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Insights:
Prologue
The
movie begins with the story of Texas oil and its birthplace:
The Santarita #1. The legend of the man who had hidden
pools of wealth, the nuns who believed and invested in him,
and the blessing of the land with rose petals1
is an outline of the movie in miniature. Its purpose
is to place the film in the realm of faith, the supernatural
dimension.
The
Loss of Heart
The
early scenes of Jimmy Morris' life are almost painful to
watch. We see a youth with a gift and a dream.
In three relatively short scenes, we see them all but
lost. Echoing the theme of baseball, each move Jimmy
is forced to make by his stern, taskmaster father is a
strike against him. The last move sends him
"out" to a barren land void of baseball, ending
his dream and killing his hope. The face starring out
the window of the family car reflects a loss of heart, a
loss of "life".
Salvation
Having
left a box in Florida containing his socks and baseball
glove, Jimmy wanders into Henry Sampson's Store in Big Lake
Texas. There, three men (Henry, Cal, and Frank) enter
his life and quietly begin the restoration of his
heart. There is a profound contrast between Jimmy's
angry father yelling at him in the unpacking scene, and
Henry patiently helping him in the store. One man sees
"more important things in life than baseball"; the
other man sees the most important thing in life - a heart in
need of restoration. For the remainder of the film,
this unique threesome will be a part of the
"greening" of Jimmy Morris' life.
Hope
"Hope
deferred makes a heart sick" (Proverbs
13:12). As
an adult, Jimmy's hope has not only been deferred, it's
simply gone. Having had his shot at baseball and
having been hurt, he has ended up the coach of a high school
baseball team. As if to underscore how far from his
dream he truly is, the team he coaches is a losing team with
a dirt field.
The
fields are very important to watch in this film. The
high school field is transformed; it is "greened"
as the team is transformed. First, there is no grass;
they lose. As they begin to win, the grass begins to
grow. By the Championship Game, the entire field is
green and beautiful. (Note: It is because of
Henry, Cal, and Frank that the grass grows.) What has
brought about the transformation of the players symbolized
by the transformation of the field? Hope. The
team has seen something in their Coach that he cannot see
and vice versa. They have seen a supernatural power
released, and they want him to try one more time for the big
leagues. They awaken the dream in Jimmy by making a
deal with him. Following through with their part, they
can say, "It's your turn, Coach."
Faith
Hope
may awaken the dream, but there is a stepping out that is
necessary to make it come true. For Jimmy, this is
going to the Minor League tryouts - three children and
all. It is important to see that on this day, as all
the others, Jimmy's son, Hunter, plays a significant
role. Whether he is cheering, speaking, laughing, or
sleeping, he is the constant companion and voice that says,
"I believe in you, and you can do this." For
Hunter, it's never a question of if Jimmy will make it, only
when. He is faith personified (Hebrews
11:1).
Love
Just
as Hunter believes in his father, his wife, Lorri, loves
him. It is her unconditional, sacrificial love that
ultimately releases Jimmy not to a dream, but to a
destiny. She lays down her life that he might pick up
this new life. Hers is the greatest gift (I
Corinthians 13:13).
The
Game of Life
The
turning point for Jimmy comes when he decides to quit the
Minor Leagues and return home. Alone, tired, and
separated from all those who love him, he becomes vulnerable to
the voices of discouragement, doubt, and despair.
Sitting in a bar, he just happens to hear himself in a
prerecorded television interview. What he hears is not
only a description of his dream and the game of baseball,
it's a description of life. "It's the drama, the
suspense, the camaraderie; it's a great game."
Coming out of the bar, he is drawn by the lights to a little
league game. Standing there watching a young player, Jimmy
has an epiphany2
regarding himself. It restores his desire to
play the game and to live the life he was meant to live (Proverbs
13:12).
Home
Plate
It
is no surprise that "the call" to the Major League
now comes to Jim Morris. These are the most powerful
and moving scenes in the movie, and they speak a message
that transcends baseball. Jimmy and his teammate
arrive at the stadium early in the morning. A huge
banner over the entrance reads "Home Plate".
Jimmy has come home to a place already prepared for
him. As the two men walk through the stadium, its size
and grandeur put them in a state of awe. Entering the
locker room, they find their place by the name on the
uniform. There is an overwhelming sense of "this
is the place you were meant to be".
That
evening, Jimmy takes his place on the pitcher's mound. At
long last, he does what he was meant to do. He is
surrounded by all those who have hoped for, believed in, and
loved him - a great cloud of witnesses (Hebrews
12:1-3).
Scripture:
Proverbs
13:12
Notes:
1. From ancient
times the scattering of roses is a sign of resurrection.
2. Epiphany: A
sudden, intuitive perception of an insight into reality
or the essential meaning of something,
often initiated by some simple,
commonplace occurrence. Webster's
College Dictionary
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