Rookie of the Year (film)

Infobox_Film
name=Rookie of the Year


caption = The movie poster for "Rookie of the Year".
imdb_id=0107985
writer=Sam Harper
starring=Thomas Ian Nicholas
Gary Busey
Daniel Stern
Dan Hedaya
Eddie Bracken
and
John Candy
director=Daniel Stern
music=Bill Conti
editing=Donn Cambern
Raja Gosnell | distributor=20th Century Fox
released=July 7, 1993
runtime=103 min.
language=English |b movie_series=
awards=
producer=Robert Harper
budget= |

"Rookie of the Year" is a 1993 baseball movie starring Thomas Ian Nicholas and Gary Busey.

Albert Hall, Dan Hedaya, Eddie Bracken, Amy Morton, Bruce Altman, John Gegenhuber, and Daniel Stern (who also directed) co-star. John Candy also co-stars, but was uncredited.

Plot

Henry Rowengartner (Nicholas), a 12-year-old Little Leaguer, has dreams of playing in the major leagues. One day, Henry breaks his arm trying to catch a fly ball and has to wrap it in a cast. Once the arm is healed the doctor removes the cast and discovers Henry's tendons have healed "a little too tight", thus enabling Henry to cock his arm back and fire it forward with incredible force. In celebration of the cast's removal, Henry's mom presents him and two friends with tickets to the day's Chicago Cubs game. At the game, Henry and his friends catch a home run hit by the visiting team. In keeping with Wrigley Field tradition, they decide to throw the ball back onto the field. Henry takes the ball and, because of the way the tendons healed, launches it from the outfield bleachers to the catcher standing at home plate. The crowd, players on the field, and even the members in the owners box stare in astonishment at the throw.

The Cubs, in need of a "miracle" to save the poor-performing team, sign Henry to a contract, making him the youngest-ever major leaguer. Henry's mother's boyfriend, Jack (Bruce Altman), whom Henry dislikes, signs on as Henry's manager. When Henry first enters the locker room he is awestruck to be in the presence of some of his heroes, including his idol Chet "Rocket" Steadman (Busey), an irascible pitcher in the twilight of his career.

Henry's first appearance as a relief pitcher comes against the New York Mets which is almost a disaster. In that game, he gives up a home run on his first pitch to Alejandro "Butch" Heddo, with Heddo mocking Henry as he trots the bases. He hits the next batter, then throws a wild pitch, but gets the final out of the game when the runner gets thrown out trying to advance to third base on the wild pitch, earning Henry the save despite not throwing a single strike in the game. After this game, Chet Steadman gives Henry some advice on becoming a better major-league pitcher (especially control of the pitches). When Henry struggles with his control in a later game, Steadman goes out to the mound and gives Henry a nonsensical pep talk, encouraging him to "use your have to." Henry nods as Chet talks but doesn't understand him, and even Chet says to himself as he walks back to the dugout, "The 'have to'. What the heck was I talking about?" Regardless, Henry saves the game, and afterwards the Cubs keep winning, and he keeps earning saves.

In one game at Dodger Stadium, Henry is shocked to learn that he is going up to bat (as the National League does not have a designated hitter). Although Henry is very nervous at the plate, the pitcher (frustrated by Henry's tiny strike zone) walks Henry on four straight pitches. Once Henry arrives at first base, he begins taunting the pitcher (using one of his most famous quotes, "Pitcher's got a big butt! Pitcher's got a big butt!"). The pitcher then tries to pick Henry off but overthrows it and Henry goes to second where he continues teasing the pitcher and the second baseman. In retaliation for Henry's insults, the pitcher hits the Cubs batter and turns to Henry to say, "That one's for you, kid!" Henry and the runner on first base score the go-ahead runs when the next batter hits a line drive into the right field corner, which Henry at first watches in amazement from second base, before the runner behind him gets him to start running. They both slide safely into home plate, despite the runner nearly passing Henry on the bases.

Henry endorses several products, including Diet Pepsi, where he replaces Ray Charles in the popular "You Got the Right One, Baby" campaign. However, he and Jack have a falling out when Jack reveals a plot to sell his contract to the New York Yankees (this deal was never finalized though). As a result, Henry fires Jack. Henry's mother also breaks up with Jack over his obsession with making money off of Henry.

A subplot describes the consequences of Henry's new career in the major league. Having to devote more time to the Cubs, his buddy friends finished building a motorboat without him and nearly left him behind to go sailing on the completed boat.

The final game of the season pits the Cubs against the Mets with the division title on the line for both teams. Before the game, Henry announces to the Cubs' owner that it will be his final (and only) season with the team.. He also tells the owner about Jack and General Manager Larry Fisher's scheme to try to sell Henry to the Yankees. Later it is shown that Larry has in response been demoted down to a hot dog vendor.

It also proves to be Steadman's last game. Given the start, he initially pitches like he hasn't pitched in years. However, his arm is dramatically blown out on his last pitch in the sixth inning, forcing Henry to step in to finish the game.

Henry completes the seventh and eighth innings without trouble. However, as Henry walks out to the field in the ninth, he trips on a baseball and falls on his side. He is all right, but he can no longer throw a 100-mile-per-hour fastball. After letting his teammates know what happened, Henry instead must rely on his wit with their help. He intentionally walks the first two consecutive Mets batters. He gets the first runner out by doing a hidden ball trick; he sneaks the ball to his first baseman who tags him out. He dares the second runner to run to second base; Henry gets him out by faking a high throw of the ball and then running and tagging him.

Finally, Henry faces his old nemesis, Alejandro "Butch" Heddo. Determined to get his ultimate revenge, Henry throws as hard as he can, but since he can no longer throw fast the pitch is effectively a changeup and Heddo, expecting a much faster pitch, swings very early and misses for the first strike. Heddo is not fooled with Henry's next pitch and he sends it skyrocketing toward the fence. It has enough distance but barely curves past the left field foul pole for a foul ball, leaving Heddo with no balls and two strikes. Rattled, Henry bides his time and walks around on the mound. He notices some tape on the inside of his baseball glove, which he had previously thought was his father's glove, and peels it back to find his mother's name on it. Surprised, he turns to his mother in the stands and says, "Mom? It was you?" She nods that it was her, inferring that the stories she told Henry about his father's baseball exploits were really about her own. His mother mouths to him, "Float it", referring to the floater pitch. Regaining his confidence, Henry lobs a palm-down underhanded floater pitch. Everyone watches in slow motion as the ball flies high in the air and then down toward home plate. Heddo is surprised at first, then licks his lips in anticipation as the ball begins to slowly drop, but he swings wildly and misses for the final out. Ashamed, Heddo falls down and cries at home plate while the Cubs and their fans celebrate winning the division.

As the players are celebrating on the field, Henry shouts out to his mother and throws the game ball toward her seat. The shot of the baseball falling toward Henry's mom cuts to a scene of Henry - playing on a Little League team once again - catching a fly ball over the outfield fence to record the last out of his league's championship game. Henry shouts, "I got it!" and runs toward the infield, where his teammates mob him in celebration, with his mother and Chet Steadman cheering him on. In the midst of this, Henry flashes a ring with a blue stone in it. The inscription reads: "WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS".

Location

*The Dodger Stadium scenes were filmed at U.S. Cellular Field, then known as Comiskey Park.

External links

*imdb title|id=0107985|title=Rookie of the Year