The Oldest Rookie: Big-League Dreams from a Small-Town Guy (Unabridged‪)‬

Jim Morris escaped the desolation of his youth by dreaming of pitching in the major leagues. But as with most kids, it was just a fantasy, made all the more impossible by injuries he suffered in his early 20s. Years passed, and on his 35th birthday Jim Morris found himself settled as a high school physics teacher in a hardscrabble West Texas town. He had a wonderful wife, three kids, and students who adored him. His baseball career was restricted to coaching, and he believed his purpose in life was to inspire his students and players to dream bigger dreams than their harsh surroundings and homes generally allowed.

Then came the bet.

Jim's young players had a proposition for their coach: If they won the league championship - something their school had never done - he'd try out for a major-league team. Jim laughed, knowing he was way too old to be considered by a professional squad, but he accepted.

Well, they won. And what happened next surprised everyone, especially Jim Morris. Keeping his end of the bet, he headed off to try out for the major leagues. There, he threw faster and better than he had ever thrown before. Suddenly, Jim Morris was reborn. A few months later, he took the mound at Texas Stadium and became the major leagues' oldest rookie pitcher in 40 years. You must hear this story to believe it.