Jim Morris was featured in the May 2009 issue of Frisco Style Magazine.
Big Dream. Long Road.
By Lisa Morrow
Jim Morris brings the heat
ON THE EVENING of September 18, 1999, in front of 37,000 fans, under the bright lights of The Ballpark at Arlington, 35-year-old high school science teacher Jim Morris stepped out of the bullpen and into a dream. Three months earlier he was dressing in business casual, the uniform of a man who had long since laid aside his dream of playing major league baseball because it was time to “grow up.” That night, however, he was headed to the mound wearing a Tampa Bay Devil Rays jersey with the number 63 on the back right under his name.
It’s a Cinderella story. Perhaps that’s why Disney jumped on it so quickly. The story of Morris’ life and journey from coaching a struggling high school baseball team to making the big leagues is depicted in Walt Disney’s “The Rookie,” starring Dennis Quaid. The movie is an inspiration to dream big and never give up. With a little imagination, you can almost hear the fairy tale princess singing in the background…if you keep on believing the dream that you wish will come true.”