Hardball is a 2001 American sports comedy-drama film co-produced and directed by Brian Robbins and starring Keanu Reeves in the main role, Diane Lane and D. B. Sweeney.

Gambler and ticket scalper, Conor O'Neill, secretly bets $6,000 on his dead father's account and is now in debt with two bookies.

's "Big Poppa" to pitch well; and Jarius "G-Baby" Evans, Kofi's much younger brother who is too young to play so he becomes Conor's assistant.

His stress, already high from his debts, runs higher at the baseball field because Jamal is pulled from playing after a competing coach questions the boy's age and Myles cannot wear headphones while he pitches.

Conor takes offense to the league president's threat to be removed, after he voices his objection to his team having to wear ratty T-shirts while the other ones have full uniforms.

He stops gambling; his relationship with Wilkes grows; he gets new uniforms for the players (sponsored by one of his former bookies, who owns a bar); and he leads the team to the championship game.

At his funeral, Conor delivers an eulogy, telling everyone about what happened at G-Baby's at-bat, where he swung the bat and managed a weak hit that won the game.