The Backyard Show (2004 TV series)

**The Backyard Show** is a television cartoon series based on the popular game series "Backyard Sports". The series ran on Cartoon Network from 2004 to 2008 and spanned four seasons. It focuses on Angela Delvecchio, a young 10 year old girl who tries to build a team to enter the Backyard League to defeat her big brother Tony Jr.'s defending champion team.

## Characters

### Humongous Melonheads

* **Angela Delvecchio** - The main protagonist. She is a young girl of Italian descent who is passionate about sports. She also has an older brother named Tony Jr., who she has a fierce rivalry with. Angela is the team captain of her baseball team, the Humongous Melonheads. She is also heavily clumsy and people often say that she has "two left feet". She is voiced by Elizabeth Daily.
* **Reese Worthington** - Reese is one of Angela's close friends. He is a young boy who has chronic asthma, but is passionate about sports and he wants to play regardless. He also loves playing video games and collecting stamps. He is voiced by Sean Marquette.
* **Annie Frazier** - Annie is a young girl who loves nature and animals. Her baseball bat is made from 100% biodegradable materials and is known for being a very calm and patient person. She also does yoga and often leads the team in calming exercises before games. She is voiced by Jessica DiCicco.
* **Kiesha Phillips** - Kiesha is the biggest member of the team. She's also the heart of the team and is very caring for her much smaller teammates. Kiesha is known for her supportive spirit and her drive to help others around her. She is voiced by Cree Summer.
* **Mikey Thomas** - Mikey is a short, chubby kid who has severe allergies and constantly sneezes. Despite this, he is very strong at the plate and can smack the ball hundreds of feet away, which more than compensates for his slow movement speed. He is voiced by Kimberly Brooks.
* **Ricky Johnson** - The new kid on the block, Ricky is a shy boy who has trouble with social skills and making new friends. This is the result of him frequently moving. Despite this, he is very passionate about sports and his desire to make friends led him to bonding with Angela. He is voiced by Khary Payton.
* **Maria Luna** - Maria is a little girl who is completely girly. She always wears a bright pink dress, even when playing sports, and collects pony dolls. She is currently insisting that the team's uniforms be pink, despite the disagreements between her teammates. She is voiced by Tara Strong.
* **Dmitri Petrovich** - Dmitri is a member of Angela's team and your standard "nerd". He collects the statistics to determine the optimal strategy for his team. He also likes to use big words that most of his teammates can't understand and is also very smart. He is voiced by Greg Cipes.
* **Gretchen Hasselhoff** - Gretchen is a very hyperactive little girl who talks really really fast. Although her teammates can hardly understand a word she says, she proves herself to be a valuable member of the team with her fast movement speed and contact hitting, which more than make up for her very weak arm. She is voiced by Janice Kawaye.

### Mighty Giants

* **Tony Delvecchio Jr.** - Angela's big brother and her rival, Tony Jr. is very arrogant and self-centered. He has the general character of a greaser straight out of the 1950s. He leads his own team, the Mighty Giants, and it's Angela's goal to defeat him and his reigning champion team. He serves as the series' first main antagonist. He is voiced by Cam Clarke.
* **Pablo Sanchez** - Pablo is a living legend on the sandlot. He is known for his incredible baseball skill and he often finds himself surrounded by a mob of fans. He also only speaks in Spanish, seemingly. He is voiced by Carlos Alazraqui.
* **Sally Dobbs** - Often known as the team mom, Sally is well known for her generosity and caring spirit. She has the best interests of her team in mind. She is also a major health nut and is obsessed with eating healthy. However, her smothering behavior drives her little brother, Ronny, crazy as she treats him like he's just a baby, despite him claiming to be a "big kid". She is also voiced by Kimberly Brooks.
* **Ronny Dobbs** - Ronny is a young rebel obsessed with being considered a "big kid". He is a massive adrenaline junkie who loves extreme sports like skateboarding and skydiving. He has a strained relationship with his big sister, who he believes "ruins his fun". He is also voiced by Khary Payton.

### Supporting Cast

* **Tony Delvecchio Sr.** - The patriarch and sole parent of the Delvecchio family. He is a single dad. his wife having passed away of unknown causes prior to the series' events. Tony Sr. is a supportive father who wants what's best for his kids. He also doesn't like the frequent fights between Angela and Tony Jr. and he wants them to be nice to each other and be supportive siblings again. He is also commonly known as "Big Tony". He is voiced by Michael Bell.
* **Cooper Delvecchio** - The youngest Delvecchio kid. He is a four year old boy who is tired of Angela and Tony Jr.'s constant fighting, but he often serves as an intermediary to end fights. He is also a huge fanatic of trains. He is also voiced by Tara Strong.
* **Michael Worthington** - He is Reese's dad, and is known for being a supportive father. He cheers Reese on in his lowest moments and tries to make his life a little better. He is also good friends with Big Tony, a friendship that dates back to elementary school. He is voiced by Tom Kane.
* **Sunny Day** - The manager of the Backyard League, Sunny is an eccentric woman who created the Backyard League as a way for kids to have fun and make new friends. She was a former physical education teacher who was laid off, and she desired to continue her dream of creating a safe and friendly environment for kids with her running of the Backyard League. She is also voiced by Cree Summer.
* **Ivan King** - A big fan of the Backyard League, Ivan is a young boy who desires to join the league and become the best. However, at the moment he completely sucks at all sports. But, there's still plenty of room for him to grow. He is voiced by Blake McIver Ewing.

## Episodes

### Season 1

* True Sibling Rivalry - Angela and Tony Jr. compete in a variety of games to see who's best, while their father tries to get them to be nice to each other. Angela then decides to form a team to take down Tony Jr. and his team, who are the defending champions of the Backyard League.
* Reese-tastic - Angela meets an asthmatic boy named Reese and quickly bonds with him, but is Reese a good fit for her team?
* A Mom For A Sister - Angela finds herself in the crosshairs of another sibling rivalry after Ronny Dobbs almost hits her on his skateboard.
* Getting Zen With Annie - After a heated argument with Tony, Angela finds herself visiting her good friend Annie for some advice.
* Ivan The Terrible - A boy named Ivan tries to sign up for the Backyard League. There's only one problem. He absolutely sucks at all sports.
* Slice Of Life - Angela is stuck at a Chuck E. Cheese-styled restaurant for Cooper's 4th birthday. She soon finds a young boy named Mikey Thomas and is impressed by how hard he can hit a baseball.
* Grandfather Clause - The Delvecchios are forced to stay with their grandparents after their house becomes infested with rats. She soon finds out that a girl her age lives next door, and she's incredibly friendly and supportive too.
* Helping The New Kid - When a new kid named Ricky Johnson moves into town, Angela volunteers to help him out and get him used to his new life in Brooksville.
* Got Asthma? - When Angela introduces Reese to her family, her little brother Cooper freaks out after finding out that Reese has asthma and becomes a major germaphobe, fearing that he would get asthma himself.
* The Power Of Pink - When Angela hears about a great ball player named Maria Luna, Angela is excited to meet her, only to realize that she's a complete girly girl in a bright pink dress.
* Gone Pink - Reese faces embarrassment at school after his favorite white shirt and vest turn pink in the washer.
* The Optimal Player - After Angela is forced to watch one of Tony's games, she finds a nerdy kid collecting stats on the players. She soon decides to test his baseball abilities.
* The Final Countdown - Angela is on the hunt for the final remaining player for her team. There's so many options, but just who to pick?
* Mighty Number Nine - On the hunt for the final player for her team, Angela comes across a hyperactive young girl on the playground. After impressing her with her skills, Gretchen Hasselhoff becomes the final player.
* Entry Day - Angela, Reese, Annie, Kiesha, Mikey, Ricky, Maria, Dmitri, and Gretchen all come together as a team and enter the Backyard League, ready to become the Champions. They soon learn that their first game will pit them against the Little Wombats, a fierce team led by power players Zena Fromme and Leah Wayne.