Hey hey tap ballers! In our silly lil game, we sometimes see things pop in that we have no clue as to their Origin. They seem familiar, but we just can’t pinpoint from where. So that is why we decided to make a fun lil reminder out of it. To let you know just Where did THAT Come From?
So with the Tap Ball Event, all sorts of new stuff has appeared in our games. One of the Tap Ball Prizes is Softball Burns. But why the heck is Burns rocking old timey baseball clothes? Surely a decrepit old miser like him never played softball, right? When and where did he actually appear in the Best. Show. Ever.? Let’s check out the Simpsons TV Series to find out, shall we?
“Homer at Bat” (S3:E17)
So on a short list of classic Simpsons episodes, this beauty hits the Top 10 on almost everyone’s lists. Our own Alissa the Amazing ranks it as her #1 and it’s near the top for this fuzzball too. The whole episode revolves around the Nuclear Power Plant’s softball team. The whole episode is wall to wall with hilarity especially if you’ve been a big fan of baseball since the 1980s. It’s one of the reasons my first softball jersey said Homer on the back and I called by bat Wonderbat.
I love the rules of softball a la The Simpsons. “You can’t leave first until you chug a beer. Any man scoring has to chug a beer. You have to chug a beer at the top of all odd numbered innings and the fourth inning is the beer inning.” The funny thing is these rules aren’t completely off from my experience lol.
Homer’s magic bat leads to the team actually doing much better than there previous winning record of 2 wins. “Such a mighty whallop.” Burns finds out the team will capture the pennant if they win their last game at the Millionaire’s club and bets one million dollars that his team will win the championship. The bet also leads Burns to hire major league players to take the field for the game. As a youngin… it was so awesome to see pro baseballers in my favorite show. Jose Canseco, Mike Scioscia, Ozzie Smith, Don Mattingly, Steve Sax, Roger Clemens, Wade Boggs, Ken Griffey Jr. and Darryl Strawberry! We see Softball Burns at the team’s first practice.
It’s also here where we see the brain and nerve tonic available in our Tap Ball games. Rich in protients and electromagnetic juices, it promotes robust health and has been known to cause gigantism in rare cases. It’s like a party in your mouth and everyone is invited. Burns insists all the players indulge.
Of course, Burns best task that comes with this skin is his 8 hr, Signal Plays, task. His signals during the championship game are great and now we get to see them in game whenever we like.
Such a great episode that I must insist you watch to see how it all enfolds. When this episode came out, Darryl Strawberry was my favorite ballplayer so I’ve seen it many times. I actually recorded it with my VCR just so I could enjoy it whenever I wanted. The very ending has one of the best Simpsons songs too. If you don’t want to watch the episode, you probably can figure out the rest just from the lyrics.
Well, Mr Burns had done it, The power plant had won it,
With Roger Clemens clucking all the while.
Mike Scioscia’s tragic illness made us smile.
While Wade Boggs laid unconscious on the bar-room tile.
We’re talkin’ softball, From Maine to San Diego,
Talkin’ softball, Mattingly and Canseco,
Ken Griffey’s grotesquely swollen jaw,
Steve Sax and his run-in with the law,
We’re talking Homer… Ozzie and the Straw
We’re talkin’ softball, From Maine to San Diego,
Talkin’ softball, Mattingly and Canseco,
Ken Griffey’s grotesquely swollen jaw,
Steve Sax and his run-in with the law,
We’re talking Homer…
Ozzie and the Straw
Shave those sideburns Mattingly! And that’s it my friends. Softball Burns from an epic episode about softball and 9 All Star baseball players. What do you think of the episode? Sometimes I wonder what a current episode like this would look like. Happy to have Softball Burns in your games? Sound off and stay classy Tap Ballers! I’m off to the Springfield Mystery Spot… nothing bad ever happens there, right?
TTFN… Wookiee out!