The Hill movie chronicles Texas mans pursuit of pro baseball dream

All Rickey Hill ever wanted to do was play professional baseball. That Hill was born with a degenerative spine disorder that had doctors doubting hed ever walk normally was just an obstacle in his mind. Hill, who was signed in 1975 by the Montreal Expos, played four seasons in the minors before his body gave

All Rickey Hill ever wanted to do was play professional baseball.

That Hill was born with a degenerative spine disorder that had doctors doubting he’d ever walk normally was just an obstacle in his mind. Hill, who was signed in 1975 by the Montreal Expos, played four seasons in the minors before his body gave out. His story is the subject of a film aptly titled “The Hill,” in theaters nationwide on Aug. 25.

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“I’m glad people (are learning about my story) because they never really did before,” said Hill, the son of a preacher who grew up in poverty in the Fort Worth, Texas, area. “I was eating dog food out of the can at times. It was a rough road for a kid growing up, wearing (leg) braces. It made things pretty tough. … I’m just thankful for the movie. I hope every little leaguer likes it and learns, guess what guys? Don’t stop.”

The movie stars Dennis Quaid as Hill’s father, James, along with Colin Ford as Hill and country music singer Randy Houser as a man who encourages Hill to try out for MLB. Written by Angelo Pizzo, who wrote famed sports movies “Rudy” and the fictional “Hoosiers,” “The Hill” is both inspirational and a tearjerker, showcasing the indomitable will of the human spirit.

Hill said he’d take 500 swings a day from the age of 12 until his career was over. Getting the film made was another testament to his perseverance. Hill interviewed more than 40 directors and didn’t find anyone he trusted enough until Jeff Celentano, whose brother overheard his phone conversation with a frustrated Hill and convinced Celentano to take on the project. It took 17 years from the pair’s first meeting to bring Hill’s story to the big screen, in conjunction with Briarcliff Entertainment.

“I cried six or seven times reading the first script,” said Celentano, who put together a video and invited Hill to his house to help conceptualize his vision for the film. “I wanted to make a movie that people didn’t have to worry about anything but leaving inspired. The baseball part, I wanted to make sure that was extremely accurate and every player who looks at it, pro, semi-pro, amateur says, ‘That looks legit.’ One thing you can’t fake is baseball.”

To that end, Ford was sent to a camp for four months to work on his swing — which was what Hill was known for — and learn to perfectly copy Hill’s mechanics. He gained 25 pounds for the role. The film also enlisted Hall of Fame player and current baseball broadcaster John Smoltz to call the big tryout at the end of the film, when Hill is trying to impress famed scout Red Murff, who discovered and signed Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan.

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Similar to the “Rudy” story, Hill’s career wasn’t met with support. He had to convince Murff he deserved a chance with a big-league team. He had to push back throughout the film when his father told him to stop playing. In a scene that perhaps altered his life more than any other, Hill ripped off his leg braces and discovered he could play without them.

“There is no such thing as no in my book,” Hill said. “I hope (people watching this) take the fact that even though they told me my disease was going to end me, I wasn’t going to accept that. I said I’m not accepting no, and I didn’t. I said I would play (pro ball) until every tire went flat.”

Today, Hill is 67 and has nine screws, a 14-inch rod and six cages in his back that he jokes “hold him together.” He can walk normally and would love, even at his age, to try to hit off of some of the game’s best pitchers. Hill thinks in his prime he could have hit at the big-league level if his body didn’t give out.

On Wednesday, Hill threw out the first pitch at the Texas Rangers game to his close friend, Angels infield coach (and former Rangers player and broadcaster) Benji Gil. It’s slightly unorthodox for a member of the opposing team to catch a first pitch, but it’s not a surprise when it comes to Hill. Nothing is.

“Even though my age is the way it is,” Hill said last week, “I’m going to throw them a bullet.”

(Photo: Briarcliff Entertainment)

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