And Now, World Series Hero Eric Show . . . Starring as Christy Mathewson

Eric Show will pitch in another World Series. He has just accepted a role in a motion picture and will portray pitcher Christy Mathewson, who won three World Series games for the New York Giants in 1905.

Show said it all happened about a week ago. His financial consultant, Joe Elizondo, got a call from producer Gerry Gross, who had done such shows as “Sports Challenge” and “The Way It Was.”

“He (Gross) called and said he was interested in doing some kind of movie with Eric,” Elizondo said. “I kind of laughed, to tell the truth. I thought it was a practical joke, but he said, ‘I’m serious.’ I didn’t know the man, but he gave me background on himself.”

Show’s background doesn’t include acting. So why him? Gross apparently had followed his career and seen him speak on television.

“I thought he’d be perfect for the part,” Gross said. “People kept telling me what a great kid he was. And Mathewson is always a story I wanted to get into because he was one of the most underrated great pitchers of all time.”

But Show hadn’t heard of him.

“But I’ve been asking about him and plan to do a lot of reading on him,” Show said.

“I’m as surprised as anybody about this, but I feel honored to be chosen. It’s very, very exciting. I don’t know if it’ll ever come to fruition, but I’m excited about the possibilities, just to see if I can do it. This is new territory for me. Oh, I’ve been in a few plays and stuff. And I took an acting class in college. But it’s all new.”

There are few details, although screening is supposed to begin this fall with a $3-million budget.