safety precautions necessary to protect actors, crew, and equipment from a flying baseball. The initial plan was to replace the foul ball with a ball (a pitch outside the strike zone, at which the batter does not swing), but it was later decided that the scene played better with only three pitches.
• The film portrays Morris as a resident of Big Lake, but he never actually lived in the town. During his time teaching at Reagan County High School, he lived in San Angelo and commuted to work daily.
• The film shows Morris teaching chemistry, and a broadcaster calls him a chemistry teacher. In reality, he taught physical science.
• The scene with the radar sign, which was copied by ESPN in a commercial with Bobby Valentine taking the part of Morris, never actually happened.
• In the film, the school that Morris teaches at is named Big Lake High School; in real life, the school is in the town of Big Lake but its actual name is Reagan County High School.
• The Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Texas Rangers uniforms worn in the movie are incorrect for the era in which the film takes place. This was a deliberate choice by the filmmakers. By using the 2001 uniforms, rather than the period-accurate 1999 uniforms, the filmmakers were able to film second unit footage of an actual game between the Texas Rangers and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and intercut that footage with footage of the actors wearing the same uniforms.
• The bullpen in which Jim warms up prior to his first major league appearance against the Texas Rangers is actually the Rangers' bullpen; the visitors' bullpen at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington is much less visible.
• In the film, when Jim is called up to the majors, a teammate named Brooks is called up with him. In real life, Steve Cox was the player called up with Jim. Brooks was a fictional character created for the movie.
• Alex Rodriguez appeared as a member of the Texas Rangers, but in 1999, he was really a member of the Seattle Mariners.

Filming locations

The Rookie was filmed almost entirely in North and Central Texas. Apart from scenes filmed at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, locations included the following:

• The city of Thorndale, Texas, was used predominantly in the opening half of the film as the small town of Big Lake. Thorndale High School's interior, exterior parts of the building and baseball field were used for Big Lake High School's campus. Thorndale's Main Street and downtown area was also used extensively in the film.

• Neighboring Thrall High School in Thrall, Texas, was dressed for several differing scenes, including scenes of several different "away" baseball games filmed on the school's field. Thrall's then-recently completed football stadium stood in as Big Lake's. Thrall's old football field, dressing rooms and recreation pavilion were dressed as an oil refinery's outlay in a deleted scene viewable on the DVD's special features.

• A scene shot in front of a motel supposedly in Florida was actually filmed in front of what is now a Best Western in Taylor, Texas.

Most of the population portrayed in this movie of Big Lake, Texas were fictional. Only the baseball team and those directly connected were based on real people.

External links

• The Rookie Official Site
• The Rookie at the Internet Movie Database