Homer at the Bat

The Simpsons series has long been considered one of the funniest television series of all time.  The writers have consistently created comedic genius, setting the bar high for animated series.  Although they're all great, my favorite Simpsons episode ever is ‘Homer at the Bat’.   If you’re a sports fan and haven’t seen this episode yet, you should go watch it and then come back and read this article, (it’s available to watch online, not that I condone watching tv shows illegally or anything).  The episode does a wonderful job of playfully jabbing at baseball customs that are accepted within the baseball culture, but ridiculous outside of it.

            The episode follows the Springfield Power Plant’s softball team in their quest to win the championship.  When Bart is writing on the chalkboard as he does during every introduction he writes, “I will not aim at the head” a reference to the unwritten rule that it is ok to bean someone with a 98 mile per hour fastball so long as it isn’t aimed at their head.  At work Homer convinces his coworkers to join the softball team, despite their terrible record last year, because he has a secret weapon.  His co-workers dream that he has unstoppable devices and are dismayed when he reveals his secret weapon is a lucky bat.  Homer's confidence in his bat pokes fun at baseball superstitions, which are etched into baseball’s history.  In 1927 Kiki Cuyler refused to hit second in the batting order, as opposed to his usual spot in the three hole, because he believed his success was dependent on his place in the batting order.  (Cuyler was benched for half the season and the World Series).

             Homer figures that the softball team has a 30 game season and Homer will have 10 at bats a game so that makes… 3,000 HRs for Homer.  Surprisingly enough Homer is actually playing very well throughout the season leading his team to the championship game.  Mr. Burns however decides he needs to bring in ringers to guarantee victory.  The players he ends up with are: Roger Clemens, Jose Canseco, Darryl Strawberry, Ozzie Smith, Ken Griffey Jr., Wade Boggs, Don Mattingly, Mike Scoisca, and Steve Sax.  It's pretty funny the way Jose Canseco is portrayed in the episode.  He is seen saving a baby from a burning fire where as today he would surely be vilified.  As would Darryl Strawberry after his run-in's with the law.  Unfortunately for Homer, Darryl Strawberry is not coked out and plays the same position as he does.

             In a freak series of events, nearly all the players are unable to make the game for one reason or another.  Don Mattingly is cut from the team for refusing to cut his "sideburns" in a comical comparison of Burns to The Boss.  The only ringer left able to play is Darryl Strawberry, much to Homer's dismay.  Darryl has a terrific game compiling 9 home runs.  Even so, Bart and Lisa (and Maggie if you look closely) give him a hard time in the stands.  In the bottom of the 9th with the bases loaded and two outs, Strawberry comes up to bat.  In a move that exploded the minds of baseball pundits everywhere, Burns takes out Strawberry because he and the pitcher are both left-handed.  He puts in the right-handed Homer, "it's called playing the percentages".

              Homer steps in and takes one in the head for a walk-off hit by pitch.  The team celebrates and the Simpsons' version of the famous song "We're Talking Baseball" cuts in to the credits.  The episode revels in the little idiosyncrasies of baseball and remains relevant today.  Throwing at players, silly but serious superstitions, and 'playing the percentages' are just as applicable today as they were then.  This, I think is why I love this episode so much, 20 years after it's initial airing, it still resonates with baseball fans today.