Senate candidate was 'Bad News Bears' actor

CHATSWORTH, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- When "The Bad News Bears" hit the big screen 40 years ago this week, the comedy about a terrible kid's baseball team became an instant classic.

David Pollock, who played Rudi Stein, the player best known for intentionally getting hit by a pitch, had no idea its appeal would last so long.

"We thought we were making a fun kid's summer movie and we had no idea that it would take off the way it did," Pollock said.

For Pollock, a child acting career was just a short diversion. He left Hollywood for a career in business, as well as political activism. He served on the school board in Moorpark and is currently mayor pro tem in that city.

And now he's a Democratic candidate for the California State Senate in the 27th district, representing parts of northwest Los Angeles to Ventura County.

Though he left his acting career long behind, he's found use for it in his political career. An ad he made during an unsuccessful run for Congress in 2012 was titled "Bad News Congress"and used clips of Rudi Stein being advised by Coach Buttermaker (Walter Matthau) to lean it to the pitch and let it hit him.

Though the movie was made in a different era, he sees some of its messages resonating in today's political climate.

"We're seeing this loss of civility in what's going on in politics and I think that was part of what was being shown in 'Bad News Bears'," Pollock said.

He'll have some tough competition in the race. Six candidates overall - five Democrats and one Republican - are vying for the seat now held by termed-out Sen. Fran Pavley, D-Calabasas.

The primary election is June 7.