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Stephen Montoya
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Stephen Montoya
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Stephen Montoya
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Stephen Montoya
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Stephen Montoya
It’s half past three, that hour when the sun is relentless and few should be outside, but onto the Westside Little League fields walk Robert Ratliff and his 3-year-old son Wyatt.
They are here to reminisce, play a little ball, and talk about a new film, “You Gotta Believe,” that’s soon to hit theaters and streaming platforms about a team of young ball players and the human story that girded them on the way to an improbable run to the Little League World Series.
“These boys lived the All-American dream by playing in the 2002 Little League World Series,” reads a plaque at the field honoring the team. “They worked hard, they played harder, they performed as a team and looked out for each other while enjoying every moment of the journey. Rollin’, Rollin’, Rollin’.”
These fields still hold a sacred bond for the Ratliff family. This is the site, after all, where Robert Ratliff’s best memories are kept, a place he says he feels closest to his late father.
“It’s special to me because my dad died when I was 13,” Ratliff says. “Before that, I stopped playing here when I was 12. So, I mean, if we think of where I have the most memories of my dad, this is the place for me.”
It was 22 years ago when the underdog Westside Little League All-Stars rallied around Ratliff’s father, Bobby, who had received the heartbreaking diagnosis of cancer. Bobby Ratliff was a coach on the team, which dedicated its season to its mentor. To show their solidarity as a unit, each player had the name “Bobby” stitched on their baseball hats.
Robert Ratliff, 34, who would later attend Nolan Catholic High School before playing quarterback at University of Mississippi, played first base on that team.
“Most of our practices were in the afternoons since the coaches and everyone worked day jobs,” he says. “No matter what, Dad would be here teaching us the fundamentals of the game along with the coaches and team manager.”
Bobby was diagnosed with melanoma, a form of skin cancer that started out as a small spot on his left arm.
After his father went through a battery of tests, Ratliff says his parents came home with an update on his condition.
“I just remember my mom saying, ‘Hey, boys, come here.’ And we sat down on our bunk beds, my brother and I, and he told us that he had cancer,” Ratliff says. “And when you hear cancer, when you’re at that age, I think I was 11, you think death, right?”
But Ratliff’s father wasn’t going to let this get his spirit down. Instead, he told his family that he was going to fight like heck.
His exact words: “You gotta believe.”
The credo, born out of optimism and faith, still resonates with the Ratliff family and anyone who has played or watched a recent Westside Little League game. These words can still be seen underneath the scoreboard at the field.
The movie detailing the experiences of Ratliff, his teammates, and his father is scheduled to be released on Aug. 30.
The film reunites Luke Wilson with director Ty Roberts, both of whom were involved in another Fort Worth-based sports drama, “Twelve Mighty Orphans.” Greg Kinnear and Patrick Renna also star.
Ratliff has seen a screening of “You Gotta Believe” and is grateful to the cast for how everyone is portrayed. He is especially grateful to Wilson, who takes on the role of his dad with dignity.
Bobby Ratliff did not survive his fight with cancer, dying at 51, almost a year after the team’s improbable World Series run.
As Robert Ratliff and his son Wyatt round the bases at the Westside Little League fields, both wearing the Bobby-inscribed hats Ratliff wore during that 2002 season, it’s clear Bobby’s legacy of love, baseball, and hope is in good hands.
“My dad left us a huge inheritance of great memories,” Ratliff says. “We had a lot of fun, and we learned the importance of always believing and knowing that everything and anything is possible.”
