I've written about a weak episode of the Simpsons that centers around baseball, now I am going for one that isn't weak. This one is kind of about softball , which close enough. That's season 3's "Homer at Bat". I am also surprised at how there's not a lot of episodes the series has done with baseball/softball. There are at least more than 2. It also happens to be a second baseball or softball related plot of season 3.
In this episode, the nuclear plant has a softball team because reasons. Homer had a secret weapon that he says will turn the team around. He's made a special bat that was made from a part of a tree that was struck by lightning and he made a bat.
The episode starts kind of showing that the softball games between apparently the police and the plant aren't taken too seriously and have lots of beer. Homer is able to knock the ball out of the park with his magic bat. Bart and Lisa are impressed, and the team starts to win in montages form. There some fun visual moments in there like the power plant being ahead 33-7 , which um Charlie Brown wishes he had that 7.
Mr. Burns has found out the team has done well and made a large bet with another rich guy who also has a power plant, they both bet a million dollars. The interaction there was fun and the episode gets absurd that Mr. Burns who a) can easily bet a million dollars without worry b) has a successful team has decided that he needs to make sure his team does win by getting some ringers.
For those that might not know , a ringer in sports is someone put in a sporting event , illegally or unfairly. Like if a high school baseball team used a college player. Mr. Burns' plan is to hire MLB players and have them be fake employees to play on the team. Thankfully, or unthankfully? Smithers helps him find more alive baseball players. This episode is a treat for baseball fans who are deep into knowing players.
He's got José Canseco, who during this episode's writing and airing was still on the Oakland A's (to the future people the A's used to play in Oakland, unless they still do in the future who knows?) he would soon be playing for the Texas Rangers. He later would admit to taking steroids. Mike Scioscia, at the time had been playing for the Dodgers since 1980 and would retire later the year this aired. Ozzie Smith, who ways playing for the Cardinals at the time. Don Mattingly, who was playing for the Yankees. [ I make it sound like he would play for another team or something] Steve Sax, who would soon be playing for the White Sox. These were introduced with Smithers finding them and talking to them. I like what they had the baseball players doing when Smithers does find them. Like Steve Sax in a jazz band, Ozzie Smith was at an Elvis tour, etc. This episode decided to use some budget here, they also got Roger Clemens, who was playing for the Red Sox and has been accused of using steroids. Wade Boggs, at the time was playing for the RedSox, he'd move on the Yankees the next year. Ken Griffey, Jr. ,who was playing for the Mariners at the time, and Darryl Strawberry, another Dodgers player- at the time. I do like how they went for bench of baseball players and probably went hard on the budget to get them to actually voice them. This is a baseball fan episode.
The Dodgers or Yankees wish they had this star power at this low cost/ Copyright 20th Television
Homer and the others are disappointed, rightfully, that Burns will use the baseball players instead of the plant workers. Now Burns also takes an active role in the team. There are some funny moments in this as he is going through the motions to make it pretend that he really is considering anyone but the plant workers. Mike Scioscia's subplot of he actually really wanted to work at the plant is great and makes a great pay off later. R.I.P Wonderbat.
Mr. Burns should learn not to do a "What could go wrong" type thing. Steve Sax gets pulled over by the police, Mike Scioscia gets radiation poisoning, Ken Griffey, Jr. drank too much of Mr. Bruns' Brain and Nerve tonic, José Canseco ends up having to save a woman's baby, cat and piano from a fire. The escalation there was great. Boggs gets into a bar fight with Barney and gets knocked out. Using Ossie Smith's touring Elvis' place earlier was a great way to then have him get tricked into seeing an attraction and falling into a void. The hypnotist thing from earlier affected Clemens into thinking he's a chicken. Mr. Burns gets mad at Mattingly because of side burns and tells him to go home. Everything that happened was done well Including moments that were used earlier being used as a connecting reason why.
That means Mr. Burns has to use the original team, minus Homer, because Darryl Strawberry didn't get affected by anything and he was the one sucking up to Burns earlier too. It does make you feel bad for Homer, since he was the one who inspired the team in the first place and he was part of what made them get good attention , even from Mr. Burns, and he's not playing here.
Mr. Burns and Mr. Smithers are short or Darryl is tall/ Copyright 20th Television
Also it's funny that an amateur team playing another amateur team that has one major league player are tired at 43 runs. Mr. Burns decides to pull Strawberry for Homer, because Homer is right handed. He wants to confuse a left handed pitcher. Poor Homer gets hit in the head, but he wins the game.
Episode ends with a Terry Cashman credits with him doing a parody of his song "Talkin' Baseball"
This is a great episode and deserves the praise it gets. A baseball fan, especially of that era, can love it, with how far out they went with having actual baseball players. I like how the baseball players also seem to have their own characters going on in this. Having José Canseco be a man who was willing to keep running back into a really long burning fire to rescue pretty much a woman's entire home is pretty funny. Having Mike Scioscia be a guy who wanted to look away from baseball and be a nuclear plant worker and work hard there and on.
Though to be fair, I myself, enjoyed the plot before the ringers come in a little more. Homer inspiring others to join the team and having a great run going to the championship is a great plot. So it is a little sad he gets put in the backseat, and when he gets a chance to bat he gets hit in the head. It's funny moment, but still kind of sad that he didn't to swing one right out there and win the game that way. Mr. Burns makes the episode work with the ringers. He and his old fashioned or out of date thoughts play well to the whole he's old thing. His going so hard to work on a bet that is worth a million dollars, pocket change to him, is also very fitting to a man who is greedy. His interactions with the baseball players were funny.
It's a solid episode and lots of fun and a great rewatch, so yeah it does deserve its praises.
That's it for now, tune in next time when we put famous baseball players in our sponsored baseball team. Go Sheep!
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