Bad News Bill

Bad News Bill
Air date	May 3, 2009
Written by	Dave Schiff
Directed by	Ronald Rubio
Episode guide
Previous	"Serves Me Right for Giving General George S. Patton the Bathroom Key"
Next	"Manger Baby Einstein"

"Bad News Bill" is the 251st episode of King of the Hill. It first aired on May 3, 2009. It was written by Dave Schiff and directed by Ronald Rubio.

Summary

When Hank signs Bobby up for youth baseball on a separate team to hide Bobby's poor athletic skills, he becomes uneased at the zealous supportiveness of the new coach and decides to help the team, but he earns a bad reputation when an accident takes place.

Plot

Hank feels that false expectations may be a problem when Bobby's Little League Coach continuously encourages Bobby about his baseball skills. To his surprise, Hank realizes that the Coach's technique is actually making Bobby a better player. However, the coach vilifies him as a father who just quit on his son. Bill becomes a volunteer at the Little League and because of the coach's vilifying, Hank starts acting like a brute to him. After an incident during practice, Hank, who was supposed to be working on envelopes, accidentally hits a kid on the helmet and the Little League Board and Bill banish Hank from the Little League Club.

At the game, Bobby fumbles the ball, drops catches, and has fielding mishaps. To make matters worse for Bobby, the other team's players laugh at him. He tries to tell Coach Bradford to drop him out of the game. However, the coach refuses to give up on Bobby, even though it is hopeless for him. After another fly-ball is heading towards Bobby, Hank, who is hiding in the bushes, grabs Bobby over the fence before the ball reaches him. In the car on the way back, Hank reassures Bobby that he is great at other stuff like video games and his comedy, the latter which he knows he is great at.

Characters

• Hank Hill
• Peggy Hill
• Bobby Hill
• Dale Gribble
• Bill Dauterive
• Jeff Boomhauer
• Coach Bradford
• Luanne Platter
• Gracie Kleinschmidt

Stinger Quote

• Hank: "About your outfit, Bill... no."

Trivia

• It is revealed that Bobby once got a third strike in T-Ball when he was just standing and looking at the ball.
• The title is a reference to the Bad News Bears film franchise.
• The book that Peggy is seen reading is the one that she purchased from Bookies Readin Room in the episode "It Came From the Garage".
• Bobby's comment about wanting to play in Chicago because of the fans is a reference to both of the city's teams, the Cubs and White Sox, both of whom endured championship droughts of several decades. The Cubs ended up winning the World series in 2016 after a 108-year drought; the White Sox previously ending an 88-year drought in 2005.

Gallery

Season 12	Season 13
Dia-BILL-ic Shock · Earthy Girls are Easy · Square-Footed Monster · Lost in MySpace · No Bobby Left Behind · A Bill Full of Dollars · Straight as an Arrow · Lucky See, Monkey Do · What Happens at the National Propane Gas Convention in Memphis Stays at the National Propane Gas Convention in Memphis · Master of Puppets · Bwah My Nose · Uncool Customer · Nancy Does Dallas · Born Again on the Fourth of July · Serves Me Right for Giving General George S. Patton the Bathroom Key · Bad News Bill · Manger Baby Einstein · Uh-oh, Canada · The Boy Can't Help It · The Honeymooners · Bill Gathers Moss · When Joseph Met Lori, and Made Out with Her in the Janitor's Closet · Just Another Manic Kahn-Day · To Sirloin With Love