Well, let me tell you somethin’ about this Jim Morris baseball fella. Heard about him from my grandson, he’s always goin’ on about baseball this and baseball that. This Jim, he’s a real piece of work, I tell ya. He was an old-timer, for a baseball player, you see. Not like these young whippersnappers playin’ nowadays.
This Jim Morris, he was a school teacher, teachin’ them kids physics or somethin’. Can you believe it? Then, he up and decides he wants to play professional baseball. At his age! They say he was 35 years old when he started. Thirty-five! Most folks are thinkin’ about settlin’ down at that age, not startin’ somethin’ new. But not Jim, no sir. He was what they call the oldest rookie, ever.
He wrote a book, too, that Jim Morris. Called it The Oldest Rookie. Sounds about right, don’t it? My grandson, he read it. Said it was a real good story. Inspiring, he called it. Guess Jim goes around talkin’ to folks now, tryin’ to get ’em all fired up about their dreams and such. He even wrote another book after that one, called “Dream Makers” or somethin’ like that. That sounds good to me.
- He was a teacher, that Jim Morris.
- Then he became a baseball player when he was way up there in age.
- He wrote a book called “The Oldest Rookie”. I’ve heard tell it is a true story.
- He wrote another book called “Dream Makers”, too.
- They even made a movie about him.
They say he had to work real hard to get there. Three whole months! Spent all his time throwin’ that ball, tryin’ to get it to go real fast. And wouldn’t ya know it, he did it! He could throw that ball 98 miles per hour. That’s what they say, anyway. I don’t know much about that kind of speed, but it sounds mighty fast to me. Made it to the big leagues, they call it. Played for a team called the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, which is somethin’ else if you ask me. That Jim Morris, he was somethin’ else.
Now, I heard he didn’t make a whole lot of money doin’ it. Two hundred thousand dollars, they say he made. Sounds like a lot to me, but I guess it ain’t much in the baseball world. He played for one year, that’s all. Then he tried to play for another team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, but they didn’t want him, not for any games anyway. So, he hung up his cleats, as they say. All in all, I think he only made that two hundred thousand.
But still, that Jim Morris, he showed everyone that you’re never too old to chase your dreams. That’s what my grandson told me, anyway. He says Jim’s story is a real good example of that. There was another old fella, name of Satchel Paige, or somethin’. He was even older than Jim, but still played. I guess there’s hope for all of us old folks yet, huh? That Jim is a real inspiration.
They made a movie about him, too! Called it “The Rookie,” I think. My grandson, he’s seen it a bunch of times. Says it’s a good one. Maybe I’ll watch it with him sometime. Although, I don’t know much about baseball. I guess you don’t gotta know much to understand Jim’s story. They say Jim Morris baseball career was a short one, but it sure made an impact on people. He was real famous.
This Jim Morris baseball story, it just goes to show ya, you never know what life’s gonna throw at ya. One day you’re teachin’ kids about physics, the next you’re throwin’ a baseball faster than most folks can drive a car. It’s a crazy world, ain’t it? He was a baseball player, a teacher, and he even wrote some books. He did a whole lot.
I reckon that’s all I got to say about that Jim Morris fella. He sure did live a full life, didn’t he? And all that about him being a rookie at 35! I guess it shows you that it’s never too late to try something new. If you really want somethin’ you gotta go for it, no matter how old you are. That Jim Morris, he’s a good example of that. He got drafted in 1982, but didn’t even make it past the little leagues they call single A. Then he retired and became a teacher. And after more than ten years, he made it to the majors! That’s amazing.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I gotta go see what my grandson’s up to. Probably watchin’ baseball on that television set of his. Maybe I’ll ask him to tell me more about that Jim Morris baseball story. Or maybe we’ll watch that movie, “The Rookie.” We’ll see. Anyway, you all take care now, ya hear?
