There Will Be Buds

"There Will Be Buds" is the sixth episode of Season 28. (Originally in production as the final episode of Season 27).
==Synopsis==
Homer gets roped into coaching the kids' lacrosse team with Milhouse's father, Kirk, who is in desperate need of a friend. When Kirk gets too clingy, Homer vents about how much of a loser he is. Kirk overhears this rant and disappears, right when the team needs him most: for the championship game.
==Full Story==
The episode starts in early September, with the beginning of the pee-wee Football season. However, during the opening game, the field is covered with smoke. Unable to see, the kids run into each other, resulting in concussions. After the incident, the parents of Springfield try to find a less violent sport for the kids. At first, Kirk Van Houten was having problems getting people's attention, but with Homer's help, he made his suggestion: lacrosse. The Springfieldians approve the idea and tell Kirk to coach the kids, but he says that he will only do it if Homer does the same thing as well.
The team Kirk and Homer coach wins the first lacrosse match (although Homer is too busy slicing oranges to notice), because the team is doing so well they have to go to many different places and Homer is pulled out of bed early on the weekends. Over time they make through the playoffs and Homer starts to become fascinated by the sport, and asks Kirk how did he understand it. Kirk then says that he was the star at his college's lacrosse team, but he broke his wrist when high-fiving the team's mascot (a man dressed in a medieval armor suit) even though his wrist healed, he never healed inside. Kirk also reveals that since that day, he hasn't High-fived anyone, not even his own son. The next day, Bart and Lisa wake up Homer early to go on a trip to a tournament in the other town. During the trip, Homer realizes that Kirk was trying to get too intimate.
After the tournament wins another game, Kirk tries to take Homer to a strip club. Homer tries to make a clear point to Kirk that he doesn't want to hang out with him, but is unable because the kids are happy. Back in Springfield, Kirk and Homer sing about their friendship, but Kirk overhears Homer saying that he only pretended to like him and resigns as a coach two hours before a game with Capital City.
At the pregame rally, the town finds out that Kirk is missing, and the last time he was seen was when he was singing about his friend. Homer gets nervous and assumes that Kirk is at a strip club. There, he gets distracted with chicken wings, but overhears some girls mentioning that Kirk is at the campaign room. Homer convinces Kirk to go back to the game, but he still owes fifteen thousand dollars to the strip club.
The pair tries to escape, but there is no way out with all of the exits blocked. The strippers discover that Homer and Kirk are trying to help their kids and help them escape with the use of a helicopter. The kids win another match but during the celebration, Homer and Kirk make a hi-five, breaking each others' wrists and staying together in a hospital room.
==Videos==
Kids And Football Season 28 Ep. 6 THE SIMPSONS
The Town Meeting Gets Out Of Control Season 28 Ep. 6 THE SIMPSONS
Homer Hits The Road For Bart & Lisa's Lacrosse Game Season 3 Ep. 5 THE SIMPSONS
== Citations ==
fr:Amis mais pas trop
pl:There Will Be Buds
pt:Os Novos Amigos
Category:Homer episodes
Category:Kirk Van Houten Episodes
Category:Sport-themed Episodes
Category:Travel episodes
Category:Bart episodes
Category:Lisa episodes
Category:Musical-themed Episodes
Category:Luann Van Houten Episodes
Category:Episodes named after a film or TV Show
Category:Episodes where Maggie giggles
Category:Medical-Themed Episodes
Category:Episodes with alternate end credits
Category:TV-14 Episodes
Category:Episodes with narration
Category:Episodes with no Opening Sequence