The Rookie Page #3

on Saint Patty's Day.

[ Coins rattle ]

Woman:
All right, boys.

Get a hit.

Cal:
[ On P.A. ]

Rudy Bonilla, hoping to

spark a Big Lake rally.

Come on, Rudy!

Be a hitter!

Owls player:

Keep your eye on it.

Strike three!

Cal:
Strike three called,

and the Owls drop

their season opener.

It's all right.

It's okay. Good effort.

It's only one.

If we don't start hitting,

it's not gonna be the only one.

Opposing player:
Good game.

Good game, buddy.

Cal:
Drive safely

on your way home now, folks.

Good game.

Good game.

[ "Baby, I Ain't Gotta Do That

No More" plays ]

[ Humming ]

Where do you keep

your brooms, Cal?

Closet.

Right here, sweetheart.

Owls player:
Come on, Cory.

Give it a ride.

-- Give it a ride, now.

-- [ Smooches ]

Matt:
Get ready, Cory.

Owls player #2:

Guy couldn't throw a fit...

Come on, Cory!

-- Yeah!

-- Oh!

Joel:
Play's at second,

Miguel!

-- [ Sighs ]

Blue!

Time!

Cal:
[ On P.A. ]

And the Owls are down 10.

Not your day, Rudy.

Not my year.

Looks like

coach Jimmy Morris

is making a pitching change.

Owls player:

Shake it off, Rudy!

Cal:
Just a reminder, folks --

the concession stand

is still open.

Jimmy:
Anybody want to tell me

how we lost that game?

Hmm?

No?

How 'bout taking a look

at the numbers

on that scoreboard

out there?

What do those numbers

tell you?

How to get ahold

of Bo's Tire Barn?

[ Laughter ]

You quit.

You quit out there.

You quit on me, and worse,

you quit on yourselves.

Now, what is it?

Think people don't care about

baseball around here?

Think the school's gonna

drop the program?

You're just making it easy

for 'em.

Sad part about it is,

I see it and you don't.

Look, guys...

Most of you...

[ Exhales sharply ]

You're gonna

finish up school here,

you're gonna work the rigs,

you're gonna work at

Bo's Tire Barn,

you're gonna raise a family

and retire,

and you're gonna do all that

right here in Big Lake.

And there's nothing wrong

with that.

A lot of real good people have

done that.

I'm doing it.

But if you're looking for

something more

after you're done here,

you better give

some serious thought

as to how you're gonna play out

the rest of this season.

What difference

does it make?

I mean, it's not

like any of us are

getting scholarships.

I'm not talking about

college.

I'm talking about

wanting things in life.

I'm talking about

having dreams.

And all that starts

right here.

Okay? Right here.

You don't have dreams,

you don't have anything.

Joel:
Coach,

what about you?

I mean,

you talk about our dreams.

I... [ Sighs ] I mean,

I've been catching yours --

Joel, we are not talking

about me.

Yeah, come on, coach.

Every time you throw,

I got to ice my hand --

every time.

Y-you're the one

who should be

wanting something more.

And the sad part is,

I mean...

We see it and you don't.

Now, listen,

I've had my shot, all right?

Just... [ Sighs ]

Look, we got practice

tomorrow.

Let's go.

-- So you take another shot.

-- It doesn't work like that.

It does if

you throw hard enough.

I don't throw hard enough,

all right?

-- Now let's hit the shower.

Come on.

-- N-Now wait a minute.

We start winning,

you try out again.

[ Scoffs ]

[ Exhales deeply ]

Last time I checked,

scouts aren't looking for

high-school science teachers.

Well, not many science

teachers throw like you.

-- No kidding.

-- Yeah.

-- No lie.

[ Sighs ] Take a heck of a lot

more than a couple of Wins

to get me to make

a fool of myself.

All right.

What if we win district?

Huh?

What if we win district

and go to state playoffs? Then?

Are you serious?

Yeah, absolutely.

Are you serious?

Yeah.

Yeah.

And all I have to do is just

find some kind of tryout

somewhere?

That's it, man.

[ Clears throat ]

All right.

-- Yeah!

-- Yeah!

-- Yeah!

If...

-- If you win district.

-- Yeah!

Come on, man,

we can do this!

-- Right on, man.

-- Yeah, coach!

We can take it!

Whoo!

Let's do this, man!

I don't get to tell Mom

about this, do l?

[ Guy Clark and Rodney Crowell's

"Stuff That Works" plays ]

[ Crickets chirping ]

# I got an old blue shirt,

and it suits me just fine #

[ Brakes squeaking ]

# I like the way it feels,

so I wear it all the time #

# I got an old guitar,

won't ever stay in tune #

# I like the way it sounds

in a dark and empty room #

# I got an old pair of boots,

and they fit just right #

Hmm.

# Well, I can work all day,

and I can dance all night #

# I got an old used car,

and it runs just like a top #

# I get the feeling

it ain't ever gonna stop #

# Stuff that works #

# Stuff that holds up #

# Is the kind of stuff

you don't hang on the wall #

# Stuff that's real #

# That stuff you feel #

# Is the kind of stuff

you reach for when you fall #

# Stuff that works #

# Stuff that holds up #

-- [ Vehicle passes by ]

-- # Is the kind of stuff

you don't hang on the wall #

# Stuff that's real #

# That stuff you feel #

# Is the kind of stuff

you reach for when you fall #

# The stuff that works #

-- [ Grunting ]

-- # The stuff that holds up #

# The kind of stuff

you don't hang on the wall #

-- [ Scraping ]

-- # Stuff that's real #

-- [ Breathes deeply ]

-- # That stuff you feel #

# Is the kind of stuff

you reach for when you fall #

[ Breathes deeply ]

[ Grunts ]

[ Sighs ]

[ Clicking ]

Cal:
You sure about this,

Henry?

Yeah. Deer get

a whiff of human hair,

they just keep on moving

till they don't smell it

no more.

I figure we put us

a circle

all the way

around the field here.

This is a lot of hair.

[ Chuckles ] Well,

from the looks of things,

contrary to popular opinion,

Cal ain't been cheating

nobody down there at his shop.

[ All laugh ]

[ lndistinct talking ]

It helps if you actually

wear those goggles,

Ms. Martinez.

Uh, coach...

[ Chuckling ]

Joel:
Yeah, baby.

Is that what

I think it is?

That, gentlemen, is

Bermuda Hybrid Number Five.

We're gonna have

a baseball field.

[ Doorbell rings ]

Maybe he's not home.

But he said

he'd be here.

[ Doorbell rings ]

Hey, Grandpa.

Hunter.

I was reading in the paper

this morning

that someone in your family

is having a birthday.

That's a kid joke,

Grandpa.

Kid joke? No kidding?

Jimmy.

Sir.

Whoa!

It's kinda big.

Oh, you'll grow into it

faster than you think.

Look, Dad, it doesn't have

any fingers.

That's 'cause

it's a first-baseman's mitt.

Uh...is that wrong?

Well, you know, l-I probably

got the receipt somewhere.

Uh, we can just --

we can get another one, huh?

One with fingers.

That's okay, Grandpa.

I like first base.

Can I go outside

and play, Dad?

[ Clears throat ] Yeah.

What do you say first?

Thank you, Grandpa.

I really like it a lot.

Oh.

[ Chuckling ] Oh.

Stay in the yard.

If he decides he wants

one with fingers...

I'll take care of it.

[ Sighs ]

I didn't know

you had these.

Oh, yeah.

Your mother gave me a few.

Hmm. She'd be the one

to have 'em.

# Happy birthday to you #

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