Author: Debbie Emery

Courtesy Everett Collection

Charlie Sheen in “Major League”

Charlie Sheen will be the latest star to appear as a guest analyst on ESPN’s Baseball Tonight when the show broadcasts live from the Cincinnati Reds-St. Louis Cardinals game on Sunday night.

The outspoken actor will no doubt be “winning” when he joins the broadcast booth for the Sunday Night Countdown show airing on ESPN at 7 p.m. from the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati.

STORY: Charlie Sheen to Host WE tv Relationship Quiz Show

While better known for his hard partying and personal relationships with adult film stars, Sheen is an avid baseball fan and portrayed a player in Major League (plus the subsequent sequel) and Eight Men Out.

Despite growing up in California — where he was a star pitcher and shortstop for the Santa Monica High School team — Sheen has been a lifelong Reds fan because his West Wing star father, Martin Sheen, is from Dayton, Ohio. 

It has been a long time since Sheen, 48, graduated from high school, but he still roots for his team and posted a photo of the SaMo High Vikings mascot on Twitter earlier this month with a shout out to the baseball team’s coach, Tony Todd. He has also reportedly donated tens of thousands of dollars to the school’s baseball program since playing there in the 1980s, including buying a new pitching machine in January.

STORY: Jon Hamm Hits a Home Run at ‘Million Dollar Arm’ Premiere

Sheen convincingly played an ex-con reliever for the Cleveland Indians in both Major League films, and portrayed Chicago’s Happy Felsch in Eight Man Out, the biopic about the Black Sox scandal of 1919. Even his marriage to Denise Richards in 2002 was celebrated with a gospel rendition of “Take Me Out to the Ball Park” during the wedding ceremony, and one of the wedding gifts was an authentic Gold Glove trophy.

The former Two and a Half Men star, who later went on to launch his comedy series Anger Management on FX, follows in the footsteps of Jon Hamm, who was a guest analyst on Baseball Tonight during the Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates game on May 11 after the ESPN crew joined him on the red carpet for the Hollywood premiere of Million Dollar Arm.

STORY: ‘X-Men’ Star Hugh Jackman Spends a ‘Fantasy Day’ at ESPN

Like Hamm, Sheen will join Reds legend and Hall of Famer Barry Larkin and Baseball Tonight host Karl Ravech on the set.

Viewers can expect to see more special broadcast events coming up to celebrate the 25th season of ESPN’s Baseball Tonight and Sunday Night Baseball, as the network is planning more involvement of famous fans. 

ESPN

Hugh Jackman is better known for his acting skills and muscle mass than his sports knowledge, but the X-Men: Days of Future Past star showed off his know how when he made a special visit to ESPN on Tuesday.

The multi-talented Aussie actor — who can sing, dance, host, produce and bench-press his own body weight — was surprisingly savvy about U.S. sports as he chatted about the NFL, NBA, World Cup, and challenged John Cena to a WWE bout.

“Psyched is not strong enough of a word. Let’s call it a ‘fantasy day,'” Jackman said about his trip to Bristol, Conn., to visit the famous SportsCenter set. 

“So far it’s been awesome. This has been the easiest, most fun, most energizing work day of my life. You  can’t even call it work. The only TV that I watch pretty regularly is SportsCenter. In fact, it’s almost the only TV I watch.”

PHOTOS: ‘X-Men Days of Future Past’ Premiere

No one is betting on the Australians to win the upcoming World Cup in Brazil, but Jackman said that isn’t going to stop him from cheering on his homeland when they take on Chile June 13, in a match that will air on ESPN. 

“Rest assured. I’m going to be watching. I’ll be with my daughter and her friends that day. They’re not going to be as understanding that I’m going to be stopping everything to see this match, but I am,” he said, adding hopefully: “Because come on…Australia, we can do it!” 

STORY: X-Men: Days of Future Past Review

With the latest X-Men installment — which also stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Halle Berry, Nicholas Hoult, Ellen Page and Peter Dinklage — hitting theaters on Friday, the star of seven of the films revealed which sports stars he thought would made powerful mutants.

Needing a dose of dysfunctionality as well along with brawn and brains, he suggest Miami Heat star LeBron James (although he is too grounded) or Seattle Seahawks’ Richard Sherman, who proved he has a feisty temper during a post-game interview with Erin Andrews earlier this year. 

STORY: ESPN Anticipates More World Cup Growth in 2014 Before Rights Expire

Later, the Les Miserables Oscar nominee proved he didn’t need Wolverine’s claws to reveal his angry side, when he challenged WWE’s Cena to a battle in the ring. “I am the Flying Aussie, I am coming off the top rope — you’re going down!”

Watch a video clip below of Jackman’s challenge to the wrestler.

CBS

David Letterman paid Barbara Walters a visit on The View earlier this week, and on Wednesday she returned the favor by being a guest on the Late Show.

PHOTOS: A New ‘View’: 15 Possible Panelists to Fill the Empty Seats

After 53 years in television, the longtime host and news anchor will make her final appearance on The View in two days, and with Letterman having announced his own impending retirement in April — the pair shared their mutual feelings of regret. 

“On Friday, she will retire from television, which I know is a load of crap,” said Letterman, describing his guest as a “pioneer” in her field.

VIDEO: David Letterman Jokes He’s Reconsidering Retirement, Asks If There Are Any Openings on ‘The View’

“Your own network [ABC] is doing a two-hour special about your life in journalism and career on TV. I doubt that CBS would do the same for me,” Letterman lamented, before Walters begged him to stay on the talk show that has been his home for 20 years.

“I think they might, mine is very personal. You are retiring — I don’t want you to retire, can’t you stay?” she asked.

“No, that ship has sailed. They’ve got plans, they’ve repainted and they’ve measured,” he joked, about the arrival of replacement host, Stephen Colbert.

“I feel the same way,” revealed Walters, 84. “I said, ‘Yes, I’m ready to go’ but I’m not ready. Let’s walk into the sunset together.”

“I think we just made a suicide pact!” responded Letterman.

As for how she will be remembered from her illustrious career that included being the first female TV news anchor — “it was just after the Civil War” — Walters said: “If I have to think of my legacy, it is that there are so many women in news now.”