California Comedian Pays Homage to His Mother, Who Was a Baseball Coach: ‘For Without Him, I Wouldn’t Be a Coach’

Moviegoers are always eager for something new, and yet there’s also a longing for vintage-like films. Set in the ’90s, Andrew Briedis decided to make a screenplay about his mother’s life. This seems to be the best Mother’s Day gift on TikTok.

Briedis’ mother, Bonnie, was a little league baseball coach, and she did an excellent job at teaching kids. Despite being the only female coach in the league, all the men wanted her gone because her son’s team kept winning.

“My mom had this unique gift of being able to inspire children. She’s teaching us how to do double plays and drop third strikes,” he told TikTok while wearing his mother’s jersey. He said that as a child, he “hated” baseball and didn’t think he excelled at the sport. It’s ironic that he was “terrible,” given that his mother was the best coach in the league.

It wasn’t self-deprecation from Briedis either. He showed a clip of himself getting hit by the baseball on the head and getting knocked down. Most kids would’ve at least tried to bat, but he didn’t—he was just standing there until the ball hit him.

“The only thing I was good at is getting walked, because I didn’t swing,” he said. Despite this, Briedis said that his mother never made him feel less than the other incredible players on the team. Bonnie knew that her son wasn’t as interested in baseball, so she tried to find other avenues of interest for him. When he got to theater, Briedis flourished.

Everyone wishes they could have a mom like Bonnie

Although he found his way to a different path, Briedis still went on to play one last season of baseball. His team went through strict coaching under his mother, and it all paid off. Bonnie’s team won the season championship.

During the pizza party at the end, his mother stood up and handed him the game-winning ball. There was a message written by Bonnie, and it reads: “June 26, 1993. Game ball for our championship season first place, presented to Andrew. For without him, I wouldn’t be coach. Congratulations, Mommy.”

Briedis teared up over rereading the message. He said that the ball is his favorite item that he owns, and it makes even further sense when he disclosed that his mother has already passed away. Bonnie died of cancer when Briedis was just fifteen.

“I got to see her excel and love the theater life that I had later. Don’t think I ever saw her light up the same as when she was my baseball coach,” Briedis said. Even though she was battling with her terminal disease, Bonnie remained supportive of her son’s passion for theater. It seems that her support has gone a long way, as Briedis has written for SNL and has even appeared on a Netflix sitcom.

TikTok wants a movie about his mother

Briedis said that back in the 50s, there weren’t many opportunities for women in the Midwest to explore their interests in baseball or even theater. But then, he saw his mother tap into her interests when she became his baseball coach later on. It sounds like the perfect coming-of-age movie, so Briedis wrote a script called “Coach Mom.” The story is based on his experience with his mother as a baseball coach.

Unfortunately, though, Briedis said that ’90s sandlot movies are currently not trending in the market. Perhaps he’ll be proven wrong, since social media definitely wants it released. One comment under his video reads, “Call Melissa McCarthy & make this damn movie now!”

Another social media user reacted with shock when Briedis said there’s little interest in nostalgia films. After all, kids from the ’90s and ’00s have grown up—many of whom are raising children of their own.

While TikTok hopes that Briedis will one day make a film out of the script, for now, all he could do is greet Bonnie with a happy Mother’s Day.

(featured image: Tima Miroshnichenko, Andrew Briedis, Ron Lach)

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