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Photo of the Day: James Earl Jones hangs with Willie Randolph before a production of 'Fences'

(TOM CALLAN/AP)

From the not-actually-so-cranky Mr. Mertle in "The Sandlot" to Terence Mann's iconic monologue in Field of Dreams, baseball and James Earl Jones go together like, well, baseball and apple pie. Even one of his most memorable roles on the stage features the national pastime: August Wilson's "Fences," recently adapted into a film starring Denzel Washington in the role Jones originally played.
The play -- which follows the life of Pittsburgh garbage man and former Negro League legend Troy Maxson -- debuted on Broadway back in 1987. It would go on to win the Pulitzer Prize that same year, and Jones' performance won a Tony for Best Leading Actor. Even cooler than all that, however, was getting to meet some actual baseball players while the cast was in town -- like, say, Yankees second baseman and six-time All-Star Willie Randolph:

No word yet on whether Denzel got to hang out with any pros, but we hear that film prodigyAndrew McCutchen is available. 

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