#PopUps: Passion for the Game
Jim Caviezel had the unique experience of attending the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s 2016 Induction Weekend as a friend of both Mike Piazza and Ken Griffey Jr.
The actor, probably best known for portraying Jesus Christ in the 2004 film The Passion of the Christ, also starred in The Thin Red Line (1998), Frequency (2000),The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) and Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius (2004). Most recently, he was a familiar face on television in the CBS crime drama Person of Interest, which ended its five-season run earlier this year.
“I’m a guest of Mike’s,” said the 47-year-old actor on the site of this year’s Induction Ceremony on July 24, “but I knew Ken growing up in Seattle. We tried to put him in Person of Interest, actually, but it didn’t work out.”
Caviezel’s top sport growing up in Washington State was basketball, which he played on the collegiate level.
“I can tell you what kind of athlete Ken was on the basketball court,” Caviezel said. “Obviously, he was one of the greatest baseball players in history but on a basketball court he was quite remarkable. I got his foot right on my chest when he dunked on me.
“When I was playing in junior college then transferred over to Washington, he’d come over to play. And in between games he’d grab a couple Cokes and couple Snickers bars and he’d say, ‘I’m going to sit out this one right now, guys.’ He was a kid. I remember asking him at one point, ‘Did you read that article that Sports Illustrated did on you?’ and he goes, ‘Nah man, I just looked at the pictures.’”
Caviezel’s initial connection with Piazza came as the result of a New York Mets scene in Frequency in 1999.
“Later on we became more acquainted through one of my best friends, former big leaguer Mike Sweeney, and we shared a lot in common,” Caviezel said. “I was with Mike this whole morning (prior to the Induction Ceremony) and you would think he was going to play a round of golf. I’m sure privately he’s a little nervous because it’s a big deal. What I love about Mike is he represents a lot of normal guys, guys that I like to play in films.
“Both Ken and Mike are just tremendous people. And I’m just so happy that not only are these guys great athletes, but they’re great people. It’s rare.”
The visit to Cooperstown was a first for Caviezel.
“It’s Norman Rockwell. It’s how I feel when I go to Washington, D.C. This is just classic Americana,” he said. “I’ve been looking forward to this for months. I was just honored that Mike put me on his list. I just wish my wife was here – she couldn’t make it because our kids are in sports right now. And a couple of my friends that would have come blew it off. They really missed on opportunity.
“When I’m around my own world, where you look over there and see all these famous actors, it’s not such a big deal for me. But this one is a big deal. I’ve been able to spend some time with Johnny Bench, Randy Johnson, Ozzie Smith, George Brett, Rod Carew, the list just goes on and on and on. I was just a kid in a candy store.”
According to Caviezel, his baseball career ended around Little League.
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“People say golf is the hardest thing, but the only difference between it and baseball is I’m not afraid of the golf ball jumping up and hitting me,” he said with a laugh. “Today I was talking to Randy Johnson and I said to him, ‘About 20 times I wanted to meet you and you were so intimidating.’ Can you imagine some guy like him throwing around 100 miles per hour? It can do a lot of damage. By the time I got into baseball they were already throwing too hard.”
Bill Francis is a Library Associate at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
