Bull Durham

JOSE THE FIRST BASEMAN JOINS THEM ALL at the mound.

JOSE

Don't throw anything to me--my

girlfriend put a curse on my glove.

NUKE

I'll take the curse off the son

of a bitch!

JOSE

Then you got to cut the head off

a live rooster.

NUKE

Shit.

MICKEY JOINS THE CROWD from third base.

MICKEY

Don't worry, man, this umpire's a

God damn racist.

P.O.V. THE UMPIRE -- He's black.

CUT TO:

THE DUGOUT -- SKIP AND LARRY watch the growing meeting.

SKIP

What the hell's going on out there?

LARRY

It's a damn convention.

SKIP

Check it out.

CUT TO:

THE MOUND -- Larry joins the convention.

LARRY

What the hell's going on out here?

CRASH

Nuke's scared cause his nostrils

are jammed and his old man's here,

we need a live rooster to take

the curse off Jose's glove, and

nobody knows what to get Jimmy

and Millie for their wedding

present--there's a whole lotta

shit we're trying to deal with--

LARRY

Oh. I thought there was a problem.

CUT TO:

INT. ANNIE'S HOUSE NIGHT

ANNIE IS HELPING MILLIE make her WEDDING DRESS.

The game can be heard on the radio in the b.g.

MILLIE

You should be at the game.

ANNIE

No, no--I'm fine. Millie, how

much time did you and Jimmy spend

together before he proposed?

Annie holds the dress up to Millie.

MILLIE

Five hours. We both just know.

(studying the dress)

Do you think I deserve to wear

white?

ANNIE

We all deserve to wear white.

BOTH WOMEN TURN THEIR HEADS to the radio to listen.

TEDDY THE RADIO MAN

...line drive up the alley's gonna

score at least two, here comes

the relay--

CUT TO:

EXT. DURHAM BALLPARK THE GAME NIGHT

CRASH FLIPS HIS MASK -- A runner rounds third heading for

home. Here comes the throw, on a line. It hits once on the

infield grass, takes a long hop--

AS THE RUNNER BARRELS TOWARD THE PLATE -- Crash takes the

throw.

THE RUNNER SLIDES -- Crash blocks the plate. A cloud of

dust. A close play.

THE UMPIRE SIGNALS "SAFE" -- And Crash flips out. In a second

he is nose to nose with the UMPIRE.

CRASH

I got him on the knee!

UMPIRE

You missed him!

CRASH

God damn It, Jack, he still ain't

touched the plate.

THEIR FACES ARE INCHES APART -- Screaming face to face.

UMPIRE

Don't bump me.

CRASH

It was a cocksucking call!

UMPIRE

Did you call me a cocksucker?

CRASH

No! I said It was a cock-sucking

call and you can't run me for

that!

UMPIRE

You missed the tag!

CRASH

You spit on me!

UMPIRE

I didn't spit on you!

CRASH

You're in the wrong business,

Jack--you're Sears-Roebuck

material!

UMPIRE

You're close, Crash, you want me

to run you? I'll run you!

CRASH

You want me to call you a

cocksucker?!

UMPIRE

Try it! Go ahead. Call me a

cocksucker!

CRASH

Beg me!

UMPIRE

Call me a cocksucker and you're

outta here!

CRASH

Beg me again!

UMPIRE

Call me a cocksucker and you're

outta here!

CRASH

You're a cocksucker!

UMPIRE

You're outta here!

THE UMP THEATRICALLY THROWS CRASH out of the game.

CUT TO:

INT. ANNIE'S HOUSE -- SIMULTANEOUS

ANNIE AND MILLIE STARE at the radio.

TEDDY ON THE RADIO

...I've never seen Crash so angry

and frankly, Bull fans, he used a

certain word that's a "no-no"

with umpires...

MILLIE

Crash musta called the guy a

cocksucker

ANNIE

God, he's so romantic...

CUT TO:

INT. THE SHOWERS NIGHT

CRASH STANDS AGAINST the water, letting it stream across

him. He raises a can of beer to his lips, drinks it slowly

in the shower.

As the water runs over Crash...

ANNIE (VOICE OVER)

When Crash got throwed out, the

game got out of hand...

(beat)

...Jose made three errors with

his cursed mitt...

JOSE BOOTS A GROUND BALL -- A runner scores.

ANNIE (VOICE OVER)

Nuke never quite got in the groove

though he didn't pitch bad...

NUKE JUST MISSES WITH A PITCH -- Ball four.

ANNIE (VOICE OVER)

...and the winning streak came to

an end with a 3-2 loss...

(beat)

The good news was that a man was

about to come calling...the bad

news was--it was the wrong guy.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. ANNIE'S LIVING ROOM NIGHT

AS PIAF PLAYS on the stereo--A knock at the door.

ANNIE GOES TO THE DOOR -- Then refuses to answer it at first.

She hides in a corner. Bites her fist.

NUKE'S VOICE

Annie! You gotta be in there--I

can hear that crazy Mexican singer!

Annie smiles slightly, and opens the door.

NUKE

We lost.

ANNIE

it's okay..

She opens the door fully. Nuke's father stands there.

NUKE

I'd like you to meet my father.

ANNIE

(surprised)

Oh--won't YOU come in?

CUT TO:

INT. ANNIE'S HOUSE

AS THEY ENTER -- She leads them into the kitchen.

NUKE'S FATHER

Ebby's told me a lot about you.

ANNIE

Uh oh...

(beat)

Can I offer you some coffee?

THE KITCHEN -- CONTINUOUS -- NIGHT

She puts a pot of water with a swirl of graciousness.

NUKE'S FATHER

Yeah...Ebby tells me you're a

very spiritual woman. He tells

me you've taught him a lot about

discipline and self-control.

Annie and Nuke exchange glances. Nuke smiles.

ANNIE

He's a good student.

NUKE'S FATHER

We were worried that Ebby might

get involved with the wrong crowd

in professional baseball--we're

so pleased, he met a Christian

woman.

ANNIE

Praise the Lord, eh?

The Piaf record begins skipping in the next room.

ANNIE

Oh my--I better fix that. Ebby

will you help me? I'm no good

with mechanical things

Nuke picks up his cue and follows her to:

THE LIVING ROOM -- CONTINUOUS--- NIGHT

Annie fixes the record.

NUKE

I couldn't dump my old man but

maybe later I can sneak away from

him...

ANNIE

You don't have to...

NUKE

I'm starting to understand what

you're teaching me. I mean the

panties and the nostrils and all

that shit...I mean I'm getting it--

ANNIE

So am I. Nuke, honey, we need to

talk--

Nuke gets very aggressive and playful, pinning her.

NUKE

Aw hell, let's have a quickie

right here--

ANNIE

--but you're father's in there!

NUKE

Crash says I gotta quit worrying

about him--c'mon, honey, we got a

lotta catching up to do--

He pins her to the wall, she squirms away.

ANNIE

Nuke--we do need to talk!

CUT TO:

BACK IN THE KITCHEN

Nuke's father is studying pictures on Annie's wall.

CLOSE ON A HELMUT NEWTON PHOTO -- A nude woman, two afghans,

and a toilet.

CLOSE ON A PHOTO OF SWAMI PRABHAVANANDA YOGANDA

CLOSE ON A POSTER OF A MARIJUANA LEAF with the inscription

"Better Living Through Mexican Agriculture".

Nuke's father is a bit unsettled by all this, when:

The phone rings.

ANNIE SWEEPS BACK into the kitchen--saved by the bell--to

answer the phone. Nuke trails.

ANNIE

(on phone)

Hello? Skip? Yeah, as a matter

of fact, he is here.

She hands the phone to Nuke.

ANNIE

It's Skip, for you.

NUKE (ON PHONE)

Yeah, Skip, it's me.

(several beats)

Jeez...Jeez...God...Jeez...

Nuke hangs up the phone. Looks at Annie and his father.

NUKE

I'm going to the Show.

(beat)

They're sending me up to finish

out the season with the Big Club.

I'm going to the Show!

NUKE'S FATHER LEAPS TO HIS FEET and embraces his son.

NUKE'S FATHER

Let's have a quick word of prayer,

right here, to thank the Lord for

all this--

ANNIE

Oh let's not...

NUKE

I gotta leave first thing in the

morning.

ANNIE

That's great!

NUKE

How can I possibly thank you?

He embraces her rather formally.

ANNIE

Just pitch well and do good.

Nuke hustles his father out of the house.

NUKE

I will, I will--C'mon, Dad, I'll

dump you off. I gotta find Crash.

As they exit, Nuke's father turns to Annie:

NUKE'S FATHER

God bless you.