The Saint of Second Chances (2023) chronicles the life of Mike Veeck, son of Hall of Fame baseball owner Bill Veeck.
Recommended by my adult daughter, this 94-minute movie explores multiple facets, including the bond a father and daughter form around baseball. That relationship is close to my heart because of the similar bond my daughter and I have formed around the game, and we watched the film together.
The film chronicles the life of Mike Veeck, son of baseball owner Bill Veeck. The senior Veeck was the ultimate showman and promoter, a hustler, as he put it, not a con man, because a hustler believes. Perhaps his most famous stunt was when, as owner of the St. Louis Browns, he signed a little person, Eddie Gaedel, who stood 3 feet 7 inches tall, to pinch hit in a game. Veeck instructed Gaedel to crouch, which, according to Veeck, gave him a strike zone of one and one-half inches. Gaedel ignored that instruction, but the pitcher still walked him on four straight pitches, all high.
Striving to follow in his dad’s footsteps, Mike Veeck assisted his dad when Bill owned the Chicago White Sox. The son was the manager of promotions and thought he had hit on a great one with Disco Demolition Night on July 12, 1979.
In the late 1970s, disco had become the most popular form of music in the United States. But disco sparked a significant backlash from rock music fans—an opposition strong enough that the White Sox, seeking to fill seats at Comiskey Park during a lackluster season, engaged Chicago shock jock and anti-disco campaigner Steve Dahl for the promotion at the doubleheader. In fairness to Mike, he had previously held a promotion for disco fans. He just thought it would be fun to have one for those who hated disco.
But it did not turn out fun. Admission was just 99 cents for anyone who turned in a disco record. Between games, Dahl would destroy all of the vinyl in an explosion. At least 50,000 packed the stadium, and several thousand were turned away. After Dahl blew up the collected records, thousands of fans stormed the field and remained there until dispersed by riot police. The second game was initially postponed, but, by order of the president of the American League, was forfeited to the Tigers the next day. Some accused the Veecks of racism and homophobia, since disco was popular with Blacks and gays.
This event broke both Veecks emotionally, Mike in particular. His dad took responsibility, but Mike’s life fell apart after the event, spiraling down into a failed marriage and drug use. He yearned to get back into professional baseball promotion, but no one was calling. It seemed as if the Disco Demolition Disaster had defined his career for prospective employers.
But Mike’s big break came when he became the president of an independent league team (a step below the minors), the St. Paul Saints. He went all out with promotions, training a pig to bring the balls to the umpire, bringing in the San Diego Chicken mascot, signing pitcher Ila Borders, the first woman to pitch in professional baseball since Mamie Johnson in the Negro Leagues. He held a “Nobody Night,” where no fans were allowed in the park until the official attendance of zero was announced in the fifth inning.
Veeck brought Minnie Miñoso out of retirement to play for the Saints on July 16, 2003, at age 77, making him the first player to appear in professional games in seven different decades. The Saints played a game with no professional umpires; instead, a “jury” of Little League Baseball players made the calls. At 41 years old, Hall of Famer Jack Morris, a Saint Paul native, pitched ten games for the Saints and went 5-1 with a 2.69 ERA.
Another remarkable facet of this movie is the resurrection of Darryl Strawberry’s baseball career by a summer stint with the Saints in 1996 at 34 years old. Drugs had destroyed Strawberry in both his baseball and personal life. He said that at this time, he was just existing, not having any joy in life, and no desire to play baseball. When an agent approached Mike about signing Strawberry to play for the Saints, Veeck turned him down, afraid that Strawberry’s drug problems would taint the Saints’ image. Veeck’s second wife, Libby, lit into him, calling him a hypocrite. After all, hadn’t Veeck been given a second chance after his life blew up? Veeck saw the light and signed Strawberry.
Mike and Rebecca Veeck (photo courtesy Star Tribune)
Strawberry loved the atmosphere at the Saints’ ballpark and also bonded with teammate Dave Stevens, a congenital amputee. Veeck didn’t sign Stevens as a stunt. Stevens had an incredible will to compete. In a touching moment, Strawberry, who had already hit three home runs in the game, was due up. Everyone was hoping he would hit a fourth. Instead, he insisted that Stevens pinch-hit for him. The Saints restored Strawberry’s love for baseball, and later that summer, the New York Yankees signed him. The Yanks won the World Series that year.
In 1998, Mike Veeck’s dream of returning to the Major Leagues was fulfilled when the Tampa Bay Rays hired him as senior vice president in charge of marketing and sales. He was working 16-hour days. When he told Libby he needed to work 17-hour days, she filled a glass of wine and sardonically suggested that they toast to the fact that he won’t have a relationship with his second child.
That hit Veeck hard, as he had missed out on many years with his son from his first marriage. So he quit his job and devoted much of his time to his daughter Rebecca, who had been diagnosed with Batten disease, which eventually left her blind. She died at age 27 in 2019 from complications of the disease.
This movie is heartwarming and well worth your time.
