Will Ferrell Set to Blow Minds at MLB Spring Training
Will Ferrell’s on-screen moniker when he parlayed a supporting role on HBO’s Eastbound & Down into asinine laughter was Ashley Schaeffer. The baseball themed program starred Danny McBride and was a surprise success over four seasons on the air. Other guest stars the show was able to land before it ran its course were Matthew McConaughey, Jason Sudeikis, Craig Robinson, Don Johnson and Michael Peña.
Now, the real Ashley Schaeffer is set to do what no man has done before — play every position on the field for 10 different teams in one day. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that in Spring Training. MLB.com’s Cut4 helps promote everything about the game, inside and out, on the field and off, from ballpark delicatessen’s to walkup music. There’s nothing wrong with supplementing some added color and character to the game. Ferrell simultaneously understands and respects this. You can follow his big day here.
If you’re a fan of sports and enjoy a good laugh, you probably appreciate Will Ferrell and his antics. Ferrell himself is a huge sports fan. He has a number of movies that parody some of the games we love, like Kicking and Screaming or Semi-Pro. Ferrell has also starred in a feature that flat out mocks one of the more subjective sports in existence and has proven in the past to be corrupt and unfair.
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Outside of Hollywood, Ferrell has made multiple sports related appearances at events in recent years. Sure a lot of them are publicity stunts, but if they make some people laugh, just go with it.
This will not be Ferrell’s only “stint” with Major League Baseball. His impressions of great Chicago Cubs broadcaster Harry Caray has been well documented. He also threw one pitch as a member of the Round Rock Express in 2010, the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers, before getting ejected from the game.
So is Ferrell’s latest on-screen moment good for MLB? Probably, but it certainly won’t have a negative affect. Baseball is America’s Pastime, a game that has been approached with a laid-back approach and a summertime mentality for over a century. It’s flush full of comical nicknames, locker room shenanigans and dugout pranks.
The old adage goes, there’s no such thing as bad press. Ferrell’s day in MLB will certainly bring about some laughter and maybe even corral a few passive baseball fans in for a dedicated 2015 season. If you think this is making a joke out of the game you love, you might be a tad on the conservative side of things. It’s just one day of liberal laughter setting out to amuse fans.
If any of Will Ferrell’s appearances prevent a real player from showcasing his talent and causing them to not make a 25 or 40-man roster, then I’d say that’s worth having a bone to pick. That chances of that happening are highly unlikely, as Ferrell is 47-year old comedian who performs better on stage than he does a grass field.
There’s a better chance of him playing Bill “Spaceman” Lee in a biopic of the former pitcher’s life than there is of Ferrell bringing negative connotations to the game this week. Plus folks, it’s all for charity.