Don Mattingly has never seen ‘Homer at the Bat,’ still gets checks for it
Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly claims to have never seen the famous MLB-themed Simpsons episode, but he still gets checks for it.
Episode 17 of season 3 of The Simpsons has long been a favorite of MLB fans all over the world. In that seminal episode, titled “Homer at the Bat,” Mr. Burns recruits a lineup full of MLB All-Stars for his company softball team. It has always been viewed as one of the defining episodes of the long-running animated series, and was the show’s first episode to top The Cosby Show head-to-head.
One of the stars of the episode, Don Mattingly, however, claims to have never seen it. That hasn’t stopped him from receiving his annual royalty check for lending his voice and likeness to the show. Mattingly doesn’t get much compensation for his efforts, and the yearly check has become a bit of a running joke for the MLB manager and the accountants.
Don Mattingly has never seen "Homer at the Bat." He still gets $.87 checks for it, but doesn't cash them so he can mess with the accountant.
— Tim Healey (@timbhealey) May 7, 2017
If, like Mattingly, you have never seen the episode, it’s definitely worth your time. Some of MLB’s biggest stars of the 1990s were cast, including Wade Boggs, Ken Griffey, Roger Clemens, Jose Canseco, Ozzie Smith and Darryl Strawberry.
Mattingly’s character was kicked off the softball team by Mr. Burns over his imaginary sideburns. Mattingly had a real-life haircut controversy of his own with the Yankees. He was once dropped in the New York lineup for refusing to cut his longish hair. The TV joke and the actual event were not related, as Mattingly’s argument with the Yankees took place a year after the episode aired. The Yankees do, however, maintain very strict grooming standards to this day.
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Mattingly is in his second season managing the Marlins, and has an 85-87 record since taking over before the 2016 season. He previously managed the Dodgers and has a career record of 531-450 as an MLB manager. Mattingly has a four-year contract with the Marlins for around $10 million, so he will be just fine if he never cashes a Simpsons check.