John Nizzari

Grand Slammed

John Nizzari

Bronx Park East, a blue-collar neighborhood where dreams die hard, is the home of Mikey Roman, a sandlot baseball pitcher, struggling to keep his fastball under control as a local Major League Scout intently watches him hurl from the sandlot hill. On the sidelines, Mikey’s father, Bobby, a solitary man battling alcoholism and the drudgery of his life as a union construction worker grasps desperately onto one last hope: seeing his son in the Major Leagues. But after throwing a wild pitch that strikes a batter in the face in front of the scout, Mikey suddenly becomes disillusioned with baseball and on a fateful night resorts back to the neighborhood bar to seek comfort among his longtime friends. Soon violence and death erupt, shaking Mikey who turns back to Bobby only to find him drunk and despairing. With one last chance at pro ball, Mikey must contain his rage and focus on escaping his father's fate--because if he fails, he will almost certainly be doomed to repeat it.