8 The Burns and the Bees
12/7/08
Season-only
During the annual billionaires' retreat, Mr. Burns wins the "Austin Celtics" in a casual game of poker. While visiting a game in Dallas, Mr. Burns witnesses the antics of Mavericks' owner Mark Cuban. Fascinated with his behavior, Mr. Burns decides to emulate Cuban's over-the-top stunts in order to win over the hearts of Springfield's basketball fans. Failing at this, Mr. Burns decides that the best way to win over the fans is to build a brand new, state-of-the-art sports arena. Unfortunately, the last remaining bee colony in Springfield is located on the proposed stadium site, and Lisa is single-handedly spearheading a movement to protect them. As Lisa fights for a safe haven for the bees, Homer attempts to help the quickly diminishing bee population by mating the Springfield bees with Africanized bees, creating a mad swarm that disrupts Burns' opening night.