Ferrell Takes The Field Trailer: HBO's New Comedy Special Mixes Baseball With Laughs

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In the years since he left Saturday Night Live, Will Ferrell has dedicated the majority of his time to projects on the big screen, but he hasn’t left TV behind completely, popping up here and there for an Office stint or a Lifetime Original Movie. His next venture is a comedy special for HBO, for which he got to take on many a young man’s dreams of playing Major League Baseball. Check out the full trailer for Ferrell Takes the Field below.

Because this isn’t a scripted project, Ferrell Takes the Field doesn’t immediately feel like it’s going to be the most hilarious thing ever, but appearances can be deceiving. Like, the way in which Ferrell is dressed like a Chicago Cub, but wait, he’s actually also dressed as an Arizona Diamondback! If there’s anyone who can add a chuckle-worthy spark to a sport as dry as baseball can sometimes be, it’s Ferrell, and having Funny or Die behind the project is another plus.

Ferrell Takes the Field was taped during the course of one day in March, as the actor traveled to five different Cactus League ballparks to take part in five Spring Training games with ten different teams, taking on every position available. Not only is it a modern nod to the great Bert “Campy” Campaneris, who played all nine positions in one game for the then-Kansas City A’s in 1965, but the HBO special is also a charity event for Cancer for College, among other cancer-fighting organizations. We can assume that Ferrell is performing a self-check in this shot, right?

”Ferrell

Well, maybe not. For the special, Ferrell took the field with the Seattle Mariners, the Oakland Athletics, the Chicago Cubs, the Los Angeles Angels, the Cincinnati Reds, the Arizona Diamondbacks, the San Francisco Giants, the Chicago White Sox, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the San Diego Padres. The trailer makes it look like he’ll do his part in ensuring the on-the-field festivities are as exciting – or weird, at the very least – as possible. We’re hoping he brings out his Harry Caray impression for the Cubs game.

I’m all about HBO continuing to create these kinds of comedy-fueled sports projects, even if they aren’t all as hilariously goofy as 7 Days in Hell, and it’s possible that huge new deal with Bill Simmons will make it happen. Ferrell Takes the Field will debut on HBO on Saturday, September 12.

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Nick Venable
Nick Venable
Assistant Managing Editor

Nick is a Cajun Country native and an Assistant Managing Editor with a focus on TV and features. His humble origin story with CinemaBlend began all the way back in the pre-streaming era, circa 2009, as a freelancing DVD reviewer and TV recapper.  Nick leapfrogged over to the small screen to cover more and more television news and interviews, eventually taking over the section for the current era and covering topics like Yellowstone, The Walking Dead and horror. Born in Louisiana and currently living in Texas — Who Dat Nation over America’s Team all day, all night — Nick spent several years in the hospitality industry, and also worked as a 911 operator. If you ever happened to hear his music or read his comics/short stories, you have his sympathy.