The Natural Page #7

about you, but he's making me nuts!

All right, here we go.

Come on, Diz.

You get that, Max?

Don't ever look back, Max! Ever!

Oh, my God!

Can you stand? Roy?

- We should've had more sense!

- It's all right. No one will know.

No one's gonna know.

Take it easy.

We better get you

back to the hospital.

Who's there?

Don't be alarmed.

I understand that you are playing.

- I wouldn't want you to dock my pay.

- On the contrary.

I wish to augment it with a bonus.

Now, as you may know,

we are favoured to win.

Which puts you back

working night court.

I have decided that

would be a grave mistake.

Now, financially speaking,

I can do better by not winning.

With your help, of course.

You put that in writing for Pop.

Now, as you may know, the prevailing

rate for this sort of thing...

...is $10,000.

I'm offering you twice that.

You're wasting your time.

You know as well as I do that

you're in no condition to play.

Then why the 20,000?

Insurance.

You could get into the game.

You could wreck it

with an unexpected blow.

That'd be the beauty of it.

It's a monumental mistake, Hobbs...

...in light of certain information

that I now possess.

Police photographs...

...taken 15 years ago...

...in a hotel room.

By the way...

...that's you.

A nice young boy.

Half-naked lady...

...lying in the street.

You, in her room, shot.

Nasty business.

Mercy.

Full disclosure of this scandal in the

eyes of your admirers and loved ones...

...could only cause

humiliation. Embarrassment.

It was suicide.

Oh, Mr. Hobbs...

...if kids should see this...

Now, it's a surprisingly

simple procedure.

You're to play your normal game,

except when you are at bat.

And then, under no circumstances,

are you to hit the ball safely.

They'll beat you without me.

Without you, they lost three in a row.

What is more, I have a contingency

plan for their flat failure.

Who else is in on this?

A key man.

Good night, Mr. Hobbs.

Here's another. Listen.

"We love to watch you hit that ball.

We cheer when you're connecting.

But it really shocked us, one and all,

to hear that you're expecting. "

Hold it. I didn't write those lines.

I didn't think you could read.

The babies. Please!

What about the babies?

How would you like to wake up to this?

I can't have this noise.

You're disturbing the mothers.

I guess that's you, guys.

Get well quick.

You just go out there

and play great ball.

Take care.

Get well, we need you. Take care.

Look out on the way out.

Just keep your eyes straight ahead.

It's gonna be tough without you, Roy.

Thanks, Diz.

Miss!

Hi, I'm Max Mercy, sports columnist

for The Daily Mirror.

I saw your picture in the paper.

Very nice.

Roy and I go back a long way. I wonder

if you'll help me a little on this.

See, I need a little help

if you could give some.

For Roy's defence, okay?

Now, you know this woman?

You know what happened?

Anything to do with a love quarrel?

You might have known her,

she knew you, a love triangle?

A bad joke.

I thought you might be able

to help us with some little clue.

I'm gonna do everything I can

to keep this story from breaking.

Hey, miss?

Is there...

...a chair?

Doc says I have to quit baseball.

Why?

Some mistakes I guess

we never stop paying for.

I didn't even know her.

The girl on the train?

You liked her, didn't you?

Yes.

But I didn't see it coming.

How could you know she'd hurt you?

How could anyone?

- I didn't see it coming.

- You should've?

Yes.

But I didn't.

Why didn't I?

You were so young.

Things sure turned out different.

In what way?

Different.

For 16 years, I've lived

with the idea that I could be...

...the best in the game.

You're so good now!

I could've been better.

I could've broke

every record in the book.

And then?

"And then?"

When I walked down the street,

people would've said:

"There goes Roy Hobbs, the best

there ever was in this game. "

You know, I believe we have two lives.

How? What do you mean?

The life we learn with and

the life we live with after that.

With or without the records...

...they'll remember you.

Think of all those young boys

you've influenced.

There are so many of them.

That day in Chicago,

why did you stand up?

I didn't want to see you fail.

I wish Dad could've...

God, I love baseball.

Are you gonna go to the game tomorrow?

Is your son with you?

He is.

Excuse me.

Well, I gotta go.

Tomorrow, after we've lost...

...I want Pop Fisher out of here,

bag and baggage.

That's right. Lay it all

on the line, Harry.

All of it.

That's right. You heard me.

I'll call back.

Slugger, you okay?

I'm fine.

- You look a little lost.

- I'm not.

You dropped this on your way out.

Something seems amiss.

Correct me if I'm wrong, Hobbs,

but we had a deal.

No.

Those are your winnings.

This is a gag.

Pick it up, get out.

If it isn't enough money,

tell us what you've got in mind.

To hit away.

I thought I could rely on your honour.

You're about to.

You're a foolish, foolish man.

You've forgotten something.

Your past.

I don't care. Go on.

Get on the phone.

No.

That won't be necessary.

I like the action.

Then let it ride.

You bastard!

I hate you.

I hate you.

You were right, Memo.

We have met before.

You're a lot weaker than I thought.

What do you think this changes?

Have Max draw you a picture. You can

read about it in the morning paper.

You're yesterday's news, kid.

You had a great gift, a talent.

But it's not enough.

I think you're a loser.

You can't let him go.

Relax.

With his insides, he's as good

to us now as he was before.

Besides, we're $20,000 richer.

I wanted to win that pennant worse than

I wanted any goddamned thing in my life.

You'd think I could

just this once, wouldn't you?

I didn't care nothing

about the Series.

Win or lose,

I would have been satisfied.

I'd have walked away from baseball,

and I'd have bought a farm.

Nothing like a farm.

Nothing like being around animals,

fixing things.

There's nothing like being in the field

with the corn and the winter wheat.

The greenest stuff you ever saw.

You know, my mother told me

I ought to be a farmer.

My dad wanted me to be

a baseball player.

You're better than

anyone I ever had.

And you're the best

goddamned hitter I ever saw.

Suit up.

Still dogging me, huh, Max?

End of the road, Hobbs.

You wanna hear what I think

our chances are?

You read my mind.

That takes all of 3 seconds.

They come and they go, Hobbs.

They come and they go.

I'll be around here longer

than you or anybody else here.

I'm here to protect this game.

Whose game?

I do it by making

or breaking the likes of you.

Did you ever play ball, Max?

No, never have.

But I make it a little

more fun to watch, you see.

And after today, whether

you're a goat or a hero...

...you're gonna make me a great story.

See you around.

And here come the New York Knights

as they take the field.

Everyone will have their eyes

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