Ernie's friends brag about the athletic abilities of their fathers, and agree to compare sports trophies that their fathers have won. To Ernie's dismay, the only trophy he can find is for debating. The kids then decide that all the fathers will compete in a 2-mile cross country race on Saturday. Steve would rather compete in bridge or playing the saxophone, but agrees to race. It turns out that all the fathers are now out of shape, and Ernie understands when Steve lets another man win the race since his son needs the boost in self esteem more than Ernie.
—S Sather