Der Durchstarter

Rookie of the Year is a pretty good sports movie even though I have seen better. I thought that Daniel Stern as the pitching coach was hilarious but in reality a guy like him would have been fired before the first pitch of the season-at least the late, great Steinbrenner would. It was also nice to see how a young teenager would adapt to the adult world of baseball.

This is about a 12-year-old who can suddenly throw a hundred miles an hour after he recovered from a broken arm. Once again, that's impossible in real life. Anyway, he is a midseason addition to the Cubs and he makes them more than the mediocre team that they were.

Overall, this is a pretty solid sports movie. There was great acting by the kids. But the ending is all to predictable. I rate this film 7/10.

If you are unwilling to accept the basic premise of the film, that a child who has surgery on a broken arm is suddenly able to throw a pitch over 100 miles per hour, you aren't going to like this movie. I've been a baseball fan for 60 years and I know when a baseball movie is going to present an accurate portrayal of the game. If you read anything about this film and you are a purist, there are probably another ten movie to pick from this day. That said, this is a delightful film with a joyfulness that brings back memories of what it was like to be a mediocre baseball player, still hoping to be a major leaguer someday. The boy in this film is klutzy, so his entrance into a major league game is filled with fear and worry. There are good guys and bad guys, especially the father candidate. At some point, we know that reality will set in and, like "Damn Yankees," someone is going to have to face a real situation. This is just charming and fun. Enjoy it. It was never meant to be a documentary.

Young Thomas Ian Nicholas gets a once in a lifetime chance to play for the Chicago Cubs and lead them to a pennant in 1993 the year Rookie Of The Year came out. At the time the Cubs had not won a pennant since 1945 and no World Series victory since 1908.

It happens quite by accident because the young man wasn't the most talented of players. An accident where he broke his arm and some ribs had him in a most uncomfortable cast. But it tightened the tendons in his pitching arm. So when at a game at Wrigley Field where Nicholas is sitting in the bleachers and the bleacher bums who occupy it tell him to throw the opposing ball back, Nicholas unlooses a throw that Carl Furillo would have envied, a perfect strike on the fly to home plate.

With nothing else to lose the Cubs sign the 12 year old up. The wartime Cincinnati Reds signed Joe Nuxhall at 15 to their roster. In real life that record still has to be broken.

Tommy John surgery never gave anyone in real life speed like young Nicholas has.

Young Nicholas is surrounded with a good cast of adults such as Amy Morton as his mom, Gary Busey as a washed up pitcher hoping for a comeback, Eddie Bracken as the Cubs eccentric owner and John Candy who is unbilled and was a famous Cubs fan as their play by play announcer.

No story would be complete without villains and two real good ones are here. Dan Hedaya as the Cubs GM and Bruce Altman who specializes in smarmy villains is at his smarmiest as a talent agent. Both are looking to exploit young Nicholas to the max without considering him.

The finale includes a playoff with the Mets and young Nicholas uses some sandlot savvy in the crucial moments.

In 2016 the Cubs finally did it, but this film Rookie Of The Year is still a delightful baseball fantasy.

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.

Sure, this movie is geared towards the younger generation, but I think that anybody can enjoy it, especially if you are a baseball fan. I don't know why people have criticized Rookie of the Year so much for being unrealistic. Duh! It's supposed to be fictional! What young kid hasn't dreamed of being a star player on a favorite pro sports team, and what Chicago Cubs fan hasn't wanted their team to go all the way? (Personally, I'm a Cleveland Indians fan, so I think you get my point.)

Yes, Daniel Stern puts in an embarrassing role as a clumsy pitching coach (now, fantasies aside, this clown wouldn't last 10 seconds as a major league coach!), and Thomas Ian Nicholas is OK in the title role but comes off as pretty annoying most of the time. I will say that Gary Busey was very good in this film as the veteran pitcher/father figure. A decent, passable sports flick.