Homer at the Bat: Getting the Nuclear Power Plant Team Signed Baseball
On February 20, 1992, the Simpsons aired Homer at the Bat, starring nine MLB All-Stars (voicing themselves) playing for the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant softball team in an iconic episode that remains fresh in the mind of every '90s baseball fan. So as big baseball and Simpsons fans, we were thinking - how attainable would it be to get a Springfield Nuclear Power Plant team-signed baseball? Let's explore.
The Roster
- C - Mike Scoscia
- 1B - Don Mattingly
- 2B - Steve Sax
- 3B - Wade Boggs
- SS - Ozzie Smith
- LF - Jose Canseco
- CF - Ken Griffey Jr.
- RF - Darryl Strawberry
- P - Roger Clemens
No players have died (thank goodness), so this dream is still achievable with a blank ball and some ambition. The toughest autographs, for a real completist, are Harry Shearer, voicing the manager, Mr. Burns, and Dan Castellaneta, who voices Homer, who plays hero in the championship game with a walk-off pinch-hit HBP.
The Strategy
To start this ambitious undertaking, the best idea is likely to get a ball signed on the sweet spot by Harry Shearer, as that is typically where the manager signs on a team-signed ball. There are currently none available on eBay, so this may be the toughest to get as you'll likely have to find him at a signing.
The good news for those who want Homer's autograph - Dan Castellaneta takes mail-in autographs! Assuming that they aren't secretarial or autopens, this autograph should be an easy one. And then we can move onto the actual ballplayers.
The Cost
Not every retired baseball player does signings or mail-in autographs, of course, but a decent gauge on how expensive their signing fee would be is how expensive their authenticated signature goes for on the free market. On individual baseballs, this is how we value each authenticated autograph, from most to least expensive (in CAD):
- Ken Griffey Jr. - $360
- Roger Clemens - $120
- Don Mattingly - $120
- Jose Canseco - $84
- Wade Boggs - $72
- Mike Scoscia - $60
- Ozzie Smith - $54
- Darryl Strawberry - $48
- Steve Sax - $45
Hey, we never said this wouldn't be an expensive (and difficult) project. But if you could pull it off for around $1000 CAD, you would have a one-of-a-kind piece for your collection (as far as we know, of course). So if you already have one of these players on a single-signed baseball - good news! You've got a head start on this great project!