Podcast: Jim “The Rookie” Morris on his new book and encountering Braves legend Hank Aaron
When he was 10-years-old, Jim “The Rookie” Morris got an autographed ball from Atlanta Braves’ legend Hank Aaron…and then he destroyed it.
I recently had the opportunity to record a podcast with Jim “The Rookie” Morris. It was an honor and a pleasure to speak with the man whose story was so incredible Disney turned it into a movie called “The Rookie” starring Dennis Quaid in 2002.
A lot has happened since the end of that movie and his journey has grown even more intriguing and challenging. We covered all of that and more in our podcast.
Jim took some time to discuss his brand new book called “Dream Makers” with us and one story that stood out was his encounter with Atlanta Braves legend Hank Aaron.
The full interview can be heard via this link.
You can also find the Tomahawk Take Podcast on most podcasting platforms, including Apple.
Jim “The 10-Year-Old” Morris Meets Hammerin’ Hank
When Jim was just 10-years-old, as you might expect, he was a little league all-star. His team traveled to Boston’s Fenway Park to watch the Red Sox take on Hank Aaron and the Milwaukee Brewers.
In his book, Jim discusses people who he calls dream makers and people he refers to as dream killers. For young Jim Morris, Hank Aaron was a dream maker. He had just surpassed Babe Ruth’s all-time home run record the prior season and on this night at Fenway, he was taking time to sign balls and converse with the entire little league all-star team.
Young Jim knew Hank Aaron was a great ballplayer but at 10 years old, he hadn’t put any thought to what he had to deal as a black man toppling one of the most revered marks in baseball history. He was simply thrilled to get to meet one of the greatest baseball players in the history of the sport and to receive an autographed ball that he would surely cherish for the rest of his days.
“Sand lot-ing” a Hank Aaron Ball
Jim’s father was in the military, so he moved station to station all across the country. While living in Connecticut, he and his friends would still make sure they went outside and played baseball, even if it was in the snow.
One of the things you’ll pick up on and appreciate when you read the book is his real love for the game of baseball. Not even blistering Northeastern snowstorms could stop this crazy kid from playing the game.
The problem with playing in the snow is that water is not good for a baseball. As he put it, one “fateful winter day” they ran out of baseballs. They had either ruined or lost all of the balls they brought along for the day.
They still had some feeling left in their fingers and decided that they must continue the game. Jim recalled that he still had one ball at home he could get. He ran home and grabbed his autographed Hank Aaron baseball.
I know, you are questioning his judgment and the fact that the state of Texas allowed him to eventually become a teacher. This is just one child’s opportunity to learn a lesson in risk management. I will warn you, the next few lines of this article may be extremely disturbing for some readers.
By the end of their session, they had not lost the Hank Aaron ball, although it may have been better if they did. The ball was so waterlogged that Jim wrote “It weighed about 10 pounds.” The signature was no more.
A Second Chance
Flash forward to 2002. In honor of the release of the movie, Jim was invited to the New York Stock Exchange by Russell Athletics to ring the closing bell. They also invited another baseball legend for the ceremony, Hank Aaron.
Jim got the opportunity to tell Hank about the baseball he destroyed and how it happened. Hank just smiled and sort of looked at him out of the corner of his eye. Jim turned and asked the legend, “is there any way you’ll sign another baseball for me?”
He laughed and put his arm around the man the movie was made about and said “I would have if you hadn’t have told me that story!”
At least he got a plaque commemorating the event and a great story he was able to write about in the book.
Dream Makers
As I said earlier, if you love baseball, you’ll love this book. His passion for the game comes across immediately but the story goes so far beyond just baseball. Most people aren’t aware of the numerous surgeries, his battle with CTE and Parkinsons, his struggle with pain killers and alcohol that led to a stint in rehab, and the impact of an abusive household as a child.
Jim’s book discusses those other people in our lives that enable you to aspire to reach higher. He calls them Dream Makers. The point he made about Hank Aaron being a Dream Maker went beyond just being a great ballplayer. The hatred he endured as he chased down the Babe made him a Dream Maker. The death threats and awful rhetoric he would hear on a daily basis, simply because of the color of his skin, made him a Dream Maker.
It was just one of many great stories Jim shared with us on the podcast. Make sure you listen to the full interview here:
Listen to “EPISODE 26: A baseball and life conversation with “The Rookie”” on Spreaker.
Pick up a copy of the book here.
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I want to extend a special thanks to Jim Morris for taking the time to share his incredible story with us.