The San Diego Padres announced Will Ferrell will be at the Peoria Sports Complex at 6:15 p.m. on March 12, participating in a once-in-a-lifetime role for the lifelong baseball fan, as production begins on a new special from Funny Or Die, in partnership with Major League Baseball, to air exclusively on HBO later this year.
Dedicating the project to the fight against cancer, Ferrell is also honoring the historic feat by Bert Campaneris five decades ago, by playing every position on the field – and maybe some off the field – for 10 different teams on the same day.
“We’re excited for the opportunity to participate as an organization to help generate funds and awareness for cancer charities,” said Padres Manager Bud Black. “I look forward to meeting Will and penciling him in to the lineup.”
The Padres agreed to move the start time for the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers to 6:15 p.m. This adjustment from the original 1:05 p.m. time slot was to accommodate a request by Major League Baseball as part of the collaboration with HBO and Funny Or Die to film the project tomorrow.
MLB Network will televise the Dodgers at Padres Spring Training game at 6 p.m. PT, with the live game call by MLB Network’s Matt Vasgersian, Padres announcer Mark Grant, and Rick Monday and Alanna Rizzo from the Dodgers’ broadcast team.
A list of the games in which Ferrell will be playing is as follows:
March 12 (all times Pacific; subject to change)
12:05 p.m. – Seattle Mariners at Oakland Athletics (HoHoKam Stadium)
1:10 p.m. – Chicago Cubs at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (Tempe Diablo Stadium)
2:10 p.m. – Cincinnati Reds at Arizona Diamondbacks (Salt River Fields at Talking Stick)
4:05 p.m. – San Francisco Giants at Chicago White Sox (ss) (Camelback Ranch)
6:15 p.m. – Los Angeles Dodgers at San Diego Padres (Peoria Sports Complex)
Ferrell’s goal is to honor “Campy” Campaneris while also helping organizations dedicated to fighting cancer, including Cancer for College. Formed in 1993, Cancer for College is a charity that helps individuals adversely affected by cancer to realize their dream of a college education.
An important part of the fund-raising efforts will be game-used memorabilia from Ferrell’s journey across the five ballparks to be auctioned online later in the year on MLB.com with proceeds being donated to Cancer for College as well as Stand Up To Cancer, a groundbreaking initiative created to accelerate innovative cancer research. MLB is the founding donor of Stand Up To Cancer.
Ferrell’s historic day will be chronicled in the exclusive HBO special which will air later this year and also feature MLB players, managers, coaches, executives and fans. Fans can follow along live and on-demand throughout the day across MLB Network, MLB.com, (CLUB.com) and the official accounts on social media platforms.
On Sept. 8, 1965, Campaneris, in only his second Major League season, went 0-for-3 playing all nine positions for the Kansas City Athletics in a game against the California Angels. Campaneris is expected to be there with Ferrell as he begins his journey tomorrow.
The telecast marks the first time that Vasgersian and Grant, who called Padres games together for Channel 4 for seven seasons, will reunite for a game call since 2008. The game will be produced by MLB Network, simulcast live on FOX Sports San Diego and be available in the Padres’ TV territory on both MLB Network and FOX Sports San Diego. Local channel listings are available at FindMLBNetwork.com. In addition, the game will be broadcast live on ESPN 1700 with the live game call by Bob Scanlan and Jesse Agler.
Tickets for the game are available at www.padres.com. Patrons who already have purchased tickets for the game can utilize their existing ticket to attend the game.
Patrons who have purchased tickets for the game, but are unable to attend due to the new game time, can exchange their ticket for another 2015 San Diego Padres Spring Training game at the Peoria Sports Complex, based on availability. Exchanges can only take place in person at the Peoria Sports Complex Ticket Office. Refunds will not be offered.