THE SQUINTS SUIT

Author

Matthew Garringer
December 21, 2023

Good evening. This is Dead Legends. The baseball newsletter that drops into your inbox like a Gaylord Perry spitball.

Let’s dive in.

Today’s story is about a movie character we all love, and the real-life lawsuit filed by the guy he was based on.

I think we’ve all seen Sandlot at some point in our lives - if you haven’t, this newsletter probably isn’t for you.

The entire cast is iconic.

Of course you’ve got Smalls, Ham Porter, Benny the Jet, and who could forget my personal favorite - Michael Palledorus aka “Squints.”

geeky the sandlot GIF

Giphy

Chauncey Leopardi played the role of Squints in the film, but the character is actually based on the director’s grade-school friend, Michael Polydoros.

When Polydoros saw the movie, he wasn’t a fan.

He noticed a lot of similarities in between himself and Squints; which pissed him off because he felt like he was the butt of a lot of the jokes.

Polydoros also wasn’t fond of his nickname, “Squints.”

He went as far as suing 20th Century Fox Studios over the insulting depiction, claiming “invasion of privacy and defamation through misrepresentation of his name and likeness.”

Polydoros constructed a case that included a side-by-side photograph comparing himself to "Squints."

They shared thick-rimmed eyeglasses, and the design of Polydoros's shirt closely resembled the one Squints wore in the movie.

He also pointed out that he, like the character in the film, swam in a community pool growing up.

There was no mention of whether or not he put the moves on the life guard.

Giphy

Luckily for the director, David Mickey Evans, the judge didn’t see enough similarities between Polydoros and “Squints.”

Plus, the movie didn’t have any negative impact on Polydoros financially, so he wasn’t entitled to any compensation for defamation.

Ultimately, Evans and the Sandlot crew got the W on this one when the judge dismissed the case.

It’s been 30 YEARS since the legendary baseball classic came out (man I feel old), and this lawsuit seemed to be the only blemish on what is now considered one of the greatest sports movies of all time.

FROM THE GALLERY

Seemed like the right move to feature this Wendy Peffercorn print for today's issue.

This limited edition print is by one of my favorite artists, S. Preston, and we carry a couple of his works in the Dead Legends Gallery.

BASEBALL TRIVIA

STRANGE NAMES

If you're just joining us, we play this game every day where we try to find the weirdest names throughout baseball history.

Why? Don't ask us, it's just something we like to do.

If you've been rocking with us for awhile now, you know what time it is.

Today's winner is:

Not to be confused with the other guy named Spider that we featured last month.

This dude was actually the first major leaguer to be called “Spider”, and he played every position on the field at least once.

While his big league career only last two years, he was a pretty decent ballplayer.

Unfortunately, he died at age 24 of Tuberculosis.

TELL ‘EM WE SENT YOU

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THE DEAD LEGENDS ARCHIVE

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