Rob Riggle talks KC Big Slick, advice from Patrick Mahomes on his softball swing

Rob Riggle got some advice from Patrick Mahomes for the upcoming Big Slick celebrity softball game Friday.

After the Chiefs quarterback hit two home runs in the 2019 game, Riggle, co-host of the Big Slick, said Mahomes told him to swing under the slow, high-arcing softball pitches.

In other, more analytic-friendly terms, change the launch angle.

“He hit two home runs, so I’m going to take his advice,” Riggle said. “Rather than take a baseball swing, I’m going to have to launch it. It’ll probably just be a pop-up or I’ll strike out, but we’ll see.”

Riggle, who spoke to the Star on Thursday in anticipation of the Big Slick charity weekend, said he’s excited to be back in person after the event was held virtually the past two years.

One of the few things missing from the Big Slick will be Jason Sudeikis.

Big Slick organizers said Tuesday that Sudeikis, who has been a regular host since 2010, will not appear this year because of a schedule change in the filming of his hit TV series “Ted Lasso.”

“He’s a part of the team. But we also understood that this is totally possible,” Riggle said. “We always knew this was a possibility — whether it was me, Paul (Rudd), Jason — at some point, there would be a Big Slick that conflicts with someone’s work schedule. That’s why we have five hosts.”

Along with hometown hosts Paul Rudd, Eric Stonestreet and David Koechner, Riggle will welcome 30 famous guests to this year’s edition of the Big Slick. The long list includes sportscasters Joe Tessitore and Peter Schrager along with musician Sheryl Crow. In previous years, Mahomes and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce have been last-minute additions.

Riggle is certainly looking forward to seeing Crow, a Kennett, Missouri native, perform.

“It’s just going to be amazing to see her on stage,” Riggle said.

Crow will also indulge in one of Riggle’s favorite parts of the weekend: introducing other celebrities to Kansas City.

“I love when celebrities come in who have not spent that much time and who don’t know much about the city,” Riggle said. “They leave here more educated (about) Kansas City. I’m really proud of Kansas City, and so I’m always like, ‘I told you this place is awesome.’ I love that. ... It just fills me with pride.”

The schedule this year hopefully will have more free time for visiting celebrities to explore, Riggle said. That includes visits to the World War I Memorial, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, lunch at Union Station and possibly a trip to Arthur Bryant’s.

But the highlight of the weekend for Riggle will always be going to Children’s Mercy Hospital.

Since Big Slick’s inaugural event in 2010, when it was just a poker tournament, Riggle and others have raised over $13 million for the cancer center at the hospital.

“I love visiting the hospital — the doctors, the nurses, the patients, the parents — it connects you to why we’re here,” Riggle said. “It really grounds it for you, makes you go, ‘Oh, yeah this is why we’re here. This is why it matters.’”

This story was originally published June 23, 2022 at 11:38 AM.