'Parks and Rec' showrunner once named a character after Chris Iannetta

Mike Schur has a penchant for shoehorning obscure baseball references into his sitcoms.

That's because the creator of the beloved "Parks and Recreation," "The Good Place," and "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" is a huge MLB fan who used to write under the pseudonym Ken Tremendous on the Fire Joe Morgan sports blog.

In 2009, Schur, who also wrote and acted on "The Office," was seeking a surname for a part-time character on a "Parks and Recreation" episode titled "Beauty Pageant." As the writers were debating what last name to use for pageant competitor Trish, Schur was watching a Boston Red Sox game and veteran catcher Chris Iannetta was at the plate.

And that's how Trish Ianetta was born.

"It's the perfect kind of bonus joke," Schur said on the latest episode of At Large with Alex Wong. "It's going to be on screen for one second and, if you get it, it's amazing; it will blow your mind. And if you're not, it just flies right by you, but it doesn't hinder your enjoyment of the rest of the episode. That's my favorite kind of inside joke."

Added Schur, "That's the weirdest anecdote I've ever told, by the way."

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