THE ROOKIE

Based on a true story, this heartwarming inspirational drama highlights the real-life saga of a coach and former athlete who discovers that it's never too late for dreams to come true. Jim Morris (Dennis Quaid) never made it out of the minor leagues before a shoulder injury ended his pitching career 12 years ago. Now he’s married-with-children, a high school chemistry teacher and baseball coach in Texas. Learning about Jim's near miss at pro ball, the team he coaches makes a deal with him: if they win the district championship, Jim will try out with a major league organization. The bet super-charges the team, and they go from worst to first, making it to state for the first time in the history of the school. Jim, forced to live up to his end of the deal, is nearly laughed off the try-out field until he gets onto the mound, where he confounds the scouts (and himself) by clocking successive 98 mph fastballs, good enough for a minor-league contract with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Jim’s still got a lot of pitches to throw before he makes it to The Show, but with his big-league dreams revived, there’s no telling where he could go.