ESPN.com - A great story worth telling again and again

ESPN.com: Baseball

Wednesday, March 27, 2002
Updated: March 28, 1:05 PM ET
A great story worth telling again and again

By Darren Rovell
ESPN.com

Thanks to "The Rookie," Jim Morris, the high school science teacher turned Major League Baseball player, could earn more in two months on the speaking circuit than he made throughout the final two seasons of his professional baseball career.


	Jim Morris was 0-0 with a 4.80 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 21 major-league games.

"Morris is already much in demand now," said Gary McManis of Keppler Associates, a speakers bureau that represents Cal Ripken Jr. "But if the movie does well, his fee will dramatically go up and he can be a power in the speaking circuit for years to come."

Morris' agent, Steve Canter, said the starting price for a speaking engagement for Morris is $15,000, a two-hour, pre-speech schmooze included. And Morris' schedule is filling up even before the movie's Friday release.

In the movie, actor Dennis Quaid plays Morris, who was forced out of minor league baseball because of injury but eventually realized his dream of playing in the major leagues 12 years later. At 35 years old, but suddenly armed with a 98 mph fastball, Morris went on to earn a spot in the Tampa Bay Devil Rays' bullpen.

"Jim's message is so good because it's one that transcends baseball," said Canter, who also worked as a consultant on the film. "It's a timeless story, and it is a story that people of all ages -- both male and female -- can connect with." Canter said Morris gave a speech to a loan guarantee group in February during which 80 percent of the audience were women.

"My speech is about second chances," said Morris, in New York for the premiere of his movie Tuesday night. "I was a teacher, so I think I can captivate an audience pretty well."

Perhaps Morris wouldn't mind duplicating the real-life success story of Rudy Ruettiger, whose story as a undersized walk-on on Notre Dame's football team became a box office hit as "Rudy." In the nine years since his movie's release, Ruettiger has has made a living as a motivational speaker and also sells autographed memorabilia. He still commands between $15,000 and $20,000 per speech, speaking bureau executives say.

"It's a momentum thing," said Bob Williams, president of Burns Sports, which books athlete appearances for corporate engagements. "You have to have that box office hit and you have to get out there at the right time. Then you have to sustain it."

Side deals

In addition to earnings made as a motivational speaker, endorsement income for Jim Morris is also in the mix, said Morris' agent, Steve Canter.

A natural might be Jiffy Lube, whose logo was prominently displayed on actor Dennis Quaid's hat in the movie. The oil change company has had discussions with Canter, Cindy Landers, Jiffy Lube's director of strategic alliances, confirmed.

If the movie is successful, Morris also can make money signing autographs at card shows. When Morris' story became known, Canter said he struck deals for Morris with Team Best and Upper Deck to produce Morris-autographed cards.

Those cards are currently selling on eBay for between $10-$20.

-- Darren Rovell

Many other real-life inspirational heroes whose stories have been thrust into the mainstream make a great living as motivational speakers.

U.S. astronaut Jim Lovell, who was portrayed by Tom Hanks in the 1995 movie "Apollo 13," commands at least $25,000 a speech. So does Erin Brockovich-Ellis, who was played by Julia Roberts in the 2000 film "Erin Brockovich."

Morris' potential to earn a premium price on the speaking circuit depends on several factors, including the movie's popularity, his stage presence and the quality of his speeches. He can drive up the premium by limiting the number of his speeches. But that hasn't detered Brockovich-Ellis, who gave 93 speeches in an 18-month period. And more than six years after "Apollo 13" was released, Lovell is earning more money per speech now than while his movie was in theatres due largely because of the patriotic fervor that followed Sept. 11, McManis said.

Like Brockovich and Lovell, Morris has a successful book. Warner Books released a second printing of "The Rookie: The Incredible True Story of a Man Who Never Gave Up on His Dreams" a year after its original publishing.

"It's definitely one of the best stories out there. Everyone wanted to purchase the rights to this film," said Mark Ciardi, Morris' roommate during spring training in 1983 and a producer on the movie.

Sandy Alderson, Major League Baseball's executive vice president of baseball operations, said Morris' story is the best baseball story he has ever heard. It even tops the story of the Desert Storm pilot Alderson signed while with the Oakland A's. That player, however, never made it out of the rookie league.

Darren Rovell, who covers sports business for ESPN.com, can be reached at darren.rovell@espn.com