A bunch of kids who live on the wrong side of the tracks in a Florida town want to play baseball. But the only decent baseball field is on the "right" side of the tracks where the rich people live. The kids can only play there if they join a league, which means getting a coach.
They pay an older man in their neighborhood (who turns out to be a drunk) to be their coach, and he reneges on the deal without giving their money back.
Then, at the last minute, a mysterious man (Burt Reynolds) wanders into the dug-out on the baseball field.
He is unshaven, dirty, and doesn't say a word.
When the man in charge of the field shows up, the kids tell him that the mysterious stranger is their coach. The man says okay, and the kids start playing with some other kids.
Finally, the mysterious stranger offers them tips on playing the game. It turns out he not only knows baseball, but can hit a 95 mph fast ball.
The rest of the movie concerns his helping the kids with their personal problems, including giving some good old-fashioned beat-downs to the neighborhood bullies and the abusive father of one of the kids.
One of the kids plays match-maker, getting the coach to date his single mom.
All in all, this is a heart-warming movie with a message: It's not what you have or what you are, but who you are (your character) that really counts in life.
The kids are charming and fun, so it is easy to sympathize with them while they confront life's problems.
In the end, it turns out that the mysterious stranger is an amnesiac who has a very high position in his former life.
He leaves to go back to his old life, but doesn't stay away long. He has found his true family in these kids and in this humble neighborhood on the "wrong" side of the tracks.
This movie is obviously not a high-budget feature, and a lot of questions about the man's former life are not answered.
But if you don't mind these minor flaws, this is a wonderful movie.
Burt Reynolds does a great job (he produced the movie); so do all the other actors, the writers, and everyone else involved in making this film.
It's nice to see a movie that promotes "family values" while still portraying the world realistically.
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