Two-and-a-Half Degrees of Separation
Cubs outfielder Reed Johnson's admission last week that the public meltdown of Charlie Sheen has been must-see TV in Chicago's spring training clubhouse should come as no surprise. A former high school pitcher, Sheen once owned one of the world's most impressive private baseball memorabilia collections, and as the star map below demonstrates, his circle of sports associations is galactic.
COCO CRISP Also had a rocky week (DUI); took BP with Sheen the day the actor told UCLA's baseball team, "Stay off the crack, drink chocolate milk"
TIGER WOODS Also has tiger blood, likes winning
PETE ROSE Attended a Reds game with Sheen in '06; invited to recent party
MIKE TYSON Offered support last week to Sheen, who once owned a Tyson mouthpiece
ALLEN IVERSON "Practice" rant from '02 quoted by Sheen in Today Show tirade
BOB UECKERMajor League costar threw out first ball at Indians' '09 Rick Vaughn Night
LENNY DYKSTRA Said after hanging with Sheen on yacht, "I can't keep up with him"
PETE VUCKOVICH Played Rick Vaughn nemesis Clu Haywood in Major League
HONUS WAGNER Sheen once owned one of Dutch's rare T206 cards
BILL BUCKNER Sheen owned his botched Series ball till '09
BABE RUTH Sheen owns Bambino's original contract and '27 Series ring
LOU PINIELLA Sheen told TMZ of "epic" parties in '90s with Reds; called manager his "boy"
MITCH WILLIAMS Second-coming of Wild Thing wore Rick Vaughn's 99
MICHAEL JORDAN Costarred with Sheen in Hanes underwear ads
BRIAN WILSON Invited by Sheen in February to brainstorm a Major League sequel
MARK CUBAN In talks with Sheen for new reality show on owner's HDNet
TED WILLIAMS Sheen once spent $88,000 on a game-worn Splinter uni from '41
FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR. His tweets helped Sheen reach a million Twitter followers
CHARLES BARKLEY Costarred with Sheen in Hot Shots
JONATHAN PAPELBON Sported Sheen's Wild Thing haircut in '06
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BRAD MANGIN (CRISP)
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DIMITRIOS KAMBOURIS/GETTY IMAGES FOR ANIMAL PLANET (TYSON)
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DAMIAN STROHMEYER (BUCKNER)
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NATIONAL BASEBALL HALL OF FAME LIBRARY/MLB PHOTOS/GETTY IMAGES (WAGNER)
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RONALD C. MODRA/SPORTS IMAGERY/GETTY IMAGES (VUCKOVICH)
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CHUCK SOLOMON (PINIELLA)
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CHUCK SOLOMON (MITCH WILLIAMS)
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CHUCK SOLOMON (ROSE)
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BETTMANN/CORBIS (RUTH)
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JOHN IACONO (MAYWEATHER)
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LOU CAPOZZOLA (IVERSON)
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RS/X17ONLINE.COM (SHEEN)
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ANDREW H. WALKER/WIREIMAGE FOR THE GREENBRIER/GETTY IMAGES (BARKLEY)
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ROBERT BECK (WOODS)
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PETER KRAMER/GETTY IMAGES (UECKER)
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MANNY MILLAN (JORDAN)
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JOHN BIEVER (CUBAN)
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JOHN BIEVER (WILSON)
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RON SCHEFFLER/US PRESSWIRE (PAPELBON)
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AL TIELEMANS (DYKSTRA)
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JOHN G. ZIMMERMAN (TED WILLIAMS)