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Homer Simpson is getting 'inducted' into the Baseball Hall of Fame
Twenty-five years after “Homer at the Bat” first aired, the iconic episode of “The Simpsons” and its star, Homer Simpson, are set to join baseball immortality.
Earlier this week, the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum announced they will be paying tribute to that memorable episode, which features Homer suiting up for the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant softball team, as well as the show’s impact on baseball and American culture during a special ceremony on May 27.
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But that’s not all. In a fun twist, Homer Simpson himself will be ceremoniously inducted into the Hall of Fame, where he’ll join co-stars from the episode such as Ken Griffey Jr., Ozzie Smith and Wade Boggs.
From the Hall of Fame’s release:
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will pay tribute to THE SIMPSONS’ place in American culture by honoring “Homer at the Bat” on Saturday, May 27. Boggs and Smith, who were portrayed in the unforgettable episode that featured Homer Simpson winning the championship softball game for the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant with a walk-off hit-by-pitch, will join in a roundtable discussion from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. outside the Library entrance to the Hall of Fame in Cooper Park. The discussion, which is free and open to the public, will feature the episode’s executive producers Al Jean and Mike Reiss, director Jim Reardon, executive story editor Jeff Martin, and casting director Bonnie Pietila.
During the roundtable, Homer will be “inducted” into the Hall of Fame. This brief ceremony will be followed with the official ribbon-cutting on a SIMPSONS-themed exhibit display in the Museum. THE SIMPSONS will also be honored prior to the Hall of Fame Classic legends game taking place that afternoon at Cooperstown’s historic Doubleday Field.
That’s pretty darn cool. Especially hearing that Smith and Boggs will be on hand to discuss their memorable roles in the episode.
“Homer at the Bat” originally aired on FOX on Feb. 20, 1992, and it did big business for the network. That episode was the first that ever won the television ratings head-to-head with “The Cosby Show.” That was a really big deal 25 years ago.
The timeless episode has only gained in popularity since then, becoming one of the show’s most talked about episodes during it’s now 30-year history.
It’s fitting now that baseball and the Hall of Fame are doing their part to honor the episode. It had and still has a wide-ranging appeal that very few shows have been able to capture when featuring baseball or any other sports. If you don’t agree or you’ve never seen it, now would be a perfect time to watch it again or check it out for the first time.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
