Story for a Sunday

This one is for Ryan Summers.

In 1985, I was working as an assignment producer for ESPN’s SportsCenter. “The Natural” with Robert Redford was a year old so it was getting a lot of play on HBO. Our reporter based in New York, Ed Randall proposed a story idea.

Tony Ferrara in 1981

Anthony J. Ferrara had an unusual job: he was a batting practice pitcher for the New York Mets and the Yankees. Typically, he would throw BP for the Mets before M/T/W night games at Shea. The Mets would go on a road trip and Ferrara would pitch BP for the Yankees for the Fri/Sat/Sun games.  Once in a great while, he threw BP before an afternoon game and would take the subway across town and pitch BP that night.

On top of which, Ferrara was an actor. When all TV was in Black and White, he did an ad for Brylcreem and one for shaving cream. What made this a promising feature idea story was the fact that Ferrara had a non-speaking role in The Natural as Coach Wilson. If you’ve seen the movie, you know the spot. The camera pans left to right as the Knights sing the Star Spangled Banner along with Kate Smith.

Blink and you’ll miss him.

Wilford Brimley as Manager Pop Fisher, Richard Farnsworth as Red and Ferrara as Coach Wilson

He also served as trainer or, coach for the actors.

So Ed suggests the story and I got to work on our end.  For Ed, all he had to do the next time he was at Shea or Yankee Stadium is tell Tony “We are going to do an interview with you.” I had to get permission to use a clip. After calling three or four offices, I was told to use the few seconds, TriStar/SONY wanted $2500.

Ed did the interview and we got great video of Ferrara pitching BP to Gary Carter and Keith Hernandez and Don Mattingly. But we didn’t use any of the movie when ESPN balked at the price. These were of course, in the day before ESPN was Disneyfied.

Fast forward four years. Now both Ed and I are working for the late, lamented SportsChannel America’s SportsNightly. Pete Rose is in hot water for having never ever bet on baseball and Bart Giamatti is about to kick Rose out of baseball. 

Naturally, Ed and I thought of the connection between Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson. After making a few calls, I spoke to Sarah Pillsbury, one of the producers of Eight Men Out. She was glad to let us use a few seconds of the movie. Ms. Pillsbury was incredulous that “The Natural” people wanted cash, she was not about to charge for a free mention.  She sent a copy of the movie and just asked for the on-screen courtesy.

Sometimes, all you have to do is ask. Or pay $2500.00

D.B. Sweeney as Shoeless Joe Jackson