Hardball

In the pilot of this show, Coach Mike Widmer (played by Mike Starr) was openly gay. Note the "memorable quote" from this character in that section; there was another one in the pilot that I remember--Mike was very unhappy about something and someone gently suggested that perhaps he ought to get out of baseball. Mike then said: "And give up showering with men? Never!" O.K., it was over the top, but I think this was a "premise with promise." The coach of a baseball team, with an undeniably masculine persona, apparently accepted as homosexual without question by his players--it seemed almost revolutionary to me in 1994. And overall, I recall that the show had some good laughs. So I looked forward to the first regular episode.

Well, this was a prime example of just how much things can change between the pilot and that first regular episode. Whatever laughs were to be had in the pilot were clearly not there now, and--unbelievably--there was a comment to the previously gay coach about his wife and kids! The suits at the network obviously had stepped in and put a stop to one innovation that had certainly clicked with me. I seem to recall that I didn't even finish watching the show that night.

Why any network would even air the pilot at all, let alone as the first broadcast of the series and only a week before the first regular episode, when they had revamped the show so completely, is beyond me.

I remember this series as enormously funny and still recall Joe Rogan in it. I'd like to see them again

I remember watching the first episode of this series and finding it hilarious. It had something to do with a new team mascot who turned out to be a very unhappy guy in a baseball head. The other episodes were not nearly so inspired and the series probably deserved its short run.

A promo had Joe Rogan (Valente) muttering under his breath for the tough talking Rose Marie to 'shove it'.

"What did you say, Valente?" "I said I love it." Then he goes into this high squeal. "I love it! MUAH!" He was supposed to be the breakout pretty face in the show. Girls would watch it because he was so cute.

I do recall the mascot who was supposed to be so bad and that made him cool. (!!) He would appear at the end of the first episode to a heavy metal guitar bit, much like wrestlers do now on the WWE and Raw (whatever), and it was supposed to be sensational, like when Norm returned on Cheers one season.

Hardball, by the way, was the mascot's name as well. I guess he was supposed to be as mean and likable as this Stewie is now on "Family Guy." Fox went through this period where shows would have 'ball' in their name somewhere.

There would be an equally short lived medical show called Medicine Ball as well.

Hardball was one of those replacement series that never got off of the ground and was shown the door pretty much before it had debuted. There are so many things going against sports-fiction based TV comedy series that it is not surprising that few survive. it was a good series. Dann Florek of Law and Order SVU fame was the manager of the baseball team -- the Pioneers. the team owner was Rose Marie - a watered down Marge Shott. Because the team did not play well, the main conflict was between the two team mascots. The marketing department's mascot, the Pied Pioneer, a dancing mime dressed up like Davy Crocket, and HARDBALL, a large baseball-head who was the fan's favorite. Long before the day of the Rally Monkey, when the team was down, the call would go to bullpen for not only a relief pitcher, but for Hardball, to do his thing to rally the fans -- by going into the stands and beating the stuffing out of the Pied Pioneer to the raucous cheers of the fans. The only thing I can remember about every episode was in that in EVERY inevitable locker room scene before or after the game, Florek would kick Hardball in the rump and say, "Get out of my way you stitch-headed freak." I give it a 9 out of ten because it gave me what I EXPECTED out of your basic baseball based half hour broadcast network comedy.