The Chicago Cubs could have really used any pitching help in the world on Saturday, as the woefully underwhelming Edwin Jackson allowed nine earned runs over 3.2 craptacular innings. So it might not have hurt for the Cubs to have just let singer/actor Thomas Ian Nicholas stay in the game as the starting pitcher against the Atlanta Braves after he threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Wrigley. Alas, the man who played Henry Rowengartner in the 1993 baseball comedy Rookie of the Year was only on hand to sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the seventh inning stretch, before he’d play a set at the Gingerman Tavern and drink his weight in Grey Goose, if his Twitter photos are any indication of his rock star party style.
Nicholas is seemingly more dedicated to The Thomas Ian Nicholas Band these days, but he still dabbles in the acting trade with some independent films in the works. The return to Wrigley has become sort of a tradition for him, though, and he has tossed the first pitch four times in the last six years. As he bragged, Nicholas throws a different pitch each time and he settled for a strike this time. His “Ballgame” rendition was pretty solid, and that’s all that really matters to Cubs fans these days.
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And he can brag about his strike all he wants, but nothing tops last year’s floater.
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How the f*ck do you boo that, Chicago? The Booing of Henry Rowengartner is the new Curse of the Billy Goat.