A *different* Simpsons episode banned - Daryl Strawberry

Factual Questions
1

Mr. Burns pads the company softball team with ringers.

One was Daryl Strawberry, pre-downfall.

Daryl (the character) actually had a significant number of spoken lines (“There’s no ‘I’ in ‘team’.”). The closing credits ran to different music, a one-off number which clearly mentioned “The Straw”.

Since he’s been arrested, in/out of rehab, arrested again, in/out again, on the lam, in/out, arrested, in/out, etc, etc, etc I’ve not seen this episode, and I’ve been consuming 3-5+ episodes per week (first- and re- run) since the show’s inception.

Has the “Daryl Strawberry” episode been yanked?

2

I’ve seen it recently (6 weeks or so ago).

3

I think that yanking the episode because of Strawberry’s personal problems would violate the spirit of “The Simpsons.” The show pretty much assumes that people are stupid and immoral, to varying degrees. It doesn’t exactly hold its characters up to be admired. It would seem strange to yank one simply because one of the guest stars had gotten into trouble.

4

I think it also depends on who the local cable carrier/broadcast station is. I move a lot and it seems that for all rerun episodes not shown on sunday night there isn’t really any method to which episodes they show. It’s almost as if they get to choose…

5

I saw this not two days ago (well, it was actually two days ago) in Oz. But then we don’t care about this sort of stuff.

6

they (the stations which run syndicated simpsons) tend to stay away from the older episodes. mostly i see rotation from like the last five or six years. i don’t know if this is because of the syndication package (that is, they only bought the rights (maybe) for half of the episodes this broadcast season, or maybe the syndication company only offers later episodes in their package deals (ala crop rotation, to keep the old episodes fresh- then switch, and the more recent episodes have some time to rest)) or what.

anyway, the end song was Softball, parody of Baseball, by i can’t remember whom.

and i quote:

"well, mr. burns had done it,
the power plant had won it,
with Roger Clemens clucking all the while.
Mike Socia’s tragic illness made us smile.
While Wade Boggs lay unconscious on the baaroom tile.

we’re talkiing 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, Ozzy and the Straw."

and it’s because of things like the above, that it’s a REAL damn shame older episodes aren’t shown regularly.

i mean, the conversation with Barney that lead to Wade Boggs getting knocked unconscious?

"Barney: Lord Palmerstein

Boggs: Pitt the Elder.

Barney: Lord PALMERSTEIN!

Boggs: PITT! THE! ELDER!

(barney clocks boggs, visibly knocking teeth out)

Moe: Pffuuh. Pitt the Elder…

Barney: LORD PALMERSTEIN!

(now moe gets slugged)"
i mean, feckin priceless.

jb

7

I saw the episode just last week on KASA, the Albuquerque FOX station, while visiting my folks in Colorado. It hasn’t been pulled nationwide, that’s for sure.

8

On top of all of which, it’s not like Strawberry hadn’t been in more than his share of trouble before that episode ran the first time. :slight_smile: