The Rookie: The Incredible True Story of a Man Who Never Gave Up on His Dream [Paperback]

Jim Morris (Author), Joel Engel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2002

He Played A Boy's Game. He Lived A Man's Life. As a lonely child, Jim Morris took one thing with him wherever his family moved-his ability to hit and throw a baseball. For Jim, the passion of becoming a major-league ballplayer was his anchor and inspiration...until injuries and life got in the way. A decade after Jim walked away from the minors and began a life of fatherhood and mortgage payments, he made a promise to the hardscrabble high-school team he coached: If they could win their local championship, he would try out again for the big leagues. They did-and he did. Now, in this wondrous, heart-tugging book, Jim Morris tells the story of his remarkable life and his amazing journey to the Big Show at the age of thirty-five...and how he finally fulfilled his childhood dream.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Morris had an astounding fastball and seemed destined to pitch for a major league team, yet his career was doomed from the start. He was drafted by the Brewers, but went from their training camp back to the farm system. He developed injuries that prevented him from pitching and practicing. Morris wouldn't let go of his dream of the major leagues, however. He married, had children, and held odd jobs and continued to work at his pitching while his wife supported him. Morris eventually grew tired of the routine, went to night school and became a high school teacher and later a coach. After his formerly abysmal baseball team won the district championship, his fellow coaches and students urged him to give his dream one last chance. More than a decade after his first tryout, Morris was offered a contract by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. This lively autobiography, written with Engel (coauthor of By George, George Foreman's autobiography), will entertain baseball fans and others who yearn to fulfill a childhood ambition. While the writing is polished, Morris's voice remains genuine. He is honest and likable, not least because he recognizes his family's sacrifices for him. While not essential reading for sports fans, this triumphant underdog story is an appealing contrast to those of the players with multimillion-dollar salaries. (Apr. 3) Forecast: With publication around the start of baseball season, an 11-city author tour and radio interviews, this book should get off to a fast start.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

This inspiring true story should do well in young adult collections. Morris, a 35-year-old Texas high school physics teacher and baseball coach (whose previous attempts to break into the bigs fell short), was challenged by his students to live up to his dream. Oddly, his pitching arm had only grown stronger with time, and at a new major league tryout his pitches were consistently overpowering. After making the expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Morris was featured in Time, People, and Sports Illustrated. His incredible story about second chances will circulate well in most libraries.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (March 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446678376
• ISBN-13: 978-0446678377
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.8 x 7.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #948,374 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational, February 2, 2002

By 

David E. Levine (Peekskill , NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Oldest Rookie: Big-League Dreams from a Small-Town Guy (Hardcover)

This book is only superficially about baseball. In fact, Jim Morris' autobiography is an inspirational story about sticking it out and becoming all you can be. Morris' minor league baseball career was cut short due to injury. However, he had other trials such as a marriage he had to work on and grinding out a living as he completed college, becoming a teacher and coach. If he had never had another opportunity to play professional baseball, his story would have been an inspiration as he became an excellent science teacher and wonderful coach. His teaching and coaching was leading to a fulfilling and productive career.

Of course, as the title of this book implies, he went beyond teaching to again get an opportunity in baseball. And, based on the title of the book, I am giving nothing away by stating that he does indeed make it to the major leagues. With two children in school, I can categorically state that Jim Morris is the type of person I want teaching them. I don't know if he will go back into teaching but it is clear he is as talented in motivating his students as he is as an athlete. I highly recommend this book.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dreams do come true, April 2, 2001

By 

Mary G. Longorio "Texasbookgirl" (Eagle Mountain, UT) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Oldest Rookie: Big-League Dreams from a Small-Town Guy (Hardcover)

The Oldest Rookie recounts the improbable journey of pitcher Jim Morris to "the Big Show". Born to young parents, his father a military man who didsdained authority, and a mother who picked up the pieces after each move, Jim always remembers having a ball in his hand. Throughout the many moves, sports provided an introduction to new schools, new friends, and self esteem. Sports also provided a safe haven from the change and the chaotic life at home. Baseball was his first love, and the chance to play minor league ball at the age of 19 was a dream come true. Several years of struggle and injury finally eneded the baseball dream, and Jim moved onto real life, a wife, kids, debt, and struggle. Throughout this time, Jim continued school, played college football (punting for his college at the age of 29). Eventually, he found himself coaching high school baseball. Sensing his love of the game, the students make a bargin, if they make it to regionals, Jim will try out for the major league job he never achieved. At the age of 35, Jim Morris was the oldest rookie to ever start in the big leagues, pitching, no less. The story is remarkable enough, but Morris' accounting of the struggles of a young man unable to realize his dream is compelling. Along with co author,Joel Engle , he tells the story of the man his younger teammates came to call "the Unnatural". A wonderful story for any baseball fan, and a story of hope for anyone who feels they have let a dream pass them by.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dreams Can Come True, March 30, 2001

By 

Clint Hunter - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Oldest Rookie: Big-League Dreams from a Small-Town Guy (Hardcover)

Jim Morris was a kid with big league baseball ambitions and a big league arm to match. Drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers, he spent time in their minor league system working his way toward the majors until injuries to his arm as well as his shoulder sent him to the hospital for surgery and then back to Texas where he scrambled to make a living. He married and had a family, but he never really gave up his dream. Finally, as he coached the Reagan County Texas High School baseball team to a championship, he made a pledge to his players. If they were successful, he would try one more time to pitch on the big league level. They were and he did. At at time in his life when most professional athletes are thinking of retirement, Morris made it to the majors with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. That his old arm problems continued to haunt him seems almost irrelevant. This is a very well written and easy to read story of perserverance and pride told around the narrative of one man's quest to fulfill his dream. The framework of the story is present day baseball, but the quest is timeless. Recommended to all who dream.