If you ask baseball fans what their favorite baseball-related episode of TV is, chances are you already know the answer: “Homer at the Bat” from the third season of The Simpsons. And while many can agree that the Baseball Hall of Fame doesn’t always do things right, it’s definitely doing this one thing right: To commemorate the episode’s 25th anniversary, which just happened on Feb. 20, the Hall will be celebrating “Homer at the Bat” at its vaunted museum, officially claiming it as a piece of significant baseball history.
‘Homer at the Bat’ will have its day at the Hall of Fame
Friday’s Say Hey, Baseball features a celebration of one of the finest Simpsons episodes, umpires touching Phillies history, and an ex-NFL player in the MLB.
When it aired, the episode was an instant classic. Everyone knows the plot by now: Mr. Burns brings in ringers to play on his plant’s softball team to win a bet, and of course, the ringers are players we all know and love: Ken Griffey Jr, Ozzie Smith, Mike Scioscia, Jose Canseco, Darryl Strawberry, Roger Clemens, Don Mattingly, Wade Boggs, and Steve Sax. What made it great was that all the players actually lent their voices to the episode. Was that really Griffey and his grotesquely swollen jaw? You bet! And it wasn’t just an instant classic. It did something no other TV show had done before: It beat The Cosby Show, which was an enormous deal at the time (considering what a juggernaut that show was).
The Hall of Fame is going all out to commemorate “Homer at the Bat.” On Hall of Fame Legends Weekend (May 27), there will be a themed exhibition at the museum, as well as a special panel which will feature Simpsons executive producers Al Jean and Mike Reiss, director Jim Reardon, executive story editor Jeff Martin, and casting director Bonnie Pietila. They’re even going to honor the episode before the Hall of Fame Legends Game. The only thing missing? Terry Cashman crooning out the indelible “Talkin’ Softball.“ If someone doesn’t actually sing the words “Ken Griffey’s grotesquely swollen jaw,” then he’s missing a huge opportunity for awesomeness.
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