One line from the movie The Sandlot will always be remembered: Ham Porter’s dry delivery of “You’re killin’ me, Smalls” to the new kid on the team, Scotty Smalls.
In the 1993 film, a now-famous line was spoken by Patrick Renna, who was 13 at the time, after another character didn’t know how to make a s’more. Though it became one of the movie’s most memorable quotes, the exact wording wasn’t originally written that way.
Patrick remembered being told, ‘You kill me, Smalls,’ in an interview with TopMob News. He said it wasn’t much different from what actually happened.
That little, unplanned change was key to making the movie – directed by David Mickey Evans and starring ten young actors – so special.
People often ask if we did a lot of improvising, and the answer is yes. However, it wasn’t completely freeform; the director guided us. He had a clear idea of what he wanted, and if he asked us to try something, he’d give specific direction – like saying, ‘Go ahead and do it this way.’ He kept things focused, but it probably felt natural and spontaneous in the moment, like when I’d say, ‘You’re killing me, Smalls,’ and it just came out easily.
Honestly, it kills me that they cut the bit about the chocolate! Like, the chocolate is the best part of a s’more, everyone knows that! They filmed something about it, and it just…didn’t make the final cut? I’m still reeling, seriously. It was a perfect little moment, and now it’s gone. Ugh!
The 47-year-old recalled a line from the original script: ‘First take the graham, then you stick the chocolate on the graham, Hershey’s, of course.’ Although that specific line didn’t make the final cut, they still remember it vividly, especially the mention of Hershey’s.
He’s been trying to teach this lesson to his two oldest children, Flynn, 9, and Liam, 5, whom he shares with his wife, Jasmin Renna. They also have a daughter, Lily, who was born in June 2025, but she’s still too young to enjoy the snack.
Flynn is already showing signs of following in his father’s footsteps. He’s not only joined his dad, Patrick, in a Hershey’s advertising campaign, but he’s also begun pursuing his own opportunities. Interestingly, Patrick actually coached Flynn in baseball a few years ago, though he had to be careful not to overstep as a coach and father.
Patrick described how he handles competitive moments at his son’s baseball games. He admitted that while he gets caught up in the heat of competition, he quickly remembers everyone there grew up loving the movie The Sandlot. Afterward, he’ll often sign baseballs for the opposing team, but jokingly refuses if they win, playfully teasing them about their victory.
So, when the actor had the opportunity to work with the popular chocolate brand, Patrick immediately accepted.
When it comes to the Hershey’s debate – Team Gooey or Team Toasty – Patrick definitely prefers the slightly toasted marshmallows.
He wasn’t taking sides, saying, “I’ll support whatever decision is made.” Then, jokingly, he added, “But I’m ‘Team Toasty’ – I prefer things well-done!”
He quickly corrected himself, explaining, “I can’t believe I said to overcook it! I meant to say I like to cook it well, leave it in the fire for a while, and then let it rest for about two minutes.”
He explained that the trickiest, yet most rewarding, part of making a s’more is simply allowing enough time for the chocolate to melt.
Meeting people is really inspiring,” Patrick said. “When you see how much this work means to them, it makes it even more meaningful for you. And over time, being able to continue working together and bringing joy to others is a wonderful feeling.
If you loved the movie Sandlot, you can recapture some of that fun with Hershey’s new combo packs! They include classic Hershey’s chocolate, caramel-filled chocolate, and Reese’s. Choose your favorite: are you Team Gooey or Team Toasty?
And for more on the never-dying legends that made the baseball film a classic, read on.
He’s been trying to teach this lesson to his oldest children, Flynn, 9, and Liam, 5, whom he shares with his wife, Jasmin Renna. They also have a daughter, Lily, who was born in June 2025, but she’s still too young to enjoy the snack.
Flynn is quickly becoming like his dad. He’s already worked with Patrick on the Hershey’s campaign and has begun pursuing his own opportunities. A few years ago, Patrick even coached Flynn in baseball, but he had to be careful not to overstep as a parent.
Patrick says that when things get heated during his son’s baseball games, he reminds himself that everyone involved—including the opposing team—probably grew up loving the movie The Sandlot. He admits he gets caught up in the competition while the game is happening, but afterward, he’ll often sign baseballs for the other team, even playfully teasing them if they win. However, he jokingly refuses to sign if they actually beat his son’s team.
The competitive energy between the parents actually gave Patrick an idea for a new project: a TV series he’ll post on his YouTube channel, featuring some of his fellow actors from The Sandlot.
As more and more people discover and enjoy The Sandlot, it reinforces for Patrick and his fellow actors – including Mike Vitar, Marty York, Tom Guiry, and Chauncey Leopardi – how much the movie continues to resonate with audiences.
Meeting people is really inspiring,” Patrick said. “Seeing how much this means to them makes it even more meaningful for me. And over the years, being able to continue working together and bringing joy to others is just fantastic.”
If you loved the movie Sandlot, you can recapture some of that fun with Hershey’s new combo packs! They include classic Hershey’s chocolate, caramel-filled chocolate, and Reese’s, and you can choose which team you’re on: Team Gooey or Team Toasty. Look for them in stores now!
And for more on the never-dying legends that made the baseball film a classic, read on.
Tom Guiry, known for playing the smart new kid Scotty Smalls, was just 11 years old when he got the part after six auditions. The Sandlot was his first professional acting job; he was discovered by an agent while performing in a local production of A Christmas Carol in New Jersey.
Looking back, being on set felt like a fun summer break, filled with baseball, swimming, and even a carnival,” Guiry explained to TIME in 2013. “For an 11-year-old, it was a perfect movie experience – just like being at summer camp.
Interestingly, the coach working on the movie actually taught Guiry how to pretend he couldn’t play baseball. Guiry was a much better athlete than his character, Smalls, so they focused on making him look uncoordinated. “I got a lot of direction on how to appear like I didn’t know how to throw,” Guiry explained. “I heard my old Little League coach wasn’t too happy when he saw the film.”
Everyone remembers Patrick Renna as the feisty catcher Ham Porter, but surprisingly, he was the final player cast in the movie.
It took some time to adjust to joining an existing team,” Renna explained to TopMob News in 2018. “But we quickly became friends.
The two of them spent about a month practicing baseball together in Los Angeles. Now a 44-year-old father of two, he explained that this was a great way to build their friendship before traveling to Salt Lake City. By the time they arrived in Salt Lake City, they’d already known each other for a couple of months and felt like best friends.
Denis Leary, who played Smalls’ stepdad Bill, had no idea what he was signing up for—in a good way.
The actor remembered getting the script for the film, which he called “this little baseball movie,” before his bigger films, Demolition Man and Judgment Night, were released. He explained on The Rich Eisen Show in 2021 that when he read it, he was surprised by how simple the story was: “It was literally about a group of kids playing baseball.”
Leary, a self-described sports fan who admitted to getting emotional while watching Field of Dreams, reluctantly accepted the role. He joked, “The usual advice is to never work with dogs or children, and I’m working with a huge dog and a whole cast of kids!”
Leary remembered the young actors being “really fantastic,” but meeting James Earl Jones—who played the friendly neighbor and former baseball player, Mr. Mertle—was the highlight for him. He described Jones as “the kindest, nicest, sweetest guy,” and added, “When I think of the voice of God, I think of James Earl Jones.”
The children immediately thought of Star Wars. “When he arrived, we were amazed – it was like Darth Vader had come!” Guiry remembered seeing Jones for the first time. As before, the veteran actor received high praise for being a genuinely kind person.
Leary recalled that Mike Vitar, who famously played Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez, would often wander off to talk to his co-star’s sister between scenes. It turned out that Guiry, who played Benny’s onscreen son, had a sister who was also on set.
“So I was like, ‘This kid’s the one who’s on the ball,'” Leary said, laughing.
It appears the relationship was just a summer romance. Vitar, age 44, has been married to Kym Allen since 2007, and they share three children together.
Hercules, the enormous dog nicknamed “The Beast” who initially frightens the children, is actually a gentle giant. Two English Mastiffs brought the character to life, but a dog named Gunner did most of the athletic work, like running, chasing, and jumping.
To get Hercules to convincingly thank Smalls for rescuing him, the filmmakers covered half of actor Ben Benny’s face with a lot of baby food – he described it as “like a whole jar of Gerber.” As he explained to TIME, the scene where his character looks to the side shows the dog happily licking the baby food off his face. Benny, a dog lover, didn’t mind at all!
The scary Beast that suddenly appears to grab the ball wasn’t a person in a suit – it was a puppet created by animatronics expert Rick Lazzarini. This puppet was used in the scene where Scotty’s building set almost launched the ball out of Mr. Mertle’s yard.
Karen Allen, who played Smalls’ mother in the film (simply credited as “Mom”), described the movie as “totally cute” in a 2016 interview with AV Club. However, her two-year-old son, Nicholas, was terrified by it – she joked it might as well have been the horror film Cujo to him.
Allen remembered being really shocked by his son’s reaction. He started screaming when the dog first appeared in the movie – apparently, the character was meant to evoke fear of something unseen behind a fence. While Allen felt the film wasn’t quite right for his son’s age, she noted that younger children, around 5 to 10 years old, really enjoyed it. She hadn’t realized how popular the film would become, but she’s since learned about its success, which she finds heartwarming.
According to Marty York, who played Yeah-Yeah, the kids’ attempt to chew tobacco and ride the Trabant resulted in a messy situation. They vomited, and the resulting ‘chicken soup mixed with…something else’ was thrown all over the actors. York explained that they had to wear the vomit-covered clothes for hours, and he was constantly on the verge of gagging from the smell and feeling. While the ride itself was enjoyable, the experience of being covered in vomit was definitely unpleasant.
The tobacco was awful, Guiry told TIME. He described it as tasting like “licorice and bacon bits,” and admitted some of them were foolish enough to actually swallow it.
So, not all of the vomiting that day was faked. Guiry explained they rode the attraction about fifteen times, and he, Ham, and Chauncey each threw up a few times. He said it started out okay, but by the fifteenth ride, it was definitely becoming unpleasant.
It took around twelve tries for Ham to help Smalls make his first s’more, but Guiry explained it wasn’t because Renna couldn’t roast marshmallows well. They were just a group of kids who got distracted easily and were having fun.
Guiry told TIME that filming the scene was a blast, but they all kept laughing so much it took about twelve tries to get the perfect shot. He joked that working with kids who get the giggles is especially tough, because unlike adults, it can take them a long time to regain their composure.
It was incredibly hot some days – the kids would have been more comfortable in anything than running around playing ball.
Guiry recalled a scene where a lot of running was involved. He didn’t realize he was falling until he collided with the operator of the Steadicam camera. He explained to TIME that the heat – around 105 degrees, but not very humid – wasn’t immediately noticeable, but quickly became intense, especially while wearing the period costumes from the 1960s.
Chauncey Leopardi, best known as Squints in The Sandlot, was incredibly touched when he learned that two children had used CPR techniques they’d seen in the movie to help their father after he collapsed by the pool. They credited the film with teaching them how to respond in an emergency.
Leopardi told TODAY in August 2022 that the heartwarming story was “just incredible.” He said he’d never forget being able to help the family fulfill their father’s wish, especially after the story became so popular online.
You know, when I think back to filming that iconic scene with Wendy Peffercorn – Marley Shelton, who’s amazing, by the way – it’s funny how I remember feeling! I was just a kid, eleven years old, so naturally I was a total mix of emotions. Anxious, excited, nervous… the whole shebang! It was a lot to take in at that age, but looking back, it was all part of the fun.
Looking back at a playful but mischievous scene where his character pretends to need rescue breathing to steal a kiss from a lifeguard, Leopardi admitted the act itself wasn’t good behavior. However, he maintained that the film as a whole was ultimately innocent and good-natured, even if it pushed some boundaries. He clarified it wasn’t intended to be disturbing or to endorse such actions, especially for children.
David Mickey Evans, who directed and co-wrote The Sandlot, also narrated the film as the adult version of the character Smalls, looking back on a memorable summer. However, the actor Arliss Howard played the scenes where we actually see the grown-up Smalls, who has become a Los Angeles Dodgers announcer.
Vitar’s older brother, Pablo Vitar, was a professional baseball player who famously portrayed Benny “the Jet.” Though he may have slowed down a bit, he still managed to steal home in a memorable moment. Sadly, Pablo, who worked as a police officer in real life, passed away from colon cancer in 2008 at just 41 years old.
Although the actors didn’t see each other often over the years (Guiry said he’d lost contact with the others by 2013), they reconnected as the 25th anniversary of The Sandlot neared. A reunion on the TODAY show in April 2018 sparked a group text message thread that continued even after the event.
Guiry shared on the Below the Belt Show that October that the cast still stays in touch and enjoys spending time together. He described the experience of making the film as a real gift, explaining that everyone genuinely liked each other and many had been friends since childhood, making reunions a lot of fun.
The group chat remained active in 2020, with Renna telling TopMob News that the reunion felt like no time had passed at all – they quickly rekindled their old friendship.
Although the cast had gotten together a few times before, including a visit to the original filming location in Utah in 2013, the TODAY show successfully brought eight out of the nine stars back together on the field at L.A. City College. The only one missing was Vitar, who left acting in the 1990s and now works as a firefighter.
“We gotta do the documentary,” Renna quipped, “it’s called Finding Benny.”
Thankfully, everyone from the cast is doing well – no one disappeared like some child stars from the early 2000s. Grant Gelt, who played Bertram, was also there, so we can confirm he’s alright.
It’s always striking to see how much the show still means to people,” Renna explained to TopMob in 2020, following a virtual cast reunion to support Justin Turner’s foundation. He added that he often encountered fans who were deeply affected by the film, like the time he and Guiry met someone wearing a T-shirt with the famous line, “You’re killin’ me, Smalls!”
Renna explained that she and Tom might have startled the man initially. She simply called out, ‘Hey, bud, nice shirt,’ and then, as they approached, they unexpectedly began walking backwards, leaving him confused. She believes he figured out what was happening when they started taking a photo.
Guiry shared on the podcast Below the Belt that hearing the well-known line from the movie bothered him somewhat during high school, especially since he played the character Smalls. However, over time, he’s actually grown to find it charming.
Now 41 and a father of two, he described the film’s lasting popularity as “surreal.” He recalled a particularly memorable moment at a fan event when a father and son dressed up as characters Benny and Squints. “It’s amazing to see multiple generations enjoying the movie,” he said, adding, “It’s a really good feeling.”
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2026-06-01 17:19