# Mike Sadek

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**Michael George Sadek** (May 30, 1946 – January 20, 2021) was an American [baseball](/source/Baseball) player who was a [catcher](/source/Catcher) in [Major League Baseball](/source/Major_League_Baseball) (MLB). Originally drafted by the [Minnesota Twins](/source/Minnesota_Twins) in [1969](/source/1969_Major_League_Baseball_Draft), he spent his entire major league career with the [San Francisco Giants](/source/San_Francisco_Giants). He was a backup throughout his eight-year major league career, which spanned the years and through . Sadek's nickname was "The [Sheik](/source/Sheikh)" which was coined by Giants teammate [Craig Robinson](/source/Craig_Robinson_(baseball)) who, upon seeing the name [Mohammed Ahmed Sadek](/source/Mohammed_Ahmed_Sadek), declared to the catcher, "Hey, you’re a sheik."[1][2] During his time in MLB, he was known as one of the most funny jokesters.[2][3]

In the 1996 film *[The Fan](/source/The_Fan_(1996_film))*, Sadek served as [Robert De Niro](/source/Robert_De_Niro)'s [body double](/source/Body_double) in scenes where DeNiro's character was throwing a baseball.[4]

Sadek died on January 20, 2021, in [San Andreas, California](/source/San_Andreas,_California), at the age of 74.[2] He was survived by his son, Mike Jr., along with Mike's wife Melanie and their three children, Mike Sr.'s grandchildren. A daughter, Nicole, had died at age 25 in a parachuting accident.[5][6]

## References

1. '"Giants Trounce Reds," *[Ukiah](/source/Ukiah,_California) Daily Journal* (July 15, 1980), p. 23.

1. Shea, John (January 21, 2021). ["Popular Giants catcher Mike Sadek, known as the 'Sheik,' dies at 74"](https://www.sfchronicle.com/giants/amp/Popular-Giants-catcher-Mike-Sadek-known-as-the-15886416.php). *[San Francisco Chronicle](/source/San_Francisco_Chronicle)*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20210121131549/https://www.sfchronicle.com/giants/amp/Popular-Giants-catcher-Mike-Sadek-known-as-the-15886416.php) January 21, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 21, 2021.

1. ["MLB.TV"](https://www.mlb.com/tv/g718736/v845f7291-0b26-496f-8586-40825b0f2e4a). *MLB.com*. 2 Apr 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-03.

1. Sadek profile, Internet Movie Database. Accessed June 4, 2016.

1. ["Mike Sadek, former Giants catcher, dies at 74 after illness"](https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2021/01/21/mike-sadek-former-giants-catcher-dies-at-74-after-illness/115340748/). *USA TODAY*. Retrieved 2023-07-10.

1. ["Popular Giants catcher Mike Sadek, known as the 'Sheik,' dies at 74"](https://www.sfchronicle.com/giants/article/Popular-Giants-catcher-Mike-Sadek-known-as-the-15886416.php#photo-20517901). January 21, 2021. Retrieved 2023-07-10.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Mike Sadek](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Sadek) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Sadek?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.