American Pastime Page #2

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to use mail-order catalogs...

...and to go outside

into town for supplies.

We have to pay our own way,

but if everyone contributes...

...then like my father said:

"Out of necessity,

we can make a new home for ourselves."

Says here she's a pretty nice sort of person

when she lets her hair down.

Did you know Rita Hayworth

was actually a Mexican?

Hey, Billy.

Ed.

Camp okayed the Japs to come in,

order some supplies directly.

Hi, I'm Kaz.

- My son Lane.

- Hi.

Do you have in stock?

"Fertilizer, watermelon seeds,

strawberry plants."

What's this?

- Ginger something?

- That's gingham.

- The material?

- Yeah, my mom wants it to make curtains.

How you gonna pay for all this?

Cash.

Now we're giving

these people cash too?

Sure, bring them here.

We'll take care of them, we'll feed them.

We'll house them, and you know what?

While we're at it...

...why don't we give them some extra cash,

just to go along with it?

No one is giving us money.

We were afraid banks

would take our savings...

...so we brought money here.

- Bullshit.

- Leave them alone, Ed.

You're not gonna win the war in here.

Let me see what I got in stock.

As long as you can make a buck out of it.

- It's okay.

- Yeah.

Katie got a letter from your boy Jackie.

Yeah, they're shipping him out

to the Solomons...

...not far from where your son is.

We said a prayer for him

last night at dinner.

I appreciate that, Billy.

Yeah, we got most of it here...

...but those curtains?

Gonna have to order.

- Thank you.

- Thanks.

Gingham curtains?

How can we be held?

How can we be held without being charged

with breaking any laws?

What happened to the Constitution?

Where are all the Germans?

What about the Italians?

Demand answers.

Join us. Come on.

Demand answers.

You're afraid. You're all afraid.

Where do you think they're taking them?

Nobody knows.

They don't know where they're going

or for how long.

They got a special camp for these guys.

They put all the bad apples in one place...

...and make apple cider out of them.

Come on. Let's go.

Now, listen.

Where there are people,

there's gonna be drinking and gambling.

Where there's drinking and gambling,

there's money to be made.

You that good of a gambler?

There's no such thing as a good gambler.

Hey, I haven't risked a nickel in 25 years.

The only way to win in gambling

is to be the house, the bank...

...to run the games.

That way, I don't give a damn

who wins or loses.

Just give me a little piece of the play.

People wanna drink,

I'll make it for nothing...

...and sell it to them for a buck.

Hey, it's business.

Hurry up.

Hey, what does he wanna talk about?

- I don't know.

- Yes, you do.

All right, okay. Maybe I do.

Let's go, let's go.

Just be a big boy.

Okay.

You wanted to talk to me?

When I was a young boy,

I came to America.

I could not speak English.

Kids made fun of me.

One day, I found a game.

- Baseball.

- Baseball. Yeah.

And I became good.

I became so good, no one could deny it.

And the kids stopped making fun of me.

I want to make a league here...

...just like we had at home.

You remember the first time

you put a ball in my hand? I was 5.

You told me about Babe Ruth

and Lou Gehrig. Lefty Grove.

You made me believe

that I could be Babe Ruth.

That that was possible,

that I could try to be like him.

But you know what, Dad?

It's not true.

Girls. You making fun of us?

I don't think that's very funny.

I have the room here from 4:30.

Jazz-band auditions.

Well, we're not done here yet,

so you'll just have to wait, okay?

All right, girls, focus.

Eyes front. Let's try it again, okay?

And one, two, three. One, two, three.

Jesus.

Hollister.

That kid Don Lemon brought up

to the Yankees?

Did he make the news in New York?

You know, he reminded me of Billy Jr.

I thought he really had a chance.

I taught him things I believe.

He never even got an at bat.

Can you imagine that?

You spend your whole life...

...dreaming of making it there,

then get called into the Army.

Why couldn't they at least

let him have one?

Just one stinking big-league at bat?

Wasn't any sugar left.

Must have used it all up.

Billy, take a look at this lineup now.

The great New York Yankees.

No DiMaggio, no Bill Dickey.

- The starters are all gone.

- Yeah.

In another few months...

...the war's gonna take everybody

between the ages of 18 and 35.

We're gonna have another chance.

- I'm too damn old.

- No, no, not with the way things are now.

The war's changing everything.

We've gotta get Don Lemon

here in that fancy car of his...

...and take another look at you.

Big leagues, New York City?

I haven't heard you talk like this

since I was a little girl.

Your mother's dreaming, sweetie.

- All right, Lane. Come on. Batter up.

- One time, right down the middle.

- Come on.

- You too, baby. One more, one more.

My brother never had any interest

in baseball.

I mean, he could barely

even throw a ball.

But it was him, not me...

...who helped my father

get guys organized and start playing.

And after that, it just...

It was never the same between me

and my father and brother.

Wait.

Let's go, come on!

Two teams.

Pick which one you want to be on.

- Home-run champ, bro.

- What?

- Da kine Hawaiian league.

- Shortstop, Fresno Tigers.

Let's go, let's go.

- Come on.

- Go, go, go.

In the middle! We got him!

Thank you, son.

Give me something right here.

Give me something. Give me something.

Come on, Lane.

- Foul, it's a foul ball.

- Oh, yeah.

- Home run all the way, little brother.

- It's a foul ball. Foul ball.

- Fair ball. Fair ball.

- Foul ball.

- Fair.

- No way, come on.

Fair. Fair. That's fair.

Fair.

Hey.

- Hi.

- Hey, come on up and sit in.

Oh, no, no, no. I was just curious.

I've never been to a dance like this before.

- No, come on up.

- No, no, no. Seriously, no, I can't.

Oh, I'm sorry.

I didn't realize you were afraid.

- Let's go.

- I need you to let her sit in.

- All right, we're about to hit the melody.

- Okay.

You ready?

- Hey, take a verse.

- What?

A verse, a solo. Take a verse.

There's no solo written here.

Just try it, play what you feel.

Hey.

- You weren't so bad in there.

- Oh, yeah, right.

No, I'm serious.

Started off a little stiff,

but you started to get the hang of it.

When I got up, I thought

I was gonna have a heart attack.

You know,

I was just like that my first time.

- Down at the Avenue.

- What's the Avenue?

You want a drink?

Sure.

Oh, so Central Avenue, downtown L.A.

All the best players in the country

go there.

And so this one night...

...somehow I got up the nerve

to just go on down there for jam night.

- By myself.

- Oh, my gosh.

I mean, I was so nervous...

...I just stood by the edge of the stage.

Everyone was looking at me

funny because...

I mean, it's a hundred percent

colored people over there.

So they finally call my name

and I put my horn to my lips.

- And nothing.

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