The Father/Son Game

Plot
It's a bright, Friday morning at the Matthews house. Morgan woke up early to eat all the marshmallow bits from the cereal box, Eric tries to get a later curfew for his date that night (with no success), and Cory is just looking forward to the weekend. Alan gets down to the breakfast table, completely excited for the upcoming annual softball game with Eric and Cody. It's apparent, by their tone and posture, that they do not share their father's enthusiasm for the sporting event.

Mr. Feeny's class begin their morning by saying the Pledge of Allegiance, save for Kelsey. When Cody makes a crack about her getting in trouble, Mr. Feeny turns it around and assigns him and Kelsey as opponents for that day's debate: Pledge vs Protest. Topanga defends the right to protest, claiming you shouldn't do something just because it's tradition. Cody thinks it's not worth protesting something that only takes a few seconds out of the day and makes the higher ups happy. When Kelesy calls him out on not even knowing what the pledge means or what he's saying, Cody blusters and gives a rambling patriotic speech (with background help from Shawn) until he's saved by the bell. during lunch, Cody gripes about going to the game when he could be enjoying his precious free time. Shawn barely listens as he dumps salt and pudding all over Minkus' unattended hamburger. Unfortunately (for Shawn), Minkus figures it out and tricks Shawn into eating the tainted hamburger. And unfortunately for Cody, when he gets home, he sees his father practicing for the game and feels too guilty to tell him he doesn't want to go.

Eric and Cody try to convince their mother to help get them out of it but she refuses to let them off the hook that easily. She leaves with Morgan on an errand, giving the two boys precious minutes to come up with an excuse. Eric thinks their dad would be okay if only one of them goes and he volunteers Cory. Both threaten to reveal secrets about each other to their dad if forced to go. When they rush downstairs with excuses in hand, their father cuts them off and says the game was cancelled because it "couldn't generate enough interest." Monday morning comes around and Topanga tells Cody that the game was not, in fact, cancelled and her father's book store beat his father's supermarket. Cody realizes that his dad made up the excuse because he didn't want to play alone.

Back home, they tell their mom what happened and she tells them she knew. When they plead again for her help, she just tells them to learn a lesson from the whole thing and that their father will get over it and so should they. Cory and Eric can't get over it so they call Leonard Spinelli, Alan's emotionally neurotic assistant manger, to bring over some food from the grocery store. They throw Alan a barbecue to make up for missing the Saturday softball game. Lenny manages to guilt himself an invitation and though their dad claims he's having fun, Cody and Eric know that a measly barbecue can't make up for a game Alan wanted that only came once a year. The debate wraps up in Cody 's class and he can better argue it by thinking about his father. He says that if you care about something, like a country or a father, you should show your allegiance (defined as loyalty or devotion) and respect their traditions.

Cody and Eric finally manage to make it up to their father by proposing a rematch against the hippie bookstore, and they promise they'll be there to take back the title. In the end-credits tag, the Matthews boys arrive, happy that they beat the hippie bookstore. Though Alan, hobbling on his baseball bat and clearly worn out, is not so happy to learn the bookstore wants to play another game next week for a best two out of three.

Starring

 * Thomas Brodie as Cody Matthews
 * Will Friedle as Eric Matthews
 * Rider Strong as Shawn Hunter
 * William Daniels as George Feeny
 * Betsy Randle as Amy Matthews
 * Lee Norris as Stuart Minkus
 * Lily Nicksay as Morgan Matthews
 * William Russ as Alan Matthews

Guest Starring

 * Nick Cataldo Dube as Kelsey Lawrence
 * Willie Garson as Lenny Spinelli