David Pollock Running For Congress: 'Bad News Bears' Star A California Candidate

Rudi Stein's Little League career took him to Japan. Now, the man who played the hapless pitcher in "Bad News Bears" is looking to head to Washington, DC.

David Pollock, who starred all three original "Bad News Bears" film -- and famously leaned in to get hit by a pitch -- has spent a post-film career working for Rocketdyne, dealing with NASA and the military, and in city politics in his home of Moorpark, California. He's now running for Congress as a Democrat in the new 26th Congressional district in California.

According to his campaign website, he has been an elected official in the city for 17 years, on both the City Council and Board of Education. He was elected to the California School Board Association, of which he later became president.

"There's too much rigid ideology in Washington, D.C.," he recently told the Ventura County Star. "There is a lack of compromise, and compromise is the very basis of our democracy."

While public service became his calling, Pollock joked about the path "Bad News Bears" character Rudi Stein would have grown up to pursue.

"Well, clearly Rudi wasn't destined to be a professional baseball player," he told Cultfilmfreak.com. "He probably became an attorney specializing in children's sports injuries."

Comments

[Norman Rockwell]

01:23 PM on 08/16/2011

Rudi Stein's should learn how to be more flexible

[raven01]

08:35 PM on 08/13/2011

I remember David from my years at Montclair High. He was humble, self effacing and had a deliciously warped sense of humour! I'm happy to read that he had a normal life and has heeded the call to service. I wish you well Dave, you are a good man and a good friend.

[jalowe1957]

10:45 PM on 08/12/2011

Why is it that former child stars can't seem to get a life after they're all grown up?

[bwdoherty]

11:31 AM on 08/12/2011

One of the gretest baseball movies ever made!!!!!!.....as you can see from my avatar!!!

[nuzzybear]

11:11 AM on 08/12/2011

"Formerly Beloved Child Star" - this means the child star is no longer beloved.

"Beloved Former Child Star" - this means the former child star was beloved.

"I work at HP!" - this means you have no spelling or grammar skills and write terribly overstated headlines for stories.

[Steeeeve]

11:05 AM on 08/12/2011

I'll give him a "Beloved". Bring on the beat down ya booger eatin's spazez.

[SeanMartin]

08:43 AM on 08/12/2011

Hmm. "Beloved" sure is getting pretty loosely around here. I'm sure his mother beloves him, so I guess that's what makes him beloved... but for the life of me, I dont remember the guy. Guess I dont belove him enough.

[casey645]

07:58 AM on 08/12/2011

Did I miss the lowering of the bar for the "star" title. While I know there was never a "hard standard"' it would seem to me that folks must at least still recognize you to be in that category. After the mention of the movies that he was in, and having watched those movies,I still don't remember this person. A more accurate statement would be that he was a former child actor, and that's it...Star? I don't think so.

[BowlingForRevenge]

04:56 AM on 08/12/2011

I wonder if Tatum will campaign for him.

[JScott]

02:54 AM on 08/12/2011

17 years isn't that about how long Moorpark has been incorporated? I remember it before it was incorporated and the built all those houses and the 23/118 interchange.

[usma84]

02:03 AM on 08/12/2011

"There is a lack of compromise, and compromise is the very basis of our democracy." - well hapless pitcher is about right.

What Dems need to start getting their heads around is that you *cannot* compromise with the extremist right. Doing so resulted in harming the United States of America.

We do not need more compromise with the right. We need more adamant refusals to accept them or their fascist ideology until they are gone.

The extremist right paralyzed the US government and harmed the nation. You do not compromise with extremists that do not care about the Will of the American People.

82% of Americans say no cuts to social security or medicare. The 82% do NOT HAVE to compromise with the 18%.

Even if the politicos in Washington thing they have to, a super-majority of Americans disagree and thus the final outcome is foreordained - the Will of the People *WILL* supersede the will of the minority.

It's just that simple.

Watch and see.

[WorkhelpWorkhelp]

02:29 AM on 08/12/2011

Charter banks means no compromise. We need them in every city. Control our own money.
See this great documentary:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/11/la-weekend-agenda-beach-s_n_924613.html#s327457&title=Saturday_Occult_LA

[you are full of it]

08:25 AM on 08/12/2011

Your statement about compromise is an example of what happen in DC you only mentioned one side you forgot about the Extremist Elitist Left. Clearly Obama should of done something about the debt crisis and economy in his first two years instead of worrying about national health care. That mistake is as bad as Bush's preoccupation with his wars. The main reason Obama won in the first place was because of the economy was in the tank and he did not do anything about it. His only solution was to end the bush tax cuts (ok its just a short term solution as best) and he could not even do that when he had a democratic controlled congress and senate.

I dont care either way but the key for Obama's reelection is the economy and it does not look good for him right now.

[JMilton1976]

09:41 AM on 08/12/2011

The key to Obama's reelection are the stooge the Republicans are going to put up as the candidate.

[usma84]

09:25 PM on 08/13/2011

"debt crisis " - the US had a debt of 126% of GDP - there is not nor was there ever a debt crisis - this was fabricated by the right which happily raised the debt limit 7 times under Bush - it's another example of the Orwellian right's approach of creating a false crisis to attack those on its enemies list.

" economy in his first two years" - he did and the DOW saw it's fastest run up in history, more than 2 MILLION new jobs created and record corporate profits - and then the extremist right got back into office and it was downhill from there. The Gophers and T-Party have a *record* now and it is BAD. They did *nothing* about the economy and jobs so the smell of hypocrisy is so bad it's obvious to everyone except the extreme right, of course.

"The main reason Obama won in the first place" - the main reason if you want to face facts, which I'm sure isn't the case, is that Democrats had a 10 point lead in favorability across the US, 11 in 2006. In 2010 they were even - today it's 8% and going up.

The Gophers have a record now of first destroying the US economy then coming back and trying to finish the job.

Right wing extremist lies aren't going to do you any good.

[LiberalBuzz]

01:43 AM on 08/12/2011

I have to ask the same question.

Beloved child actor? He had bit parts in some famous movies and then what?

[Deluded]

04:43 AM on 08/12/2011

Beloved child actor is code for spoilt brat!

[Tea for me]

01:22 AM on 08/13/2011

Nothing in the article gives him that label.....as a youth....and see the positive choices he made for himself as an adult.

[BaltoJim]

12:45 AM on 08/12/2011

I'd much rather see Tanner Boyle run for office. He'd be a real fighter!

[Sisa]

07:12 AM on 08/12/2011

Booger

[MIvoter1231]

12:33 AM on 08/12/2011

The movie was horrible, but I wish him luck

[edog48]

11:13 PM on 08/11/2011

No wonder California is so screwed. This is the best we have.

[IndependentAndProud]

02:26 AM on 08/12/2011

Having read the story, I don't see how he isn't qualified to run for congress. He's accomplished much since his acting days.