Eastbound & Down Season 1 Should Be Inducted Into The Baseball Hall Of Fame

Frazer Harrison. Getty Images.

During this last weird neverending 4th of July weekend/week/month, I decided to make George Washington proud by acting like a patriot and partaking in some decidedly American activities. Grilling a bunch of meats, blowing up small patches of my country with fireworks, and rewatching old TV episodes I have already seen. I didn't rewatch any of the typical shows that most people run on loop like The Office, Friday Night Lights, or Seinfeld. I went back to a show that came out of nowhere and blew the dick off of everyone that watched it as it was happening: Eastbound & Down.

Not to go all gray beard on you, but I still remember when Eastbound & Down was released and it hit like a 100 MPH fastball to the face (sweet topical baseball reference, Clem). The rawness of the show was a shock even though it came out in the 2000s before outrage culture neutered so much of comedy. I truly believe that the pilot of Eastbound & Down is the funniest episode of television ever, with it ending like this, which followed by Kenny shredding the fuck out of some waves on his definitely not a toy jet ski with his topless girlfriend as Black Betty wailed in the background.

I could ramble on and on about the classic characters like Stevie Janowski, Ashley Schaeffer, Clegg (who has the same hit rate in limited time as Creed from The Office, which is the nicest thing I can say about a supporting character), along with all the incredible quotes it gave us or even the subtle hilarious shit like Kenny Powers throwing like a person who has never picked up a baseball before. 

But I think the best way to go about it is to just include a video with some of the best moments from Season 1 and laugh our asses off.

Not only that, but Eastbound & Down Season 1 also has maybe the best payoff to a season ever as Kenny Powers gets his pitch back, gets the love of his life back, and gets revenge on his biggest nemesis by blasting his eye out before inciting a riot and causing thousands of dollars of damage to his second biggest nemesis as the sweet stylings of Kenny Rogers played in the background.

What. A. Fucking. Scene.

If memory serves right, the other seasons of Eastbound & Down range from good to very good. But Season 1 was on a whole new level and worthy of Cooperstown. And before you tell me you cannot induct a show into the Hall of Fame, let me redirect you to a blog I wrote about another classic getting the nod for baseball immortality.

If Rob Manfred is serious about growing the game of baseball like Brick Watch supersalesman Ben Mintz did once upon a time and making it more fun, he will do the right thing and put Kenny Powers' ass in the Hall for being not only the perfect marriage of baseball and fun but also the perfect season of TV. I know the baseball writers will puke their guts out since they have been keeping some of the best players the game has ever seen out of Cooperstown for doing just some of the stuff Kenny Powers did in season 1. But to those holier-than-thou scribes, I say these simple words from the greatest philosopher ever to grace our TV screens:

P.S. I loved watching Caleb chop it up with Mr. Powers himself on the last Sundae Conversation. Two absolutely hilarious if not sick and twisted minds squaring off as our sweet Glenny Balls sits in full costume was simply beautiful.