Blogs > The Back Page

The musings of a Detroit-area sportswriter in the digital age.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Sheen was hooked on 'Major League' like crack; admits to juicing during production

Charlie Sheen isn't likely the one you would suspect, but there's no reason to think he was lying when he told Sports Illustrated he was "juicing" while filming "Major League" in the late 1980s. Sheen played relief pitcher Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn in the classic film where a Cleveland Indians team is stacked with "has beens and never-will-bees" in order to play poorly enough to earn a relocation to Miami. Sheen's character fit that mold, coming off a stint in the California penal league (if you can make it in prison ball, you can make it anywhere) and unaccustomed to civilization.
Sheen said steroids took his fast ball up from 79 to 85 mph while taking the drugs for 6-8 weeks of production.

In addition, Sheen compared to the script to the cult classic to crack and couldn't put it down once it reached him.
"I was going to a premiere, and I had a meeting with David Ward in the morning, so I had the script in the limo, and I was late because I couldn't put it down. Then I sat in the driveway for an hour to finish it. It was probably as good a script as "Platoon," seriously. There are films you look at and say, That was a perfect movie because every element found itself."
Apparently it takes more than potentially seeing a disenfranchised female owner naked behind a jigsaw puzzle to get Sheen amped up.
Sheen goes on to call Vaughn's entrance in the final game one of the best of all-time, except it took place at 4 a.m. after most people had already gone home. He took a swing at real-life "Wild Thing," former Phillies closer Mitch Williams.
"Mitch Williams, that f---ing guy never gave me credit. Come on, dude; you're coming out to the Wild Thing song? You changed your number? Can I get a little nod?"
Motown Lowdown points out Sheen, an avid baseball fan, took note of Tigers outfielders current and former in Matt Joyce and Brennan Boesch.

SI: It seems like you're a guy who takes this sport seriously.

Sheen: I do, man. It's not just a hobby, it's a religion. All I watch is MLB. I don't care what's going on in the friggin' world. This is what's going on in the world. Baseball is all that matters. Matt Joyce destroyed a ball in Tampa! Who the f--- is Matt Joyce? There is an incoming wave of talent that is just unbelievable. This kid Brennan Boesch, he's f------ gnarly."

Read the full conversation here
JUST ADDED: What would admitted steroid user Jose Canseco say to Sheen about his habit? Also, more actors who could have juiced for their film roles.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home