The Simpsons Moneyball Trailer

A friend shared this clip with me a while ago. It’s essentially cleverly edited clips from the classic Simpsons episode ‘Homer at Bat’ dubbed over with the ‘Moneyball’ trailer.

The Simpsons clips come from the memorable episode written by creators Matt Groening and James L. Brooks, wherein Mr. Burns devilishly entices a string of high-profile ringers, including Roger Clemens, Ken Griffey Junior, Jose Conseco, Don Mattingly, and Wade Boggs among others, to come to Springfield and play for his Power Plant’s softball team. On the day of the championship game, the majority of the team succumb to a deranged list of misfortunes that could only be imagined by the comedic mastery of Groening and Brooks - Ken Griffey Junior suffers from gigantism after drinking a tonic provided by Mr. Burns, Mike Scioscia is diagnosed with radiation poisoning, Roger Clemens can’t stop clucking like a chicken because of faulty hypnotist, Wade Boggs is knocked out by Barney in a fight at Moe’s, and the rest of list is too hilarious to continue.

In the end, Homer pinch hits for his replacement - Darryl Strawberry who has hit 9 home runs in the game but is benched due to a hunch by Mr. Burns – and wins the championship for the Power Plant and a one million dollar bet for Mr. Burns, in the brilliantly comical manner, only Homer Simpson can pull off.   

‘Moneyball’ on the other hand, is a quite charming and enjoyable biographical drama, starring Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill, telling the story of how Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane revolutionized the way baseball clubs are operated using analytics and unorthodox approaches to player development and player acquisition.

The film, aided by Hill’s awkward comedy and Brad Pitt’s strong performance in his penchant compelling yet quietly confrontational I-walk-to-another-beat-of-a-drum kind of role (see Legends of the Fall, A River Runs Through It, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Inglorious Bastards, etc.) is a pleasure to watch whether you’re a baseball enthusiast or not.

Naturally, as an admirer of the film, a big fan of dubbed comedy where previously filmed clips are hilariously recontextualized, and an avid Simpsons aficionado, this clip amused me profoundly and continues to do so.

Dubbed comedy may be crass and immature, but it is also awesome. Enjoy.