David A. Rosemont
A Conversation with David A. Rosemont
(Executive Producer)

Q: What motivated you to produce this movie?
A: I actually gave the story to my then 9-year-old son, and he read it. The next day he said, "Dad, you have do this one." That was enough for me.

Q: What did you learn about Honus when researching for the movie?
A: I called his granddaughter to introduce myself and tell her what we were doing. She couldn't have been more thrilled. She told me two things: First of all, she said that her grandfather was a gentleman; second, she pulled out a letter and read it to me. The letter said, "Dear Honus, I'm sorry I can't be with you on your 41st birthday. . ." So forth and so on, and he closes it by writing, ". . .in my estimation, no greater man ever played the game of baseball. signed Tyrus Cobb."

Q: What challenges did you face?
A: In my movies, I like to transport the audience. To create a believable time and a place, you really have to pay attention to detail. Doing a period film in a place like this, you have to pay attention to the small things, which believe it or not, take on a bigger story -- wardrobe, period cars, signs, things like that.

Q: What is the one message you hope the audience will walk away with?
A: I think the one message is that if you want to do something, if you want it bad enough, believe in yourself, believe you can do it. I think that's what all those guys did in 1909. They believed in themselves.

Q: What was it like working with Matthew Modine?
A: Matthew has taken this role very seriously you know. He went to training camp. He worked out with the Ironbirds. He went and spent some time with Cal Ripken, and he made sure that it was important for him to understand the mental game of baseball and make sure he had the fundamentals down. And he came here, and he was unbelievable. And the great thing about Matthew, too, is he's a real gentleman. He's a guy's guy, and he worked well right into the team.