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#1
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: Troy Kirk
I was just rewatching an old episode of the Simpsons called "Homer at the Bat." In the episode, the nuclear plant softball team is going to play the Shelbyville softball team and Mr. Burns makes a million dollar bet on the game. To ensure he will win, he wants to bring in a team of ringers. Here is the lineup he wants to use in the big game: |
#2
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: Jodi Birkholm
The strange part is that, after Burns runs down his proposed lineup, Smithers says something to the effect of "and your left fielder has been dead for 130 years"! Just a touch inaccurate, but who noticed besides us? |
#3
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: Neal
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#4
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: Matt
Neal - great Sepia! |
#5
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: Dave F
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#6
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: Zinn
WB |
#7
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: Jon Canfield
Jodi - Being a HUGE Simpsons fan, I believe Smithers tells Burns that his RF (not LF) has been dead for 130 years. Creighton died in 1862, and if memory serves me right, the Homer at the Bat episode aired in 1992, making Smithers right on the money at 130 years. |
#8
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: Addie_Joss
Who is Jim Creighton? |
#9
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: Todd Schultz
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#10
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: barrysloate
That episode was made in an interesting manner. Every time a National League player came into town to play the Dodgers, or an American League player came in to play the Angels, he would go to the studio and record his lines. So it is unlikely any of the players saw each other during the production. |
#11
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: Neal
James Creighton, Jr. (April 15, 1841 – October 18, 1862) was a pitcher in baseball's earliest era. Among his many accomplishments, he was in all likelihood the first professional ballplayer, threw the first fastball, completed the first recorded triple play, and is considered by baseball historians to be the game's first superstar. |
#12
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: Matt
Jon - knowing how much research they put into every episode, I'm inclined to agree that there was no factual error here. |
#13
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: barrysloate
As many times as I've seen that episode, I missed the Creighton reference. And it first aired on February 20, 1992. |
#14
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: Jon Canfield
For those who want to watch the episode: |
#15
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: barrysloate
Jon- can every episode of the show be found online? |
#16
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: Jodi Birkholm
I misssed the Creighton reference, too, even in the lineup posted here today! Sorry, I would have realized the accuracy of Smithers' quote if I would have just paid more attention! Isn't it funny that someone like Creighton was even mentioned on TV? Thaat may in fact be the "Most obscure. Simpsons joke. EVER!"!!! Somebody on their staff really knows their baseball. I believe Creighton is considered to be baseball's first "superstar"--at least that's what I have read. Has anyone seen that gaudy headstone that his teammates purchased for him? It's in Brooklyn, so I'm sure Barry has passed by it before! The copper really didn't age well! There's a pic of it at my buddy Frank Russo's site, www.thedeadballera.com. Best. Website. EVER! |
#17
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: Jon Canfield
Barry - yes - every episode can be found online... for free. |
#18
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: Jodi Birkholm
Barry, |
#19
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: Jon Canfield
I believe the WTC episode is "City of NY vs. Homer Simpson" or "Homer Simpson vs. City fo NY", can't remember which name. Regardless, I think that it is again on TV although the line about all the jerks being in Tower 1 is edited out. |
#20
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: barrysloate
Jodi- I can tell you one of the Simpson's head writers bid in an early auction of mine and won a trophy ball from the 1860's. I don't want to reveal his name, but my guess is he is the one who knew Creighton. |
#21
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: Jodi Birkholm
That's really cool! Has he done any more bidding since? Out of curiosity, what did you discuss? I bet you posed some questions a few of us here would love to hear the answers to! |
#22
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: barrysloate
Jodi- to answer your other question, the WTC episode was very funny. I remember Marge and the kids went to see some bizarre Broadway musical about some psychotropic drugs, can't recall the exact title. |
#23
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: barrysloate
No- he never bid again. He actually lived across the street from Phil Hartmann, who was the greatest of all the guest voices on the show. They were good friends and he was devastated by his murder. |
#24
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: Jodi Birkholm
I know the feeling about both shows. As of late, I have noticed that various stations in both the U.S. and Canada have been re-airing shows far too soon (within a week or two). There are enough episodes of each series to go around--I wish they'd just stick to airing them chronologically to avoid repetition. Then again, I can do without season 1 of either show. Technically, the first season of Seinfeld was the pilot. I meant the first full season in regards to that show. |
#25
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: Jon Canfield
To bring the thread back to baseball, another interesting thing about the Homer at the Bat episode is that it references Pride of the Yankees when the Springfield softball team travels from city to city via train, with the pennants of the cities being visited displayed on the screen. |
#26
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: barrysloate
I actually like the first season of the Simpsons alot; I think they nailed the ethos of the humor almost from the start. The show did get more caustic by about 1992-93, arguably its peak. But the first season episodes were really pretty funny. They just needed time to develop their best characters, such as Mr. Burns and Krusty, who in my opinion always got the best lines (Conan O'Brien, once the head writer, said he most enjoyed writing Mr. Burns' lines, and he is also Harry Shearer's favorite character to play). |
#27
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: Jodi Birkholm
Did you know that Harry Shearer was the first Wally Cleaver? The pilot for Leave it to Beaver was titled *It's A Small World*. Shearer played Beaver's big brother in that episode before being replaced by Tony "Where is He Now?" Dow. |
#28
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: barrysloate
Jodi- sad to say, "Leave it to Beaver" is another show I have encyclopedic knowledge of. Like I said, it's a disease. I did see "It's a Small World" when TVLand had their 50th anniversary celebration for the show last year. So yes, I did know that about Shearer (who was also a child star on the radio on the "Jack Benny Show"). |
#29
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: Zinn
WTF |
#30
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: barrysloate
Zinn- you took the very words out of my mouth. I'm getting back to work. |
#31
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: Josh Adams
Barry, |
#32
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: Dan Bretta
I'm a huge Leave it to Beaver fan...I have the first two seasons on DVD. Harry Shearer played a kid named Frankie in the pilot episode. Sort of an Eddie Haskell type of guy. An actor named Paul Sullivan played Wally...and Ward was played by Max Showalter (Grandpa Fred in Sixteen Candles). |
#33
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: barrysloate
It's a totally corny show that wins people over by the great characters. It's a baby boomer favorite that somehow still entertains (though a bit dated). |
#34
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: Matt
Jodi - I'm incline to believe that that is not the most obscure Simson's reference ever - it's just that with our knowledge base, it's the one we picked up. Such obscure references abound on the show and we probably don't notice them since their beyond our knowledge scope. |
#35
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: Jodi Birkholm
I totally agree, although I am a pop culture/historical junkie (as well as nonfiction in general), so they have me laughing all the time with their obscure jabs! I really enjoy watching the show in a demographic of varying age and people with knowledge in differing fields all in the same room. It's great when one person laughs, and nobody else "gets it". Then, the kids will laugh at something the "old fogies" might mot be well-versed in (perhaps a modern technology/fad/video game reference). This might be followed up by a joke that everyone gets. That, to me, is the quintessential nucleus of the show's genius! I must say that the last several seasons have lacked in quality, but something so special can't be expected to last forever. I think it's time for Matt Groening to flip his first basemen's mitt to Babe Dahlgren and take himself out of the lineup. |
#36
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: scgaynor
There is an episode in which one of grandpa Simpson's old army buddies is named Asa Brainard. Just like Baseball, there are also alot of hidden scientific jokes on the show too. |
#37
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: barrysloate
I agree The Simpsons has long overstayed its welcome. It used to be a densely constructed show that at its best, nearly every line was funny or had a pop culture reference, and it never let up. Now you can watch a whole episode and perhaps find one or two funny lines. |
#38
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: scgaynor
"I really enjoy watching the show in a demographic of varying age and people with knowledge in differing fields all in the same room. It's great when one person laughs, and nobody else "gets it". Then, the kids will laugh at something the "old fogies" might mot be well-versed in (perhaps a modern technology/fad/video game reference). This might be followed up by a joke that everyone gets. That, to me, is the quintessential nucleus of the show's genius!" |
#39
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: Jodi Birkholm
I agree with the show's peaking in 1994, but I think it held its own through 1998-99. Definitely reminiscent of October 24, 1929 after that. |
#40
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: barrysloate
Yes, some of the late 90's episodes were still pretty good, but it wasn't as consistent. The last five years have been anywhere from not too bad to awful. The last one I saw that I really liked was when Homer was given medicinal marijuana for an eye injury, and he started to hang out in his attic getting stoned with Otto (one of my favorite characters). |
#41
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: Jodi Birkholm
Scott, |
#42
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: Jodi Birkholm
Barry, |
#43
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: barrysloate
I remember those lines. They can still be funny, but too often it is silly and obnoxious. |
#44
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: Jon Canfield
Jodi and Barry - one of my favorite episodes. I also recall such memorable quotes as "We have a kitchen?" and "I could walk up to the President and blow smoke in his stupid monkey face, and he'd just have to sit there groovin' on it." |
#45
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: barrysloate
My favorite was delivered by Doctor Hibbert: |
#46
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: Jodi Birkholm
"The wizard, or the skull?" |
#47
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: DD
I have found several TV shows over the years that I did not watch first run, but I did in syndication. Seinfeld is one of those (my work schedule did not allow me to see it first run). Also, Wings, News Radio, Drew Carey Show, Whose Line, Friends, Futurama and Family Guy. |
#48
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: barrysloate
Otto to Homer, after Marge comes up to the attic to talk to them: |
#49
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: Jodi Birkholm
David, |
#50
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Mr. Burns' Ringers
Posted By: barrysloate
Three favorite unsafe Krusty Brand products: |
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