BY SCOTT TADY

SEWICKLEY — The Lindsay Theater hosts an exclusive documentary screening Sunday of “Boys of Summer: Short Stop,” a road trip film with a heartfelt and inspiring message.

“Boys of Summer: Short Stop” chronicles a precious trip to PNC Park in Pittsburgh and every other Major League Baseball stadium by California filmmaker Robert Cochrane and his father, Dan Cochrane, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2001.

The third installment in a four-part series, “Boys of Summer: Short Stop” includes a scene with Pittsburgh Pirates legend Dave Parker, who lived with Parkinson’s disease for 13 years before his death last June.

“Short Stop” will play at The Lindsay on Sunday, May 17, at 1 p.m. All tickets to this event are discounted to $8.75 each.

Robert Cochrane will participate in a virtual Q&A immediately following the screening.

Cochrane appeared Wednesday on the Beaver County Radio Morning Show with Scott Tady, expounding upon how much he and his father and son loved PNC Park.

Here that interview here (just press play):

“I hope viewers will engage with us like we are members of their family—or neighbors, to put it in Mister Rogers terms,” Cochrane said. “The greatest compliments are that people laughed, cried, thought and are inspired to do more with their own family.”

Cochrane is the founder and CEO of Yes, And…eXercise!, a nonprofit dedicated to motivating and inspiring people impacted by Parkinson’s to gain confidence, connect with others, and discover joy through improvisation and storytelling.

After his father’s diagnosis, Robert and Dan set off on a two-month, 20,000-mile baseball road trip that he made into the 2004 documentary “Boys of Summer: First Base.”

“Boys of Summer: Second Base” followed in 2014, with “Short Stop” coming in 2020.

Part four, “Boys of Summer: Third Base,” will premiere later this month at the World Parkinson Congress in Phoenix, Arizona.

“Short Stop” picks up almost two decades after Dan’s initial diagnosis. He struggles at times with losing pieces of himself and accepting support as his disease advances. This time, Robert’s son, Giuseppe, joins his father and grandfather on an adventure as they get MVP treatment at Dodger Stadium, Petco Park and the Oakland Coliseum.

The film explores what happens between the big moments, capturing quiet struggles, inside jokes and the unspoken weight of time passing.

“We hope that those affected by Parkinson’s feel a sense of hope despite the many challenges the disease presents,” Casey Peluso, vice president of programs & outreach for Parkinson Foundation Western Pennsylvania, said.

“The collaboration between Robert Cochrane and The Lindsay Theater is very special because it not only brings awareness of Parkinson’s, but it shows that
there is a community of support.”

Adds Robert Cochrane: “I believe movie theaters are sacred space. It’s an amazing and all-too-rare opportunity to share a communal experience in the dark with people we don’t know and remember how we’re much more alike than different.”