The Wonders of Bob Melvin; A's Manager Meets a Couple of His Idols

Oakland A's manager Bob Melvin, a huge fan of the film `That Thing You Do,' had a surprise virtual meeting with two of the members of The Wonders, the band around which the film was structured.

Meet Bob Melvin, fanboy.

The Oakland A’s manager is a bit of a movie buff, and one of his all-time favorites is the 1996 cult classic, “That Thing You Do” about a band that stumbles into a hit record and rides it all the way to Hollywood before disbanding.

Earlier this week he was doing a Zoom interview with Fox Sports Arizona as a setup to the station’s showing of the 2007 Game 3 of the National League Division Series against the Chicago Cubs.

As a surprise, two of the members of the band, The Wonders, Guy Patterson (Tom Everett Scott) and Jimmy Mattingly (Johnathan Schaech) showed up midway through the 15-minute interview.

Melvin was clearly blown away. He was able to drop in one-liners from the movie, which impressed both Scott and Schaech. When Scott, nicknamed “Shades” in the movie, put on his iconic sunglasses, Melvin was clearly entranced.

The manager said he will from time to time bring up The Wonders’ spectacular summer as a motivational and instructional tool with his players.

It turns out that Scott, Schaech and fellow “That Thing You Do” stars Tom Hanks, Liv Tyler, Ethan Embry and Steve Zahn will get together virtually at 4 p.m. Friday on YouTube Live for a virtual watch party with MusiCares that is both a celebration of the life of Adam Schlesinger, who wrote the song “That Thing You Do,” and as a fundraiser for MusiCares’ COVID-19 Relief Fund.

Schlesinger, a founding member of Fountains of Wayne, was one of 300 songwriters who submitted to Hanks a song titled “That Thing You Do.” It was the one that became the backdrop of the movie.

Hanks, the driving force behind the movie, has a suite at Dodger Stadium where members of The Wonders occasionally get together to watch baseball.

Melvin immediately invited the entire crew to the Coliseum once baseball gets up and running again. Hearkening back to the film, he said he knows the group looks “good in green.”

Follow Athletics insider John Hickey on Twitter: @JHickey3

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