"A Goofy Cartoon"
Release Date September 4, 1942
Running Time 8:01
Synopsis
Characters
Credits
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Television
Technical Specifications
Released by RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Gallery
Click on the thumbnail for the full-sized picture
Comments
What a difference 57 years make! Back in 1942, when the Yankees were winning World Series habitually, baseball really was a game. I recently thought about how different baseball is compared to this clear-cut Goofy classic and I never realized how different this sport has become.
This cartoon begins by giving a brief overview on what baseball requires, such as a ball park, a diamond, etc., then gives a simulated "Goofy" play in the process, where the batter gets a base hit to right field, stops at first while the right fielder bobbles the ball. At that point, the runner tries for second base but the good throw by the right fielder has him "out or safe or neither or either or both." This must be the "Goofy" rulebook.
After giving an overview on the pitcher, the batter, and the numerous types of pitches the pitcher can throw, it's on to the end of a simulated seventh game of the World Series. I don't remember the teams off hand, but I do know that the visitors were winning 3-0 and their pitcher had a no-hitter with two out in the ninth inning. Needless to say, this cartoon got a little help from Nostradamus, since Don Larsen's perfect game came 14 years later.
In this case, the visiting pitcher just needed one more out. Given the "Goofy" way, getting that last out was not going to be easy. The first batter hits a fair ball down the third base line for the team's first hit. I did not understand that, because normally a hit down the foul line would usually result in a double, but mind you this is a Goofy cartoon, so the runner trips over tons of baseball apparel to make it to first base.
On the next odd play, the pitcher catches the runner off first too far off the bag and a rundown ensues. However, on one of the exchanges, the second baseman drops the ball, thus committing an error and allowing the runner to slide safely into second base, taking half of the dirt on the right side of the infield with him. The pitcher, obviously nerve-wracked by all of this, throws the next pitch and hits the batter right in the head.
With the tying run at the plate, the crowd goes nuts because of the chance of a tie game. Well, the next batter comes up and hits a high pop-up in the infield. Keep in mind that with 2 out there is no infield fly rule, so the pitcher, the catcher, and another infielder converge on the ball. However, they collide, the ball lands at their feet, and by the time one of the players could get their hands on the baseball, the batter had beaten the throw to first by a step.
"What a game this has turned out to be," exclaims the announcer at this point. With the crowd going crazy, and the runners doing all kinds of stunts to get leads off their respective bases, everything then comes to a hush. Assuming there is a 3 ball 2 strike count on the batter (which the cartoon obviously skipped), it was up to the pitcher, with $500,000 and the World Series lying on the final pitch. The pitcher delivers a strike and the batter, who hit the covering and the string off the ball, outdoes Casey by ripping a deep fly to center, which, of course, the center fielder dropped as all the baseball string fell on him. Now, it's a footrace. The bases cleared and the score became level. As the center fielder so-called "hops" toward home plate, both the batter and the fielder gave everything they had to see who would get to home plate first. Both arrive at the same time.
It was now up to the umpire, and when he surprised everyone by calling the batter out at home plate, a huge argument ensues and both benches clear on the umpire. Obviously the umpire was wrong because a tie does go to the runner, but you have to respect the minds of the animators who really made that judgment call.
I wished they had a sequel to this cartoon, but since they did not, can anyone calculate what inning this game would have been in if they were still playing, or did Walt Disney call the game on a count of complete exhaustion?
--- Tom Wilkins
| I have seen "How to Play Baseball" and would like to submit a comment on this short |