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Plays Ball |
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- "Flat, sturdy, white, and the right size."
- —Ralphie
The Magic School Bus Plays Ball is an original-series episode about forces and motion. It premiered on November 12, 1994 as the tenth episode of the first season of the classic era. It is the tenth episode overall.
Episode descriptions[]
- Standalone VHS release (1995): Topic: Forces and Motion. Dorothy Ann loves her physics book. Ralphie loves baseball. Ms. Frizzle ingeniously combines the two in a page-hopping adventure through Dorothy Ann’s book into a “Frictionless Baseball Game.” The whole class learns about pushes and pulls in a remarkable day at a thoroughly unique ball game.
- The Complete Series: Topic: Forces. Ms. Frizzle combines Dorothy Ann’s physics and Ralphie’s baseball into a “Frictionless Baseball Game.”
Plot[]
Episode[]
At the local baseball stadium, Ralphie is seen batting and the audience cheering him on from the bleachers. Just then, Keesha's voice is heard, and Ralphie is revealed to have fantasized the whole scenario. He is next to bat at the batting cage at the park with the other students and notices that there is no home plate, for the students are pretending. Wanda is on the pitcher's mound and pitches the ball to Ralphie. But the game is interrupted by Dorothy Ann, who shows them a book of physics. As Liz runs into the classroom's window upon being called over by Ms. Frizzle, Dorothy Ann tells the other students about her book and the others scoff at this. Ralphie attempts to shoo Dorothy Ann off the field. But Dorothy Ann explains that the book is about what makes things move and what makes them stop: forces frictions, pushes, and pulls.
Ms. Frizzle overhears the students' conversation and decides to implement a field trip. During the conversation, the students continue to mock Dorothy Ann's affinity for physics, telling her that if she's going to "force" them to listen, she's being kind of "pushy". Dorothy Ann then uses an analogy and tells them to picture a big, red sled in a snow that is stationary until someone hops onto it and Napoleon (as Arnold states since he needs to know who pushes the sled to refresh his memory) gives it a push to elicit its motion, thus creating a force. The sled would continue to move until something stops it, such as dirt, thus creating friction, which slows down and stops every motion on earth. The students, however, are more than apathetic of this and continue their game. But when Ralphie rubs his bat against the dirt, he changes his mind and gains interest in the book. Dorothy Ann then shows him a page of the baseball field and tells him that it would be impossible to play normal baseball there. Ralphie asks Dorothy Ann if he could borrow the book, to which Dorothy Ann agrees, telling him to promise to take good care of it. Just then, The Magic School Bus arrives and gives the students a ride for a field trip.
The field trip is to a baseball game, much to the students' delight. Dorothy Ann, however, is less than thrilled about this and decides to go to the baseball diamond, like the one she showed Ralphie on page 97 in her book of physics. Ralphie soon remembers that he had dropped the book on the ground back at the baseball field at the park and Ms. Frizzle shrinks The Magic School Bus in size to turn to page 97, which shows the picture of the baseball diamond. Once there, Dorothy Ann explains that the page is about a world without friction and Ralphie exits the bus to get to the page, only to find that the grid on the bus is devoid of friction.
Ralphie continues to bounce on and off the walls of the grid, and Carlos calls him "Ralphie the Runaway Pinball". The students follow along and slide through the grid as well. Dorothy Ann ends up pushing herself against Ralphie as the two collide, resulting into a complete stop. Ralphie then pushes Dorothy Ann and they continue sliding as Carlos jokingly tells Dorothy Ann that Ralphie gave her the "push-off". Ms. Frizzle then offers the class baseball gloves and has Liz transforms The Magic School Bus into a blimp, sending it floating overhead. The students are hoisted into their positions in the friction-free baseball diamond and Ms. Frizzle and Dorothy Ann announce the game. They report the loss of friction around the field, where the others have a hard time standing up. Wanda is the pitcher, Arnold is the catcher, and Ralphie is up to bat. Phoebe, Tim, and Keesha play the first, second, and third basemen, respectively, and Carlos is the outfielder and shortstop. Wanda pitches the ball and is pushed backwards. Ralphie whiffs the ball, Arnold catches it, and is pushed into Ms. Frizzle, who pushes him back to the catcher's position. He tosses the ball back to Wanda with the right speed to stop moving forward, and Wanda pitches the second time. Ralphie hits the ball, and the force of his swing causes him to spin out around the frictionless field. The bouncing ball speeds along the third base line to Keesha, who couldn't run to catch the ball due to the lack of friction. Carlos catches it, which sends him backwards, and Wanda bumps into Tim as well. Ralphie continues to spin around the field, bumping into the basemen to change direction to the next base, until he finally makes it to home. Carlos fields the ball to Arnold but was pushed backwards and can't tag Ralphie out. Ralphie collides with Dorothy Ann, spins with her, and says, "If you're home plate, I must be safe!" The result of that at-bat was unknown, and each player was bouncing across the walls and sliding across the field, so Dorothy Ann decides to call off the game due to lack of friction and the students continue to slide around the grid. Liz pops the blimp on top of The Magic School Bus, which lands onto the page. The Magic School Bus ejects a piece of string out and the students grab onto it, with Ralphie and Dorothy Ann, who are still sliding together, arguing. The others use their hands to pull themselves to The Magic School Bus and Ralphie and Dorothy Ann follow suit.
The students acknowledge their interest of the book to Dorothy Ann and everyone hops onto The Magic School Bus. But a gust of wind outside blows the pages of the book onto The Magic School Bus. So Ms. Frizzle steps on the gas pedal to use enough force to propel The Magic School Bus out of the book. But the cover of the book has just about enough friction to keep The Magic School Bus stuck inside, and The Magic School Bus finally gives in.
When the bus still struggles to get out, Carlos jokingly states that the others "will be food for the bookworms", as well as stating "a real heavy situation". So Ms. Frizzle exits The Magic School Bus, saying "those who are book bound should take a look around". As the students exit The Magic School Bus, they learn that there isn't enough friction below for the wheels to propel and that there is too much friction above The Magic School Bus. Carlos tells the others that they are somewhere between pages 96 and 97, adding that he is "just trying to lighten things up", indicting an idea. The students should get onto the book, hold it up, and drive out of it. When Ralphie kicks one of the letters out of the pages out of anger, Dorothy Ann decides that the students should split up to two teams: Ralphie's team goes on the roof and pushes up on the book while Dorothy Ann's team puts down letters to hold up the book. Ralphie and Dorothy Ann begin arguing again over which team should do what, and Arnold reminds them that in order to escape the book, the two should "get rid of the friction between them". So Ralphie and Dorothy Ann apologize to each other and argue over who's more sorry.
When the students finally get the job done, they enter The Magic School Bus and Ms. Frizzle propels it out of the book and transforms it to its normal size. The students continue their game at the baseball diamond and Dorothy Ann is next to bat. Wanda pitches the ball to her and Dorothy Ann hits a home run. The students then notice that the plate is missing and they find Ralphie reading the book, which he has suddenly gained interest in. Ms. Frizzle comes to a conclusion, stating "Never judge a book by its cover", evoking laughter from the students.
Producer segment[]
- Hosted by The Producer and Liz
- Caller: John White
The producer leaves the studio and explains that it's another day and another call, with Liz tagging along, when he hears his cellphone ring. As he answers it, the caller is a boy dressed in orange who asks where he could get a copy of the book the class in the episode was using, as he checked the library in the non-friction aisle. While walking through a baseball park, the producer tells the boy he could find non-friction anywhere, and the boy also adds that he thought friction was the only game on Earth. The producer then tells him that there are ways on Earth where friction can get the slip, such as sliding down a slide at the playground, playing shuffle board, ice-skating, hockey, skiing, wakeboarding, sledding, skateboarding, and log rolling (many of which Liz is imagining herself participating in). This causes the boy to learn that there is less friction of a few things around Earth, and most of it could surprise anyone, in at which point the producer slips on a banana peel lying on the ground, noticing it while walking through the park. As he slips, the book flies out of his arm, and the boy that was calling the producer is revealed to be the one at the payphone, who takes the book that flew out of the producer's arms as he slipped. As the boy runs off with the book after catching it, Liz climbs on the producer's chest, and the latter adds sometimes, working on the show can be stranger than friction. Liz is then knocked over on the head by the producer's telephone receiver and slips on the banana peel as well. When Liz slips, she does two somersaults. The two then start laughing together, one after the other, sharing them on the ground.
Transcript[]
Read the transcript for Plays Ball here.
Gallery[]
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| The gallery for Plays Ball can be viewed here. |
Appearances[]
- Valerie Frizzle
- Liz Ard
- The Magic School Bus
- The Producer
- Caller (John White)
- Ms. Frizzle’s class
Field trip information[]
Theming[]
Ms. Frizzle[]
Ms. Frizzle’s main outfit.
- Dress color: Red
- Collar/cuff color: Beige
- Pattern: Ferris wheels, measuring tape, rockets
- Earrings: Sledgehammers
- Shoe decorations: Not shown
The Bus[]
The Bus’s main decals and form.
- Prioritized form: Default
- Body: Baseballs, pitching gloves, and baseball bats. There is also a blue baseball cap with red text “MSB” on the Bus’s hood. The Bus’s drive wheels have a baseball design instead of spokes.
- Overhead sign image: A baseball bat.
- Interior (as prioritized form): Main interior.
- Extra Bus tech: A grappling hook can extend from the grille.
Locations visited[]
- Walkerville Elementary School
- Baseball diamond
- A Child's Garden of Physics
- Page 97 (“A World Without Friction”)
- Spine of book
Bus transformations used[]
Other MagicWare used[]
- Shrinkerscope/Biggifier
Passenger outfits and transformations[]
- Baseball uniforms
- Sports commentator uniforms (Val and DA only)
Reports[]
- Nobody wrote any reports in this episode.
Catchphrases[]
Quote Gag[]
Ms. Frizzle: As I always say: “Where there’s physics, there’s a field trip!” Wahoo! |
“Bus, do your stuff!”[]
Ms. Frizzle presses the button on the dash that turns on the Shrinkerscope. |
“Is it just me?”[]
Ralphie: Is it just me, or are we going to collide? |
Carlos Gag[]
Keesha: Where do we stand? |
“Wahoo!”[]
Ms. Frizzle: As I always say: “Where there’s physics, there’s a field trip!” Wahoo! |
Production information[]
- This episode’s production code is MSB-03. It is the third episode of the first production season and was finished on October 20, 1994.
Production images[]
Release[]
Promotions and tie-ins[]
This episode has a TV Tie-In book: Plays Ball: A Book about Forces.
Home media[]
| Format | Release | Distributor | Region(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| VHS | Plays Ball (standalone; 1995) | Warner Home Video (KidVision) | United States, Canada |
| DVD | Super Sports Fun | Warner Home Video | Region 1 |
| Blast Off! From Sea to Space - Bonus from Disc 1: Space Adventures (2012) | NewVideo Group | US, Canada (Region 1) | |
| Space Adventures (2012) - bonus | NewVideo Group | US, Canada (Region 1) | |
| Field Trip Fun and Games - Disc 3: Super Sports Fun (2012) | NewVideo Group | US, Canada (Region 1) | |
| The Complete Series (disc 2) | NewVideo Group | US, Canada (Region 1) | |
| Super Sports Fun (2012) | NewVideo Group | US, Canada (Region 1) | |
| Complete Series 1 (In the Haunted House disc) | Delta Leisure | UK (Region 2) |
Trivia[]
General[]
- A young John White voices the caller. He is known for his role in another Scholastic series, Goosebumps, as Michael Webster.
- Results of the game:
- 1 inning
- Pitch 1: Fastball, whiff strike
- Pitch 2: Fastball, unknown, could be an inside-the-park home run, but we didn't know if the real home plate was tagged or reached
- Game ended due to lack of friction
- Score: 0-0
- This is the first and only original series episode to share a topic with one from The Magic School Bus Rides Again. In this case, it is Goldstealer.
- This episode shares many similarities to "Goldstealer".
- Both are the third episodes of their seasons in production order.
- Both discuss friction, but "Goldstealer" goes more in depth about drag and traction.
- Both focus on a sport.
- Both released in November; "Plays Ball" in November 1994 and "Goldstealer" in November 2021 respectively.
- Both include a use of the Shrinkerscope.
- Both make a pun on "Stranger than Fiction" with "friction".
- In both Producer segments, Liz is seen doing things that involve less friction such as rollerskating or skateboarding.
- The producer (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) returns after a 6-episode absence.
- Ralphie telling Dorothy Ann to "Let us know when they make the movie out of it" could allude to the fact that this show is based on a series of books of the same name. This line also predicts the Magic School Bus movie.
- This is the first time when two characters high five each other. In this case, Tim and Carlos.
- At the start of the game in the textbook Ms. Frizzle implies to Dorothy Ann that she has a summer job as a sportscaster.
- When the Bus leaves the book, letters spell "bus".
- Despite the original slate of the episode stating it was made on October 20, 1994, it is likely that this episode started production around late 1993/early 1994.
Errors[]
- When Ralphie is ordering Dorothy Ann off the field, he's supposed to sound annoyed, but he was smiling, and his mouth stopped moving halfway through the last sentence.
- Also, when Arnold collided with Ms. Frizzle for a "serious catcher-teacher hipchat", Ms. Frizzle didn't get pushed back, nor did she get pushed backwards letting Arnold go back to his position.
- Ralphie collided with Arnold to start "running the bases", but Arnold was still in his position when Carlos fields the ball to him.
- When the class starts passing letters, the Bus is missing its turn signals.
Dub facts[]
- When Ralphie says his stomach hurts, he says his heart hurts in the French dub.
Allusions[]
- Star Wars — The French dub title of the episode translates to “may the Force be with you,” used among Jedi to wish good luck or farewell. It’s also worth noting that Ralphie (named Raphaël in this dub), the focus of this episode, has Star Wars pajamas, so the title can also be a nod to him in a way.
- Stranger than Fiction — In the Producer segment, the Producer makes a pun on this Will Ferrell movie with “friction” a while after he trips on a banana peel and John White snags the copy of A Child’s Garden of Physics that the Producer was carrying on his walk.
- Similarly, in “Goldstealer,” an episode from Season 7 that also revisits friction as part of the lesson, Fiona Frizzle makes the same joke, making this the class’s first time hearing it.
Cast[]
In order of appearance in the credits:
- Lily Tomlin as Ms. Frizzle
- Malcolm-Jamal Warner as The Producer
- Max Beckford as Tim
- Tara Meyer as Dorothy Ann
- Stuart Stone as Ralphie
- Amos Crawley as Arnold
- Lisa Yamanaka as Wanda
- Daniel DeSanto as Carlos
- Erica Luttrell as Keesha
- Maia Filar as Phoebe
- Caller: John White
Non-speaking[]
International localizations[]
Names[]
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Dutch | Speelt Honkbal | “Plays Baseball” |
| French | Que les forces soient avec toi | “May the Forces Be With You” |
| German | Physik ist klasse! | “Physics Is Great!” (pun with Klasse, “class”) |
| Japanese | TV Tokyo dub: マジックスクールバスの 野球大会 (Majikku Sukūru Basu no yakyū taikai) |
TV Tokyo dub: “The Magic School Bus’ Baseball Tournament” |
| Russian | Играем в бейсбол |
"Let's Play Baseball" |
| Latin American Spanish | Béisbol | “Baseball” |
