Ham from ‘The Sandlot’ Goes Viral With Hilarious Movie-Inspired Parenting “Hack”

If there’s one thing 90s kids love, it’s a healthy dose of that sweet, sweet nostalgia and Patrick Renna (aka Ham from The Sandlot) took fans on a brief trip down memory lane with a viral Tik-Tok referencing a classic scene from the beloved 1993 baseball film.

“So Smalls – aka my son four-year-old son Flynn – got his first black eye playing baseball and I knew exactly what to do,” Renna said in the Tik-Tok.

Renna then filmed himself slapping a piece of uncooked steak onto his son’s eye (don’t worry, parenting police, Flynn is very clearly in on the joke, as the video ends with the two laughing). True Sandlot fans will immediately recognize the reference, as Renna is imitating the parenting style of Smalls’ stepdad Bill.

In the movie, Bill and Smalls try to bond by playing catch but it ends badly when Smalls ends up getting a black eye while trying to catch one of his stepdad’s throws. The two rush into the kitchen and Smalls’ mom asks her husband to grab some ice but instead, he slaps a frozen steak onto Smalls’ face and offers some very old-school dad advice.

“Just keep that on for like an hour,” Bill tells Smalls. “It will still be black but at least it won’t swell. Sorry, gotta watch out for that curve.”

Using a steak to heal black eyes and bruises is a time-honored tradition practiced by countless American heroes, including Cosmo Kramer. But the reality is that a steak isn’t really an effective way to treat a black eye. The only real benefit is the coldness of the steak and there is a risk of infection from the raw meat.

Of course, Renna is clearly joking about using a steak for his son’s black eye but in case you were tempted to give it a try, you should know you’re much better off just using ice or even a bag of frozen peas.