 The title of the episode is a homage to Hubert Selby Jr . ' s novel Last Exit to Brooklyn , one subplot of which involves the corruption and downfall of a union leader during a strike . The body of the union president is seen buried under a football field , a homage to the mystery surrounding the whereabouts of Jimmy Hoffa and his alleged burial at New Jersey 's Giants Stadium . Mr. Burns ' outfit in the flashback to his childhood is based on Buster Brown . Homer 's imagination of a life of organized crime is based on Don <unk> 's first appearance in The Godfather Part II , accepting donuts rather than a necklace and an orange . 
