02/22/2005 4:59 PM ET
McConaughey steals show
Movie star garners plenty of attention in camp visit
By Mark Bowman / MLB.com

Adam LaRoche (right) has his picture taken with one of  his favorite actors, Matthew McConaughey. (Ben Platt/MLB.com)

KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- By the time the Braves finished their workout on Tuesday morning, Chipper Jones and Tim Hudson found themselves as co-stars at Cracker Jack Stadium.

For about an hour, it wasn't Jones or Hudson who were getting swamped by the media or autograph seekers. Instead, it was actor Matthew McConaughey who was drawing Yankees-like attention from fans, media and even some of the Braves players.

"This is one of the perks of being a professional athlete -- you get to meet a lot of cool people," said Jones, who gave McConaughey a few hitting tips before the acclaimed actor took batting practice in front of a multitude of cameras and the watchful eyes of some Braves.

As for Hudson, he played catch with McConaughey for about five minutes along the first-base line. The Braves hurler then shagged some grounders when the actor was taking swings.

McConaughey, who was in town promoting his upcoming film "Sahara," hit for about five minutes against Braves third base coach Fredi Gonzalez. The actor connected on a few line drives, a couple of which landed just short of the left field warning track.

"He did pretty good," said Jones, who let the actor to use his 34-ounce bat. "He was swinging a pretty heavy bat. But he got a couple of balls to the wall. I've seen a lot worse, let's put it that way."

While the 32-year-old Jones became a fan of McConaughey after the actor teamed with Sandra Bullock in "A Time To Kill," some of the younger Braves like Adam LaRoche, Ryan Langerhans and Nick Green like the actor's more comical roles.

The 35-year-old McConaughey burst onto the scene in 1993 as Wooderson in "Dazed and Confused." Although he's appeared in countless other more serious roles since then, some of these younger Braves still idolize him for this film in which he played a stoner attempting to relive his high school years.

"I just want to see if he'll recite some lines [from "Dazed and Confused"] for me," said the 25-year-old LaRoche.
Langerhans had an opportunity to talk University of Texas football, and Green showed his support by leaving the field with a promotional hat that read "Sahara" -- the name of McConaughey's new adventure film to be released on April 8.

"These [young] guys are star struck," Jones said. "I'm not as easily excited as I was a few years ago. But it was still awfully cool. I'm a big fan of [McConaughey's]."

Mark Bowman is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.