The Rookie Page #5

Synopsis: Jim Morris is a Texas high school chemistry teacher and coach of the school's baseball team. He's always loved baseball and as a way of motivating his players, he agrees to go to a professional try-out if they win the championship. He once had aspirations to be a professional baseball player but an injury brought that to an end. Sure enough, the 39 year-old father of three finds himself at a camp for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and he somehow seems to have regained his pitching arm, easily throwing a 98 mph fastball. Signed to a contract, he toils in the minor leagues while his supportive wife stays home raising their children. He soon finds himself called up to the big club and pitching for Tampa which is in Texas playing the Rangers. Based on a true story.
Genre: Drama, Family, Sport
Director(s): John Lee Hancock
Production: Buena Vista Distribution Compa
  5 wins & 4 nominations.
 
IMDB:
7.0
Metacritic:
72
Rotten Tomatoes:
84%
G
Year:
2002
127 min
$75,456,736
Website
1,877 Views


# And the rockets' red glare #

# The bombs bursting in air #

# Gave proof

through the night #

# That our flag

was still there #

# Oh, say, does that

star-spangled banner yet wave #

# O'er the land of the free #

# And the home of the brave #

[ Cheers and applause ]

Cal:
[ On P.A. ]

A stirring rendition

from Big Lake

Rotary President,

Henry Sampson.

All right, all right.

We're a different team

than last time

we played these guys.

They're ripe

for the pickin'.

Just...Iet's not be nervous

out there.

[ Panting ]

Nothing to be nervous about.

Let's play baseball.

[ Cheers ]

[ Cheering ]

Go! Go! Go!

Go all the way!

Coach:
Wave him home!

Home! Home! Home!

Safe!

Yes! Yeah!

Come on, guys.

Guys, come on.

Settle down.

Owls player:
Shake it off,

baby. Shake it off.

Wack!

Give me the ball!

Damn!

Boys from Big Lake

In an early hole --

Keep your heads up.

Get this thing back to even.

Wack:
It's all right.

Joel:
Come on, boys.

It's the first inning.

All right, Brandon,

grab some wood.

Joe David, you're on deck.

This guy's fastball stinks,

so be looking out for his curve,

all right?

Umpire:
Batter up!

All right, one hit at a time,

one swing at a time,

one run at a time.

Come on, now.

Watch him! Let's go!

What do you say, Miguel?

Wack:
All right, Miguel.

Come on.

Joel:
Let's get a hit.

Let's get a hit.

Umpire:
He's out!

[ Groans ]

Damn.

Owls still with that zero

up on the board.

Rowley player:
Throw him out!

Out!

A scorcher that dang-near

took our boy's head off.

[ Applause ]

[ Cheering ]

Whoo!

Come on, slide!

Safe! And that puts Big Lake

In scoring position.

You all right?

Owls player:
Whoo!

Cal:
Rudy Bonilla coming

to the plate.

[ Cheering continues ]

Come on, baby!

Come on!

Owls player:
Come on!

Let's go!

Owls player #2:
Come on!

Send him home!

[ Cheering ]

Safe! Safe!

Yeah!

A suicide squeeze,

and the Owls

are on the scoreboard.

Go, ball, go!

Yeah!

[ Cheering ]

Yeah!

Spectacular catch, and the Owls

are hanging in there.

Come on, Wack!

Cal:
Joe David

is still on first base.

I see it! I see the fear

in his eyes, Wack!

Come on, baby!

Come on, baby! Just do it!

Let's go, baby!

Joel:
Let's go, Wack!

Come on!

Come on, now!

Come on, Wack!

Go, Wack!

Come on, Wack!

Come on, Wack!

Come on, Wack!

Let's go, Wack!

Come on, baby!

[ Cheering ]

[ Whistling ]

Go! Go!

Go! Come on!

Stay! Stay!

Whoa! Whoa!

Whoo!

No!

Safe!

Yeah!

Whoo!

Joe David!

Whoo!

Yes!

Big Lake takes the lead.

Rudy Bonilla

working with a full count.

Ruffneck runners

on first and second.

Owls player:

Smoke it by him!

Come on, 'Necks!

You can do it!

[ Grunts ]

Ball four.

[ Groans ]

Bases now full of Ruffnecks.

[ Cheering and applause ]

Owls player:
Right here, Rudy!

Right here, right now!

Owls player #2:
We got him!

Owls player #3:

Let's go, Rudy!

Let's get this out!

Look him down, Rudy!

Look him down!

Cal:
Last year's District MVP

Cory Jones coming to the plate.

Rowley player:

All right, Cory!

Rowley player #2:

'Necks all the way!

Owls player:

Throw him some heat, Rudy!

Woman:
Yeah! Whoo!

[ Cheers and applause ]

Umpire:
Ball!

[ Booing ]

Come on, baby!

Joe David:

Come on, Rudy!

What do you say now?!

Aw, come on, now, Rudy!

Come on, baby!

Get this last out!

-- Come on!

-- Strike him out, Rudy!

Come on!

Strike him out!

Jimmy:
Here we go!

Here we go!

Owls player:
He's got nothing!

He's got nothing!

Joe David:
Look alive!

Man:
Come on! Tighten up, now!

Tighten up!

Strike!

[ Cheers and applause ]

Oh, he is having

to dig deep now.

One-and-one count.

[ Grunts ]

[ Grunts ]

[ Gasping ]

Go. Go.

Goin' foul! Goin' foul!

Foul ball!

[ Sighs ]

Goin' foul! Yeah!

Ball.

Let me tell you, folks,

they don't make foul balls

any scarier than that one.

Come on, Rudy!

Let's go!

Come on, Rudy!

You can do it!

Bear down, baby!

Bear down!

[ Cheering continues ]

We need another strike,

Rudy.

What do you say, Rudy?!

Come on!

He can't hit you!

-- He got nothing on you!

-- He can't hit you!

Come on, now, rapid-fire, baby.

Rapid-fire.

-- It's just a long strike now.

-- You can do it, Rudy!

You own him, Rudy!

Come on, baby!

You got to do this one!

This punk can't hit you, Rudy!

Come on!

He got nothing on you!

Dig deep, Rudy.

One time, for all the marbles.

Let's go, baby.

Joe David:
Come on, Rudy!

What do you say?!

Strike this guy out!

Come on!

[ Grunts ]

Strike three!

[ Cheering ]

Owls win!

Owls win!

Owls win! Owls win!

Owls win!

[ Cheering continues ]

Whoo-hoo!

[ Cheering continues ]

Yeah!

Owls win!

Owls win!

Owls win!

[ "Jump Around" by House Of Pain

plays on stereo ]

[ Owls continue cheering ]

# Pack it up, pack it in,

let me begin #

# I came to win,

battle me, that's a sin #

# I won't tear the sack up,

punk, you'd better back up #

# Try and play the role

and then the whole crew

will act up #

# Get up, stand up,

come on, throw your hands up #

# If you've got the feeling

jump across the ceiling #

# Muggs is a funk fest,

someone's talking junk #

# Yo, I'll bust 'em in the eye,

and then I'll take the punks

home #

# Feel it, funk it, amps

in the trunk, and I got... #

Hey.

Hey, hey, hey, hey.

-- Settle down, fellas.

-- [ Music stops ]

Wack:
Yeah, come on, guys.

Quiet down.

To the man who taught us

about wanting something more.

Coach Jimmy Morris

of the District Champion

Big Lake Owls!

[ Cheering ]

We wanted it,

and now we got it! Yeah!

[ Cheering and applause

continues ]

[ Cheering and applause

stops ]

Now it's your turn,

coach.

It's your turn, coach.

Your turn, coach.

It's your turn, coach.

It's your turn, coach.

It's your turn, coach.

It's your turn, coach.

It's your turn, coach.

Your turn, coach.

[ Baby crying ]

Here you go.

[ Smacking ]

Eat your cereal.

Come on.

[ Smacks ] Come on.

First day

of summer registration.

I'm gonna have to skip

breakfast.

Mommy, you can take

some Mister Crunch

with you if you like.

He's a captain, Jessie.

Don't go bustin' rank on him.

Thanks anyway, hon.

You got anything

going today?

Me?

No.

-- We need to go see

the real estate guy.

-- [ Cries ]

He's been a captain forever.

Why don't they make him

something better?

Like, you mean, like,

like Admiral Crunch?

Just say, "Yes, ma'am,"

so I know you heard me.

Yes, ma'am.

Take 'em all with you

if you go.

[ Smooching ]

You kids mind your daddy.

Remind me not to forget Jamie

if we go anywhere.

[ Brakes squeak ]

They got lots of players,

Daddy.

[ Sighs ]

[ Engine stops ]

Man:
Sign right here.

Have your players get in line,

coach.

Everybody signs in.

Jim Morris.

Dave Patterson.

I saw you when the Brewers

drafted you.

Must have been, uhh...

Awhile back.

Yeah.

How ya doing, Dave?

Good.

You, um...

You still looking

at players?

Oh, well, the looking's

the easy part.

It's the finding

that gives me trouble.

-- Mm.

-- You bring some kids...

Rate this script:5.0 / 1 vote

Mike Rich

Michael A. "Mike" Rich (born 1959) is an American screenwriter best known for his writing on sports-related films. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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    "The Rookie" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 22 Nov. 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/the_rookie_17146>.

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