Laurie Metcalf plays Artie Lange's mother, despite being only 12 years older.
Artie Lange was working on the Howard Stern Show at the time he had co-written, starred and co-produced the film, which Stern gave a positive endorsement to after Lange displayed that he was beating his drug habit at that time. Lange would eventually be forced to leave the show in 2009 due to a serious relapse in his drug addiction and an attempted suicide. Stern would eventually cut ties with him for this and to this very day, "Loves him for his contributions to his show and very sad for what's happened to him since."
At one point in the film, Artie is calling girls from his high-school days, making references to Union High School in New Jersey, where he attended school.
Most of the softball scenes were filmed at the Tamblyn Field in Rutherford, NJ.
Scott Baio auditioned for the role of Maz. After casting Ralph Macchio, Baio was considered for another role but the producers felt it would be "too much" to have two icons of the 1980's in the film.