The Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum welcomed its newest member Saturday when TV icon Homer Simpson was officially inducted.
No, this isn't a joke. Nor is it a story line on the long-running FOX series The Simpsons. Homer Simpson really is an honorary member of the Hall of Fame.
You might think this is all pretty crazy, but the celebration of Homer Simpson is very real. The Hall of Fame has elected to honor him in conjunction with its celebration of the 25th anniversary of the show's famous "Homer at the Bat" episode.
Homer Simpson is not a real person, but he's a real big part of pop culture. He might be voiced by actor Dan Castellaneta, but it's Homer Simpson who sounds like the guy next door, or even the guy on your softball team that everyone wants to go out drinking with after the game. He's the one we're connecting with, and this fun acknowledgment and the hoopla that's surrounded it serves as another extension of that connection.
But this is about more than one character. It's about a show that transcends TV and an episode that transcends baseball and softball.
"Homer at the Bat," which aired during the third season of the series, featured appearances by Wade Boggs, Jose Canseco, Roger Clemens, Ken Griffey Jr., Dan Mattingly, Mike Scioscia, Steve Sax, Ozzie Smith and Darryl Strawberry. They served as ringers for Mr. Burns' Springfield Nuclear Power Plant softball team, which pushed Homer and his colleagues to the bench despite them leading the team to the championship game.
Of course, Homer still figured prominently in the outcome. With the score tied, the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, Mr. Burns called on Homer to pinch hit for Strawberry, who was the only ringer available to play in the game after a series of unfortunate developments. On the very first pitch, Homer was beaned by the pitcher, which forced in the winning run.
Although unconscious, Homer was paraded around as a hero in a perfectly fitting ending.
Special Ks
A New Jersey high school softball pitcher has pitched a true perfect game.
Cedar Grove sophomore Mia Faieta struck out all 21 batters she faced in a state playoff game Thursday.
The performance helped her team defeat North Warren 4-0.
Earlier this month, Faieta struck out all 15 batters she faced in a five-inning game. This season, she has 321 strikeouts, and her performance Thursday gave her the most strikeouts in the state this season.
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Sports quiz
Jim Bunning pitched a perfect game against the New York Mets on this occasion in 1964.
Sports answer
Father's Day
Sports on 05/28/2017