Will Ferrell Provides Entertaining Diversion to Spring Training Action

You thought Cal Ripken Jr. was the iron man of baseball.

Actor Will Ferrell will suit up for 10 different teams in five Arizona spring training games Thursday. NFL free agency and the madness of college basketball's conference tournaments may be dominating the sports news cycle right now, but, as Ron Burgundy would say, this is “kind of a big deal.”

Bob Baum of the Associated Press (h/t ABC News) noted that Ferrell will travel between Mesa, Tempe, Scottsdale, Glendale and Peoria with a helicopter, and the entire purpose of the exhibition is for an upcoming HBO special “in conjunction with the Funny or Die website co-founded by Ferrell.”

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As if playing for 10 different teams in five separate games wasn’t impressive enough, Ferrell plans on playing all nine positions as a way of honoring Bert Campaneris. Campaneris played nine different positions in a single game five decades ago.

MLB passed along word of the headlining move via its official Twitter account Thursday:

James Montgomery of Rolling Stone described Ferrell’s schedule that will start at 12:05 p.m. PT in the game between the Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics. From there, he will go to the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Angels game, then the Cincinnati Reds and Arizona Diamondbacks tilt, then the San Francisco Giants and Chicago White Sox game and finally the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers contest.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred commented on the project, via Baum: "Will is a big fan of our game and many of us in baseball—among our clubs, players and our millions of fans—are big fans of his. Major League Baseball is happy to take part in what will surely be a fun and memorable day for a great cause."

Ferrell may be known for his comedy chops and numerous movies and famous roles, but at least one player will want the actor to prove himself on the diamond Thursday. 

Chicago White Sox outfielder Adam Eaton weighed in on his newest teammate:

Spring training is all about making an impression and winning jobs, especially for prospects who have never played in the majors. Ferrell will have 10 different teams watching Thursday—all he has to do is impress one.

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