“”I’m talking about wanting things in life. I’m talking about having dreams. And all that starts right here, right here. If you don’t have dreams, you don’t have anything.”
– Jim Morris (The Rookie)
Say what you want about baseball. There are a lot of lessons anyone can learn from the sport. Like any sport, dreams can be realized or shattered due to several reasons. The Rookie is an excellent example of how important dreams are. More importantly, it is never too late to make a dream a reality.
The Rookie is based on a true story that follows a high school teacher in Texas. He also happens to be the baseball coach for the school’s team. Life doesn’t often deal a royal flush in the first hand and Jim Morris was no exception. He was talented as a youth, but a combination of factors steered him to a path that was far short of his dreams.
In summary, he is struggling to make ends meet, raising kids, and coaching a baseball team that, on the surface, is less than impressive. A twist of fate provides a second chance at following his dreams. He keeps his word while trying to balance his personal life and the right people see the potential. He faces the hardships and ridicule that typically accompany people outside social norms and his persistence pays off.
For me, I see The Rookie as more than a story about having or following your dreams. I saw it as a message to people who maybe think that the time to follow their dreams has come and gone. That they are too old or it is too late. People that are afraid that the world will criticize and laugh at them for being “out of place.”
The Rookie isn’t an “I told you so” movie or about who gets the last laugh. I saw the message that stated, “it is never too late to bring a dream to life.” In the end, the only one that has to live with the choices you make is you. The people who laugh or criticize will go back to whatever life they are leading and it most likely won’t involve you. Sometimes, dreams don’t come in an order or timeline that makes sense. At least, not immediately.
Journeyman's Legacy 