Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Homer at the Bat

It was 20 years ago yesterday that one of the most famous Simpsons episodes of all time aired, Homer at the Bat:
Now it was using nine guests, some of whom were obvious baseball Hall of Famers. The end result was not only an iconic piece of pop culture but a loving satire of baseball that looks downright prescient today, here on the other side of the Mitchell Report. Our heroes got drunk in bars, ingested odd substances because they were told to, and mindlessly clucked like diseased poultry. "Homer at the Bat" felt vaguely forbidden, like an animated addendum to Ball Four. This was the side of the sport we never saw.
I can't remember the last time I actually watched a Simpsons episode, and I'm shocked they still crank them out, but this is one I've sen a hundred times and can watch 100 more.  Straw's kiss-ass character is the funniest.  "You said it, Skip!"

1 comment:

The Gnat said...

"It's what smart managers do to win baalllgames."