A War For All Seasons

Almost every article that is written about M*A*S*H includes the following comment: The show lasted eleven seasons, the Korean War lasted for three years.

One of the oddest episodes they ever did -- aside from the one with the dreams (An armless Hawkeye drifting in a rowboat is something I'm still trying to get out of my head) -- was the season nine episode A War for All Seasons.

The episode started on New Year's Eve 1950 and went all the way through to New Year's Eve 1951. Now, what baseball event in happened in 1951?

Baseball appears in the episode first with Klinger and Col. Potter discussing the National League. Klinger likes the Brooklyn Dodgers -- although I would have had him pegged as a Cleveland Indian fan. Col. Potter is all about Stan Musial and the Cardinals. They bet $20 on which team will be ahead on July 4 -- See they are convinced that the war will be over before the end of the season.

On July 4, Klinger gets paid because the Dodgers are way out front. He wants to give Col. Potter the entire National League at 2-to-1 odds. The bet is raised to $50 when Major Winchester gets involved...Now, Charles getting involved in baseball is a bit of a stretch, he never admits to being a Red Sox or Boston Braves fan for the whole time he is on the show. This was more of a Charles trying to make a buck.

In August, the Dodgers lead is so big that Charles give longer odds to take in more money from those in the camp wanting in on the sweet, sweet action.

As the lead dwindles, Winchester gets more into the games and more angry at Klinger for talking him into the foolishness of it all.

Game three of the playoff series is on the radio in post-op, the mess tent, and over the PA at the 4077th. Charles is outside, pacing and nervously working his Dodgers cap. Ralph Branca comes into the game and Charles is convinved this thing is over and the Dodgers are headed to the World Series. That doesn't happen. This does and THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT! THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT!

The episode ends with a newsreel of the Bobby Thompson home run. Winchester storms up to the movie screen, slashes it, and yells on of the more memorable lines in the history of M*A*S*H, "Where is that Lebanese Mongoose?!?!?"