Tag Archives: Danny McBride

Five Great Baseball Characters

  1. Ray ‘Crash’ Davis (Bull Durham)

 

Kevin Costner and Baseball have always gone well together and his turn as veteran minor league catcher Crash Davis was a career best for the man. What makes Crash such an appealing character is the fact that he knows his career has past him by (except for his 21 glorious days in the majors) and he sets about becoming mentor to talent pitcher Ebby (Tim Robbins) to help him succeed where has failed. Also his superb speech about the things that he believes in will eternally rank as one of the most motivational ones in Baseball

2. Billy Beane (Moneyball)

A real life character yes, but Brad Pitt’s interpretation of the well noted Oakland A’s GM is truly fantastic. Managing one of the poorest teams in Baseball and placing his entire career on a risky idea involving sabre-metrics, Beane is literally living on the edge. But through all the uncertainty, we firmly root for this man due his steadfast approach to his idea and through this he changes the face of baseball forever- even if it means making tough choices and going against the people closest to him. His meetings with his scouts exemplify his attitude towards old time Baseball.

 

  1. Ricky ‘Wild Thing’ Vaughn (Major League)

Pitchers don’t come more entertaining than the Wild Thing, from the moment we see him getting the call to join the Cleveland Indians (from prison no less) we know this is no ordinary man. The man has a fast arm, but no control and this becomes a burden for the team. But as he learns the art of throwing a strike- he becomes the man with the golden arm. One of Charlie Sheen’s better post Platoon performances and through his devil may care attitude- a baseball movie legend was born! After watching this, I guarantee you will be singing X’s version of ‘Wild Thing’ continuously in the coming days.

  1. Bruce Pearson (Bang The Drum Slowly)

One of Robert De Niro’s most unknown performances, but nonetheless one of his most powerful. Bruce Pearson is a semi-literate catcher for the fictional New York Mammoths who is currently dying from Hodgkin’s Disease. The organisation wants of him, but his friend Henry (Michael Moriarty) is determined to fight for him, but cannot explain why! De Niro’s firmly captures our hearts and his turn as simple natured Bruce is one of the most compelling, but as the team begins to rally around him it begins to fill his final days with joy.

  1. Kenny Powers (Eastbound and Down)

Based upon notoriously loud and foul mouthed pitcher John Rocker, Danny McBride’s turn as Kenny Powers has lit up all four series of this fine comedy show. With an ego the size of the US, this man is an ex star pitcher whose lousy attitude has seen him thrown out of most MLB teams. Now he is being forced to pick up the pieces of his ruined career- but still refuses to accept his career is done. Oddly his supreme arrogance succeeds in drawing him closer to the audience! Purely because we want to just how a second chance would treat him. Or maybe it just because we love hearing “You’re Fucking Out!”