TVSquad

(S03E08) After I saw the previews for this episode last week, I wasn't too excited about it. Baseball stats just seemed like too easy a topic for this show to cover. But I was pleasantly surprised. It was pretty good actually.

The focus was a has-been player who was trying to make a big league comeback. So naturally he was juicing (it killed him) and there was involvement with a BALCO-type corporation. I loved how at one point there was a built-in PSA during a conversation between David and Colby. They were talking and all of a sudden Colby started listing off all the side-effects of steroid use. It was horribly cheesy and stood out like a sore thumb. Numb3rs -- watching out for America's youth.

The story ended up taking Don and the team back to the deceased player's agent. He was involved. The player's old high-school coach was involved. The list goes on. When it came to the guy's death, I must have missed something though. Was his death accidental or was he slipped the increased dosage on purpose? I think it was accidental and that's why the agent was trying to cover it up by killing anyone who knew.

Part of the guy's focus were some sabermetric equations that had been floating around. A high-school drop-out named Oswald Kittner had actually figured out how to pinpoint steroid use (sounds far-fetched to me) by using a player's stats. Once this knowledge got out there, the sports agent went after Kittner. He was a great character though. I loved how he and Charlie played off of each other. I hope he comes back, he'd be a good addition to the team.

We got some more backstory on Don's short baseball career too. Apparently he played for the Stockton Rangers and in his final season (before he got hurt), he batted .228 and had 36 RBIs. Not too shabby for a utility player. He seemed pretty torn about it though, wondering if he had made the right choice joining the FBI.

Other random thoughts:

• Bill Nye was back as Dr. Waldie! Can they just make him a full cast-member? I love when he's on.
• Anyone else catch the Blade Runner mention? Probably not a coincidence since Ridley Scott, the director, is one of the executive producers for Numb3rs.
• Loved the Bill James mention too. The man is a baseball genius.
• I think I heard it right, but did Don refer to Charlie as "detective" in the interrogation room? I wasn't aware that Charlie had an actual title with the FBI.
• Megan and Larry must be fooling around by now because he knows what kind of pajamas she wears. Little cowgirl ones apparently.

Next week looks like a good one too. Kathy Najimy joins the cast as the new chair of the CalSci math department. I don't think she's going to be her usual funny self though.