UW-Whitewater baseball coach, others to make silver screen appearance
Released: July 8, 2003
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball coach John Vodenlich will make an appearance in the upcoming movie “Mr. 3000,” along with four others from UW-Whitewater.
Vodenlich, of Waukesha, will portray a Houston Astros catcher in the movie featuring Bernie Mac as a Milwaukee Brewers player who retires thinking he has 3,000 hits, but is a few hits short. Filming began June 30 at Miller Park in Milwaukee.
“Being a part of the making of a baseball movie is extremely exciting,” said Vodenlich. “As a baseball player and a coach, I’m finding the experience very satisfying.”
Ironically enough, Vodenlich never had intentions of trying out for the movie. However, with some coaxing from his wife and daughter, he, along with 1,900 others, decided to give it a shot. He made the first cut, and was one of 200 people picked to participate in face-to-face interviews. After that, Vodenlich then participated in three days worth of on-field tryouts, which included drills in fielding, base running, and batting. In the end, Vodenlich was one of 40 people selected as a “special ability” player.
Despite the huge time commitment required for the filming, Vodenlich said he’s very happy to be involved in the making of a baseball movie like “Mr. 3000.”
“It’s such a neat experience to be a part of what I hope will turn out to be a ‘realistic’ baseball movie,” Vodenlich said.
Other UW-Whitewater people appearing in “Mr. 3000” include May 2003 graduates Mike Bolson, who will play a pitcher for the San Francisco Giants, and Mike Mitchell, who will portray a player for the Milwaukee Brewers. Rob Gambsky, assistant director of multicultural student recruitment, and senior Neil Haven, will serve as extras.
- Melissa DiMotto,dimottom@uww.edu
