View source for The Losing Edge

{{Episode_Infobox
|Title=The Losing Edge
|Season=09
|Episode=05
|Author=Trey Parker
|Director=Trey Parker
|Airdate=2005-04-06
|Image=http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/images/shows/south-park/episode-thumbnails/season-9/south-park-s09e05-the-losing-edge.jpg
|Number=130
|Prev=[[Best Friends Forever]]
|Next=[[The Death of Eric Cartman]]
}}

==Story==

===Description===
The boys celebrate when their Little League team wins its final regular season game -- not because they're excited, because it means they're done playing baseball for the rest of the summer.  Unfortunately mid-celebration, they're told by their proud parents that the win qualifies them for a round of post-season contests. 

Bummed out, they decide that they must do something to lose; they can't bare to spend any more time playing baseball.  They all agree to take a dive during their next game but this turns out to be far tougher than expected.  Their opponents are equally sick of Little League and play even worse than they do, managing to squeeze out a loss. The same holds true for South Park's next few opponents, all of whom prove even more skilled at intentionally sucking.

Needless to say, the boys' parents have a different view of the situation. Oblivious to their kids' distaste for the game, they're super stoked at the prospect of ever-greater baseball "glory."  Particularly Randy, who gets drunk at every game, picks a fight with a dad from the opposing team, and gets hauled off by the police.  When told that the fathers of kids on playoff teams take drunk and obnoxious to a whole new level, he begins to train, Rocky-style, to meet the challenge.

Despite their valiant attempts to lose, the boys make it all the way to the Colorado Little League State Championship game in Denver.  If they win, they'll [unfortunately] spend the rest of the summer on the national circuit.  

During the pre-game press conference, Randy gets a look at his probable opponent -- an extremely fat, costume-clad parent called Bat Dad.  Bat Dad is so huge and aggressive that Randy has a crisis of confidence.  He even contemplates missing the game and ducking the fight.

While the parents hope their kids will win, the South Park kids go to extremes to ensure defeat.  Kyle gets his cousin, Kyle, who has no athletic abilites and no knowledge of baseball, to join the team.  But even that isn't enough.  The Denver team has mastered the sport of sucking.  They hit balls directly into the South Park kids' gloves and cause Kyle's cousin to score a home run by pitching the ball directly into his bat, then refusing to stop him as he slowly rounds the bases.
But just when all seems lost  or rather, won Randy shows up for the game and takes on Bat Dad.  Their bloody fight spills onto the field, where Randy takes an ass-whooping. 

The game's umpire yells that the next person who throws a punch will get his team disqualified -- which sends the South Park kids into a frenzy.  They rally behind Randy, giving him the strength he needs to get back up and knock out Bat Dad.  This victorious punch also disqualifies South Park.

The boys' summer is saved. As his father is led away by the cops, Stan tells him he's the greatest.

===What I Learned Today===
"I know we can lose if we try."

===Memorable Quotes===
* "Let's face it. We're winners." [[Jimmy Valmer]]
* "Bat Dad knows no fear! Bat Dad knows no pain! I want you, Marsh. I want you!" [[Bat Dad]]
* "Don't throw the ball too fast, because I might get startled and I have asthma." Kyle's Cousin [[Kyle Schwartz]]
* "Son of a biscuit!!"  [[Butters]]
* "I worked hard Believed in myself .And now I'm going to be fighting in the State Championship game.  This is going to be the biggest fight of my life."  [[Randy]]
* "Sometimes I sweat from holding the bat for so long and then the heat steams up my glasses." Kyle's Cousin [[Kyle Schwartz]]
* "You wanna break me down?!  You wanna hear me say it?!  I'M SCARED!!" [[Randy]]
* "You're about to be BAT DADDED!!" [[Bat Dad]]
* "I thought this was America! Huh?!" [[Randy]]

==Characters==

{{Character list
| Name = Stan Marsh
| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/stan-marsh.png
}}
{{Character list
| Name = Kyle Broflovski
| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/kyle-broflovski.png
}}
{{Character list
| Name = Eric Cartman
| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/eric-cartman.png
}}
{{Character list
| Name = Butters Stotch
| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/butters-stotch.png
}}
{{Character list
| Name = Clyde Donovan
| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/clyde-donovan.png
}}
{{Character list
| Name = Craig Tucker
| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/craig-tucker.png
}}
{{Character list
| Name = Tolkien Black
| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/token-black.png
}}
{{Character list
| Name = Jimmy Valmer
| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/jimmy-valmer.png
}}
{{Character list
| Name = Roger Donovan
| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/roger-donovan.png
}}
{{Character list
| Name = Richard Tweak
| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/mr-tweak.png
}}
{{Character list
| Name = Stephen Stotch
| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/stephen-stotch.png
}}
{{Character list
| Name = Gerald Broflovski
| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/gerald-broflovski.png
}}
{{Character list
| Name = Sheila Broflovski
| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/sheila-broflovski.png
}}
{{Character list
| Name = Randy Marsh
| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/randy-marsh.png
}}
{{Character list
| Name = Sharon Marsh
| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/sharon-marsh.png
}}
{{Character list
| Name = Mr. Varcas
| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/miscellaneous-mr-varcas.png
}}
{{Character list
| Name = Mrs. Varcas 
| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/miscellaneous-mrs-varcas.png
}}
{{Character list
| Name = Allen Varcas 
| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/other-4th-graders-allen-varcas-conifer-batter.png
}}
{{Character list
| Name = Mr. Pratt 
| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/miscellaneous-mr-pratt.png
}}
{{Character list
| Name = Mrs. Pratt
| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/miscellaneous-mrs-pratt.png
}}
{{Character list
| Name = Morgan Pratt 
| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/other-4th-graders-morgan-pratt-fort-collins-batter.png
}}
{{Character list
| Name = Greeley  Dad
| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/miscellaneous-greely-dad.png
}}
{{Character list
| Name = Greeley Batter (Brian) 
| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/other-4th-graders-brian-greely-batter.png
}}
{{Character list
| Name = Pueblo Dad
| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/adults/miscellaneous-pueblo-dad.png
}}
{{Character list
| Name = Fort Collins Team
| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/groups/groups-fort-collins-baseball-team.png
}}
{{Character list
| Name = Denver Team 
| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/groups/groups-denver-baseball-team.png
}}
===Character Debuts===
Tom Nelson aka Bat Dad, the ultimate drunken asshole Little League parent.  He even has his own costume, a skin tight cross between a WWE wrestler and Batman.

{{Character list
| Name = Bat Dad
| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/celebrities/bat-dad.png
}}

===Character Returns===
Kyle's Cousin Kyle.  The boys fly him in from Connecticut because they needed "the very worst kid athlete in the whole world."  He was last seen in briefly in Season 6's "Red Sleigh Down"
{{Character list
| Name = Kyle Schwartz
| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/characters/kids/kyle-schwartz.png
}}

==Locations==
{{Location list
| Name = Greeley
| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/locations/cities-greeley.png
}}
{{Location list
| Name = Whistlin' Willy's
| Image = http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/shared/locations/whistlin-willys.jpg
}}

==Behind The Scenes==
The problem with putting the kids in uniforms was that, without their distinctive hats and clothes, they all look the same. A great deal of time was spent subtly tweaking their outfits so that viewers could tell them apart.

===Where Did The Idea Come From===
This episode sprang from a general consensus among the writing staff that the boys would look cute in baseball uniforms. The kids' aversion to baseball is shared by Trey and Matt, who never really got into "America's pastime."

==Pop Culture References==
===Shout Outs===
A number of scenes from the various Rocky movies are parodied throughout this episode as Stan's dad trains for the Little League fights. 

Joe Esposito's hit song "You're the Best Around" plays over a long montage of South Park's Little League team unintentionally beating all their opponents.  This song was popularized by the movie The Karate Kid, where it was used in similar montage fashion. It also plays again over the awesome, freeze-framed credits at the end of the episode.

When the boys are out of ideas about how to lose, Cartman turns to pop culture: "At this point in a sports movie, the team always goes out and finds a really sweet player to join their team."  To which Clyde clarifies, "Like that motorcycle kid in Bad News Bears."  It turns out their motorcycle kid is Kyle's Cousin Kyle.

==Bonus Factoids==

===Pointless Observations===
For the second time (the first being "Quest for Ratings,") the boys dine at Whistlin' Willy's Pizza Gulch.

Butters' dad is the coach of the boys' Little League team.  We also hear via Butters that his dad's motto is: "It's OK to lose, but if you don't try, you're grounded mister."
All the towns that the boys play against -- Conifer, Fort Collins, Greeley, Pueblo -- are all real Colorado towns that surround the Denver area.

The bat used by Kyle's Cousin Kyle is signed by baseball star Barry Bonds, who was last seen in "Up the Down Steroid".  Tolkien was also shown playing with a similarly signed Bonds bat in Season 5's "Here Comes the Neighborhood."

During the final fight, Randy can be heard singing Joe Esposito's hit song "You're the Best Around".

{{Season_List_09|Episode=05}}