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Cecil "Stud" Cantrell
Aug 12, 2013
Published in
The Athletes
Long before he was Gil Grissom, William Petersen was Cecil “Stud” Cantrell, the Player/Coach of the 1950’s Gulf Coast squad, the Tampico Stogies. Before we let the coolness of his character’s name and team name sink in, the HBO movie in question (Long Gone) has been correctly described as a hybrid between Slap Shot and Bull Durham. With that equation, and with Cantrell leading (and stealing) the show with hard drinking and hard partying ways, the film has become a bit of a cult classic, especially since it can’t be found easily. Had this gained a bigger audience, we think that Cantrell would have a better shot for our Hall.
Carmen Ronzonni
Aug 12, 2013
Published in
The Athletes
While his brother’s penis was becoming the gateway for Hollywood starlets, Jimmy Baio was given maybe one line a week on “Soap” and dazzled us with “air” impressions of Luis Tiant in the first Bad News Bears’ sequel. Actually, he was there to replace Tatum O’Neal who declined to appear in the film, and give a New York attitude to appeal to…those who loved impressions of Luis Tiant. Actually, he couldn’t pitch until Coach Leak basically taught him to simply just throw the ball. Damn, Kelly’s dad made everything look so easy.
Bruce Pearson
Aug 12, 2013
Published in
The Athletes
The role that launched Robert DeNiro’s career was as a slow witted Catcher who has terminal Hodgkin’s Disease. As Bruce Pearson, he showed limited intellect, and was not a star on his team, the New York Mammoths, though his closest friend was. DeNiro was often the butt of the jokes on the team, and was the focus of our sympathies. However, when the nature of his illness is unveiled, the team rallies around their comrade, and learn to win and become better people in the process. That sounds like a simple equation, but often those are the best stories told. As it stands, any film that launched the career of one of the greatest actors ever, deserves a look for our little Hall of Fame.
The Bullet Points:
Movie Appeared:
Bang the Drum Slowly (1973)
Actor:
Robert DeNiro
Position Portrayed:
Catcher
Played for:
New York Mammoths
Why you should vote for him:
DeNiro was great, and it launched his career.
Why you should not vote for him:
Isn’t the Catcher usually the smartest player on the team? Seriously, something is off here.
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Bobby Rayburn
Aug 12, 2013
Published in
The Athletes
Wesley deserved better here. The movie “The Fan” was a great idea, though the execution was a little muddled. We grant that Wesley Snipes (Bobby Rayburn) may not be on the same acting plane as Robert DeNiro, but he wasn’t given a character with much reason for viewers to care about. At the very least, Wesley Snipes is one of the few actors who you could buy in any athletic role, but without drawing empathy from the audience, does it really matter if he is the object of DeNiro’s obsession?
The Bullet Points:
Movie Appeared:
The Fan (1996)
Actor:
Wesley Snipes
Position Portrayed:
Outfield
Played for:
San Francisco Giants
Why you should vote for him:
Few look the part better than Wesley.
Why you should not vote for him:
There are better Wesley Snipes athletic roles to vote for.
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