Spirit of the Game Page #5

---

this is a silly idea,

but if President McKay

thinks we should,

then I will support it.

Oh! And don't forget

Elder Kimball.

He was a star at

Provo High School.

Let me be quite clear.

You are first and

foremost missionaries.

You'll manage your time well,

but if your work should suffer,

then you'll be relieved

of this assignment.

Basketball, in and of itself,

doesn't convert

people to the gospel.

So always remember who you are

and what you stand for.

Yes, sir.

When you guard me, you want to

stand a little closer if you can.

Yeah, and keep low.

Okay.

You'll see

which way I'm going to cut.

Good, that's it, well done.

Halt. If you spread your

hands wider on the ball,

it's easier to control.

I don't need any help from you.

Okay.

Hey, come on.

Come, boys. Time out.

Let's just have a spell, fellas.

Can you try and

put into practice

what it is that

they're telling us?

We don't...

They're here to help us!

We don't need these guys.

Yes, we do, Jim.

We can't run to the Yanks every

time we need our necks saved.

It was bad enough

during the bloody war.

So what can we do

to improve ourselves?

Playing basketball is one thing.

How you live your life

is another.

All I'm saying to you guys, if

you're smoking, if you're drinking,

you're crucifying your bodies

and wasting your life.

You don't see us running up

court gasping for air, do you?

Hey! Go back

and join your team.

I don't need sermons,

and I don't need them to

tell me how to live my life.

I think you do, Jim,

'cause you're not doing a

very good job of it yourself.

Go back and join

your team. Please.

Anyway, I've seen you all doing the shots.

That's great.

You've got

the two-handed set shot,

but we really want to start

focusing on the jump shot.

And the point of the jump

is to shoot from

a higher position

to make it more difficult

for the defender to block.

It also lowers

the angle of the basket.

So let's try some.

And now we're

privileged to have in the studio

members of the Mormon Yankees

basketball team.

We sure do appreciate

you taking the time...

Listen!

It's the elders!

That's Elder Condie.

I just love their accents.

Yes, sir, that's correct.

Oi! We're listening

to that!

I've heard some bad things

about these Mormons.

They sacrifice live goats and try

to trap you into their cult.

They don't do that, Jim! They're

very nice people.

Well, I'll have nothing to do

with 'em and neither will you

if you want to stay

married to me.

And no more going to their church.

It's a waste of time.

Stop being

a drongo and fix the car.

Shush! I can't hear.

Well, we wish

you and your team all the best

for the up-and-coming Bendigo

game with the state team.

And now a word from our sponsor.

So the state team invite us to

play in a city two hours away,

and we have to hitchhike

while the others drive?

How did we draw the short straw?

Think of it as a way

to meet people.

Hey. It says here, "The discovery

of gold in Bendigo during the 1850s

"made it one of

the most significant

"Victorian boom towns

in Australia."

Hey, we might find a nugget.

I need to find a bathroom.

And get bit on the

butt by a snake?

I'll hold.

I think we should split up.

Be a lot easier

to pick up two than four.

Good idea.

We'll run ahead

and if you get a ride,

have them pick us up.

Is something on your mind, then?

How can you keep

pushing all the time?

Doesn't this ever get to you?

Don't you miss your family?

Yeah, I do.

I just keep working.

Yeah, I am working.

More than I've ever worked.

Sacrificed so much,

and for what?

I just want to be at home

with my family.

You're not the only one

who feels like that.

The more I let it get to me,

the further away I feel.

As much as I want

to be near them,

to sit on the porch with my dad,

or to smell my mom's cooking...

I know this isn't forever.

But I want to finish

what I started here first.

Is your mom a good cook?

Oh, brother, she's the best.

Thanksgiving especially.

What about yours?

Every year my dad would get a

turkey before Thanksgiving,

and my brother would attach

himself to it, claim it as a pet.

He didn't realize

we were eating his pet

until he was eight or nine.

He's never eaten turkey since.

Hey.

Thanks.

Where you headin', cobber?

Bendigo.

Okay, jump in.

Hey, here they are.

Thank you.

Go, go, go!

Come on.

You guys, come on.

Okay.

No... Hey!

Guys. Stop kidding

around, guys. Come on.

Real funny, guys, really funny.

Nice one, guys.

What do you mean

they've cancelled the game?

I don't know any details.

They just said the game was off.

They couldn't notify us earlier?

So we've hitchhiked

all this way for nothing?

Well done, Condie, that's another

fine mess you got us into.

So, what do we do now?

Head back home, I guess.

I see what they mean about

four seasons in one day.

It's freezing!

Hey. Are you guys

those Mormon Yankees?

Yes, sir, we are.

Oh, I've been looking

everywhere for you.

How did you know

where to find us?

Well, there's not too many

American-looking fellas

above six foot around here.

I'm John Whitaker from

the Bendigo prison.

Heard your game got cancelled.

We were wondering whether

you'd be interested

in having a bit of an exhibition

game up at the prison.

A prison?

Who would we play?

Prisoners.

I've coached some of

them into a team,

and we play in the local league.

When they heard you

were coming to Bendigo,

they all wanted to play

the great Mormon Yankees.

Isn't it meant to

rain today, sir?

You're Mormons, aren't you?

Can't you take care of that?

Can I have a quick

word with my team?

We cannot play in a prison.

President Bingham

will freak out.

But can you think of

any group of people

under the sun

who we could help more?

He could send you home.

I'm not just

passing the time, Hull.

What if we get stabbed?

We're here. We got

nothing else to do.

You know, I saw

a James Cagney film once

where the prisoners had shivs

and stabbed each other.

We'll play on one condition.

We get a hot meal.

And some ice cream.

Done.

I've spent my whole life living

right and I end up in prison.

Just don't be here

when we leave.

Hey, it's great to see you. Thanks, boys.

Thanks for coming.

We really appreciate this.

Well, I got a girl

She's fine

She looks like

Frankenstein

She got friends

Well, that's true

But I think they

come from a zoo

But I love her

Yes, I do

'Cause she is my girl

She got big eyes

and droopy lips

And when she walks

Her hips do the flip

She's got a smile

Boy, she can

giggle a while

But I love her

Yes, I do

'Cause she is my girl, yeah!

If I had to climb a mountain

or swim the deepest sea

She's the only girl for me

That's it, that's all

Just look

what you have done

But I love her

Yes, I do

'Cause she is my girl

A prison?

What were you thinking?

The opportunity was there,

so I did

what I thought was right.

What you thought was right.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes