It’s back to bacon as I continue my quest to link every minor league team back to Kevin Bacon in a fun but unusual game of Six Degrees Of Separation. This time, I’m taking a look at the Pacific Coast League.
Albuquerque Isotopes
Link 1) In the TV show In Plain Sight, a character named Raphael Ramirez is a former minor league player with the Isotopes. He is played by Cristián de la Fuentes who was also in the TV show Royal Pains with Campbell Scott. Scott was is Dying Young with Julia Roberts who was in Flatliners with Kevin Bacon.
Link 2) The Isotopes also have a fan in actor Bryan Cranston who has been to a few games and wore an Isotopes hat in a season two episode of Breaking Bad. Cranston and Kevin Bacon both appeared on Hank Azaria’s documentary series Fatherhood and can be seen in episode six which is on YouTube.
Walter White rocking the Isotopes hat. (Photo: AMC)
Link 3) Joc Pederson played in Albuquerque for 121 games in 2014. He had a small cameo in the TV show Can I Hang? The main star was Paul Rodriguez who was in a movie called Vicious Circle with Trevor Wright. Wright was in the CSI: New York episode titled Risk and the main star of that show is Gary Sinise who was in Apollo 13 with Kevin Bacon.
El Paso Chihuahuas
Link 1) Cody Decker played for the Chihuahuas in 2014 and 2015. Decker was a security guard in a 2015 episode of State Of Affairs which stars Katherine Heigl. She was in The Nut Job with Brendan Fraser who was in The Air I Breathe with Kevin Bacon.
Link 2) Jeff Francoeur played in El Paso in 2014 and played alongside Chipper Jones for Team USA during the first World Baseball Classic in 2006. Chipper Jones is one of the co-owners of the Outdoor Channel show Buck Commander and another co-owner is Willie Robertson of Duck Dynasty fame. He was a guest star on the show Last Man Standing with Tim Allen. Allen was in Big Trouble with Rene Russo who was in Showtime with Robert De Niro. De Niro and Kevin Bacon both starred in the movie Sleepers.
Fresno Grizzlies
Link 1) The movie Parental Guidance featured Billy Crystal as the voice of the Fresno Grizzlies. They even shot scenes for the movie at Chukchansi Park. He was in Analyze That with Robert De Niro who was in Sleepers with Kevin Bacon.
Billy Crystal shooting scenes for Parental Guidance at Chukchansi Park in Fresno. (Photo credit: Business Street Online)
Link 2) San Francisco Giants players Madison Bumgarner and Buster Posey both made stops in Fresno with Posey suiting up for the Grizzlies in 2009 and 2010 and Bumgarner playing for them in 2010. The pair were also in the TV special It’s Your 50th Christmas, Charlie Brown which was hosted by Kristen Bell. She voiced Anna in the animated movie Ralph Breaks The Internet with John C. Reilly voicing Ralph. Reilly was in The River Wild with Kevin Bacon.
Link 3) Then we have pitcher Brian Wilson who was with Fresno from 2005-2007. He was a client on the TV show Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles appearing in a season eight episode titled Major League Listings. Another athlete appearing on that episode was Kris Humphries who is the ex-husband of Kim Kardashian. She appeared alongside Denise Richards in Deep In The Valley and Richards was in Wild Things with Kevin Bacon.
Iowa Cubs
Link 1) Infielder Mark Grace playing for the Iowa Cubs back in 1988. His former wife Michelle was also once married to actor Ray Liotta who was Kevin Costner’s dad in Field Of Dreams. Costner was in JFK with Kevin Bacon.
Link 2) Pitcher Kerry Wood had stints with the Iowa Cubs in 1997, 1998, 2000, 2004, 2005, and 2006. He was in a documentary about the Chicago Cubs called We Believe which was narrated by Gary Sinise. He starred alongside Kevin Bacon in Apollo 13.
Link 3) Mark Prior suited up for Iowa in 2002, 2004, 2005, and 2006. He was one of several baseball players interviewed about Sammy Sosa for the documentary ESPN SportsCentury. One of the other players interviewed was Mark McGwire. He had a guest starring role on Mad About You in the episode titled Virtual Reality II with Helen Hunt. She was in Twister with Bill Paxton who was in Apollo 13 with Kevin Bacon.
Mark McGwire on Mad About You. (Photo credit: NBC and the Palm Beach Post)
Las Vegas Aviators
Link 1) Cody Decker played for the Las Vegas 51s for 46 games in 2017. Decker was a security guard in a 2015 episode of State Of Affairs which stars Katherine Heigl. She was in The Nut Job with Brendan Fraser who was in The Air I Breathe with Kevin Bacon.
Link 2) Matt Kemp played in 44 games for Las Vegas during the 2006 season. In 2015, he was a guest on Larry King Now. Larry King has interviewed Kevin Bacon several times on his show.
Link 3) John Kruk was in Las Vegas for the 1984 and 1985 seasons and part of the 1986 season. He had a small role in the movie The Fan which starred Robert De Niro who was in Sleepers with Kevin Bacon.
Link 4) We can also connect to Bacon a second time through John Kruk. He was the announcer in the movie American Pastime which starred Olesya Rulin. She is best-known from her role as Kelsi in the High School Musical movies alongside Zac Efron. Efron was in The Lucky One with Blythe Danner who voiced a character in Beyond All Boundaries with Kevin Bacon.
Link 5) Third time’s a charm as we can also connect through another one of John Kruk’s cameos. In The Sandlot: Heading Home, the third installment in the Sandlot series, he played a coach in the movie which costarred Luke Perry. Perry was in The Fifth Element with Gary Oldman who starred alongside Kevin Bacon in Criminal Law.
Memphis Redbirds
Link 1) David Freese suited up for Memphis during in 2008, 2009, 2011, and 2013. He had a guest star role on a TV show called Work It in season one, episode 13. One of his costers was Amaury Nolasco. He was in Max Payne with Mark Wahlberg who was in Patriot’s Day with Kevin Bacon.
Link 2) During the 2003 season, Joe Girardi played for the Redbirds for 18 games. He had a voice cameo in the animated movie Henry & Me. The main character Henry was voiced by Richard Gere. He was in Pretty Woman and Runaway Bride with Julia Roberts who was in Flatliners with Kevin Bacon.
Link 3) Jon Jay has played for Memphis in 2008, 2009, 2010, and rehab stints in 2012 and 2015. Jay was part of a goodwill trip to Cuba which was led by Joe Torre and Dave Winfield. Torre had a voice cameo in the animated movie Everyone’s Hero. The voice cast also included Whoopi Goldberg who was in Ghost with Demi Moore. She costarred alongside Kevin Bacon in A Few Good Men.
Nashville Sounds
Link 1) Pitcher R.A. Dickey spent the 2007 season playing for the Sounds where he was named the 2007 Pacific Coast League Pitcher Of The Year. He was a guest on the Late Show With David Letterman which aired on July 11, 2012. Another guest that night was Bryan Cranston. He voiced the lead character chief in the animated movie Isle Of Dogs. Another member of the voice cast was Edward Norton. He was in Birdman with Emma Stone who was in Crazy, Stupid, Love with Kevin Bacon.
Link 2) Hall Of Famer Trevor Hoffman made 42 appearances for the Sounds back in 1992. He was in a TV movie called The Players Club which included many other former players including Bo Jackson. He was in a movie called Fakin’ Da Funk with Ernie Hudson. Hudson was in The Cowboy Way with Kiefer Sutherland who starred alongside Kevin Bacon in Flatliners.
New Orleans Baby Cakes
Link 1) The Shrine On Airline, home of the New Orleans Baby Cakes, has been a filming location for several productions including the baseball movie Mr. 3000 starring Bernie Mac. Mac was in Ocean’s Eleven with Brad Pitt who was in Sleepers with Kevin Bacon.
Link 2) Another production to use the Shrine was Failure To Launch starring Sarah Jessica Parker. She was in Mars Attacks! One of her costars was Jack Nicholson who starred alongside Kevin Bacon in A Few Good Men.
Link 3) Former baseball player Brady Anderson also visited the ballpark back in 2007 to film an episode of Pros vs Joes. He also had a guest appearance on the show Sabrina The Teenage Witch. (Season 1, Episode 14) The show starred Melissa Joan Hart who was in Drive Me Crazy with Adrian Grenier. He was in The Devil Wears Prada with Meryl Streep who was in The River Wild with Kevin Bacon.
Link 4) Pitcher Brad Lidge suited up for what was then the New Orleans Zephyrs in 2002. with 24 appearances. He had a cameo in the documentary Keep The Faith. Another cameo was by Jim Belushi who was in The Hollow Point with Patrick Wilson. Wilson was in The Phantom Of The Opera with Emmy Rossum who was in Mystic River with Kevin Bacon.
Oklahoma City Dodgers
Link 1) Cody Bellinger had two stints in Oklahoma City playing in three games in 2016 and 67 games in 2017. He was also a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! The episode aired on May 7, 2018 and another guest was Melissa McCarthy. She was in The Heat with Sandra Bullock who was in Loverboy with Kevin Bacon.
Link 2) Pitcher R.A. Dickey was with Oklahoma City for parts of seven seasons, 1999-2003, 2005-2006. He was a guest on the Late Show With David Letterman which aired on July 11, 2012. Another guest that night was Bryan Cranston. He voiced the lead character chief in the animated movie Isle Of Dogs. Another member of the voice cast was Edward Norton. He was in Birdman with Emma Stone who was in Crazy, Stupid, Love with Kevin Bacon.
Link 3) Sammy Sosa played in 10 games for the Oklahoma City 89ers in 1989. He had a cameo in the movie Kissing A Fool starring David Schwimmer. He was in The Iceman with Ray Liotta who was Kevin Costner’s dad in Field Of Dreams. Costner was in JFK with Kevin Bacon.
Omaha Storm Chasers
Link 1) George Brett played for what was then the Omaha Royals in 1973 and part of 1974. He had a cameo as himself on Modern Family which aired on March 28, 2018. He worked alongside Eric Stonestreet who was in The Loft with James Marsden. Marsden was in Westworld with Thandie Newton who was in Mission: Impossible II with Tom Cruise. Cruise and Kevin Bacon were both in A Few Good Men.
Link 2) Former Storm Chasers player Eric Hosmer suited up for Omaha for 26 games in 2011 and two games in 2014. He was in the TV show Ballers in the third episode of season one called Move The Chains with Dwayne Johnson. Johnson was in The Game Plan with Kyra Sedgwick who is married to Kevin Bacon.
Link 3) Jack McKeon managed Omaha from 1969-1972. In 2015, he was inducted into the Irish American Baseball Hall Of Fame. Another inductee that year was minor league baseball owner and actor Bill Murray. Murray had an uncredited cameo in the movie She’s Having A Baby which starred Kevin Bacon.
Link 4) We can use the same chain from Link 3 but use a different film to link Kevin Bacon. Murray was in Tootsie with Dustin Hoffman who was in Sleepers with Bacon.
Reno Aces
Link 1) Pitcher Patrick Corbin made nine appearances for Reno during the 2012 season. He, along with several of his teammates from the Arizona Diamondbacks, appeared on a Season 7 episode of Man vs. Food which was hosted by Casey Webb. Webb was in a movie called McDick with Danny Trejo. Trejo along with a ton of other celebrities made a cameo in Muppets Most Wanted. Another cameo was James McAvoy who played a UPS guy. He also played a young Charles Xavier in X-Men: First Class which also starred Kevin Bacon.
Link 2) Cody Ross had two stints with Reno playing in one game with the Aces in 2013 and nine games in 2014. He appeared as himself on a 2010 episode of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno whenever Ross Mathews was sent to the World Series as a correspondent. Another guest appearing on that show, which aired on October 27, 2010, was Robin Williams. He was in The World According To Garp with John Lithgow who appeared alongside Kevin Bacon in Footloose.
Round Rock Express
Link 1) The Dell Diamond, home of the Round Rock Express, was used as a filming location for Fear The Walking Dead this past off-season. The team hosted a Fear The Walking Dead night at the ballpark to celebrate the partnership with actress Danay Garcia throwing out the first pitch. She was in Prison Break with Dominic Purcell who was in Blade: Trinity with Ryan Reynolds. Reynolds was in R.I.P.D. with Kevin Bacon.
Link 2) The Dell Diamond also hosted Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie who worked for the Round Rock Express for a night for an episode of The Simple Life. Paris Hilton made a cameo as herself in the movie The Bling Ring which starred Emma Watson. Watson was Belle in Disney’s live-action version of Beauty And The Beast with Kevin Kline playing her father Maurice. Kline was in Sophie’s Choice with Meryl Streep who was in The River Wild with Kevin Bacon.
Link 3) Back in 2010, Will Ferrell joined the Express for a night as Billy Ray “Rojo” Johnson. Ferrell was in The Campaign with John Lithgow who was in Footloose with Kevin Bacon.
Link 4) Back in 2007, outfielder Hunter Pence played for the Express in 25 games. He played himself in an episode of Fuller House called A Giant Leap where he was Stephanie’s boyfriend. Stephanie is played by Jodie Sweetin who was in Walt Before Mickey with Jon Heder. Heder was in Blades of Glory with Will Ferrell who was in Stranger Than Fiction with Queen Latifah. Latifah starred alongside Kevin Bacon who played Jorge in Beauty Shop.
Sacramento River Cats
Link 1) Hall Of Fame catcher Mike Piazza suited up for Sacramento for three games during the 2007 season. He had a cameo in the movie Two Weeks Notice with Sandra Bullock. She was in Loverboy with Kevin Bacon.
Link 2) Pitcher Huston Street made two appearances for the River Cats in 2004 and one appearance in 2007. He was in the Augie Garrido documentary Inning By Inning: A Portrait Of A Coach which was directed by Richard Linklater. Linklater also directed Dazed And Confused starring Matthew McConaughey who was in A Time To Kill with Kiefer Sutherland. Sutherland and Kevin Bacon were both in the movie Flatliners.
Link 3) Pitcher Dallas Braden made 11 appearances for Sacramento in both 2007 and 2008. He was a Top Ten List Presenter on the Late Show With David Letterman which aired on May 11, 2010. Queen Latifah was a guest on that night’s show and she was in Beauty Shop with Kevin Bacon.
Salt Lake Bees
Link 1) David Ortiz made stops in Salt Lake playing for the Buzz in 1997, 1998, and 1999. He played himself in the movie Patriots Day which also starred Kevin Bacon.
Link 2) Pitcher Jered Weaver pitched in 12 games for the Bees back in 2006. He was a guest on the Late Show With David Letterman which aired on May 8, 2012. Another guest that night was Jim Parsons who made a cameo in The Muppets which starred Amy Adams. She was in Julie And Julia with Meryl Streep who was in The River Wild with Kevin Bacon.
Tacoma Rainiers
Link 1) Alex Rodriguez made stops in Tacoma during the 1995 and 1996 seasons. He made a cameo on Entourage in an episode called Second To Last. The show starred Adrian Grenier who was in The Devil Wears Prada with Meryl Streep who was in The River Wild with Kevin Bacon.
Link 2) Pitcher Felix Hernandez made 19 appearances with the Rainiers in 2005 along with rehab assignments to Tacoma in 2016 and 2017. He was in a documentary short called Legends alongside other athletes including Laila Ali. She was in a movie called Falcon Rising with Neal McDonough. He was in Minority Report with Tom Cruise who starred alongside Kevin Bacon in A Few Good Men.
Wright Beyond The Bleachers 