['The Simpsons - 'MoneyBART']

This was the last episode of 'The Simpsons' until their annual 'Treehouse of Horror' on Nov. 7, so if this doesn't satisfy your 'Simpsons' cravings until then, you're S.O.L. As far as episode quality goes, it was a fair episode with a cute ending. I'm a sucker for endings where the family resolves some sort of internal conflict.

Tonight's episode had Lisa taking over the managerial position of the Springfield Isotots, Bart's Little League team, in the interest of collecting extracurricular activities for getting into an Ivy League college. Hilarity did then ensue.

The voice of Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Scioscia made its first 'Simpsons' appearance since 'Homer At The Bat' in1992 (the plot of which also involved baseball). He was a player back then, rather than a manager. Eighteen years surely has to be a record for time between appearances (though it would be nice if Dustin Hoffman would decide to come back and break that record). The dialogue had a nice callback to the events of that particular show.

Baseball has been used as a metaphor many times before in 'The Simpsons,' but it was its use in the Bart/Lisa relationship (scientific research vs. instinct) in this one that kept it somewhat fresh.

The couch gag was utterly hilarious and quite probably the best part of the episode. It was credited to artist Banksy who was acknowledged on a Krusty billboard in the opening montage. It also seems like every episode this season has multiple guest voices as Bill James (one of the pioneers of sabermetrics) was also in this one.

Dalia Brinkley, the Springfield Elementary/Yale graduate, obviously hit a sore point with Lisa and her low self-esteem (which is likely the source of her studious nature). Fortunately, serendipity worked its usual Springffield magic and Lisa found herself finally participating in popular sports, in her own way.

The rivalry between Bart and Lisa seemed a bit old hat and done in a number of different ways over the decade. Baseball only seems the latest method of demonstrating it.

In the end, the episode was really good at the beginning and the ending, but the middle kind of dragged. If it were a batting average, it would be somewhere around .215. What did you think?

Episode HIghlights:

-- The cats that were used by the slave laborers to make the stuffing of Bart dolls.

-- The panda used to cart off said dolls.

-- The dolphin head which was used to lick the boxes shut.

-- The unicorn whose horn was used to poke holes in the center of DVDs.

-- Did I mention that it was a great opening?

-- Lisa and Maggie fencing and the "M" that resulted.

-- "That's a problem for future Homer. Man I don't envy that guy."

-- The lighting of the Professor Frink scene.

-- Bill James: "I made baseball as much fun as doing your taxes."

-- "Why did I advertise my drinks specials in 'Scientific American'?"

-- "The Matrix" overlay of the baseball montage.

-- "Speaking of Homer, Bart's father's name is, you guessed it, not on my fact sheet."

-- Bart "running" the bases.

-- "Managers manage and players play." "Do alligators alligate?"

-- "Sorry Marge. I gotta call bullcrap on that one. The '69 Mets will live on forever, but you think anybody cares about Ron Swoboda's wife and kids? Not me, and I assume not Ron Swoboda."

-- "Boys don't have feelings. They have muscles."

-- Flanders complaining that his boys weren't getting their usual 16 hours of sleep.

-- Dumping Gatorade on Lisa and then her laptop.

-- "Ralph can't play because he's too juiced."

-- Mike Scioscia's hat changing color from red to white

-- Mr. Burns's Hufnagel auto-collator.

-- Bart and Lisa's semaphore conversation as he tried to steal various bases.

'The Simpsons' airs Sun., 8PM ET on Fox.