Homer Simpson to be ‘Inducted’ Into Baseball Hall of Fame
Ask any person you know, and each of them will likely tell you a different favorite episode of The Simpsons. You’ll definitely get a lot from Seasons three through 10. One might say it’s the “Homerpalooza” episode that guest stars Sonic Youth, Cypress Hill, Smashing Pumpkins and Peter Frampton. Another will tell you it’s the Quentin Tarantino tribute/parody, “22 Short Films About Springfield,” and a few will probably drop a “Treehouse of Horrors” episode into the mix.
You’re also likely to get at least one mention of “Homer at the Bat,” the 1992 baseball episode of the iconic show that featured a number of future Hall of Famers, a few stars you’d only recall if you watched the game at the time and a few controversial stars including Ken Griffey, Jr., Don Mattingly, José Canseco, Roger Clemens, Steve Sax, Ozzie Smith, Darryl Strawberry, Wade Boggs and Mike Scioscia.
For the 25th anniversary of the episode, the Baseball Hall of Fame will celebrate Homer Simpson in all his Bernard Malamudesque glory with his homemade “Wonder Bat,” Lisa and Bart heckling Darryl Strawberry, Donny Baseball shaving off his sideburns and the miracle season of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant’s softball team.
According to the Hall of Fame, Homer will be “inducted” into Cooperstown during Hall of Fame Classic Weekend on May 27th. The festivities will also include Boggs and Smith taking part in a roundtable discussion with the episode’s executive producers Al Jean and Mike Reiss, director Jim Reardon, executive story editor Jeff Martin and casting director Bonnie Pietila.
There’s no word on whether or not Simpson, upon introduction, will also bring up his brief stint in 1990 as “Dancin’ Homer,” mascot of his hometown’s minor league baseball team, the Springfield Isotopes.