'Old Baseball Cards' dives into Henry Rowengartner nostalgia with Thomas Ian Nicholas
We’re two weeks away from the 25th anniversary of “Rookie of the Year,” the 1993 film about a kid who can magically throw 100 mph after breaking his arm. He then lives out every kid’s fantasy when he begins pitching for the Chicago Cubs. It’s been 25 years, but nobody has forgotten Henry Rowengartner.
The heat-throwing kid — played by Thomas Ian Nicholas — has been a part of baseball pop culture ever since. Fans wear Rowengartner jerseys and cite characters and quotes from the movie frequently. With the anniversary upon us, we just had to track down Henry Rowengartner to open up some baseball cards from 1993 for “Old Baseball Cards,” our baseball-card driven nostalgia show. And it did not disappoint.
Nicholas is 37 these days. He went on to star in the “American Pie” movies, among a very long list of credits that’s seen him portray the likes of Walt Disney and Frank Sinatra Jr. He also leads the Thomas Ian Nicholas Band, which is on tour this summer. Next up: He’s producing a new neo-noir drama called “Adverse.” Shooting starts in July.
On this episode, we talk about the “Rookie of the Year” anniversary, Nicholas tells us about a deleted scene involving the Atlanta Braves that was written but never shot and we pull the card of one special baseball star who was in the movie. Nicholas even shows some Rowengartner-esque trickery at one point.
If you’re new to “Old Baseball Cards,” we open packs of cards from the ’80s and ’90s with baseball players, coaches and famous fans. The cards aren’t worth much, but the memories and nostalgia they provide are priceless. We’ve got plenty of great episodes below.
Previously on Old Baseball Cards
MUST-SEE EPISODES: Mike Krukow | Gary Vee | Randy Johnson | Felipe Alou | George Brett | Torey Lovullo | Pedro Martinez | Bronson Arroyo | Eric Davis | Dusty Baker | Hank Azaria | Alex Rodriguez | Scott Boras | A.J. Ellis | Bernie Williams | Chase Utley | John Smoltz | Best trades of 2017 | Best finds of 2017 | Best Guests of 2017 (Part 1) | Best Guests of 2017 (Part 2)
STARS FROM BACK IN THE DAY: J.J. Putz | Luis Gonzalez | Duane Kuiper | Edgar Martinez | Ryne Sandberg | Frank Thomas | Sandy Alomar Jr. | Delino DeShields | Cliff Floyd | Dan Plesac | Aaron Boone | Bobby Bonilla | Andre Dawson | Ivan Rodriguez | Jack Morris | Jeff Nelson | Mark Teixeira | Rick Ankiel | Kevin Millar
MANAGERS/COACHES: Terry Francona | Joe Maddon | Bruce Bochy | Clint Hurdle | Buck Showalter | Brad Mills | Bob Melvin | Dave Roberts | Gabe Kapler | Alex Cora | Dave Martinez | Ron Gardenhire | Scott Servais
CURRENT PLAYERS: Curtis Granderson | Noah Syndergaard | Kyle Hendricks | Clayton Kershaw | Todd Coffey | John Axford | Dee Gordon | Adam Eaton | Rajai Davis | Brad Ziegler & Tyler Clippard | Buster Posey, David Price & Anthony Rizzo
CELEBS: Bill Nye | HQ’s Scott Rogowsky | Mr. Belding | Alyssa Milano | Josh Duhamel | Joel McHale
ETC: Chris “Mad Dog” Russo | Josh Kusnick | Jeff Passan | Ken Kendrick
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Mike Oz is a writer at Yahoo Sports. Contact him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
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