It's getting harder and harder to plan these Stars are Out posts at the end of every month. Lots of work goes into, uh, doing a whole bunch of them and not forgetting they're in the file.
I'm doing two months worth today, because it's Labor Day weekend and y'all deserve a treat.
Let's start with this guy, because football season's on its way- Will Shields is Kansas City Royalty, Nebraska Royalty (hence the colors), and, according to my dad, an insanely nice person to work with. It was Nebraska day at Kauffman, and they figured they'd get some guaranteed applause up in there, so Will Shields threw out a pitch. All class.
[For the record, Will Shields has seen this custom. Folks, it is incredibly scary when people who have accomplished things are looking down on your amateur work, but, since he approved, perhaps it'll be less scary in the future]
Let's throw in some other sports stars. Anthony Davis is happy he didn't wait til New Orleans got a baseball team in order to do one of these. I'm sure he'll be fantastic as a Laker, but...knowing their luck with LeBron, I'd be slightly skeptical.
This wasn't even a cross-town kind of thing- Giannis Antetokounmpo just showed up at Yankee Stadium because he's awesome, and they just let him do his thing. I don't blame them.
This isn't cross-town either, as Landry would have to be pitching in LA. No, former 76er Landry Shamet is from Kansas City, so he's a hometown hero in a way, if you define 'hero' as 'guy who was traded for Tobias Harris'.
You want a hero? Here's Carli Lloyd. She's won two Women's World Cup Championships by now, she's the face of the sport, and she's from Philly. And she can rock some 80s blues. Gotta love all of that.
One last non-baseball sports guy: Ric Goddamned Flair. The Naitch. In the flesh. Throwing one out in Houston. I imagine there was a lot of 'WOOOOOOO'ing that night.
Now onto some MLB team legends. For 90s Weekend in Miami, Antonio Alfonseca, one of the stars of the 2003 World Series squad, showed up to give a six-fingered wave to his adoring fans (which, in Miami, he's got some of), and threw one out. I do love those old-school Marlins vests.
Luis Castillo also threw one out, but...since his implication in a drug ring, I didn't think it'd be a good idea to post his.
Now we're talking. One of the more likable outfield bats of his era, Dusty Baker, who wowed in San Francisco, Atlanta and Los Angeles, before becoming a pennant winner and 3-time manager of the year with the Giants, Cubs, Reds and Nationals. Glad they still love him in SF.
And then there's David Cone. I dunno, man, you pitch a perfect game in New York and we love you for life. This was the 20th anniversary of said perfect game, and he showed up to commemorate. Good stuff.
And I can't not mention a worthy appearance from former Cubs whiz-kid fireballer Henry Rowengartner. Good to see he's still got his velocity. And all I could say is thank god Chet Steadman wasn't in attendance.
Yes, some Hall of Famers did show up around induction weekend to thank the fans. Harold Baines, a guy I never thought would be inducted in, showed up with his kid, threw one out at Comiskey, and was all class.
And of course...Edgar Martinez, who's pretty much a deity in Seattle, albeit a humble one, got to come back to T-Mobile park and throw one out as well. He's gotta be loving this.
Now, let's get to some fringy pop-culture ones. James Holzhauer had a record-breaking run on Jeopardy, and captured the minds of a nation. Of course he's a Cubs fan. Of course he is. They've got to love him at Wrigley, though.
Also, while it's not rare for a Murray brother to throw out a first pitch at Wrigley, it's not everyday you see Joel Murray do one, one of the under appreciated greats. Joel's been making the rounds with Whose Live Anyway, with Greg Proops, Ryan Stiles and Jeff Davis, so he's clearly gotten some improv genes from the rest of his family.
Another Cubs first pitch came from Mexican movie star and recent US crossover favorite Eugenio Derbez, who's been in a few US movies like Overboard and the new Dora movie, but...I mean, like any of this is gonna top Instructions Not Included? I mean, come on.
And for one last Cubs one, here's music legend Mavis Staples. You may have heard her collab with Arcade Fire or Hozier, or...know about her fantastic career of singing soul and blues and such, which is even better. Another person that it's nice to know is a Cubs fan.
A few more pop culture ones to round this post out. Rian Johnson's a fantastic director- he did Looper, and the less-beloved Star Wars: The Last Jedi, but he's a genuinely likable guy, and a Dodgers lifer. According to this photo, his first pitch may have missed a little.
Tea Leoni's baseball bias may not be a factor here, but her character on Madam Secretary is, in fact, a Mets fan, and they got to shoot a scene from the show at CitiField, with her in character, which was nice.
And we end on Seinfeld. How the hell can I NOT end on Seinfeld?
Jerry Seinfeld is a huge Mets fan. I remember his excitement in 2015, for the 'Cespedes for the rest of us' stretch run. And here he is loving it all with Conforto. Gotta love him.
Hopefully the September ones of these won't come too far into October.
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