Behind the scenes of Crew's 'Mean Girls' spoof

March 19th, 2019

PHOENIX -- & Co. had barely finished shooting scenes for last year’s spoof of “The Sandlot” when the Brewers’ social media duo started getting the question.

What are you doing for the next one?

They answered Sunday night, when the Brewers released their latest viral video. It was a reimagination of the film “Mean Girls” featuring Craig Counsell as the “cool manager,” as the new kid, as a spot-on Regina George and trying to make “fetch” happen.

Hader really got into character. When the Brewers returned from an off-day on Tuesday and he was talking about the feedback he’d heard from family and friends, Hader said, “Pretty fetch. So fetch.”

“I like doing these skits that we do every year in Spring Training, and even throughout the season,” said Hader, who also starred in “The Sandlot” last spring and an in-season spoof of a scene from “Dumb and Dumber” that drew praise from Jim Carrey. “You can really tell we’re a family, but through these videos, you can see the enjoyment that we have together, the fun. That’s what it ultimately is about.”

The Brewers’ take on “Mean Girls” was the brainchild of director of new media Caitlin Moyer and coordinator of new media Aaron Oberley, who were already brainstorming a sequel days after “The Sandlot” went viral last spring. The projects are possible thanks to the Brewers’ in-house video production team.

Once again, an anniversary inspired the choice. “Mean Girls” turns 15 this year.

“It jumped out as something different,” said Moyer, who along with Oberley is behind the Brewers’ social media presence on Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram. “'The Sandlot' was kind of unique. It crossed so many different generations. It was baseball. It was an ensemble cast. With 'Mean Girls,' the question was if we could get the guys to do it.”

“I think the motto of this video is, ‘If we can get them to do it, it would be amazing,’” said Oberley. “And we got pretty much all of the guys to do it.”

But they needed a new guy.

In early January, Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns obliged. Grandal was just the sort of high-profile addition that Moyer and Oberley were hoping for.

“I met Yaz and tried to feel it out,” Moyer said. “I said, ‘Well, I don’t want to ask you for a favor within two minutes of meeting you, but just so you know, we did ‘The Sandlot’ video last year. I don’t know if you saw it.”

Grandal said he had, and he loved it. Moyer hinted she had something in mind that might include Grandal if he was into it.

“I’m in,” Grandal said, before she even mentioned the idea.

Counsell, who played the part of Amy Poehler’s cool mom, was a yes without even knowing the material.

“I’ve never seen the movie,” Counsell said. “I had no idea what I was doing. No idea the context of it. I just filmed it. Basically, the success of Sandlot made me say yes.”

Most of the feedback Counsell has heard was about the map of the Brewers’ complex he supposedly drew for Grandal.

“That’s how I know how bad I was,” Counsell said. “People say, ‘Wow, that was a really good map!’ Well, I didn’t draw it.”

Suter and wife Erin collaborated on casting and the script with the Brewers’ social media team. Unlike “The Sandlot,” which was a direct recreation of a scene, this one was a mashup of elements from “Mean Girls.”

Suter delivers one of the funniest lines in the spoof: “I know who the Dodgers are, I went to Harvard.” At first he felt a little uncomfortable saying it.

“We had to convince him it’s acting,” Moyer said.

Counsell’s favorite elements were Grandal’s facial expressions. said he’d gotten lots of feedback on the final line: “On Fridays, we wear pinstripes” -- a riff off “On Wednesdays, we wear pink.” Expect to see T-shirts with the pinstripes line at Miller Park this summer.

“The reaction has been great, and it has reached beyond our core fan,” Moyer said. “You see those people who aren’t always engaged are tagging their friends saying, ‘I need to get to a game.’ That’s the goal, to widen our fanbase and get our casual fan involved anyway we can draw them in.”

And yes, Moyer and Oberley have already been asked what they have in mind for the next one. They have some early ideas.

Suter says whatever it is, he’s in.

“'Hollywood wannabes’ was the right idea,” he said.