‘Bad News Bears’ star drops out of House race

Unlike in his “Bad News Bears” movies, there won’t be any happy endings for the underdog congressional campaign of former child actor David Pollock.

 Pollock, who starred as hapless relief pitcher Rudi Stein in three 1970s “Bears” films, was running as a Democrat in California’s newly drawn, up-for-grabs 26th district being vacated by the retiring Rep. David Dreier (R) — which covers most of Ventura County. Pollock announced to his supporters last Thursday that he was dropping out of the race after assessing his prospects in the June 5 primary that will send the top two candidates (regardless of party affiliation) to the November general election.

 “There was too great a risk that my candidacy might divide Democratic voters and deny any of us a place in the top two finishers,” Pollock told the Los Angeles Times.

In the movies, Pollock’s character was best known for being bumped to the bullpen by the team’s first girl player (Tatum O’Neal) and for intentionally getting hit by pitches. As a nostalgic nod to his baseball legacy, Pollock made a campaign commercial called “Bad News Congress” that tapped into Occupy Wall Street themes and pitted the 99 Percent team against its 1 Percent rivals. The video also featured former Bears teammates Brett Marx (who played Jimmy Feldman) and Erin Blunt (Ahmad Abdul Rahim).

“This campaign has been a wild ride for all of us, and I know my withdrawal will be a very bitter pill for many of you,” wrote Pollock, a Moorpark City Council member, on his website. “But this should not deter us from continuing to ask the right questions and pressing the right issues.”

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