I’m at Citi Field shooting some video stuff for SNY.tv today, and a few minutes ago I was in the stadium’s in-game production booth talking with the guys that cue up at-bat and bullpen music.
I convinced them to let me crank a song throughout the stadium. Obviously I cued up “RB 1” on their board, signifying the song Rod Barajas uses for his first at-bat.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to me, Jeff Francoeur was filming a Pepsi commercial in a faraway corner of Citi Field.
Apparently, soon after the camera started rolling, in the middle of Frenchy’s first line, the free-swinging right fielder was interrupted by the sweet sounds of “California Love” pumping through Citi Field’s countless speakers.
A Mets employee came running over to squash my fun, and I’m sure Francoeur nailed it the next time through. After all, he’s not a guy who will stand for too many takes (Ed. note: HEYOOO!).
I’m not certain what he was instructed to say in the commercial, but if anyone asks me for input — which they won’t — I’ll suggest the greatest line in commercial history: “I’m jonesin’ for something different.”
Fast forward through the first 13 seconds of dead air from when our intern couldn’t figure out how to convert a VHS tape to a digital format. Also, uploading stuff like this is exactly the type of industry-relevant, career-forwarding activity SNY.tv interns sign up for:
Tedquarters 
How exactly did you end up in a Jack in the Box commercial?
Obviously it was due to the Oscar-caliber acting skillz that produced lines like, “Bummer!” and my incredulous look after I shove the guy.
It was during a Screen Actors Guild strike (which is why it had to be filmed in Italy) and there was an open casting call for 18-25 year old slacker types. I was a 19-year-old slacker type, so I auditioned and got it. They flew me to Italy the next day. Amazing, bizarre experience.
SCAB!!
Not really, that’s an excellent story. Here’s to being flown to Italy.
The funny thing is it did mean something to me at the time to cross the line, even if technically I wasn’t, since we were filming it Italy. I was all hopped up on Rage Against the Machine and related reading material that summer. But I was also vending at Shea that summer for what amounted to $10 an hour and, when the Mets were on the road, working at a wholesale/retail lobster farm for probably $6.50 an hour.
I was scheduled to work at the lobster farm the morning I had to leave for Italy. That job made me reek of fish all the time, and occasionally included hauling huge bags of lobster remains and people’s uneaten fried fish into a trash compactor.
When they told me how much I’d be paid for the commercial — roughly four times what I’d make all summer, in both jobs for about four hours of work, plus an all-expense paid week in Italy — I was all, “peace out, integrity.”
Dude, well-played.
Forget the integrity (or lack thereof) associated with the SAG strike… what about you peddling a fajita product for a rival of Taco Bell? How do you sleep at night, Mr Berg?
Hey, all I said was that I was jonesin’ for something different. The other guy was pushing the tasty chicken fajita pita. And I shoved that guy when he asked Jack for one.
Don’t pretend to understand the motivations of American Backpacker #1. Maybe he shoved that guy for disrespecting Taco Bell.