Patrick Renna on Growing Up, Baseball & The Sandlot’s Legacy

What happened to Ham Porter?

More than 30 years after The Sandlot, Patrick Renna joins The Slide Podcast for one of our most nostalgic and entertaining conversations yet.

Best known for playing the unforgettable Ham Porter, Patrick talks about growing up after The Sandlot, becoming a father, coaching youth baseball and bringing members of the beloved cast back together for his new series, Dugout Dads.

Patrick takes Coach Aaron, Mic Check Mariah and Coach Nate Weber behind the scenes of Dugout Dads and explains how his own experience as a youth baseball dad inspired the show. He also shares why he wanted to create something original rather than attempt to make a sequel to The Sandlot.

But this conversation goes far beyond Hollywood.

Patrick gets real about youth baseball, sports parenting, pressure on young athletes and why kids should play because they love the game. He shares his perspective on letting kids have fun, learning through failure and knowing when it’s time to keep pushing—and when it’s time to simply move on.

Patrick also gives advice to young athletes and aspiring actors about rejection, preparation and work ethic, including lessons inspired by Kobe Bryant.

And for The Sandlot fans, there are plenty of stories along the way—from the movie’s incredible multigenerational legacy to working with James Earl Jones and Paulie Shore, plus what it feels like when professional athletes tell you that your movie helped inspire them to play baseball.

Oh—and because this is The Slide Podcast, we had to ask the important questions:

🥣 What’s Patrick Renna’s favorite cereal?
⚾ What would his walk-up song be with the bases loaded?
🎬 What was it really like growing up as Ham Porter?
🔥 What’s next for Dugout Dads?

Whether you’re a baseball parent, player, coach, Sandlot fan or sports lover, this episode is a conversation about baseball, family, perseverance, nostalgia and finding joy in the game.