Squeeze Play

This week's Baseball on TV episode is from Season Four of Magnum, P.I. It originally debuted on November 17, 1983 and was called Squeeze Play. Now, there is a softball game in the episode, but there is a baseball undercurrent, too.

There were a couple of plots within this episode.

The first was that Robin Masters, the famous writer for whom Magnum worked as head of security, bet men's magazine publisher Buzz Benoit that his co-ed softball team from the King Kameamea Club can beat Buzz's co-ed softball team. If Magnum, TC, Rick, Higgins, and the gang lose, Buzz takes over Robin's Nest, the estate where Magnum lives. Plus, Higgins will stay on as Buzz Benoit's butler and Magnum is out on the street.

The second plot was that Lola Stenhauser, who works at the club and is on the softball team, hires Magnum to look for her estranged husband and trying to collect the back alimony he owes her or to bring him back to her so that they can reconcile.

Lola is a common character n television. She is treated like an old friend who has been around the entire time with the group of main characters...eventhough she has never been seen in an episode before this one and will never be seen again after this episode.

So, Magnum looks for Jerome Kappelwitz and finds him at a construction site. Jerome tries to crack a board over Magnum's head and misses. After calming down, Jerome says something along the lines of, "I knew it. It's Friday. Nothing good ever happens on a Friday!"

Magnum realizes that this guy is none other than Jerome "Bad Friday" Kappelwitz, a former major leaguer who was run out of baseball for hitting a reporter. The writer said that Jerome couldn't hit on Fridays and Kappelwitz got tagged with the 'Bad Friday' nickname. Kappelwitz prefers to be called 'Killer'. Hey, who wouldn't?

Magnum convinces 'Killer' to come meet Lola and maybe even play a little softball for the King Kameamea Club.

Jerome hits towering home runs and is an ace softball pitcher who makes TC look foolish. But, when Lola shows up for practice, she charges him. 'Killer' thinks that she is going to rush into his arms and all will be well. She gets up to him and slugs him. Then, she feels bad about it.

Everything settles down and game day arrives.

Jerome leads the King Kameamea Club to an early lead, but once Buzz realizes who Jerome is he calls the police. Seems there is still an outstanding warrant on Kappelwitz for popping that reporter. The police show up at the game and arrest 'Bad Friday'.

Buzz's team (called the Blasters if I remember) jumps in front and holds a commanding lead. But, King Kameamea Club charges back.

In the bottom of the final inning, there are two on base, two out, and King Kameamea is down by three runs with Magnum at bat.

Magnum crushes the ball to drive in both runs with a triple. Higgins is coaching at third base and puts up the stop sign. Magnum runs right through it and dashes for home with the tying run.

The best part of this episode is the slow motion they go to during this sequence, the way Higgins is yelling out Noooooooooooooooooo!, and that inner monolouge that Magnum has going on in his head that says, "I never felt faster!"

It's a close play at the plate, but Magnum is.......out! King Kameamea loses!

All is well though. Buzz Benoit's nephew Mickey Dalrumple (played by Eddie Deezen) reveals that his uncle cheated at cards to get Robin to make the bet on the softball game. Robin, who's face is never seen, but was voiced by Orson Welles, appears from nowhere to let Buzz know that he will write about the cheating and that will somehow ruin the Buzz Benoit empire.

Magnum and Higgins are back where they were and the adventures continue.

One final note on Magnum. Recently, The Sleuth Channel did a special on america's top fictional detectives.

I'm not going to put a lot of stock in this list due to the fact that Sherlock Holmes and Remmington Steele are both on the list as well as Lt. Frank Drebin from Police Squad.

On top of that, Magnum was rated number one. Now, I liked Magnum, but the all-time number one American Ficitional Detective on television is Columbo. No contest.

Plus, there are too many movie characters on this list and they use partners (Crockett & Tubbs, Mulder & Scully) as one entry. I'll do this one day...Maybe tomorrow if the Packers are being blown out by the 49ers.