15. The Losing Edge (Season 9, Episode 05)

Who knew a simple formula of {Rocky + baseball movie} would equate to such a great episode? Randy, the greatest (drunk), saves the day, leading to the unbridled joy of kids playing ball like never before.

The storytelling here is top notch, nothing flashy, yet it’s effective as hell: one parody played straight, the other subverting expectation through a natural element of the story, which in this case is the central plot itself. The two conclude perfectly together like a couple of college freshmen reaching the same epiphany for what to do for summer.

“This is for what? Arresting me for what? I’m not allowed to stand up for myself? I thought this was America! Huh? Isn’t this America? I’m sorry, I thought this was America.” -Randy