Wilkes-Barre native David Mickey Evans talks 'Sandlot,' modern baseball

Yahoo

30-03-2025

Mar. 29—A new baseball season began in earnest this past week, and the Los Angeles Dodgers have entered it as the reigning World Series champions.
Some fans may be tempted to watch a baseball movie as the season gets underway, and "The Sandlot" remains a popular option for seasonal viewing. The director, writer, and narrator of that 1993 film is David Mickey Evans, a Wilkes-Barre native and a huge Dodgers fan.
Evans moved with his mother and brother to the San Fernando Valley in California in the late 1960s, and he attended grade school, high school and college on the West Coast. Intermittently, over the years, Evans has passed through Northeast Pennsylvania, most recently for a 2018 event in Moosic celebrating the 25th anniversary of "The Sandlot."
Still, Evans' life was very much in Southern California. His first studio film, 1992's "Radio Flyer," touched on his childhood, though the circumstances of the production left Evans in need of a new gig.
"I needed to write a picture, because everybody in Hollywood gets two chances. Nobody gets a third," Evans said, though he attributed that quotation to veteran director Richard Donner.
His second chance was "The Sandlot," a contained film that follows a group of younger boys enjoying a summer vacation by going to the pool, attending a carnival, and, most prominently, playing baseball. During one game, the central character, Scott Smalls, hits a baseball signed by Babe Ruth over the fence and into the yard of Mr. Mertle, a supposedly nasty old man, and his dog, "The Beast." Shenanigans ensue.
The script was viewed as a prize by the industry.
"Probably about a week after I wrote ['The Sandlot'] — a week and a half — it sold, but every studio in Hollywood wanted it...," said Evans.
Setting the tone
Evans was born in the same year "The Sandlot" is set: 1962. Though he was about as old as Smalls is in the film a decade too late, he was still able to pull from his own childhood experiences to mold the story and the main characterizations.
However, Evans reversed some pieces of his childhood, which included being bullied and managing generally rough conditions.
"I went back, and I turned all those bad guys into heroes [in the script], and made it more the way I wish it had been," Evans said.
Aesthetically, recreating the 1962 San Fernando Valley for the film would be a challenge. What was once undisturbed land in that area had become developed by the early 1990s when the film was being shot.
"Where we lived was more citified, but just on the outskirts of all that development, there was still undeveloped land," Evans recalled of his childhood surroundings. "It's all developed now, but back then, it was big fields and miles of emptiness."
Rather than trying to recreate an age gone by in California, and ballooning the film's budget, "The Sandlot" was made predominantly in the Salt Lake City area of Utah.
What was created in "The Sandlot" is a deeply nostalgic experience, as Evans has heard many times from fans. People connect especially well with the young characters, and can find echoes of their lives in the film's situations.
"It doesn't matter how old you are. When you see those kids doing those things and talking that way up on that screen, you identify with them," Evans said. "You either were one of those kids — if you were lucky enough — you knew one of those kids, or you wanted to be one of those kids, and I think that covers most of the moviegoing audience that watches the movie."
Retaining an audience
"The Sandlot" smashed at the box office upon its release in theaters, grossing over $30 million dollars on a budget representing a small fraction of that figure. The film came out during an era dominated by VHS tapes and rental stores. Another wave of fans came a few years later when DVDs became the most prominent vehicle for film consumption.
This positive momentum over the past 32 years has led to a vibrant online fandom surrounding "The Sandlot."
"It's a really perfect example of word of mouth, because all of this started before the internet," said Evans of the film's ever-growing popularity.
The fandom's enjoyment has manifested in a number of ways, from fan art and memes to a slew of merchandise. It's not uncommon to see someone walking down the street with the phrase "You're killin' me, Smalls" on their shirt, a reference to one of the film's most famous quotables.
On a deeper level, Evans has interacted with a number of adult fans over the years, many of whom have found deep meaning in "The Sandlot." One woman told him after a more recent screening of the film that "The Sandlot" helped her to build a relationship with her stepfather.
In another instance, Evans was walking through the busy Denver International Airport when he heard the aforementioned "You're killin' me, Smalls" line used by a father to his young son.
Of course, Evans made a point of introducing himself to his fellow travelers.
James Earl Jones
In September 2024, "The Sandlot" family lost one of its most revered members when James Earl Jones, who played Mr. Mertle in the film, passed away at age 93. Evans said Jones was born with a natural charisma.
"[James Earl Jones] was the most gracious man I ever met, including outside the movie world," Evans recalled.
The casting of a star like Jones in "The Sandlot" was considered unlikely to Evans at the time of filming considering the movie's budget. However, Assistant Director William M. Elvin had a connection to Jones after working with him on another baseball film, the Oscar-nominated "Field of Dreams" from 1989.
After reading the script, Jones signed on to play the Mr. Mertle role, and he offered an important bit of baseball context. In the original script, Mertle claims to be an old teammate of Babe Ruth. Jones, a Black man, pointed out that this would have been impossible, as Major League Baseball's color barrier would not be broken until 12 years after Ruth's retirement. After a bit more research into the subject, Evans was able to adjust the script for historical accuracy.
On set, Jones was a delight to work with. He signed autographs for his young co-stars, and was quick to quip about his voice role as Darth Vader in the "Star Wars" films.
Evans would work with Jones again in 2004 for "The Sandlot 2," a direct-to-DVD sequel to the 1993 original.
"I called Mr. Jones because I needed Mr. Mertle for just a day, and he said, 'Wherever you want me, I'll be there.'" Evans remembered. "He was just a great, great man, and he had a great sense of humor."
State of the game
Evans grew up a Dodgers fan in the 1970s, with players such as Davey Lopes, Rick Monday, and Steve Garvey — who appears in "The Sandlot 2" — leading the team. Decades later, he still contends that Dodger Stadium is the best major league ballpark.
His most unique Dodger Stadium memory just might be one removed from an active baseball game. It happened during the production of "The Sandlot" when the stadium was needed as a shooting location for the final scene. With his cinematographer Anthony B. Richmond, Evans went to the stadium on a hot summer day to ask longtime Dodgers Manager Tommy Lasorda for permission to film.
When they arrived at his office, Lasorda was wearing only his underwear and reading the newspaper. With little hesitation, Lasorda granted the film crew the permission they desired.
"One of the wonderful, lucky things that happened on that picture," said Evans.
Lasorda later told Evans that he enjoyed "The Sandlot."
The 2025 season is expected to be another strong one for the Dodgers as they look to defend their 2024 crown.
"I think we're in great shape. I think [pitcher] Clayton [Kershaw] has got a couple more years in him, and [pitcher and batter Shohei] Ohtani — enough said," Evans said.
While he's a bit disenchanted with baseball's "corporatization" — whether it be through "$12 beers" or modern rule changes — Evans has remained a champion of the game he depicted in his most lasting work.
"It's still the greatest game that man ever invented, and I'll never stop playing it or watching it."