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Will Ferrell’s baseball routine upset John Madden

By Ethan Finkelstein

Mar 12, 2015; Peoria, AZ, USA; Hollywood actor Will Ferrell pitches during a spring training game between the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Peoria Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 12, 2015; Peoria, AZ, USA; Hollywood actor Will Ferrell pitches during a spring training game between the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Peoria Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports /
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Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach John Madden was vocal in his disapproval over Will Ferrell’s spring training publicity stunt.

The 2015 Major League Baseball season is set to officially begin in April. For now, fans can watch their favorite players, and as of last Thursday, actors, get ready for the grind of a six month schedule with spring training.

When actor/comedian Will Ferrell took the field on March 12, he did so with two purposes. The first was to raise money for his two charities, Stand Up 2 Cancer and Cancer for College. The second was do something that had first been accomplished 50 years ago by Oakland Athletics legend Bert Campaneris.

However, when Ferrell played all nine positions (ten if you include the designated hitter), not everyone was thrilled. Add John Madden’s name to that small list of detractors.

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Madden, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, was displeased with Ferrell’s antics on Thursday, citing frustrations towards the actor in that he was “lacking respect” for the game.

“That’s a lack of respect. That’s a lack of respect for the game and a [lack of] respect for what players have to do to get where they are,” Madden told San Francisco’s KCBS.

The Super Bowl winning head coach elaborated on his take by sharing an experience he claimed was similar in nature.

“I’m in training camp in Santa Rosa. Rick Barry comes walking by and he was playing for the Warriors at that time. He was a friend of Al Davis’ and he said he was going to go in and suit up and go out on the field and practice, to fool Al. I swear this is true.” Madden continued, “Jack Tatum and George Atkinson walked by and I said, look, if this guy comes out on the field, he’s live bait and I want you to go after him the way you would go after any other player that plays on another team. I said, go ahead and dress, but we’re going to treat you like a football player and not like an NBA player.”

It is somewhat easy to see where coach Madden is coming from. To have someone from outside of the sport come in and suit up for something that thousands of amateurs dedicate their lives to have a chance for; it reflects poorly on the integrity of the game.

However, that is only if you take the experience for appearances only. When you really break down Ferrell’s appearances on the baseball diamond, it becomes overwhelmingly clear that this was purely a way to raise awareness for the aforementioned charities. Ferrell playing in a meaningless scrimmage (because that is what spring training ultimately is), does not reflect on the talent pool competing for a spot on a major league roster.

It was for show. When you see Ferrell coaching third base for the Chicago Cubs, never is this more apparent.

Beyond that, there is another stark difference in the two incidents. Besides Rick Barry already being a professional athlete, he was also doing it for fun.

Ferrell was raising over one million dollars for charity. All the while in doing so, he was helping America remember the legacy of one of the more unheralded players in the sport’s history.

Overall, it was a great experience, and the actual professional ballplayers loved every minute of it, even the ones who could not be there to see it.

Sorry Madden, this is not Super Bowl 11. We afraid you cannot win this one.

H/T Brobible.com

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