"East Bound and Down": Getting Back on the Mound
posted 2009-02-26

By Angie Wiatrowski

Major League baseball players are starting off younger and younger these days. Take for instance 19-year-old Dayan Viciedo from Cuba, who is fighting for a spot in the Chicago White Sox lineup. How long will they last? Will they play their hearts out until they can't lift a ball anymore or will they turn into Eastbound and Down's Kenny Powers?

HBO's new comedy created by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay stars Danny McBride as Kenny Powers. Powers is a relief pitcher who joined the big leagues at age 19. In his prime he was as popular as the Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Bobby Jenks. However his fading fastball and growing beer belly forced him to return home to Shelby County, NC. Powers now lives with his brother and sister-in-law. He took a job as a substitute gym teacher and isn't the greatest role model for young children. He continues to remind everyone of his former fame and tries to keep up his 'celebrity' status. He is convinced that he will have a major comeback. Will it happen? Only time will tell.

While the show contains some crude humor and is geared more toward men, there is still something about Kenny Powers that will make women curious to find out more. It could be his determination for a comeback that may never happen or the mullet and sunglasses he wears so well.