Bull Durham

THE LIVING ROOM -- He stumbles across the trashed room.

Record album covers, more liquor bottles, pillows, cushions,

pictures hanging crookedly on the wall.

CRASH TAKES THE SKIPPING RECORD off the player and breathes

a sigh of relief. He sees his pants lying on the floor and

pulls them on.

CRASH OPENS A DRAWER -- Pulls out a piece of paper and a

pencil. He starts writing...

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. THE BEDROOM -- LATER

Sun streams in. Annie opens her eyes. Rubs them. Reaches

over for Crash. Her hand hits a note. She whirls. He's

gone. Only a note.

SHE SITS UP WITH A START and reads the note.

ANNIE (VOICE OVER)

Crash said he had to get an early

start to drive to Asheville in

the South Atlantic League where

he heard they might need a catcher

to finish out the season...

ZOOM IN EXTREME CLOSE UP OF NOTE -- "Love, Crash".

CUT TO:

EXT. GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS -- DAY

CRASH IN HIS CAR heading for Asheville.

CUT TO:

EXT. ASHEVILLE BASEBALL PARK -- DAY

CRASH KNOCKING ON THE BASEBALL OFFICE DOOR -- Looking for

work.

CUT TO:

INT. ASHEVILLE LOCKER ROOM -- DAY

CRASH UNLOADING HIS GEAR Into yet another locker.

CUT TO:

INT. ANNIE'S KITCHEN -- DAY

ANNIE SCRUBBING HER KITCHEN FLOOR -- Down on her hands and

knees, picking up the broken cereal bowl.

ANNIE (VOICE OVER CONT'D)

The house smelled like sex for

days. It was wonderful. The

only real cleaning I did was on

the kitchen floor 'cause who likes

to walk on spilt cereal?

SHE FINDS A BIT OF A JOINT on the floor as she's cleaning.

She picks it up, sits on the floor under the table, and lights

the tiny joint.

ANNIE (VOICE OVER CONT'D)

The funny thing is, I stopped

worrying about Nuke. Somehow I

knew nothing would stop him.

Crash was right--Nuke had a gift.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. INSIDE A MAJOR LEAGUE STADIUM (ATLANTA) -- DAY

NUKE IN STREET CLOTHES IN THE DUGOUT of an empty stadium.

50,000 seats. Slick. Awesome. He's being interviewed by a

BIG LEAGUE REPORTER, who has a small tape deck and has stuck

mike in Nuke's face.

NUKE

(like a big leaguer)

Y'know, I'm just happy to be here

and hope I can help the ballclub.

I just want to give it my best

shot and good Lord willing,

things'll work out... gotta play

'em one day at a time, Y'know...

THE BIG LEAGUE REPORTER nods attentively as Nuke knowingly

delivers the cliches like a veteran.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. ASHEVILLE STADIUM -- DAY

In sharpest contrast to the Big League stadium, a rickety

old wooden grandstand, carved into the pine covered hillside.

CRASH STEPS TO THE PLATE -- In a uniform we've never seen

him in, of course. The Asheville Tourists. He picks up

some dirt, rubs it on his hands. He's as intense as ever.

Still playing for keeps.

CRASH (VOICE OVER)

(at the plate)

C'mon, Meat, throw me that weak

ass shit--c'mon, bring the heat,

bring it, bring it...

CRASH'S P.O.V. -- SLO-MO AS THE PITCHER WINDS AND

delivers a fastball right down the pipe.

CUT TO:

INT. ANNIE'S BEDROOM -- AFTERNOON

ANNIE LIES IN BED READING -- She suddenly jerks up.

ANNIE (VOICE OVER CONT'D)

I was reading in bed when Crash

hit his 247th home run. I knew

the moment it happened...

CUT TO:

EXT. ASHEVILLE STADIUM -- DAY

CRASH UNLOADS A MONSTROUS HOME RUN deep into the trees. He

stands at home plate watching it...like Reggie or the Babe.

And doesn't move. For several seconds he indulges himself

uncharacteristically--until...

THE OPPOSING CATCHER SHOVES HIM toward first.

CATCHER

Get your ass in gear...

CRASH SMILES and takes the home run trot slowly. As he heads

toward first, HE RAISES A CLINCHED FIST for a brief moment,

a tiny gesture of triumph. And then, routinely, he just

circles the bases.

A HUNDRED FANS APPLAUD ROUTINELY as he circles the bases.

CUT TO:

INT. ANNIE'S LIVING ROOM -- NIGHT

SHE LIGHTS A CANDLE for the home run. Above the candles,

displayed in the shrine, are her RED PANTIES.

ANNIE (VOICE OVER CONT'D)

I lit a candle for Crash's

dinger...and tried to root the

Durham Bulls home to a pennant.

CUT TO:

EXT. DURHAM STADIUM -- DAY

ANNIE AND JACKSON OPEN AN UMBRELLA in her familiar place in

the stadium. Umbrellas go up all around, as:

THE RAINS COME -- The players huddle-in the dugouts.

IN THE DUGOUT Skip and Larry reading copies of "The Tantric

Yoga of Sex". And spitting tobacco.

ANNIE (VOICE OVER CONT'D)

The Kid from Lynchburg wasn't

good enough to hold Crash's

jockstrap if ya ask me, and Nuke's

replacement had a fastball that I

coulda hit

(beat)

We had a three game lead with two

weeks to go when the rains came.

THE GROUND CREW DRAGS TARPS over the mound and the plate.

ANNIE (VOICE OVER CONT'D)

It rained and rained and I thought

of driving down to Asheville to

see Crash but then I thought "No,

what you pursue, eludes you". I

had to trust Quantum Physics and

the Church of Baseball.

(beat)

It ain't always easy being this

religious...

ANNIE AND JACKSON POP OPEN THEIR UMBRELLAS and walk out of

the ballpark towards home.

CUT TO:

EXT. DURHAM NEIGHBORHOOD -- DAY

ANNIE AND JACKSON UNDER UMBRELLAS -- He turns down one street,

she heads toward home.

CUT TO:

EXT. ANNIE'S HOUSE -- DAY

AS SHE APPROACHES -- She stops. Looks up. Crash's beat up

car in the driveway.

P.O.V. CRASH SITTING ON THE PORCH SWING Still raining.

CLOSE ON ANNIE -- She hesitates, and smiles.

ANNIE

Oh my...

ANNIE SITS DOWN on the porch owing next to Crash.

ANNIE

What happened?

CRASH

I quit. Hit my dinger and hung

'em up.

A moment of silence over the significance of him quitting.

ANNIE

I'm quitting too. Boys, not

baseball.

CRASH

There might be an opening for a

manager at Salem next spring.

ANNIE

Salem, Massachusetts? Where all

the witches were?

CRASH

Yeah...you a witch?

ANNIE

Not yet. It takes years of

practice...

He smiles slightly and takes her hand.

CRASH

You think I could make it to the

Show as a manager?

ANNIE

You'd be great, just great...

(rattling quickly)