March 4-10, 2012 TV Show Club- The Hardy Boys ('90s)- "Play Ball"

[MacGyver]

Post your thoughts, comments and reviews of The Hardy Boys (1990s) episode "Play Ball" here.

[MacGyver]

Sports-themed mysteries are always pretty fun for me. I enjoyed this episode pretty well. The Hardy Boys have been stated as members of their baseball team in both the Original continuity (I'm pretty sure somewhere in the Grossett & Dunlap first 58 books it's been mentioned)- and they've also solved baseball-themed mysteries in Digest #90 Danger on the Diamond and Digest #117 The Baseball Card Conspiracy and in The Hardy Boys Casefiles #46 Foul Play. If memory serves correctly, The Hardy Boys and their friends also play a baseball game in #100 in the Casefiles, True Thriller and in Digest #150 The Crisscross Crime. It seems fitting that baseball is a favorite sport for Frank and Joe Hardy as it is considered America's pastime and very much a part of Americana in general- and The Hardy Boys are certainly All-American boys too.

[Hardy Sleuth]

I don't have access to the 90s show, so I can't comment on the episodes, but I like it when there are sports in the books, it's fun. I have the Mummy Case and in that book Frank is the pitcher and Joe plays shortstop, Phil's the first baseman, Chet the catcher, Biff in the outfield and second base, Tony. 

[tomswift2002]

Sports-themed mysteries are always pretty fun for me. I enjoyed this episode pretty well. The Hardy Boys have been stated as members of their baseball team in both the Original continuity (I'm pretty sure somewhere in the Grossett & Dunlap first 58 books it's been mentioned)- and they've also solved baseball-themed mysteries in Digest #90 Danger on the Diamond and Digest #117 The Baseball Card Conspiracy and in The Hardy Boys Casefiles #46 Foul Play. If memory serves correctly, The Hardy Boys and their friends also play a baseball game in #100 in the Casefiles, True Thriller and in Digest #150 The Crisscross Crime. It seems fitting that baseball is a favorite sport for Frank and Joe Hardy as it is considered America's pastime and very much a part of Americana in general- and The Hardy Boys are certainly All-American boys too.

The Revised Text of The Tower Treasure has Chet, Biff, Phil, Tony and Jerry playing baseball and mention is made that they Hardy's are on the team.

But then there's also the famous football scene from #32 The Crisscross Shadow (1952) (football would later turn up in #170 Kickoff To Danger) (2000).

[MacGyver]

Yep- thanks for the info on other sports scenes in books. And of course, this is a topic that could have its own thread- there are tons of sports that Frank and Joe Hardy have had experience with at one time or another over the course of all their cases....

[tomswift2002]

Not too mention that, in a way, the training events in Spies and Lies could also be considered sporting activities, since the boys and Nancy are at the FBI training grounds and they have to learn how to climb walls and a bunch of other stuff that is required for the FBI service (besides just studying the laws and practices of the FBI and other law-related stuff).