Are the "A League of Their Own" Characters Real People? Let's Investigate

Nick Offerman puts a new twist on the "coach" role of Casey "Dove" Porter, who, like many of the players, is mostly fictional with a few real-life touches thrown in.

Porter, like the Tom Hanks character in the original movie, is a former major-league star looking for a second act, which comes when he (perhaps not with total enthusiasm) is recruited to coach one of the new women's teams. In universe, he's famed for a pitch that once struck a bird midair, reminiscent of a freak incident that occurred in 2001, when Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Randy Johnson hit a dove while pitching.