You want a completely surreal experience? Spend 20 or so years working on a book, then watch it become the basis for a movie, then go watch the movie debut with your 20-foot mug on a big screen in a big city with about 100 other folks.
That was my experience last Tuesday, Nov. 18, at the Tara Theater in Atlanta when “Stalking the Big Cat,” the new documentary from filmmaker Hal Jacobs, had its advance screening.
Completely surreal.
Based largely on my book, “Big Cat: The Life of Baseball Hall of Famer Johnny Mize,” the film also tells the story behind the book (those 20 something years), and the story of another, lesser-known baseball player, a contemporary of Mize’s named James “Red” Moore.
Mize, of course, was the baseball legend who learned his craft while growing up in Demorest and playing college ball for Piedmont University (then Piedmont College) as a high school kid, then went on to become an all-star and a World Series champion. Moore was an Atlanta man who, like Mize, was a terrific first baseman. But, as a Black man in an age of segregation, Moore plied his trade in the Negro Leagues.
“This is a baseball documentary that goes beyond the game to look at community, family, history, and those individuals in our communities who balance all three,” says Jacobs, the director, writer, and co-producer, whose previous feature-length documentary was, “Saving the Chattahoochee.”
“Stalking the Big Cat” drew a positive response from its first theater audience, and the movie will have its official debut in the spring. There will likely be a showing on Georgia Public Broadcasting, as well as showings at film festivals and venues around the country.
At last Tuesday’s screening, Hal was joined by members of his artistic and production team, including his longtime co-producer Joe Boris, and a diverse cadre of musicians who play multiple versions of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” in the film (a new hip-hop song about Moore that makes its debut).
Habersham County artist and Mize distant cousin Joni Mabe was also there to enjoy the documentary, and present new prints of Mize and Moore — Joni also lights up the screen in the documentary.
Stay tuned for “Stalking the Big Cat,” making its official worldwide debut in 2026.
Read the Book that inspired the documentary
“Big Cat: The Life of Baseball Hall of Famer Johnny Mize” (by Jerry Grillo) brings the legend from the hills of northeast Georgia to the heights of baseball glory—five World Series rings, a silky-smooth swing, and a story as rich as the season itself. It’s the perfect gift for history lovers, baseball fans, and anyone who enjoys a great comeback tale. Wrap it up and drop it into a stocking—it’ll be a hit!
