Bad News Bears, The

1 9 7 9 – 1 9 8 0 (USA)
23 x 30 minute episodes

A spin-off from the 1976 film of the same name concerning itself with the life of one-time minor-league baseball player Morris Buttermaker (Jack Warden) who has to take over the coaching of the little league baseball team from Hoover Junior High School (in Santa Barbara, California) after getting in trouble with the law (he drove a client’s car into a swimming pool).

Unfortunately, the Hoover Bears are the worst team in the league, boasting a roster of the most inept and least disciplined players in school.

Buttermaker, with the help of principal Rappant (Catherine Hicks), eventually wins the respect of the Bears, and they even win a few games along the way.

Eleven-year-old Amanda Whirlitzer (Tricia Cast) is the star pitcher. She takes ballet lessons, wants to be a model and feels baseball is just a phase “because I’ll be getting a bra soon and won’t care anymore”. Amanda is famous for her two-and-a-half-foot curveball, which she learned from Morris.

Mike Engelberg (J. Brennan Smith) is the overweight catcher; Timothy Lupus (Shane Butterworth) is the shy right fielder, and Ahmad Abdul Rahim (Kristoff St. John) is the switch hitter and fastest runner (Hank Aaron is his idol).

The Lions, coached by Roy Turner (Philip R Allen), are the Bears’ hated rivals for the championship.

Morris Buttermaker 
Jack Warden
Dr Emily Rappant 
Catherine Hicks
Roy Turner 
Philip R Allen
Leslie Ogilvie 
Sparky Marcus
Tanner Boyle 
Meeno Peluce
Regi Tower 
Corey Feldman
Rudi Stein 
Billy Jayne
Frosty 
Bill Lazerus
Timmy Lupus
Shane Butterworth
Ahmad Abdul Rahim 
Kristoff St. John
Mike Engelberg 
J. Brennan Smith
Miguel Agilar 
Charles Nunez
Jose Agilar 
Danny Nunez
Amanda Whirlitzer 
Tricia Cast
Kelly Leek 
Gregg Forrest

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