For the record, this induction is for ONLY the Wesley Snipes version in Major League and not the Omar Epps portrayal in Major League 2. This is not a shot at Epps, who was an excellent choice for many sports movies, but following the charismatic Snipes was nearly impossible.

As Willie “Mays” Hayes, Snipes’ character may not have been essential to move the plot along, but he brought a cool factor that the movie may not have had otherwise. Hayes was a dynamic leadoff hitter with swagger (before anyone knew what that word was) with great one-liners throughout. The best statement we can say is that ML2 suffered a lot by not having Snipes repeat the role, although we do have to say one thing….we have a hard time believing that Hayes, could never hit the long ball!

This selection allows Hayes to join fellow Cleveland Indian, Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn into the Hall.

The Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame is pleased to welcome Willie “Mays” Hayes into the Class of 2017.


The Bullet Points:
Movie Appeared:
Major League (1989)

Actor:
Wesley Snipes

Position Portrayed:
Centre Field

Played for:
Cleveland Indians

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In what was the last athletic role of note of his great Fictitious Athlete career, Wesley Snipes donned the gloves as a prison boxing star, who was undefeated in prison boxing. As his legitimate career was derailed by incarceration, Monroe Hutchen (Snipes) never had the chance to test his skills against the best; until we remember that this is a movie and the former Heavyweight Boxing champion of the world lands in the same penitentiary.

Wesley deserved better here. The movie “The Fan” was a great idea, though the execution was a little muddled. We grant that Wesley Snipes (Bobby Rayburn) may not be on the same acting plane as Robert DeNiro, but he wasn’t given a character with much reason for viewers to care about. At the very least, Wesley Snipes is one of the few actors who you could buy in any athletic role, but without drawing empathy from the audience, does it really matter if he is the object of DeNiro’s obsession?



The Bullet Points:
Movie Appeared:
The Fan (1996)

Actor:
Wesley Snipes

Position Portrayed:
Outfield

Played for:
San Francisco Giants

Why you should vote for him:
Few look the part better than Wesley.

Why you should not vote for him:
There are better Wesley Snipes athletic roles to vote for.

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