Bull Durham Page #6

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CRASH IN THE BATTER'S BOX -- Digs in-again. Takes his stance.

Upright. Relaxed. Ready.

CRASH (VOICE OVER)

Shorten up. Bring the gas... Be

quick--be quick--yeah, yeah...

CUT TO:

ANNIE AND JACKSON IN THE STANDS -- She's writing a note

quickly, and hands it to Jackson, who hurries off.

CUT TO:

CRASH'S P.O.V. THE PITCHER'S NEXT PITCH -- A major league

fastball. It explodes to the plate. Crash swings. And

misses. Strike Three.

CRASH WALKS BACK TO THE DUGOUT -- Head high, no show of

emotion. Almost proud. An old Warrior, not giving an inch

even in defeat.

HE RE-ENTERS THE DUGOUT -- Sits down and starts putting the

catcher's gear back on. Deke leans over.

DEKE:

Serious heat, eh?

CRASH:

He ain't got sh*t.

THE BATBOY TAKES THE NOTE FROM JACKSON -- And hands it to

Crash, who refuses to accept it, being busy putting his gear

on.

BAT BOY:

From Annie.

CRASH:

Read it.

BAT BOY:

Dear Crash. You have a lovely

swing but you're pulling your

hips out too early. I'd be happy

to meet you at the Batting Cage

tomorrow to discuss it. Signed,

Annie.

DEKE:

Well if there's one chick'd know

when you're pulling your hips out

early, Annie's the one.

Crash doesn't seem too amused. He grabs the note, and the

pen hanging from the starting lineup card taped to the dugout

wall. He scrawls a quick note.

CUT TO:

ANNIE'S PRIVATE BOX -- She's watching the players through

binoculars as Jackson returns with the note.

ANNIE:

(looking through the

glasses)

What'd he say?

Jackson looks at the note uneasily, then reads--

JACKSON:

It says..."I want to-make...

love to you. Crash".

ANNIE PUTS DOWN THE GLASSES -- Takes the note.

ANNIE:

Oh my...

CUT TO:

EXT. A LOCAL BATTING CAGE DAY

ANNIE DIGS IN AT THE PLATE -- Bat in hand. Crash a few feet

away. Annie spits on her hands, wear batting glove, pumps

the bat back and forth.

THE MECHANICAL PITCHING MACHINE DELIVERS -- Kawoosh.

ANNIE SWINGS -- Lashes out a line drive. Crash smiles.

ANNIE:

See my hips?

CRASH:

Yep.

ANNIE:

I think Thomas Pynchon's a genius.

CRASH:

When you're hitting you shouldn't

think about anything but hitting.

(beat)

But you shouldn't think about it

too much. The trick is to use

your brain to not use your brain.

ANNIE:

But you were pulling your hips

last night.

CRASH:

So...Wanta make love?

ANNIE SWINGS AND MISSES the next pitch.

ANNIE:

I'm committed to Nuke for the

season. You had your chance the

other night.

CRASH:

What'you see in that guy--he's

dim, pretty boy. a young, wild,

ANNIE:

Young men are uncomplicated.

(Crash mutters)

And he's not "dim". He's just

inexperienced. My job is to give

him "life-wisdom" and help him

make it to the major leagues.

CRASH:

That's my job too.

ANNIE SWINGS AND MISSES another pitch.

ANNIE:

Damn.

CRASH:

You're pulling your hips out.

ANNIE:

But they're nice hips.

(beat)

I looked up your records-- You've

hit 227 home runs in the minors.

That's great!

ANNIE FOULS ONE OFF and digs in gamely.

CRASH:

Don't tell anybody.

ANNIE:

Why not? If you hit twenty homers

this year you'll be the all time

minor league champ! The record's

CRASH:

247 home runs in the minors would

be a dubious honor, if ya think

about it.

ANNIE:

Oh no, I think it'd be great!

The Sporting News should know

about it.

CRASH:

No. Please.

ANNIE SWINGS AND MISSES another one.

ANNIE:

Damn.

CRASH:

Let me.

CRASH STEPS IN TO HIT -- He takes his familiar stance. The

pitch comes. Crash drills it.

CRASH:

Your place or mine?

ANNIE:

Despite my love of weird

metaphysics and my rejection of

most Judao-Christian ethics, I

am, within the framework of a

baseball season, monogamous.

CRASH:

Fact is you're afraid of meeting

a guy like me 'cause It might be

real so you sabotage it with some

bullshit about commitment to a

young boy you

can boss around--

(whack--a line drive)

Great deal. You get to write

self- indulgent little poems all

winter about how hard it is to

find a man even though you just

sent him packing-

(whack--a line drive)

So what do you really want? You

wanta be a tragic woman figure

wallowing in the bullshit of magic?

(whack--a line drive)

Or do you want a guy?

The pitching machine arm flaps. Empty. Silence.

ANNIE:

Oh Crash...you do make speeches...

Crash puts the bat down, heads out the gate. She follows.

A LITTLE LEAGUE TEAM ARRIVES -- Twenty-five 10 year olds in

uniform with a couple PARENT COACHES.

LITTLE LEAGUER #1

Hey, are you Crash Davis! Can I

have a autograph?!

CRASH STOPS TO SIGN AUTOGRAPHS amidst 25 Little Leaguers.

CRASH:

(as he signs autographs)

Well, Annie, your place or mine?

ANNIE:

You got me all confused.

CRASH:

A batter has two tenths of a second

to decide whether to swing--

ANNIE:

I'm not a real batter. I'm a

woman.

LITTLE LEAGUER:

Hey, when are you guys gonna start

winning? You're terrible!

ANNIE:

It's a long season, boys.

SUDDENLY A VOICE -- Nuke pulls up, gets out of his Porsche.

NUKE:

Hey!

(coming over)

What're you guys doing here--

stealing my girl?

CRASH:

Now, Nuke, would I do a thing

like that?

(to the little leaguers)

Hey kids, this is the great Ebby

Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh.

LITTLE LEAGUERS:

It's Nuke, it's Nuke! Can I have

your autograph?! etc.

NUKE:

No prob, kids--

And suddenly Nuke is swept up into a sea of Little Leaguers.

Crash smiles as he turns Annie and the kids over to Nuke.

CRASH:

See you guys at the ballpark.

Crash leaves Annie with Nuke and 25 Little Leaguers.

CUT TO:

EXT. CRASH GETS INTO HIS CAR -- CONTINUOUS

AN AGING SHELBY MUSTANG CONVERTIBLE -- The paint's fading, a

couple dings in the body, but loaded under the hood.

CRASH PUNCHES HIS TAPE DECK -- Sam Cooke's "You Send Me".

ANNIE BITES HER FIST watching Crash leave.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. ANNIE'S BEDROOM -- DAY

The sounds of lovemaking in a darkened room lit only by a

few candles.

ANNIE:

Yes, yes, yesnmmmmyes...

(beat)

Oh my...

(several beats)

Oh, that was just fabulous, Crash.

Several beats of silence.

NUKE:

Crash?

He flips on a lamp near the bed.

NUKE:

You mean Nuke. You said "Crash".

ANNIE:

I didn't say "Crash". I said

Nuke.

NUKE:

You said "Crash".

ANNIE:

Honey, don't ever listen to a

woman when she's making love.

They'll say the strangest things.

NUKE:

You said "Crash".

ANNIE:

Would you rather me be making

love to him, using your name, or

making love to you, using his

name?

Nuke considers this fabulous logic.

NUKE:

Yeah maybe you're right.

ANNIE:

You see how nice things are when

we go slow?

Nuke sighs; and lets his head sink in the pillow.

NUKE:

Mmm, hmmm.

(beat)

You shoulda seen how many people

came to the airport to see me

off. When I got drafted first it

was the happiest day of my Father's

life.

(beat)

He likes baseball more than I

do...

ANNIE:

You can learn to like it.

NUKE:

I wanted to be the host of Dance

Fever, somethin' like that...

ANNIE:

Y'know if you make it to the Bigs

you could still become the host

of Dance Fever. Baseball's a

good stepping stone for things

like that.

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