When the regular umpire becomes unavailable, both sides agree that Andy is the logical choice to officiate at the big championship game between Mayberry and Mount Pilot. All goes well until Andy calls Opie out at the plate resulting in a Mount Pilot win. Goober, the Mayberry team manager, is furious and most of the townsfolk, including son Opie, won't even give Andy the time of day. It's clear to Andy that they didn't want an impartial umpire but one that would call the game in their favor and he doesn't hesitate to tell them so. Howard Sprague, who was covering the game for the local newspaper, writes a column that turns things around.
—garykmcd