It’s safe to say Richmond, Indiana, baseball games will be serving tots from now on. If not, Napoleon Dynamite may not be pleased with the team he invested in.
Jon Heder, star of the cult-classic 2004 movie “Napoleon Dynamite,” has stepped into the baseball world alongside co-stars Jon Gries (Uncle Rico) and Efren Ramirez (Pedro) by becoming part owners of the Richmond Flying Mummies. In June, a night was themed after the iconic film.
In a town of roughly 35,000, “It’s very exciting,” part-owner Matt Bomberg said, according to MLB. “We’re in between Indianapolis and Dayton, you know, it’s kind of lost a little bit. It’s a big deal.”
The night saw plenty of fanfare, as autographs were signed, Uncle Rico’s parked van was present and a Napoleon Dynamite special — that did, in fact, feature tater tots — was served.
Why baseball and why Indiana?
Gries was the first in the trio to push for the idea.
He fell in love with the Northwoods League after attending a game in 2025, and he decided he wanted to own a team. Later, he was invited to invest in a brand new team, the Flying Mummies, seemingly fitting as an obscure team name for the cast of a quirky movie.
The name honors the city’s mummy exhibits, as well as the Wright brothers’ time spent as boys living in the area before moving to Ohio.
However, Gries did not want to move on without his full trio, and it took some convincing.
“(Gries) wore us down,” Heder said. “He was just like, ‘Baseball, baseball, baseball.’ I was like, ‘Dude, you’re known for football, let’s lean into the football thing.’”
Despite their hesitance, Gries broke through. It helped that Heder’s wife, Kirsten Heder, grew up attending baseball games at minor league parks across the country as a military child who traveled a lot.
“When this got brought up, she was the one who was like, ‘We have to do this,’ because that’s what she remembers and loved,” Bomberg said.
So far, the three actors have loved their experience.
“We love families, we love communities and being able to be a part of this,” Ramirez said.
The other part owners
Also included as an addition to the ownership group was Louie Keen, the mayor of Uranus, Missouri, a made-up town along Route 66, a landmark known for its humorous attractions and fudge factory.
Reaction
Of course, stars from such an iconic film were bound to gather plenty of reaction. One person said Uncle Rico should throw a steak for the first pitch.
Some wonder if Uncle Rico provided all the equity, since in the film, the others were broke.
Another user was amused by the baseball plot twist.
The team’s inaugural regular season is set to finish this Saturday, Aug. 8, before the playoffs begin. Currently, Richmond is 10-23 and at the bottom of their division — maybe it’s time to put Uncle Rico in.