Bull Durham Page #3

---

EBBY UNLEASHES A WILD ONE -- And decks the Bull Mascot.

EBBY IN THE DUGOUT READS THE NOTE from Annie.

EBBY STRIKES OUT a Peninsula batter.

EBBY UNLEASHES ANOTHER WILD ONE and a batter hits the dirt.

End "Rock Around the Clock" and--

CUT TO:

INT. THE BULL LOCKER ROOM -- NIGHT

SKIP WALKS THROUGH THE PLAYERS ROOM -- Players are up, joking

irreverently.

JOSE:

Hey Lefty, hold 'em to 12 runs

every night, you'll win 20--

EBBY:

(he might be serious)

Had 'em all the way.

A DURHAM PLAYER SITTING HALF DRESSED in front of his locker.

A PICTURE OF JESUS hangs amidst his gear. The player, JIMMY,

25, has a Bible and prays softly to himself.

JIMMY:

Dear Lord, thank you for being

with us tonight, thank you for

protecting us from injury and--

DEKE WALKS BY, shaking Jimmy irreverently as he prays.

DEKE:

Wake up, wake up--

MICKEY (A BLACK) COMPLAINS TO TONY as they undress.

MICKEY:

This league is racist, man.

TONY:

Every time you go 0 for 4 you

think the league is racist-face

it, Mick, you're an equal

opportunity "out".

CUT TO:

THE MANAGER'S OFFICE -- A tiny cubicle, a desk, phone Larry

joins him with the pitching charts. Skip studies the charts.

SKIP:

He walked eighteen?!

LARRY:

It's a league record.

SKIP:

Struck out eighteen...

LARRY:

League record.

(beat)

And he hit the Radio Announcer, a

Sportswriter, and the Bull Mascot

twice--also league records--

(beat)

Joe, the guy's got some serious

sh*t.

THE DOOR OPENS -- A PLAYER ENTERS, in street clothes, carrying

his suitcases. CRASH DAVIS, 30, older than the other players.

And different. More than just opinions, he actually has a

point of view. A career minor leaguer, hanging on wherever

he can get a job. Unlike Ebby--Crash knows a lot about the

world without baseball. Also unlike Ebby--he loves baseball

desperately.

LARRY:

Who're you?

Crash speaks slowly, with a trace of cynicism and pride,

like an old warrior who knows he's just a hired gun.

CRASH:

I am the player to be named later.

Beat. Skip looks out, half dressed, from his cubicle.

SKIP:

Crash Davis?

CRASH:

The Crash Davis.

(beat, then nonstop))

And you, Larry Hockett, should

recognize me 'cause five years

ago in the Texas League when you

were pitching for El Paso and I

was hitting cleanup for Shreveport,

you hung a curve on an 0-2 pitch

of a 3-2 game in bottom of the

8th and I tattooed it over the

Goodyear Tire sign, beat you 4-3--

and I got a free wheel alignment

from Goodyear.

LARRY:

(remembering)

Ohyeah. I shoulda throwed a

slider. Damn, Crash, how're ya?

SKIP:

I'm Joe Riggins. Sit down

CRASH:

I'm too old for this sh*t. Why

the hell am I back in "A" ball?

SKIP:

'Cause of Ebby Calvin LaLoosh.

(beat)

The Big Club's got a hundred

grand in him-

LARRY:

He's got a million dollar arm and

a five cent head.

SKIP:

--we had the gun on him tonight--

the last five pitches he threw

were faster than the first five.

96 miles an hour, 98, 97, 97.

97. (beat) He's got the best

young arm I've seen in 30 years.

LARRY:

But he ain't quite sure which

plane he's on, y'know what I

mean...

SKIP:

You been around, you're smart,

you're professional, you know

what it takes--

(beat)

We want you to mature the kid.

CRASH:

"Mature" ain't a f***in' verb.

LARRY:

You go to college or what?

SKIP:

We want you to room with him on

the road and stay on his case all

year.

(beat)

He can go all the way.

CRASH:

And where can I go?

SKIP:

You can keep going to the ballpark

and keep gettin' paid to do it.

(beat)

Beats hell outta working at Sears.

LARRY:

Sears sucks, Crash, I tried it

once. Sold Lady Kenmores--it's

nasty, nasty work.

SKIP:

Even if it's the Carolina League--

this is a chance to play everyday.

CRASH:

(angrily)

You don't want a player, you want

a stable pony. My Triple A

contract gets bought out so I can

hold the Flavor o' the Month's

dick in the bus leagues?!

(angrily)

F*** this f***ing game... I

f***in' quit.

CRASH RISES TO LEAVE -- Picks up his luggage, and turns to

Skip and Larry before exiting. A deep breath

CRASH:

Who we play tomorrow?

Beat. They know, they share the inability to quit the game.

They're all clinging to the Church of Baseball.

SKIP:

Winston-Salem. Batting practice

at 4:
30.

CRASH LEAVES and as he does -- Ed (the catcher) enters.

ED:

You wanted to see me?

SKIP:

Yeah, Ed, shut the door...

He does. Remains standing. He can see it coming.

SKIP:

This is the toughest job a manager

has, Ed...

(deep breath)

But the organization has decided

to make a change--we're releasing

you from your contract...

CLOSE ON ED -- Silent. Motionless. Empty.

CUT TO:

INT. THE LOCKER ROOM --

CRASH PUTS HIS BAG IN A LOCKER as other players return from

the shower. Crash watches as EBBY SOAKS HIS ELBOW IN A TUB

OF ICE WATER as the sports writer, Whitey, interviews him.

WHITEY:

How's it feel to get your first

professional win?

EBBY:

It feels "out there". A major

rush. I mean it doesn't just

feel "out there" but it feels out

there.

CRASH:

Hopeless. Utterly f***ing

hopeless.

CUT TO:

INT. MAXWELL'S BAR -- LATER THAT NIGHT

Loud country music in the players' hangout and pickup spot.

It's full of players and lots of young women.

MILLIE SITS DOWN NEXT TO YET ANOTHER PLAYER, TONY, 25-- He's

slick, urban, smooth.

MILLIE:

Hi, I'm Millie.

TONY:

I'm Tony. I play left field.

MILLIE:

I know.

ANNIE SITS IN THE CORNER at her own table. Max Patkin,

looking spiffy in a turtle neck sweater and double breasted

blazer, sits down next to her. Old friends.

MAX:

Love the game, Annie, love it

(dead serious)

When I die I'm gonna have my ashes

sprinkled around a pitcher's mound

in some ballpark somewhere--

(beat)

--and I'll have a few ashes saved

for the rosin bag so I'll still

be in the game after I'm gone.

ANNIE:

What a sweet idea-

A COCKTAIL WAITRESS DELIVERS another round to them.

ANNIE:

We didn't order this, honey...

WAITRESS:

(she points)

He did.

P.O.V. CRASH DAVIS SITTING ALONE IN THE OTHER CORNER. HE

waves, and smiles easily.

ANNIE:

(to Max)

Who's that?

MAX:

Hey--that's Crash Davis. He's

played in more towns than I have.

Helluva guy--real different... I

actually saw him read a book

without pictures once

ANNIE:

Really? Kinda cute...

ANNIE NODS AT CRASH -- He comes over to her table, greets

Max as an old friend, and introduces himself.

CRASH:

I'm Crash Davis.

ANNIE:

Annie Savoy. Wanta dance?

CRASH:

I don't dance.

ANNIE:

I don't trust a man who don't

dance. It ain't natural.

SUDDENLY -- HARD CORE ROCK AND ROLL on the juke box. Several

couples dance, and out of the pack--

EBBY DANCES WITH A GROUPIE -- Spinning and whirling,

uninhibited and infectious. He's suddenly dancing with a

different WOMAN, then another, and another...

ANNIE, CRASH AND MAX WATCH the mad performance.

MAX:

Who's he dancing with?

ANNIE:

All of 'em, I think...

EBBY PUTS ON A ONE MAN SHOW ON THE DANCE FLOOR -- The whole

bar stops to watch him, applauding as he spins to a finish.

A quirkier "Saturday Night Fever" show. More naive, fun.

He climbs off the floor and joins Annie's table.

Rate this script:5.0 / 1 vote