Jim “The Rookie” Morris his MLB debut and "The Rookie"

In The Front Row with Mike Vaccaro

Born in San Diego and on the move often with his Navy dad, Morris found sports as the way to fit in. It was also his outlet to avoid an abusive father who he eventually moved away from and settled in Texas where he lived with his grandparents. With no baseball at Brownwood High School, Morris starred on the football team as a wingback, punter and kicker playing for legendary Gordon Wood. Playing baseball in the summers got Morris drafted 466th overall by the New York Yankees in 1982. Instead of signing, Morris went to Ranger College where he would be drafted once again in the 1983 Secondary draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. Ineffectiveness, ego and injuries would derail Jim’s baseball career and set him on a path to become a high school science teacher. At Reagan County High School, Morris coached the baseball team and led them to the 1999 District Championship. That championship also led Jim to fulfilling a promise of trying out for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Attending that tryout with his kids in tow, Morris and his 98 mph fastball impressed the scouts and got him a minor league contract at age 35. Morris moved quickly through the minors and would make his MLB debut in his home state of Texas on September 18, 1999 with the Devil Rays against the Texas Rangers. After two years with Tampa Bay and a spring training stint with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Morris would retire and write his autobiography in 2001, “The Oldest Rookie”. That book would be the basis of the 2002 movie “The Rookie” starring Dennis Quad. Morris shares his incredible story which includes a Parkinson’s diagnosis, a rehab stint, his current career as a motivational speaker and his new book, “Dream Makers: Surround Yourself with the Best to Be Your Best”. Morris also shares with us the other A-List actors who wanted to play him in “The Rookie” and how a missed phone call caused him to be a high draft pick in the NFL.