The Rookie Page #9

# Better days

around the corner #

# Droppin' on your knees

before you plead #

# There is a light

at the edge of the shadows #

# There is a light #

[ Music fades ]

Team won't be here

for a couple of hours.

Feel free to look around.

[ Sighs ]

We ain't in Kansas anymore,

are we, Riv?

Announcer:
[ On P.A. ] Good

evening, ladies and gentlemen,

and welcome to The Ballpark

in Arlington.

It's baseball time in Texas.

Tonight's game,

the Tampa Bay Devil Rays

against your Texas Rangers.

[ Air whooshes,

ball slaps mitt ]

[ lndistinct talking ]

[ Air whooshes,

ball slaps mitt ]

[ Slaps ]

[ Grunts ]

[ Air whooshes ]

-- Hmm...

-- [ Chuckles ]

[ Slaps ]

[ Air whooshes,

ball slaps mitt ]

[ Fan whistling ]

Jimmy!

Jimmy Morris!

Hunter:
Dad!

Man:
Let's go, Rangers!

Boy:
Come on,

let's play ball!

Jessica:
Hi, Dad.

[ Chuckling ] Hi.

You look great.

Kids, doesn't your daddy

look great?

-- Yup.

-- Yeah.

Hey.

Hey.

[ Laughing ]

I can't believe it.

[ Giggling ]

Hi, sweetheart.

Hi, Daddy.

-- You're so big.

-- Yeah.

Hey, partner.

I missed you.

Me too.

P.A. announcer:

Here are the starting lineups

for tonight's game.

Well, kids, we'd better

let your daddy get to work.

See ya after.

[ Man shouting indistinctly

in background ]

[ Chuckles ]

Okay.

Come on.

Radio announcer:

Down at The Ballpark,

the Devil Rays went down

and now the Rangers try to get

their high-scoring offense

on track in the bottom

of the first.

P.A. announcer:

Leading off for the Rangers,

the center fielder,

number 24, Tom Goodwin.

[ Cheers and applause ]

Radio announcer:
Three balls

and a strike, one out.

The pitch on the way.

It is low. Ball four.

Runners at first and second --

a scoring chance for Texas.

P.A. announcer:
...Page 24

in your souvenir program.

Here's tonight's...

Radio announcer:
Here's

the pitch. It is swung on

and lined to center field --

-- [ Cheers and applause ]

-- A base hit.

A run will score.

-- You see Daddy?

He's right there.

-- Runners at first and second.

It's 1-0, Texas,

and the Rangers have

a 1-0 lead.

There's a swing

and a base hit to right field,

and this game

is now a 1-1 tie.

[ Organ plays fanfare ]

-- Charge!

-- Charge!

-- Charge!

Radio announcer:

Last half of the 4th inning

about to get underway.

It's the Rangers 1

and the Devil Rays 1.

[ Slap ]

-- The pitch in the dirt again,

the third one he has thrown.

-- [ Telephone rings ]

And we're about to get

some action, it appears,

in the Tampa Bay bullpen.

Pitching coach:

Blanton, Miller.

[ Telephone hangs up ]

The pitch is on the way.

Swung on, and a shot to the gap

in right-center field.

It looks like extra bases.

One run is home.

Two runs are home.

The throw cut off.

The play at third --

out at third base!

Rangers 3, Devil Rays 1,

here in the bottom of the 6th.

P.A. announcer:
... On this day

in baseball history.

Radio announcer:

Runners at first and second --

a golden chance

for the Rangers.

Here's the set.

The pitch on the way.

A swing and a smash up

the alley in left-center field.

That will score two.

It's the Rangers 5,

the Devil Rays 1.

Texas has broken it open.

[ Cheers and applause ]

P.A. announcer:

The Devil Rays and Rangers

also play on Sunday night.

Game time is 7:
05,

and it's Cap Night.

-- [ Telephone rings ]

-- All fans 13 and under

receive a Rangers cap.

Game time Sunday is 7:05.

Morris!

Start warming up.

Mommy.

Hmm?

It's daddy in the bullpen.

Oh, my Lord.

Cal:
Hey. Hey, guys.

-- Is that him?

-- There he is.

There he is.

There he is.

-- Look, he's in the bullpen.

-- [ Frank chuckling ]

There he is.

Yep, he looks good.

Come here.

Here, have a look-see.

Radio announcer:

Blanton trying to

get out of a bases-loaded jam.

There's a swing and a smash

right back at him.

He retrieves the ball

in front of the mound,

-- [ Cheering ]

-- Throws to first.

And he throws it away.

Another run will come home.

Two runs for Texas

on the play,

and the Rangers have

busted this game wide open.

And Blanton

may have been hurt

on that rocket

right back to the mound.

-- [ Air whooshes ]

-- Jim Morris continues

to throw in the bullpen,

-- Mmm. Mmm-hmm.

See? It's coach.

-- The left-hander

from Big Lake, Texas.

P.A. announcer:
...Gift shops

and novelty stands located

throughout the ballpark...

Let's go! Come on!

Get loose, coach!

Get loose!

Radio announcer:

The Tampa Bay trainer

-- [ Telephone rings ]

is on his way

out to the mound to check.

It appears the Devil Rays

might have to make

a pitching change.

Morris!

You're in!

[ Cheering ]

Go, coach Morris!

Whoo!

[ Whistles ]

[ Cheering continues ]

Let's go, coach!

Just three months ago,

he was grading chemistry tests.

And now Jim Morris

finds himself on the mound

in a major-league ballpark.

-- [ Organ plays ]

-- Little louder

than back home?

Well, then let's not

make this too hard.

You remember that fastball you

were showing me before the game?

-- I think so.

-- Well, I need three of 'em.

P.A. announcer:

Ladies and gentlemen,

your attention please.

Coming in to pitch

for Tampa Bay,

a fellow Texan making his

major-league debut, Jim Morris.

[ lndistinct talking,

papers rustling ]

Radio announcer:

Morris will be facing

Ranger shortstop Royce Clayton.

Royce has had

a very strong second half,

and has not cooled off any

here in the month of September.

Come on, Dad!

[ Scraping ]

[ Cheering and whistling ]

[ Breathing heavily ]

[ Sighs deeply ]

[ Cheering intensifies ]

-- [ Grunts ]

-- [ Air whooshes ]

-- Yeah!

-- Yeah!

Yes!

[ Cheers and applause ]

Devil Rays player:

One more time!

Come on, baby!

[ Air whooshes ]

Strike two!

Oh, what?

Yeah! Whoo!

[ Cheering continues ]

Come on, get him!

Get him!

Come on, Jimmy! Whoo!

-- Whoo!

-- Yeah!

Whoo!

[ Scraping ]

[ Grunts ]

[ lnhales deeply, grunts ]

[ Exhales sharply ]

[ Grunts ]

[ Air whooshes ]

[ Cheers and applause ]

-- Yeah!

-- Yeah!

-- Yeah!

Yay!

Whoo!

Good job!

Congratulations, man.

-- Thanks, man.

-- Great job.

[ Laughing ]

[ lndistinct talking ]

Reporter:
Jimmy? Jimmy?

What pitches did you throw

to get that strikeout?

Um...fastball...

-- Mm-hmm.

...Fastball...

And...fastball.

-- [ All chuckling ]

-- Reporter#2:

How'd it feel --

pitching in the major leagues?

Just like I hoped it would.

How's the arm feel?

Oh....

Uh, could you excuse me

for just -- for one second?

Could you excuse me?

Sir...I-I didn't know

you were here.

Wasn't missing this one.

Watching you tonight...

...Not many fathers

get a chance to do that.

I guess I let too many

of those things get away.

[ Sighs deeply ]

S-so did l.

[ Chuckles softly ]

Well, then...

[ Sighs ]

Hey, Dad?

Yeah?

Thanks for coming.

[ Footsteps departing ]

Does this mean I don't

get a baseball?

Oh...

[ Both breathing heavily,

moaning, smooching ]

That's all I got left.

Well, a girl

could do worse.

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