So after working on this project on and off for about two years, I have finally completed my quest to connect every Minor League Baseball team to Kevin Bacon. I’m about 99 percent sure I got to everyone. This has been a fun labor of love and the links below go to each of the 14 stories I wrote in this series. Enjoy!
Monthly Archives: February 2019
The International League: Bacon Edition
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 International League.
Buffalo Bisons
Link 1) Pitcher Craig Breslow made 21 appearances for the Bisons during the 2018 season. He was on the 2017 Team Israel baseball team for the World Baseball Classic alongside Cody Decker. 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) In 2010, R.A. Dickey made eight appearances in Buffalo going 4-2 with a 2.23 ERA. 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) Matt Harvey split the 2012 season between the New York Mets and the Buffalo Bisons. While with the Bisons, he made 20 appearances going 7-5 with a 3.68 ERA. He apparently had a small cameo in Ocean’s 8 which starred Sandra Bullock. She was in Loverboy with Kevin Bacon.
Charlotte Knights
Link 1) Jose Canseco joined the Knights in 2002 playing in 18 games. He was on an episode of Nash Bridges that aired in 1998 called Hardball. The show starred Don Johnson. He was in Django Unchained with Samuel L. Jackson who was in A Time To Kill with Kiefer Sutherland. Sutherland was in A Few Good Men with Kevin Bacon.
Link 2) Kevin Millar played in 14 games for the Knights back in 1998. He, along with several of his Red Sox teammates, appeared on an episode of Queer Eye which aired in 2005 and is called Championship Make Better: Boston Red Sox. One of the Fab Five was Carson Kressley who was in The Perfect Man with Hilary Duff. She was in Agent Cody Banks with Frankie Muniz who was in My Dog Skip with Kevin Bacon.
Link 3) Manny Ramirez suited up for Charlotte in 1993 playing in 40 games. He was a guest on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno that aired on November 2, 2007. Another guest on that night’s show was Steve Carell who was in Crazy, Stupid, Love with Kevin Bacon or should we say David Lindhagen.
Photo credit: We Are Movie Geeks/Warner Brothers
Columbus Clippers
Link 1) Robinson Cano split parts of the 2004 and 2005 seasons with the Clippers playing in 61 games in 2004 and 24 games in 2005. He was a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon which aired on April 28, 2014. Another guest on that night’s show was Emma Stone who was in Crazy, Stupid, Love with Kevin Bacon.
Link 2) Derek Jeter was in Columbus for parts of the 1994 and 1995 season playing in 35 games in 1994 and 123 games in 1995 before being called up to the New York Yankees. Jeter had a cameo in the movie Anger Management which starred Jack Nicholson who worked with Kevin Bacon in A Few Good Men.
Link 3) You might know him as Luke Danes from Gilmore Girls but Scott Patterson was also a minor league baseball player. He suited up for Columbus in parts of the 1982-1986 baseball season. As previously stated, he was in Gilmore Girls with Lauren Graham. She was in Flash Of Genius with Greg Kinnear who was in You’ve Got Mail with Tom Hanks. Hanks and Bacon both starred in Apollo 13.
Durham Bulls
Link 1) Carl Crawford suited up for 85 games with the Bulls in 2002. He was a guest on The Insider which aired on March 18, 2014. Another guest on the show was Drew Barrymore. She was in Charlie’s Angels with Cameron Diaz who was in Knight And Day with Tom Cruise. Cruise and Kevin Bacon worked together in A Few Good Men.
Link 2) Ben Zobrist spent part of three seasons in Durham. He was with the Bulls in 2006, 2007, and 2008. He was a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon which aired on November 7, 2016. Another frequent guest on The Tonight Show is Kevin Bacon who has been on the show eight times including his memorable recreations of dances from Footloose.
Link 3) David Price made pit stops in Durham for parts of the 2008 and 2009 seasons. He was a guest on NBC Nightly News hosted by Lester Holt. Holt was a newscaster in the movie The Fugitive starring Harrison Ford. Ford was in Random Hearts with Steve Altes who was in Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon.
Gwinnett Stripers
Link 1) Pitcher Tim Hudson played for Gwinnett for four games in 2009 and two games in 2012. He appeared as himself on an episode of Paula’s Party, which aired on July 13, 2007, with Paula Deen. She was in Elizabethtown with Kirsten Dunst who was in Interview With A Vampire with Tom Cruise. He starred alongside Kevin Bacon in A Few Good Men.
Link 2) Ryan Lavarnway was in Gwinnett for parts of the 2015 and 2016 seasons. He was also the catcher for the 2017 Team Israel team for the World Baseball Classic alongside Cody Decker. 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.
Indianapolis Indians
Link 1) Hall Of Fame pitcher Randy Johnson played for the Indians making 20 appearances in 1998 and and three games in 1989. He had an uncredited appearance on the Late Show With David Letterman which aired on January 7, 2015. Another guest on that night’s show was Julianne Moore who was in Crazy, Stupid, Love with Kevin Bacon.
Link 2) We can make a second connection through Randy Johnson. He had a cameo in a Season Three episode of Franklin & Bash called Control. One of the shows co-stars was Breckin Meyer who was in a movie with Mike Myers called 54. Myers was in Goldmember where Tom Cruise made a cameo. Cruise and Kevin Bacon were both in A Few Good Men.
Link 3) Andrew McCutchen spent part of the 2007 season as well as the entire 2008 season with the Indians. He played in 49 games for Indianapolis in 2009 before getting called up to the Pittsburgh Pirates. McCutchen proposed to his girlfriend on the December 11, 2013 episode of The Ellen Show. Another guest on that show was Tom Hanks who was in Apollo 13 with Kevin Bacon.
Lehigh Valley IronPigs
Link 1) As the minor league team who has most closely aligned themselves with the glorious, delicious food product that is bacon, that will be link number one. The team’s uniforms to the food bacon to a bacon sculpture of Kevin Bacon. (Yes. There is such a thing.)
Photo credit: MiLB.com
Photo credit: AL.com
Photo credit: Fortune.com
Photo credit: People.com
Link 2) Pitcher Jason Marquis joined Lehigh Valley and made eight appearances during the 2014 season. He also pitched in the qualifying round for Israel during the 2017 World Baseball Classic. One of his teammates was Cody Decker. 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 3) Pitcher Pedro Martinez made one appearance in 2009 with Lehigh Valley. He had an uncredited cameo in the movie Stronger which starred Jake Gyllenhaal. Gyllenhaal was in Rendition with Meryl Streep who costarred alongside Kevin Bacon in The River Wild.
Louisville Bats
Link 1) Adam Dunn split the 2001 season between Chattanooga and Louisville. He played in 55 games for the Bats. He had a small cameo as a bartender in Dallas Buyers Club, a movie which he also invested in. One of the lead actors in that movie was Jared Leto who won an Academy Award for his performance. He appeared in the movie Blade Runner 2049 with Ryan Gosling who was in Crazy, Stupid, Love with Kevin Bacon.
Photo credit: Call To The Pen
Link 2) Todd Frazier suited up for the Bats in 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012. He along with several of his New York Mets teammates appeared on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert which aired on July 20, 2018. The musical guest on that show was Janelle Monáe who was in Hidden Figures with Octavia Spencer. Spencer was in Beauty Shop with Kevin Bacon.
Link 3) Deion Sanders played in 25 games for the bats in 2000 and 19 games in 2001. He was in the movie Draft Day with Terry Crews. Terry Crews was in Kevin Bacon’s 12 Degrees Of Christmas video that was posted on WhoSay. That app was discontinued but thanks to the magic of YouTube, you can view that clip here.
Norfolk Tides
Link 1) Pitcher Jake Arrieta has had several stints with the Tides playing for Norfolk in 2009, 2010, 2012, and 2013. He made a guest appearance on Veep in the Baseball episode which aired on May 27, 2012. One of the shows stars is Anna Chlumsky who was in the TV movie 12 Men Of Christmas with Josh Hopkins. He was in Only The Brave with Jeff Bridges who was in R.I.P.D. with Kevin Bacon.
Link 2) Catcher Mike Piazza played in five games for the Tides in 2003. He had a cameo in the movie Two Weeks Notice with Sandra Bullock. She was in Loverboy with Kevin Bacon.
Link 3) Darryl Strawberry played one game for Norfolk during the 1997 season. He was a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon which aired on November 15, 2017. Another guest on that night’s show was Gary Oldman who was in JFK with Kevin Bacon.
Pawtucket Red Sox
Link 1) Bronson Arroyo pitched in 24 games for Pawtucket during the 2003 season. He was an executive producer and an actor in the movie Once Upon A Time In Brooklyn with Ice-T. He was in Johnny Mnemonic with Keanu Reeves alongside Sandra Bullock. She was in Loverboy with Kevin Bacon.
Link 2) Hall Of Famer Dennis Eckersley made two appearances for Pawtucket back in 1998. He was in Fever Pitch which starred Jimmy Fallon and as I’ve stated in previous links, Kevin Bacon has made eight appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Link 3) We can also connect through Eckersley on a second link. He was a guest on The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson. Ferguson is part of the cast of the How To Train Your Dragon movies alongside actors like Cate Blanchett. She was in The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button with Brad Pitt. He was in Ocean’s 11 with Julia Roberts who appeared alongside Kevin Bacon in Flatliners.
Rochester Red Wings
Link 1) During the 2004 season, Joe Mauer played in five games for Rochester. He was also a guest on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on an episode which aired on February 15, 2011. Another guest on that night’s show was Victoria Beckham. She made a guest appearance on Ugly Betty called A Nice Day For A Posh Wedding. One of Ugly Betty’s stars in Tony Plana who was in JFK with Kevin Bacon.
Link 2) In 1981, Cal Ripken Jr. played in 114 games with the Red Wings. He was a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! The episode aired on April 21, 2004. Another guest that night was Nia Vardalos, the star of My Big Fat Greek Wedding. One of the film’s producers was Tom Hanks who was in Apollo 13 with Kevin Bacon.
Link 3) Hollywood filmmaker Ron Shelton played in the minors before turning to writing and directing. He played for the Red Wings in 1971 for 66 games. He also made his directorial debut with the classic baseball movie Bull Durham which starred Susan Sarandon. She was in Dead Man Walking with Sean Penn who starred alongside Kevin Bacon in Mystic River.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
Link 1) Cole Hamels pitched for several minor league teams during the 2006 season including Scranton/Wilkes-Barre where he pitched in three games. He was a a Top Ten List Presenter on the Late Show With David Letterman which aired on October 30, 2008. Another guest on that night’s show was Paul Rudd. He was in Anchorman with Steve Carell who was in Crazy, Stupid, Love with Kevin Bacon.
Link 2) Chase Utley suited up for what was then the Red Barons in 2002, 2003, and 2004. He was a guest star on It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia in an episode titled The Gang Gets Stranded In The Woods. The show stars Danny DeVito who was in One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest with Jack Nicholson who starred alongside Kevin Bacon in A Few Good Men.
Link 3) Aaron Judge played for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2015 and 2016. He was a guest on The Today Show which aired on June 11, 2018. Another guest on that day’s show was Jeff Goldblum. He was part of the voice cast of Isle Of Dogs along with Bryan Cranston. Cranston and Kevin Bacon both appeared on Hank Azaria’s documentary series Fatherhood and can be seen in episode six.
Syracuse Chiefs
Link 1) Bryce Harper played in 21 games for the Chiefs in 2012. He was a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! The episode aired on January 15, 2013. Another guest on that night’s show was Rob Lowe. Lowe was in The Outsiders with Tom Cruise who was in A Few Good Men with Kevin Bacon.
Link 2) Another former Chief is Deion Sanders who played for Syracuse in 2001. He was in the movie Draft Day with Terry Crews. Terry Crews was in Kevin Bacon’s 12 Degrees Of Christmas video that was posted on WhoSay.
Link 3) Pitcher Stephen Strasburg made stops in Syracuse in 2010, 2011, and 2015. He was a Top Ten List Presenter on the Late Show With David Letterman in an episode that aired on June 10, 2010. Another guest on that show was Harry Connick, Jr. He was in Hope Floats with Sandra Bullock who was in Loverboy with Kevin Bacon.
Toledo Mud Hens
Link 1) Billy Beane played in Toledo in 1986 and 1988. He was the subject of the movie Moneyball and was played by Brad Pitt. He was in Ocean’s 11 with Julia Roberts who starred alongside Kevin Bacon in Flatliners.
Link 2) Curtis Granderson played in Toledo for 111 games in 2005 and two games in 2008. He was part of the voice cast for the animated movie Henry & Me with the main character Henry being voiced by Richard Gere. He was in Pretty Woman with Julia Roberts who was in Flatliners with Kevin Bacon.
Wright Beyond The Bleachers 