Izzy Jackson's jersey number 42 is retired by Major League Baseball in honor of Jackie Robinson, the Brooklyn Dodgers player who broke the color barrier.
The bench-clearing brawl that ensues after Shawn apologizes to Cal involves only Seabirds players. A similar scene was also in the movie "Angels in the Outfield" in which Danny Glover also coached the title troubled team.
Mel Hornsby (guest star Danny Glover) says "I'm getting too old for this crap," which, though toned down language-wise for PG television, is his famous repeated line as Sgt. Roger Murtaugh from the "Lethal Weapon" (1987) movie franchise.
As Shawn rustles through the filing cabinet inside the office at the ball park, he passes over file folders labeled KULCHAK and FRANKS, a reference to series Executive Producer Kelly Kulchak, and series creator Steve Franks.
The bar that Shawn and Gus visit, Callahan's, is named after Bobby Callahan, who co-wrote this episode with Steve Franks