Mick McCarville grew up in Rockwell City in the 1960's and played high school baseball. Mick's WW II veteran father, now deceased, often told him about the day Babe Ruth came to Rockwell City for a hitting exposition.
Curiosity got the best of Mick, and he started researching newspaper stories in the Rockwell City Advocate, Fort Dodge Messenger, and Des Moines Register. While researching the Babe Ruth stories, McCarville discovered a David vs. Goliath story about how a small town, Rockwell City, Iowa, won the 1942 State Baseball Tournament.
Their coach was Willard Cobb; his players called him Cobbie. He was also the high school principal.
Mick discovered it was a story about a man obsessed with baseball. Trying to win a state title, Coach Cobb came close to winning in 1939, finishing 4th. In 1939 there was a freshman pitcher named Dean Corson who pitched in the 1939 tournament. By the time Dean was a senior in 1942, he was a well-seasoned, once-in-a-lifetime high school pitcher with a record of 17-0 his senior year.
Leading up to the state tournament, Coach Cobb had been complaining about stomach pain, but he ignored the issue forging ahead to see his team to the state tournament.
After discovering his town and coach's story, Mick thought for sure Dean Corson would be in the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches' Association (IHSBCA) Hall of Fame. He discovered Corson was not, and Mick mounted a campaign to get Dean in. It was 60 years later that Dean Corson got his due and was inducted into the IHSBCA Association Hall of Fame.
Mick was at Dean's induction ceremony in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in 2004. Dean was 81 years old at the time. When he gave his induction speech, he got very emotional and teary eyed. He told the audience this award also belonged to his coach and his town. The following is a quote from his speech:
"Cobbie, who was like a second father to me, was the kind of coach who expected a lot and was well respected by his players. Under Coach Cobb we lost only four games in four years. He had two goals--to win the state tournament and get his MA at Drake University. I was honored to be one of his players."
Mick discovered another inspiring small town story while doing his research. He discovered that the state tournament had moved to Manson, Iowa, in 1933. Manson continued to host the tournament until 1954. Manson, even smaller than Rockwell City, was 15 miles north of Rockwell City and also in Calhoun County. Mick did research on this story and wrote an article for the Manson Journal titled "The Iowa World Series".
Sharing this research with many, Mick heard, "That would make a great movie." Mick had no experience in writing a movie script. His wife, Vicki, however, did have 33 years of writing
experience, teaching writing at the secondary school level in Iowa. Mick and Vicki retired to Arizona in 2005, and they spend some summer time yearly in Iowa.
Encouraged by friends and Coach Cobb's daughter, now living in Ohio, Mick Googled screen writers in Arizona. After searching many sites, he came across The Script Doctor website. A man named Howard Allen owned the company. Mick contacted him and with his help, Vicki and Mick started to write the script. Mick formed an LLC, McCarville Productions, and began pursuing his dream of getting the story out in a film.
