The stars of Major League: Where are they now?
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It’s an exciting time for Milwaukee baseball fans, who have a chance to relive past glories and reflect back on an exciting season. Of course, this has nothing to do with the Brewers. Instead, Point Fish Fry & A Flick ends its season Sept. 7 with the snobs-vs.-slobs classic Major League. The story of the Cleveland Indians’ journey from worst to first has a bit of sentimental value, thanks to many of the raucous dick jokes being filmed in and around Milwaukee. County Stadium was home to the climatic game scenes, bringing fame to local citizens like The Girl Wearing The Quad Graphics Shirt and The Woman Singing “Wild Thing” Slightly Off-Rhythm. But what about other actors involved in the production? Surely they must be tired of living in mansions filled with Emmys, Grammys, Oscars, and Tonys. The A.V. Club hops in its time machine to see how the years have treated Milwaukee’s adopted sons and daughters.
Actor: Charlie Sheen
Character: Brash young upstart Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn, late of the California Penal League.
Then: Sheen was in the middle of his decade-long run as a movie star: fresh off his success from Young Guns, but yet to hit the heady heights of The Chase’s sex-while-driving scene.
Now: Being on a well-rated but widely loathed sitcom pushed Sheen into an attention-grabbing meltdown that ended up with him being on a poorly rated but guaranteed sitcom. Sheen’s fate seems less like a precursor to Celebrity Rehab and more like a Twilight Zone episode involving a wish-granting animal appendage.
Actor: Wesley Snipes
Character: Fast talking, base-stealing speedster Willie Mays Hayes.
Then: The film helped Snipes break out into an action star career that had him soon starring alongside the likes of Sylvester Stallone, Sean Connery, and Patrick Swayze in drag.
Now: “Breakout success” seems like an easy joke to make about his Nicolas Cage-sized run-ins with the IRS to avoid jail time. Still, Snipes has less of a bat-shit insane recent output, and he’s likely waiting for a call about a Blade cameo in Avengers 2.
Actor: Corbin Bernsen
Character: Faded superstar with a wandering eye (and terrible ground-ball skills) Roger Dorn.
Then: Bernsen was one of the stars of L.A. Law who was hoping to launch a movie career based on good looks and yuppie charm.
Now: Instead, he picked out a decent career as a supporting actor with guest spots on dozens of TV shows ranging from Star Trek to The New Adventures Of Old Christine. He currently lives and works on one of the snappier USA summer show/TV star retirement communities, Psych.
Actor: Tom Berenger
Character: Has-been catcher Jake Taylor whose career was as tough on his knees as it was on his love life.
Then: A solid supporting actor in critically acclaimed fare like Platoon and The Big Chill looking to make the leap to Hollywood leading man.
Now: Berenger stuck around to make The Sniper series and the Death-Wish-meets-Stand-And-Deliver film The Substitute before settling into a supporting career of cops, firemen, and soldiers. He recently made a splash in the Hatfields And McCoys mini-series, which will hopefully expand his range to sheriffs, cowboys, and moonshiners.
Actor: Rene Russo
Character: Lynn Wells, the uptight love interest of Jake Taylor who can’t escape their wild past.
Then: Russo cornered the market on brainy hot women for the better part of the ’90s by elbowing her way into the Lethal Weapon series and scoring roles in Get Shorty and The Thomas Crown Affair.
Now: She spent most of the ’00s in semi-retirement, but was lured back to play Thor’s mom.
Actor: Dennis Haysbert
Character: Pedro Cerrano, the foreign power hitter who worshipped everyone’s favorite voodoo deity, Jobu.
Then: An unknown supporting actor who stole scenes from established stars and then dropped right back into obscurity.
Now: Haysbert came back into the spotlight as America’s first black president on 24. He’s best known now as the purring voice of Allstate Insurance.
Actor: Bob Uecker
Character: Hilarious voice of the doomed Cleveland Indians Harry Doyle.
Then: Just wrapping up a stint on the only-in-the-’80s sitcom Mr. Belvedere. As the longtime voice of the Milwaukee Brewers, he also knew a thing or two about keeping folks entertained during slow, torturous games that were going to be 11-2 blowouts.
Now: Not much, other than being The Greatest Living Baseball Announcer. Ueck is fantastic when the team stinks, and keeps listeners turned in to his riffs and tangents. Hearing him call the thrilling games that led the Brewers to the postseason last year left few fans with dry eyes.
