Bringing a real-life dream to the screen

By MILAN PAURICH
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
I guess it's only fitting that Dennis Quaid would be playing a professional baseball pitcher in "The Rookie." After all, Quaid himself has been something of an MVP utility player in Hollywood for more than two decades now.
Although the 48-year-old star of such films as "Breaking Away" and "The Big Easy" never had the sort of runaway hit that turns actors into overnight stars, his average-Joe good looks and thespian reliability have made Quaid one of the industry's most sought-after performers. No wonder he's been the go-to guy for such Oscar-winning directors as Mike Nichols ("Postcards from the Edge"), Oliver Stone ("Any Given Sunday") and Steven Soderbergh ("Traffic").
Quaid and Jim Morris, the former major league baseball pitcher Quaid plays in "The Rookie," visited Cleveland recently on a cross-country promotional tour.
Overwhelmed: During an interview at a downtown hotel, laid-back junket veteran Quaid's professional cool contrasted nicely with Morris' star-struck demeanor. Practically bubbling with enthusiasm, Morris was still reeling from the experience of seeing his life story portrayed on film.
"It's simply overwhelming," the former Tampa Bay Devil Ray gushed. "The reality is better than the dream ever was."
Considering the fact that Morris's Cinderella story -- his 98 mph fastball helped make him the oldest major league rookie pitcher in 40 years -- had been generating movie interest since his days of Triple A ball, the former Texas high school chemistry teacher should probably have seen it coming.
Morris contends that he appreciated his baseball career more at 35 than he ever would have at 22. Now retired from the game, Morris has become a popular motivational speaker on the lecture circuit. (Tribe fans take note: Morris faced the Indians only once in his professional career. He struck out every pitcher's worst nightmare, Jim Thome.)
The fact that Quaid and Morris look nothing alike didn't faze the actor, who's already played such true-life personages as rock-and-roller Jerry Lee Lewis ("Great Balls of Fire") and astronaut Gordon Cooper ("The Right Stuff").
"My only responsibility as an actor was to capture Jim in spirit," Quaid said. Although Quaid hadn't played baseball since Little League, he trained three months with a pitching coach and rigorously studied southpaw Morris' trademark style. "Now I'd feel comfortable throwing out the first pitch in any major league game," he said with a grin.
Theme: Both Quaid and Morris insist that "The Rookie" isn't really a baseball movie, or even a sports movie.
"It transcends baseball," Quaid said. "Most G-rated movies that I take my 10-year-old son to are two-hour naps for me, but this is different. Unlike most 'family films,' it really is entertainment for everyone."
Trusting himself to someone as unseasoned as "Rookie" director John Lee Hancock was a leap of faith for Quaid, however.
"I seem to naturally gravitate towards strong directors, 'auteur directors,' if you will, but John Lee really impressed me at how he put it all together. He might turn out to be one of the greats."
With another movie already wrapped ("Velvet Goldmine" provocateur Todd Haynes' already-controversial fall release, "Far From Heaven," co-starring Julianne Moore), Quaid was looking forward to some R & amp;R after the Disney road trip, plus spending some time jamming with his band, The Sharks.
"We're playing in Chicago tonight," the actor said before being whisked off to another interview. "It's gonna be a great time."