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Silly movie called for serious talent

A baseball teacher goes Hollywood, at least for a while, for parts in The Benchwarmers and Superman Returns.

By JACKIE RIPLEY
Published April 28, 2006

"It's sweet justice,'' said an old friend, Mike Ribaudo.

As a representative of Reel Sports Solutions, Ribaudo should know. He tapped Silverman as the double for actor Rob Schneider in the movie The Benchwarmers, in part because of his physique.

The recently released Benchwarmers, produced by Adam Sandler, is about three friends, played by Schneider, David Spade and Jon Heder, who try to make up for their lack of athletic ability when they were younger by forming a three-man baseball team and challenging a squad of elementary school Little Leaguers.

"Every baseball you see thrown in the movie, I threw,'' said Silverman, who lives in Northdale but spent a few months in Hollywood last year throwing fastballs and schmoozing with the stars. His job was to make Schneider look like a top-notch baseball player, and do it without too many takes.

Schneider "was a catcher and had to catch on cue,'' Silverman, 30, said. "They had to have someone who throws accurately.''

That's no easy task, even for a pro.

"There's pressure,'' Ribaudo said. "Baseball's hard to fake, and if you can't do it on the first couple of takes, forget it.''

The movie industry routinely uses doubles for actors when the part calls for expertise in various skills. In Silverman's case, not only did his 5-6, 145-pound frame easily match Schneider's 5-7, 145-pound one, but he could fire a fastball across home plate like nobody's business.

"I think Todd could have played pro baseball,'' Ribaudo said. "He had everything going but size.''

Before last year, Silverman, an instructor at HitMasters in Town 'N Country, had never given a thought to show biz.

"It was so random,'' said Silverman, who is back on the job at HitMasters, a recreational and instructional facility on W Hillsborough Avenue. He gives hitting and field lessons in baseball and softball.

"I work with tons of kids for Little League,'' said Silverman, who has been an instructor there for five years. "I work with everyone from big leaguers to 5-year-olds.''

He played baseball at Gaither High School, Hillsborough Community College and the University of South Florida. It was at HCC that he met Ribaudo.

"We figured trying to find somebody local in L.A. for the job shouldn't be a problem,'' said Ribaudo, who splits his time between Los Angeles and Sarasota and coordinates the baseball talent for Reel Sports Solutions, a Los Angeles company that provides sports doubles for movies.

But with the production date fast approaching and no one suitable on the scene, tension was mounting.

"That's when I started thinking out of the box,'' he said.

Though they had played ball together at HCC, Silverman and Ribaudo had kept up with each other only through mutual friends. A circuitous route involving Gaither head coach Frank Permuy eventually reconnected the two.

Silverman "could have been an accountant or postman for all I knew,'' Ribaudo said, "but here he was giving lessons throwing strikes.''

Permuy not only remembered Silverman but saw him several times a week at Gaither, where the former student sometimes tutored players in the nuances of the pitch. Ribaudo, meanwhile, couldn't believe his good fortune.

"I got him on the phone and said, 'We're going to catch up on old times later. But just tell me how tall you are and how much you weigh,' '' Ribaudo recalled. "And don't add an inch or two either way - I'm not putting together a media guide.''

The stats were a marriage made in L.A., and that's exactly where Silverman found himself headed.

"It was mine to lose,'' said Silverman, who had to show producers that he could consistently fire a strike.

He did, and he landed a part in the upcoming movie Superman Returns.

"There are baseball scenes in the opening where Clark Kent goes to a baseball game,'' said Silverman, who spent part of a week off from Benchwarmers filming Superman Returns at Dodgers Stadium. "They needed real players, and I was the bullpen catcher.''

Silverman says the whole Hollywood experience was surreal but that he has had no trouble getting back to his life in Tampa. In fact, he recently bought a home in Northdale next door to his parents, Mark and Ana Silverman.

He credits his father with his love of baseball.

"From an early age, Dad and I bonded over baseball,'' Silverman said. "Those are great memories for me.''

The game never bores him.

"You can watch a million games, and on that 1,000,001 game you can pick something up you didn't know before,'' he said.

There's no doubt baseball will continue to be a focus in his life. But what about Hollywood?

"I love Tampa and couldn't imagine leaving.''

But how did he do?

"I couldn't have scripted it better,'' Ribaudo said.

Jackie Ripley can be reached at ripley@sptimes.com or 813 269-5308.

STAYING GROUNDED

What was it like being around movie stars?

They're in awe of you because you can have this talent, and you're in awe of them because they can make you laugh.

Do you feel like you have a realistic picture of what it's like in Hollywood for aspiring actors?

I had it good. But I saw a lot of people sitting around in the sun being extras, making $5 an hour just hoping to be seen.

Now that you're back home, what's a typical day like for you?

I don't start my day until the kids are out of school. During baseball season I work from 3 p.m. until 9 p.m. But it's on again, off again.

Was it hard coming back to your old life after living such a different lifestyle in Hollywood?

I'm pretty content. I've made a name for myself with lessons and I can make $200 to $300 a day. But it's dependent on the seasons, so I live from week to week.

Do you think you'll do anymore work in Hollywood?

It was a good fit, so I wouldn't rule out doing other double jobs. I even have my Screen Actors Guild card now.

What's the most important lesson you learned from your sojourn?

I told my dad I'll never complain about being 5-6 again.

[Last modified April 27, 2006, 13:37:37]