Podcast: Jim “The Rookie” Morris on his new book and encountering Braves legend Hank Aaron
By Seth Carter
When he was 10-years-old, Jim “The Rookie” Morris got an autographed ball from Atlanta Braves’ legend Hank Aaron…and then he destroyed it.
I recently had the opportunity to record a podcast with Jim “The Rookie” Morris. It was an honor and a pleasure to speak with the man whose story was so incredible Disney turned it into a movie called “The Rookie” starring Dennis Quaid in 2002.
A lot has happened since the end of that movie and his journey has grown even more intriguing and challenging. We covered all of that and more in our podcast.
Jim took some time to discuss his brand new book called “Dream Makers” with us and one story that stood out was his encounter with Atlanta Braves legend Hank Aaron.
The full interview can be heard via this link.
You can also find the Tomahawk Take Podcast on most podcasting platforms, including Apple.
Jim “The 10-Year-Old” Morris Meets Hammerin’ Hank
When Jim was just 10-years-old, as you might expect, he was a little league all-star. His team traveled to Boston’s Fenway Park to watch the Red Sox take on Hank Aaron and the Milwaukee Brewers.
In his book, Jim discusses people who he calls dream makers and people he refers to as dream killers. For young Jim Morris, Hank Aaron was a dream maker. He had just surpassed Babe Ruth’s all-time home run record the prior season and on this night at Fenway, he was taking time to sign balls and converse with the entire little league all-star team.
Young Jim knew Hank Aaron was a great ballplayer but at 10 years old, he hadn’t put any thought to what he had to deal as a black man toppling one of the most revered marks in baseball history. He was simply thrilled to get to meet one of the greatest baseball players in the history of the sport and to receive an autographed ball that he would surely cherish for the rest of his days.