A Man For No Seasons is the 193rd overall episode of Married... with Children also the 10th episode of Season 9. Directed by Amanda Bearse and written by Kim Weiskopf, the episode originally aired on FOX-TV on November 13, 1994.
Synopsis[]
When Major League Baseball goes on a strike, NO MA'AM organizes their own league sponsored by nudie bars and their owners.
Storyline[]
When Major League Baseball goes on a strike because of disagreement between players and owners, Al and NO MA'AM come up with a brainstorm idea; they organize their own league sponsored by nudie bars! They are very successful, but finally they also go on strike due to a dispute over player salaries, which mirrors the MLB Players strike. This episode is a take on the strike that ended the 1994 MLB Season during the early summer of that uncompleted season.
Recurring Cast/Regulars[]
- Amanda Bearse as Marcy D'Arcy
- Ted McGinley as Jefferson D'Arcy
- Buck the Dog as Buck Bundy
- E.E. Bell as Bob Rooney
- Dan Tullis, Jr. as Officer Dan
- Tom McCleister as Ike
Guest starring[]
- Mike Piazza as Himself
- Bret Saberhagen as Himself
- Danny Tartabull as Himself
- Frank Thomas as Himself
- Dave Winfield as Himself
- Joe Morgan as Himself
- Pat Millicano as Sticky
- Shaun Toub as Akbar
Quotes[]
- [The members of NO MA'AM are having an initiation ceremony for Griff in the Bundy garage. Al is standing at the podium.]
- Al: As you know, a new member, our very own Griff, is being initiated. So, Sargent-at-Arms Ike, would you bring the plebe in?
- [Ike opens the door that leads to the Bundy living room. A defeated looking Griff is standing there, wearing a colorful propeller beanie and a "Man in Training" t-shirt. He then walks up to next to Al as the other members laugh and mock him]
- Al: [bangs gavel to silence the group] Now, Griff, you've survived the other initiation rites: The purchasing of panty shields in broad daylight. The attending a Julio concert in wig and matching ensemble. Are you ready for the third and final challenge?
- Griff: [bitter, defeated] Hey, I've got an ex-wife and I work in a shoe store. I feel no pain.
- Al: Then, Sargent-at-Arms Ike, please escort Griff to the bath...[stops and shakes his head] excuse me, I mean, the "Chamber of the Damned", please.
- [Griff immediately turns with eyes widen upon hearing this. He is then escorted into the "Chamber", with Ike now standing guard in front of the door]
- Jefferson: Hey, Al, are you sure we should put Griff through this?
- Bob Rooney: Yeah, the human mind is only made of flesh and bone. [Jefferson slaps Bob Rooney's arm in disapproval]
- Al: Hey, NO MA'AM isn't like California. You can't just walk in. [the other members nod and agree amongst themselves]
- Bob Rooney: Yeah, he's right! Absolutely!
- Al: Our standards have to be tough! And if a man can't stand a two hour video tape of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, he's not STROMG enough to be in NO MA'AM!
- [the members are shown talking and nodding in agreement]
- Griff: [offscreen] AAAHHHHH!!!!
- [At the Bundy residence, Al is being interviewed by former MLB player turned sports commentator, Joe Morgan, after news about NO MA'AM breaking into Wrigley Field.]
- Joe Morgan: We're here with the leader of the Wrigley Field break-in boys, Al Birdie.
- Al: [leans into the mic] That's Bundy.
- Joe Morgan: Birdie, let me ask you this. Why?
- Peg: [grabs the mic] You know, I've asked him that myself over the years. He says he's either too tired...
- Al: [interrupting, takes the mic back] Pay no attention to the big red machine, Joe. Why did we play baseball? For the love of the game.
- [As Al continues talking, Los Angeles Dodger catcher, Mike Piazza, who is manning the video camera, starts to pan it over to Kelly standing nearby. Upon noticing him, she smiles, then blows him a kiss, before turning around to shake her butt in front of him. She continues to do a few seductive poses for him as Al continues to talk.]
- Al: [offscreen] Just like every American husband, it's our right seven months out of the year to sit on the couch with a bowl of pretzels and a frosty cold one and watch baseball. Since that right has been violated and the owners and players have not been able to resolve their differences, we just simply decided to play the game ourselves.
- Joe Morgan: [leaning into frame to interrupt Piazza's shot of Kelly] Unfortunately, our audience might have missed that since the camera's suddenly shooting Baywatch.
- [Bud and Kelly come home after filling in for Al at the shoe store]
- Bud: A fat woman came into the shoe store today.
- Kelly: And Bud still looked up her dress.
- Bud: Yeah, like I could help it. Her dress, it was... it was everywhere.
Notes[]
Title[]
- The title of this episode is a reference to the play and 1966 film "A Man for All Seasons".
Trivia[]
- This was the first appearance of the recurring NO MA'AM member Ike.
- During the end credits, part of it reads "For Rocco - April 19, 1979 - October 23, 1994 - Purr, Purr, Purr"
Cultural References[]
- The episode references and also takes place during the 1994-95 Major League Baseball strike, which lasted from August 12, 1994 to April 2, 1995. It effectively cancelled the remainder of the season along with the World Series and postseason games.
- It also affected the career of several players who were already in the middle of setting a new career record such as Tony Gwynn, Ken Griffey Jr. and Frank Thomas (who has a cameo in this episode), as well as former NBA player, Michael Jordan, who was set to make his professional debut before eventually returning to the NBA. [1]
- As seen in the episode, the strike stemmed from disputes the players and team owners over money. The team owners proposed a salary cap and revenue sharing, believing that it would allow smaller-market clubs to stay competitive. Players opposed it due to the restrictions that the agreement included, such as clubs would have to fit payroll, salary arbitration no longer being permitted, free agency would begin after 4 years instead of 6 years, and teams could retain players once in the fourth or fifth year by matching the top offer.[2]
- The NO MA'AM members forming the The Working Man's League and playing as the Chicago Cleavage references the team owners later using replacement players, consisting of minor league players as well as retired MLB players who were already in the late 40s. The move was also criticized by both fans who felt that these amateur and retired athletes were not as good, and the professional players, who opposed the "scabs" crossing the picket line and threatened to ruin their careers if they continued to play while the strike was in effect.[3]
- While not depicted in the episode, the strike did have an affect on its fans later on, who were upset that both the teams and owners allowed a strike to go on for so long over money. It eventually led to several games in the following season being interrupted by protestors criticizing both players and owners for their greed, as well as a decline in attendance and viewership, feeling it was a massive insult to fans.[4][3]
- The MLB players who guest star in this episode include:
- Mike Piazza: Catcher, Los Angeles Dodgers
- Bret Saberhagen: Starting Pitcher, New York Mets
- Danny Tartabull: Outfielder/designated hitter, New York Yankees
- Frank Thomas: 1st Baseman, Chicago White Sox
- Oddly, Frank Thomas was the only baseball player guest star who played for a Chicago team. The other players who guest starred played for rival teams, but, in the episode, somehow ended up in the Chicago area during the strike.
- Dave Winfield: Outfielder/designated hitter, Cleveland Indians.
- Joe Morgan: Hall of fame second baseman for several teams with the most notable being the Cincinnati Reds.
- At the time of the strike, he was a broadcaster most notably with ESPN and worked the 1994 All-Star game in Pittsburgh along side Bob Costas and Bob Uecker.
- When Bud sees Bret Saberhagen as the pizza deliveryman, Kelly asks if he really is Saberhagen, why does his name tag says "Bobby Bonilla".
- Bobby Bonilla, at the time this episode was filmed, was a third baseman/right fielder for the New York Mets as well as one of the highest paid MLB players.
- Towards the end of the episode, a news reporter mentions that both baseball and hockey are on strike.
- This is in reference to the 1994-95 NHL Lockout that also saw the season shortened. The dispute stemmed over luxury taxes. Though, unlike the baseball lockout, the NHL lockout was resolved within 3 months, and the season did eventually start.
- Towards the end, the news reporter who mentions the failure of the Nudie Bar League also mentions that "Saturday Night Live just won't end".
- This is a reference to the long running NBC sketch comedy, which has been perceived by some to be in a constant state of declining quality since its sixth season in 1980-81.
- Ironically, around the time this episode aired, SNL was seriously considered for cancellation by the network, but was saved following a major cast overhaul the following season, and is still on the air as of 2023.
- Part of Griff's initiation included watching the CBS Western drama Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.
- Marcy and Peggy reveal that they have tickets to see Ace Ventura: The Musical which stars Nell Carter, Joyce DeWitt and "that guy that played Horshack":
- Ace Ventura is a fictional pet detective played by Jim Carrey. At the time this episode originally aired, the character had his own film, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, followed by a sequel a year later and an animated series. Though there was no musical ever made for the franchise.
- Nell Carter was an American singer and actress who was best known for her role on the 1980s NBC sitcom, Gimme a Break. At the time this episode aired, she was one of the stars on the ABC sitcom, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper.
- Joyce DeWitt is an American actress who is best known for playing Janet on the 1970s sitcom, Three's Company.
- "The guy that played Horshack" is a reference to actor Ron Palillo who played the character Arnold Dingfelder Horshack on the 1970s sitcom, Welcome Back, Kotter.
- During the montage of the Chicago Cleavage playing, Akbar and the other attendees do the "Tomahawk Chop" a celebratory move in which the forearm moves forwards and backwards repetitively with an open palm to simulate the chopping action of a tomahawk.
- In MLB, it is usually associated with the Atlanta Braves and in the NFL, the Kansas City Chiefs, as both teams use Native American themes in their logo and branding.
- After arriving at the jail to bail out the NO MA'AM guys, Peg refers to them as "The Roids of Summer", in reference to the 1972 book, The Boys of Summer, which details the Brooklyn Dodgers during the 1950s and the players who were considered part of the group, such as Jackie Robinson, Pee Wee Reese, and Carl Erskine.
- While sitting with Kelly and Peg, Bud refers to Al and his friends as "The Bad News Butt-cracks", which is in reference to the 1977 film, The Bad News Bears.
- The series was later turned into a tv series, which featured MWC producers Arthur Silver and Ron Leavitt and also starred Tricia Cast, who later played Starla in "The Desperate Half-Hour (Part 1)".
Music[]
- The National Anthem of Baseball "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" is played during the montage of the Chicago Cleavage playing while the audience cheers.
Locations[]
- Bundy Residence
- Downtown Chicago Police Station
- Baseball Stadium
- Gary's Shoes & Accessories for Today's Woman
Sets[]
- Bundy Living Room / Kitchen
- Bundy Garage
- Police Station Holding Cell
- Gary's Shoes Seating Area / Cash Register
- Baseball field / Stadium Seating
References[]
- ↑ 1994 MLB Season: The Unforgettable Melody and Missed Notes. Heart of Baseball (July 26, 2023). Retrieved on November 18, 2024.
- ↑ Reliving The 1994 MLB Strike 28 Years Later. Sports Illustrated (Feb 21, 2022). Retrieved on November 18, 2024.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 25 years ago, we saw baseball return from historic monthslong strike. Louisville Courier Journal (April 23, 2020). Retrieved on November 18, 2024.
- ↑ (Serious) The 1994-95 MLB strike: how did it affect fandom?