The Stars Are Out: April 2019

That's right: for another year of blogging, I'll be doing customs of notable first pitches throughout the MLB. We had some pretty good ones last year, so I'll try and keep things at the same standard. And seeing as April had some nice results, I think it'll be another good year of these.

I'll start with the obvious one: Mariano Rivera made history by becoming the first-ever unanimous HOF inductee, because nobody could even dispute that man's talent. He's enshrined in Cooperstown this summer, and he's having a great year so far. So why WOULDN'T the Yankees grab Mo for a first pitch early on in the season? I mean, as you can see here, he's definitely still got it.

Similarly, recent HOF-inductee Jack Morris had a modest homecoming in Toronto, where he won his final of three World Series rings. In two seasons in Toronto, he notched 20 wins once and surpassed 100 strikeouts twice. Even for a guy who's better known in Detroit, the Toronto fans sure love him, and i'm glad they had him in town to throw out a first pitch.

As we seem to be on a streak of former players turned-HOFers, Lee Smith had a welcome homecoming to Chicago, where he made a name for himself as a dominating, intimidating and powerful closer. For someone like him, who was considered borderline for many years, this must be a joy and a thrill, and I'm glad he's still beloved in Chicago.

Meanwhile in LA, the Angels fans still have a lot of fondness for their perennial All-Star and team hero, Bobby Grich. And as you can see by this fun pose, he still seems pretty happy to be there. You could argue that his prime years were with Baltimore, but with the Angels Grich had a better average, hit more for power, and became more of a fan favorite.

And then there's a more recent fan favorite like Justin Morneau, who isn't too distant of a memory in Minnesota fans' eyes, but seeing as his teammate Joe Mauer just retired, should begin to steer towards deification on that wall of fame. The guy snagged an MVP in a year where it was basically Jeter's to lose, hit home runs into the postseason, and only left when he knew the team wouldn't be screwed without him. Class act, and deserves the applause he's getting here.

Shifting now to a slightly-more-obscure former player, Billy Bean threw out a first pitch on LGBTQ+ night at PETCO Park, commemorating his decision to come out as an acting player. I know that Bean's fame is less about ability and more about queer identity, but even if it is just that, it's nice that he's getting recognition, rather than scorn. After what he must have gone through, he deserves it.

Shifting to other sports, here's a shot of one of the biggest sports figures in contemporary Philadelphia history throwing one out at CBP. As someone who's witnessed him play, I'll confirm it: AI is still huge, still gets applause, and is still beloved in Philly, even after leaving or retiring due to an issue with his kid or whatever. He delivered when it meant something, and without him, we never would have had Embiid and Simmons and those guys. So of course his first pitch is gonna be huge.

Just as the dust from the NFL draft settles, here's a shot of Parris Campbell, back when he was known for being a star receiver in Ohio, throwing one out for the Reds. Since then, he's been drafted in Round 2 by the Colts, and hopefully will get some reps during his rookie year.

...and if you want to count pro-wrestling as a sport, here's WWE superstar Braun Strowman dealing one out in Milwaukee. I was gonna say this must mean he's a Milwaukee native, but seeing as he only recently threw out a first pitch for the Astros...maybe he's just campaigning for something? I don't know.

We'll end on some acting personnel. First of all, Jamie Foxx, yes THAT Jamie Foxx, was in Philly for Jackie Robinson day. Which...is kinda weird, seeing as he's from the Dallas metropolitan area. Whatever, he's an amazing actor, I'll take it. Good to have anyone in Philly.

And now for some Cubs. Kumail Nanjiani wrote and starred in the very funny The Big Sick, and now he's ending up in several studio pictures, which is deserved. Plus, like every other moderately funny person these days, he's from Chicago.

Noah Wyle was on ER longer than anybody else from the original cast, did Falling Skies, and now is doing another procedural on CBS. He is a TV man through and through, and thankfully he's still welcome in his hometown of Chicago.

Jon Favreau has done so much that it's hard to pinpoint one thing he should be known for. He was in Swingers? He's Happy Hogan in the Iron Man movies? He directed The Jungle Book? He's showrunning the new Star Wars series The Mandalorian? It's really hard, because he's good at most things. And, hence the theme, he is a Cubs fan.

Speaking of Star Wars...

...we'll end on this guy.

This is Joonas Suotamo. He's incredibly tall, incredibly friendly, and he's been playing Chewbacca onscreen since 2015. He was in town for Star Wars Celebration earlier this month, so of course he stopped by Wrigley, got a ton of applause and wookie roars, and threw out what I can only assume was a cool first pitch.

That's all for April. Hopefully we'll get some good ones during this month.