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Storyline
12-year-old Henry Rowengartner, whose late father was a minor league baseball player, grew up dreaming of playing baseball, despite his physical shortcomings. Although he's close to his mother Mary, Henry hates Mary's latest boyfriend, Jack Bradfield. After Henry's arm is broken while trying to catch a baseball at school, the tendon in that arm heals too tightly, allowing Henry to throw pitches that are as fast as 103 mph. Henry is spotted at nearby Wrigley Field by Larry "Fish" Fisher, the general manager of the struggling Chicago Cubs, after Henry throws an opponent's home-run ball all the way from the outfield bleachers back to the catcher, and it seems that Henry may be the pitcher that team owner Bob Carson has been praying for. At first, Cubs manager Sal Martinella doesn't like Henry being on the team, but despite the rawness of his talent, Henry revives everyone's team spirit and reignites the enthusiasm of the fans. While money hungry Jack pulls strings behind the scenes to ... Written by
Todd Baldridge
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Taglines:
The Chicago Cubs needed a miracle... they got Henry Rowengartner.
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Filming for the Little League scenes took place at the Little League fields at the park district in Westmont, Illinois, which is a suburb of Chicago. Some locals were used as extras in the stands on the field.
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Goofs
To get the third out of Henry's second save, he pitched a strikeout on three swinging strikes (40:30 to 45:30). The umpire called the batter out. In baseball, an umpire does not call strikes unless the batter does not swing (looking). This called strike was unnecessary and may have been done for added dramatic effect.
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Quotes
George:
The only reason you are playing for the Cubs is because you broke your stupid arm!
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Crazy Credits
Special thanks are given to "The people of Chicago who never give up"
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Soundtracks
"All of My Days"
Written and Produced by
Angie Rubin and Shelley Speck
Performed by
N'Dea Davenport (as N'Dea)
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For some reason, I get a kick out of movies like "Rookie of the Year." I guess the fact that so many young boys, myself included, fantasize about playing professional sports contributes to the popularity of this genre. I think Daniel Stern did a good job directing this movie because he doesn't ever let it become too kiddy and childish. Sure there are a lot of funny moments, but they can be funny to adults as well as children. The setting of this movie cannot be beat: Wrigley Field. It doesn't get any better than that. "Rookie of the Year" is a fun movie to watch with the family.