Chicago little league coach loses first inning vs. Paramount

Chicago Little League coach Bob Muzikowski has vowed to continue his legal battle against Paramount Pictures following a federal judge’s refusal last week to block the movie Hardball from being released. The film, which had a preview release on Saturday and will open wide on Friday, stars Keanu Reeves as a character reportedly based on Muzikowski, who coaches poor inner-city kids in Chicago. Muzikowski claims the movie defames him and misrepresents the kids on his team. Responding to a contention by Paramount that the film is fiction and is only loosely based on Daniel Coyle’s 1994 nonfiction book featuring him, also titled Hardball, Muzikowski told the Chicago Sun-Times: “If it’s not a true story, why are they filming on my block?” He said that if he wins his lawsuit against Paramount, he will use the money for Little Leaguers. “We’re going to build a stadium for the kids … on Paramount’s dollar” Muzikowski said. “The irony is beautiful.”