‘The Sandlot’ at 25: Why the ’90s Cult Classic Will Live ‘For-Ev-Ver’
Director David Mickey Evans and star Chauncey Leopardi tell TheWrap about fan tattoos and an unused subplot
Brian Welk | April 7, 2018 @ 3:30 PM
Last Updated: April 7, 2018 @ 3:42 PM
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Five years ago, “The Sandlot” director David Mickey Evans and stars Chauncey Leopardi and Patrick Renna watched the Boston Red Sox take batting practice. When they stepped onto the field, David Ortiz, Big Papi himself, ran over to them, gave them all a big bear hug and said, “You guys are my heroes.”
Now upon its 25th anniversary, “The Sandlot” is still being embraced by a new generation of players. This spring training, it was the Milwaukee Brewers who celebrated the ’90s cult classic, reenacting a famous scene from the film.
“I don’t know how many people sent me that clip,” Evans told TheWrap. “How many other professional sports teams, hockey, football, basketball, have ever gotten together to re-enact a scene from a famous hockey, football or basketball film? I don’t know, but I would venture a guess none.”
“Every time I see an athlete mention ‘The Sandlot,’ it’s cool to know that at some point in these guys’ lives, they related to the film for whatever reason. It’s still nostalgic for them,” Leopardi told TheWrap. “We kind of shaped their… Well, I don’t want to take full credit for why they play the game, but it’s clearly enough of a part for them to want to grow up and be pinnacle of the league.”
Released on April 7, 1993, “The Sandlot” has since cemented its place in film history as the quintessential kids sports movie. A group of kids in a small town spend their summer bumming around a rundown old baseball diamond they’ve christened The Sandlot. They welcome a new, dorky and naïve kid nicknamed Smalls into their mix, and he gets himself in “the biggest pickle” when he smashes a baseball signed by Babe Ruth over a fence into a backyard guarded by a monstrous attack dog known as The Beast.
It’s a charming story with instantly memorable faces and dozens of quotable lines (“You’re killing me Smalls!), and though the film only made a modest $32 million in its theatrical run, Evans and Leopardi started noticing the film gaining popularity around the time of its release on DVD in 2002.
“When the DVD hit, it just took off. It’s never slowed down,” Evans said. “That’s when I noticed it. This film is not going away. It’s here forever.”
Now a 25th Anniversary Collector’s Edition of the film is available on Blu-Ray, complete with Topps baseball cards for each kid in the movie. But for years, fans would show up at events for the film adorned with memorabilia, including tattoos of Ham, Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez and of Leopardi’s character Squints.
“There’s a Squints portrait on some dude’s ass,” Leopardi said. “There’s somebody out there sitting on my face.”
“The Sandlot” is set in 1962 but, to many fans, feels timeless, a perfect, idyllic relic of Anytown, USA. It may seem like an adaptation of a classic grade school novel, but Evans came up with the story himself after his younger brother was bitten by a particularly nasty dog named Hercules (the same name as in the movie) while he was trying to retrieve a lost baseball.
“That was not my childhood,” Evans said. “The idea that things are bigger than life, like that dog being six feet tall, that childhood imagination sort of aspect, that rings true for me. But having lots of friends, my little brother and I didn’t have that sort of thing. For me, the movie is a version of the way I wish my childhood would’ve been.”
Evans explained “The Sandlot” was set in 1962 because of a subplot that was eventually cut from the film: In 1962, Dodgers great Maury Wills chased down the stolen base record by swiping 104 bags in a single season. Squints would listen to Dodgers games on the radio, and every time Wills would steal a base, Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez would try and do the same. When Benny later gets a pack of Topps baseball cards that are all of Maury Wills, he’s inspired to become a ball player.
Evans said that audiences have either seen themselves in one of the many memorable faces in The Sandlot or wished they were one of them. And as a film about embracing legends (“Heroes get remembered, but legends never die), as Leopardi’s character Squints might say, it’s now become a movie that could live — as Squints famously recites in the film — “for-ev-ver, forrr-evv-verrrr.”
“That’s kind of what the story is about too,” Leopardi said. “It’s about these kids who weren’t supposed to make it there and watched Benny grow up to be a star. That’s the American dream.”
'The Sandlot' Turns 25: From Smalls to Squints, Where Are They Now? (Photos)
At the end of "The Sandlot," the narrator explains how each of the kids ended up as each one fades from the screen. Some moved away, Benny the Jet made it to the big leagues, and Squints married Wendy Peffercorn. Earlier, TheWrap explored why "The Sandlot" is one of those movies that will never die. Now, 25 years later, let's also explore where the film's actors ended up in real life.
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Tom Guiry - Scotty Smalls
After making his film debut with "The Sandlot," Tom Guiry continued to pursue acting and landed roles in "Mystic River," "The Revenant" and "Black Hawk Down." He most recently starred in "Wonder Wheel" and "Sollers Point."
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Mike Vitar - Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez
Mike Vitar continued his reputation as a sporty, teen heartthrob by appearing in both "Mighty Ducks" sequels "D2" and "D3." His last acting role was in 1997 for the medical drama "Chicago Hope," after which point he retired and became a firefighter. In 2015, Vitar was charged with assault. He reached a plea deal to avoid time behind bars in 2017.
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Chauncey Leopardi - Squints
Leopardi spoke with TheWrap and said he's keeping busy with a family and some businesses, as well as appearing at events for "The Sandlot" whenever he can. As an actor, he also starred in "Freaks and Geeks," "Gilmore Girls" and most recently "Coldwater" in 2013.
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Patrick Renna - Ham
Originally from Boston, Patrick Renna still acts. As Chauncey Leopardi told TheWrap, thats because Renna still looks very similar to how he did as a kid, and gets recognized incredibly often. Outside of "The Sandlot," he had a memorable leading role in "The Big Green" while still young. More recently, he starred in episodes of "Boston Legal," "Judging Amy" and 2016's "Fear, Inc."
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Marty York - Yeah-Yeah
In addition to seriously bulking up, Marty York appeared in episodes of "Boy Meets World" and "The Eric Andre Show."
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Brandon Quintin Adams - Kenny DeNunez
Brandon Quintin Adams, also just Brandon Adams, had small roles in other '90s hits "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," "Sister-Sister" and "Moesha." He also did a voice for "Kingdom Hearts 2" and has recorded music as a rapper under the name B. Lee.
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Grant Gelt - Bertram Grover Weeks
Grant Gelt had a few acting roles after "The Sandlot," including "Boy Meets World" and "Hey Arnold!," but he now works as a music manager.
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Victor DiMattia - Timmy Timmons
Victor DiMattia went on two direct two short films and appeared in the 2018 indie "Get Married Or Die."
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Shane Obedzinski - Tommy "Repeat" Timmons
After leaving acting, Shane Obedzinski opened a pizza shop in Florida. He was also spotted at events for the film's 20th anniversary.
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Marley Shelton - Wendy Peffercorn
Marley Shelton, who played the lifeguard all the boys go gaga over in "The Sandlot" Wendy Peffercorn, has starred in "Sin City," "Planet Terror," "Never Been Kissed," "Death Proof," "Scream 4" and more. She currently stars on the series "Rise" and will next be seen in Dwayne Johnson's "Rampage."
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Denis Leary - Bill, Scott's Stepdad
Taking a role as a fairly straight-laced, if imposing stepdad, was a departure for the firebrand comedian back in 1993, but he would eventually move into far more dramatic roles on "Rescue Me" and more. Incidentally, he's still a fan of "The Sandlot."
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Karen Allen - Scott's Mom
Following "The Sandlot," Karen Allen would reprise her more famous role as Marion in "Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull." She most recently starred in "Year by the Sea" in 2016.
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James Earl Jones - Mr. Mertle
It's like he never really left! And yes, Jones is still the voice of Darth Vader, last featured in the role in 2016's "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," among many other projects. He is also set to reprise his voice role as Mufasa in the live-action re-imagining of Disney's "The Lion King."
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Stars Tom Guiry, Chauncey Leopardi and Patrick Renna have become actors – and the guy who plays “Repeat” owns a pizza shop
At the end of "The Sandlot," the narrator explains how each of the kids ended up as each one fades from the screen. Some moved away, Benny the Jet made it to the big leagues, and Squints married Wendy Peffercorn. Earlier, TheWrap explored why "The Sandlot" is one of those movies that will never die. Now, 25 years later, let's also explore where the film's actors ended up in real life.