What would Forrest Gump look like if he played baseball?
At this point, it's hard to find anyone who hasn't seen "Forrest Gump" at one point or another since it debuted in theaters 25 years ago. It won the Academy Award for Best Picture and is on TV seemingly all the time. (Likely at this very moment!)
So the odds are good that you remember how it goes, and that a key part of it involves Forrest making a name for himself as a star runner and football player. That's nice and all, but it could be better. What if Alabama's baseball coach had snatched Forrest up instead of Bear Bryant?
Thanks to sophomore Ren Reynolds of the Tyler Junior College baseball team, we now have an idea of what Forrest playing baseball might look like. Reynolds dressed as him for the team's annual Halloween game on Wednesday, and he took Forrest's running style to heart.
Highlight of the baseball Halloween game! Run Forrest Run!!!!! pic.twitter.com/dTTHCr0MVK
— TJC Apache Athletics (@ApacheAthletics) October 23, 2019
In "Forrest" Reynolds' defense, coaches always tell you to run through first base. He just took it to the next level, and I respect that.
I also love that Reynolds decided to hop the right-field fence as Forrest, too. That seems like the proper equivalent of running through the end zone into the football stadium tunnels. Now, I just want to see Reynolds imitating Forrest trying to steal a base, beat out a bunt, leg out a triple ... anything and everything. The man has the ability to do it, I just know it.
At the very least, Reynolds has Forrest's wave down pat.
You want more Forrest Gump? You got it! @renjamin9 @ApacheAthletics pic.twitter.com/krjlInfgrr
— TJC Apache Baseball (@TJCBaseball) October 24, 2019
That's how you do it, Ren.
Andrew Mearns is a writer for Cut4 whose baseball obsession was born from the shattered dreams of Mike Mussina's perfect game attempt in 2001. He has a startling memory of World Series highlights that barely functions as a party trick.
