April 3, 2002
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“The Rookie” Causing Dads to Lie

Dennis Quaid’s new movie “The Rookie,” which is based on the true story of 35-year old math teacher turned Tampa Devil Rays pitcher, is creating a lot more stories in homes throughout the country.

"The Rookie" is not about your dad, no matter what he tells you.
“My dad told me he would be in the majors, but that he hurt his knee helping my mom give birth to me and then re-injured it in a slam dunk contest,” Billie Wilson, age 8, said after taking in the movie with his dad. “He said he’d have been a Hall of Famer. My dad’s my hero.”

Wilson’s father, Garry Wilson, in fact never played baseball, and was cut from his tee-ball team as a 6-year old. And he blew out his knee not in the birthing room, but while standing up from a bowel movement seven years ago. “My son looks up to me,” Garry Wilson said in his defense. “After the movie he asked me why I don’t try out for the majors and I had to tell him something.”

The story is similar in other father-son relationships across the nation. Garret Lincoln, 10, was told by his father that he was asked to stop playing baseball in high school because he was making all of the other kids feel bad. Austin Smith’s dad told the 9-year old boy that he would play in the majors - and that he’s had offers to do so - but that the long season would take him away from his family for too long.

The movie, which took in more than $15 million in its first weekend, is expected to cause more dads to lie in the coming weeks.