I loved it.

Rating: Null/10 (30 March 2002)

"The Rookie" is indeed based on a true story. I heard an interview with Jim Morris, the man on whose life the film is based, and he said that the film had not been "Hollywoodized." While some things were added or deleted to make the story fit, the overwhelming majority of what you see on film actually happened.
He did have a difficult relationship with his father. He did challenge his students to win their District title in exchange for a promise to try out for a professional baseball team. He did get called up and pitch his first game as a Devil Ray at The Ballpark in Arlington. He did strike out the first batter he faced. And so on, and so on.
While they did clean up the language one would normally hear in a clubhouse, the rest of the film rings true to life. Quaid is outstanding as Jim Morris, and Rachel Griffiths is delightful as his loving wife, Lorri. The young men who played the members of the high school baseball team he coached had just the right amount of teenage swagger.
I cannot recommend this film enough. It proves what I've always believed, that "Baseball is life; the rest is just details."