Rookie of the Year

Henry Rowengartner (Nicholas), 12-year-old Little Leaguer, has dreams of playing in the major leagues. One day, Henry breaks his arm trying to catch a fly ball (he slips on another ball that is laying on the ground) and has to wrap it in a cast. Once the arm is healed, the doctor removes the cast and discovers Henry's tendons have healed "a little too tight," thus enabling Henry to cock his arm back and fire it forward with incredible force. A fateful trip to Wrigley Field for a Chicago Cubs game results in Henry's friends getting a home run ball hit by the visiting team. However, when they give it to Henry to throw back (per Wrigley tradition), his tightly-healed arm throws the ball so hard that it reaches home plate on the fly. Looking for a miracle to save the club, which is suffering slumping attendance, general manager Larry Fishman (Hedaya) tries to get the kid to join the Cubs. For the remainder of the season, Henry has to juggle the culture shock of actually playing in the major leagues; working with one of his heroes, aging pitcher Chet Stedman (Busey); and time with his friends. Under it all, his mother, Mary (Amy Morton), tries to keep him grounded while resisting attempts by Fishman and her boyfriend, Jack (Altman), to exploit his newfound fame.