Movie filming begins Thursday at Fifth Third Field

8/26/2010

Filming for the movie Home Run Showdown will begin at Fifth Third Field today starting at 3:30 p.m.

The film stars Dean Cain (Lois and Clark), Barry Bostwick (Spin City), Annabeth Gish (X-Files), and Matthew Lillard (Scooby-Doo). Former major leaguers Jose and Ozzie Canseco also will have roles.

Ozzie Canseco was at Fifth Third Field last night and was impressed with the ballpark.

“This is a beautiful ballpark and a great atmosphere,” he said. “I played for the Louisville Redbirds, but we never played here.

“I would have loved to have played here. I have great memories of Triple-A baseball, and I was treated well by the fans. It was a part of my life that I'll never forget.”

Ozzie Canseco played in the majors with Oakland (1990) and St. Louis (1992-93) and spent time at the Triple-A level with Louisville, which was in the Pacific Coast League at the time, as well as New Orleans.

“These ballparks are nicer than [the ballparks I played in],” he said. “The scoreboards are beautiful, the grass is immaculate.

“The ballpark is very homey — it makes you feel that you're part of the setup.”

Filming will take place from 3:30 to 8 p.m. today and tomorrow and is expected to conclude Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fans will be allowed to sit in the stands and watch the filming, with a chance to be in crowd shots.

Ozzie Canseco, whose single-season high was 48 home runs hit with Newark, N.J., in the independent Atlantic League, said he and his brother, Jose, who finished with 462 home runs in the majors, will have a home-running hitting contest as part of the movie.

“At my age, I'll be happy if I hit one,” said Ozzie Canseco, who turned 46 on July 2.”