Will Ferrell’s Field of Dreams

Will Ferrell is a funny man. He looks funny, he talks funny. Everything he does is funny, which has made him a fortune as one of Hollywood’s most bankable funnymen.

But of course, there’s a serious side to Ferrell, a side few know or see. Until now.

“Ferrell Takes the Field,” which debuts on HBO at 10 p.m. eastern on Sept. 12, features the “Anchorman” star playing every position (including designated hitter) on 10 different teams in one day. The special captures the calculated insanity of the day, focusing on man-child Ferrell’s attempt, at 47, to make an impression on a big league scout or two.

Spoiler alert: He’s not quitting his day job.

But there is also something far more heartwarming: A fundraising effort on behalf of Cancer for College, a nonprofit that helps people with cancer pay their tuition and look to a better tomorrow.

What does that somber subject have to do with Ferrell playing all nine field positions last March during Major League Baseball’s spring training? It’s all about repaying favors and using celebrity to help the less fortunate.

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The story behind the farcical day playing America’s pastime began years earlier, when Ferrell was a Delta Tau fraternity pledge at the University of Southern California. Ferrell hadn’t become a household name yet; he was just a young funny guy goofing around. Then he met Craig Pollard, and the two became friends.

After college, when Ferrell was trying to forge a career in comedy, Pollard would gather some chums to fill out the seats where Ferrell would tell his jokes. Sometimes they made up most of the crowd. Ferrell’s star kept rising.

Pollard, meanwhile, was trying to figure out how to make the most of life following two grueling battles with cancer. At the lowest point of Pollard’s medical condition, during his second fight with cancer, he made a promise to God.

“’If I get through this, I’ll do something to make the world a better place,’” Pollard said, according to Greg Flores, director of operations for Cancer for College.

Pollard did get through his bouts with cancer, and after mulling medical school, instead took a volunteer gig with Camp Ronald McDonald. There, he met teens who lit up when he told them he was a college student who had survived cancer. He brought a bright optimism, a vision of the future they wanted for themselves. “That started the wheels turning,” Flores said.

Without Will’s involvement in it, it would still be a small charity.

Pollard taught himself how to start a foundation, one focusing on education and hope. The organization started small, with annual golf fundraisers to power the scholarships. Ferrell was often there to lend a hand. The comic’s career was taking off, but he set aside time to help his friend, and Cancer for College.

“Without Will’s involvement in it, it would still be a small charity,” Flores said.

To date, Cancer for College has granted more than $2 million in college scholarships to more than 1,000 cancer survivors nationwide.

Ferrell committed to more golf tournaments, and even did a bar crawl and stand-up comedy event to raise money. He wanted to try something new to help Cancer for College earlier this year. Ferrell and the nonprofit considered baseball as their ripe fundraising opportunity. They tinkered with the idea of throwing out the first pitch at a number of ballparks before deciding on spring training as their comedy target. It’s a less pressurized take on the sport, giving Ferrell room to explore — and do his legendary schtick.

Plenty of actors, from Billy Crystal to Tom Selleck, have played in spring training games before. It just so happened that 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of Athletics player Bert Campaneris playing all nine fielding positions in a major league game – Sept. 8, 1965, to be exact.

The rest is MLB history. HBO gobbled up the video portion of the event, donating $1 million to the charity for the right to air the special. Ferrell auctioned off his gently used baseball gear for the organization. And two old friends reunited once more for a very good cause.

Will Ferrell’s Rookie Card

Name: Will Ferrell

Position: All 10 [that includes DH]

Date of Birth: July 16, 1967 (48)

College: USC, sports journalism

First sports gig: Interned for NBC’s sports department