Well, let's ask the only person who can really answer that question, based on his career, encyclopædic knowledge of the MLB rule book, and all-around expertise in matters human, Mr. Charlie Sheen:
“The only reason anyone is talking about the play is because IT WORKED!” actor Charlie Sheen, who portrayed pitcher Rick “Wild Thing” Vaughn in the “Major League” movies, wrote Thursday in an e-mail to The Associated Press. “I’m only upset, that in my 15 years of playing this game, I didn’t think of it.”
First off, I was not aware that Sheen played professional baseball for fifteen years. I can't believe I missed that, somehow. But second, I am glad he finally weighed in, so we can put this matter to bed.
Or can we? Because look at this contradictory quote from Scott Bakula:
"I thought it was bush-league," said Bakula, who portrayed an athlete in a movie once and thus somehow gets to get interviewed at times like this. "In all of my months playing athletes in movies, I have never seen anything like [it]."
That actually jibes pretty well with this salvo from Sir Ian McKellen:
McKellen spoke about ARod's controversial play Tuesday, in an exclusive interview with Martin Bashir of ABC News. "I thought it was horrid, just horrid," said McKellen, who has never seen a baseball game. "Also, what is an A-Rod?"
Of course, no baseball debate would be complete without hearing from Jackson Browne:
The singer said he was "incensed" after the incident -- not because of ARod's play, but because of the media's coverage. "Sadly, we live in a world where everything is scrutanized [sic]," Browne wrote Wednesday, in a telegram to Le Monde. "It is a sad comment on the so-called 'fourth estate' when a pro baseball player cant [sic] even yell something on the field of play without it turning into a circvs [sic]. Also, I wrote 'Take it Easy,' by the Eagles. Little trivia for you."
All well and good. But the question remains: what does Rip Taylor think about ARod's play?
"No comment," said the '70's icon, in a signal-flag interview with Al Jazeera conducted on the deck of the U.S.S. Nimitz.
Huh. Rip Taylor -- taking the high road. Did not expect that.
Labels: arod, charlie sheen, scott bakula
