Homer at the Bat: Captain Awesome Pays Homage to the Greatest Baseball Related Cartoon Episode Ever

Season 3, Episode 17 of The Simpsons. Mr. Burns makes a $1M bet on the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant vs. the Shelbyville Power Plant softball game. In an effort to cheat to win, Mr. Burns hires Major League players as "employees" at the Nuclear Power Plant and has them sign up on the softball team as ringers. This episode originally aired on February 20, 1992. I thought it would be fun to list the Major Leaguers that starred in this episode, along with the reason they missed the softball game. We shall compare that to what has happened to the players since this episode aired.

Ken Griffey Jr.
- Hospitalized with gigantism due to Mr. Burns' nerve tonic in The Simpsons.
- Griffey Jr. is still currently playing. Although he has suffered many injuries the past few years, he is still considered one of the best outfielders in the game.
Roger Clemens
- Hypnotism gone awry caused Clemens to think he was a chicken.
- Congressional hearing gone awry may lead to a perjury conviction regarding his use of PEDs.
Wade Boggs
- Gets into a bar fight with Barney over who was the greatest British Prime Minister of all time.
- Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005.
Steve Sax
- Arrested by Springfield PD because of the unsolved murders in New York.
- Since this episode, Steve Sax has...um...what the heck has Steve Sax done?
Ozzie Smith
- Disappears into the "Springfield Mystery Spot" and is never heard from again.
- Ozzie was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002.
Jose Canseco
- Canseco misses the softball game because he is too busy saving a woman’s possessions from a house fire.
- Canseco is now a self-professed steroid user and the canary of the baseball world.
Don Mattingly
- Mattingly was cut by Mr. Burns because of his “sideburns.”
- Has recently served with the Yankee organization as the bench coach.
Mike Scioscia
- Hospitalized with radiation poisoning from working at the power plant.
- Scioscia currently manages the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Darryl Strawberry
- The only player that actually gets to play in the softball game.
- Strawberry has since battled cancer, drug issues, and even spent some time in jail.

Might I add that Strawberry is pulled in the bottom of the ninth inning with the score tied, 2 outs, and the bases loaded. In a LaRussa inspired move, Mr. Burns wants to “play the percentages” by batting Homer (a right handed batter) against the left handed pitcher. Homer becomes the hero by taking the first pitch to the head and forcing in the winning run.