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  • Screenplay-Field of Dreams

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    Frederico Castelbranco
    721 views116 pages
    Ray Kinsella hears a mysterious voice while working in his cornfield that says "If you build it, he will come." Ray calls out to his wife Annie and daughter Karin, who are on the porch, but they do not hear the voice. The voice speaks to Ray again, confusing him. At dinner, Ray tells Annie about the voice but she is skeptical. That night as Ray and Annie sleep, the voice speaks to Ray again.

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    Ray Kinsella hears a mysterious voice while working in his cornfield that says "If you build it, he will come." Ray calls out to his wife Annie and daughter Karin, who are on the porch, but they do not hear the voice. The voice speaks to Ray again, confusing him. At dinner, Ray tells Annie about the voice but she is skeptical. That night as Ray and Annie sleep, the voice speaks to Ray again.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    721 views116 pages

    Screenplay-Field of Dreams

    Uploaded by

    Frederico Castelbranco
    Ray Kinsella hears a mysterious voice while working in his cornfield that says "If you build it, he will come." Ray calls out to his wife Annie and daughter Karin, who are on the porch, but they do not hear the voice. The voice speaks to Ray again, confusing him. At dinner, Ray tells Annie about the voice but she is skeptical. That night as Ray and Annie sleep, the voice speaks to Ray again.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 116

    Elf' P OF DRE8I'§

    Shoele•• .1oe

    by

    w. P. Kinsella
    -_.
    Screenplay.

    by

    Phil Alden Robinson

    \
    SHO!:LESS JO!

    FAD! IN
    1 MONTAG! OF PHOTOS
    RAY (V. c. )
    My father's name was John Kinsella.
    A faded, sepia shot of a dirty little kid on a fa=m.
    RAY (V. 0.)
    It's an Irish name. He was born in
    North Dakota, in 1896 ••••
    Young man in doughboy uniform.
    RAY (V.c.)
    ••. and never saw a big city until he
    came back from France in 1918.
    Chicago. Tenement. Comiskey Park. Ballgames.
    RAY (V.O.)
    He settled in Chicago, where he quickly
    learned to live and die with the White
    Sox. Died a little when they lost the
    1919 World Series .•••
    New~aper headlines. Photo of Shoeless Joe Jackso~.

    RAY (V.O.)
    .•• died a lot the following summer whe~
    eight members of the team were accused
    of throwing that Series.
    Dad\(a catcher) playing ball. At work. Weeding.
    \ RAY (V .0.)
    He played in the minors for a year or
    two, but nothing ever came of it. Moved
    to Brooklyn in '35, married Mom in , 3 e,
    and was already an old man working at
    the Naval Yards when I was born in 19'9.
    ~ay as an infant. With his father. In front of !~bets
    . Field in miniature Dodger uniform, etc.
    RAY (V.O.)
    My name's ~ay Kinsella. Mom died when.
    I was three, and I suppose Dad did the
    best he could. Instead of Mother Goose,
    I was put to bed at night to stories o!
    (MOU)
    CON'I'INm:D
    :1

    1 CON':!NU!D
    R1.Y (Cont' a)
    Babe ~uth, Lou Gehrig ••. ana the great
    Shoeless Joe Jackson. Daa was a Yankees
    fan then, so of course I rootea for
    Brooklyn. But in '58 the Doagers moved
    away, so we haa to fina other things to
    fight about. We dia. Ana when it came
    time to go to college, I pickea the
    farthest one from home I coula fina.
    Berkeley in the 19605: hippies, protesters, etc.
    RAY (V.O.)
    This, of course, drove him right up the
    wall, which I suppose was the point.
    Officially my major was English, but
    really it was the -Sixties.
    ~ay looking foolish in long hair and tie-dye.
    RAY (V.O.)
    I marchea, I smoked some grass, I triec
    to like sitar music ••• and I met Annie.
    Annie: blue jeans, T-shirt, freckles. Their co~rtship.

    RAY (V.O.)
    The only thing we haa in common was tha:
    she came from Iowa and I had once heard
    of Iowa. We moved in together. After
    graduation, we moved to the Midwest, and
    stayea with her family as long as we
    coula.
    Unsmiling American Gothic types.
    RAY (V.O.)
    Almost a full afternoon.
    ~e apartment, ~ay at different jobs, the weddin;.
    RAY (V.O.)
    We rented an apartment and I took a je=
    selling insurance. I also drove a cab
    and worked in a pizza parlor. Dad die:
    in June of '74. Annie and I got marrie:
    that fell.
    Ba):)y pictures.
    RAY (v.O.) •
    A few years later Karin was born. Sbe
    smelled weird, but we loved ber anyway.
    Then Annie got the crazy idea that sbe
    could talk me into buying a farm.
    CON'l'Dro"".:J)
    3

    1 CON~!NUED (2)
    Ray, Annie, and four-year-old Karin by the "SOLD" sign of
    their farm. Ray in a cornfield.
    RAY (V. o. )
    I'm thi~y-eigh~ years old and I'm abou~
    to become a farmer. I love my family,
    I love baseball, and I miss New York.
    Moving in on Ray's face.
    RAY (V.O.)
    But until I heard The Voice .•. I'd never
    done a crazy thinq in my whole life.
    DISSOL~ TO

    Th~ CORNFIELD - DVSK 2

    It is dusk on a spring evening. The sky is a ro:in's-egq


    blue, and the wind is soft as a day-old chick. Ray
    Kinsella is working in the cornfield when a voice -- like
    that of a public address announcer -- speaks to r.i:.
    THE VOICE
    'If you build it, he will come.'
    Ray looks up and around, bu~ sees nothing that ce~ld be the
    source of this sound. All around him are empty fields.
    He stands quietly for a few moments, then goes back to
    work.
    THE VOICE
    'If you build it, he will come.'
    Ray jerks his head in all directions to see where ~his
    voice is coming from, but again, he sees nothinq unusual
    -- just the furrowed fields and a few hundred fee~ away,
    the massive old farmhouse with a sagging veranda en three
    sides. On the north veranda is a wooden porch s.o:'nq where
    ~~ie and Karin sit, sipping lemonade and dreami~;.

    RAY
    (calls)
    Annie, what was that?
    ANNIE
    (calls back)
    What was what?

    That voice.
    RAY -
    ANNIE
    What voice?
    CONTINUED
    RAY
    Just now. Like an announcement.
    Annie confers briefly with Karin, then calls back to Ray.
    ANNIE
    . We didn't hear anything.
    RAY
    Oh.
    Ray thinks for a second, then shakes it off, trying to
    dislodge tha~ thought from his :ind, and gets back to wo=k.
    THE VOICE
    'If you build it, he will come.'
    Again, he bolts upright and looks around. Again, he sees
    nothing. This is beginning to bug him. He calls:
    RAY
    Okay, you must've heard ~.

    3 ON THE PORCH
    Annie and Ka=in look at each other and exchange a sh~g.
    Annie extends her arms palms upward, and calls to Ray.
    ANNIE
    sorry. Come on. Dinne=.
    Annie leads Karin inside.

    IN THE FI:E:LD ,
    •
    Ray looks all around him with an "Okay, fellas, ...·hat' 5 the
    joke?" look on his face. But there is no one the=e. He
    puts down his tools and walks toward the house.

    5 INT. KITCH:::N
    Ray enters, looks at his wife skeptically and joi~s his
    wife and daughter setting the table.
    RAY
    Was there like a sound
    highway, or something?
    t~ck on the
    ..
    ANNIE
    Nope.
    CONTINm:!)
    5

    5
    1..--..
    RAY
    Kids with a radio'? -
    ANNIE
    Nope. You really hearing voices'?
    RAY
    Just one.
    ANNIE
    Ah. God'?
    RAY
    More like a ... ballpark announcer.
    Annie shoots him an "Are you kidding'?" look. Ray :-es?on::'s
    wi~~ a shrug. They si~ down to eat.
    ANNIE
    What'd it say?
    RAY
    'If you build it, he will come.'
    ANNIE
    If you build what, who will come'?
    RAY
    (shrugs)
    He didn't say.
    ANNIE
    Ooh, I hate it when that happens.
    RAY
    Me too.
    CUT TO

    6 RAY AND ANNIE'S BEDROOM - NIGHT


    They are snuggled together, asleep. All is quiet. Then:
    THE VOle!:
    'If you build it, he will come.'
    Ray's eyes pop open. He looks at Annie, who does not stir.
    Without moving, he looks around the room. There is no one
    there. Very quietly, he crosses to the window a~d looks
    out. He whispers out toward the cornfield:
    RAY
    Build what? For who?
    CONTI~
    6

    6 CONT!NUED
    Behind h~m, Annie stirs.
    ANN!E
    Ray?
    RAY
    It's okay, honey, I'm just ... talking to
    the corn!ield.
    He sighs and goes back to bed. Annie cuddles up -:'0 hint.
    Her eyes are closed, !:lut Ray's eyes remain open. He is
    puzzled and concerned.
    CL"T TO

    7 TE~-VIS!ON SCRZEN
    A scene from ~~e 1950 movie Harvey, in which James stewart
    insists he is conversing with an 1nvisible rab!:lit.

    s RAY AND ANNIE'S KITCh"EN - MORNING


    Little Karin is watching Harvev while she eats her
    !:lreakfast. Ray enters, looking like he had very little
    sleep, and promptly turns the TV set off.
    KARIN
    Why'd you do that? It was funny.
    RAY
    Trust me, Karin, it's not funny. The
    man is sick. He's very sick.
    Annie enters, putting on her coat.
    ANNIE
    Karin, if you're finished, get your coet
    and school !:lag. Let's go.
    Karin bolts from the table.
    RAY
    Db honey, I'll take her today. I've
    some errands in town.
    ANNIE
    Far out.
    She takes off her coat and kisses Ray as he takes-the car
    ( ,-.. keys and heads outside. Annie sits at the kitchen table.
    CONTINm:Il
    7

    6 CONT:NUED
    I.JII'" ANNIE
    What if the voice calls while you're
    gone:
    RAY
    'rake a lIIessage.
    ANNIE
    Right..
    He exit.s. She grins, turns on the TV and wat.ches Earvev.
    CUT TO

    9 EXT. IOWA CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - DAY


    Ray's car pulls up, Karin runs out and Ray drives off.
    CUT TO

    10 INT. DOCTOR'S OFFICE - DAY ..,


    ,

    Ray is plugged into some weird-looking contrapti~n, having


    his hearing examined. Then the Doctor shines a ?e~light
    into his eyes, shrugs, and starts putting his gear away.
    DOCTOR
    Well, I can't find anything wrong. I
    could recommend a shrink, but hey,
    people hear things all the time. I
    heard a voice once. I was still living
    with my parents, then. They worked in
    the circus, so I was raised in the
    circus, and I was training to be a
    clown. This one day, I'm putting on :y
    little red nose and I hear a voice,
    tells me to go to medical school. Here
    I am.

    Ray is not sure if he should ignore this or run.


    CUT TO

    II FAM SUPPLY STORE - DAY


    Farmers are loading up with seed, fertilizer, an~ other
    farmer stuff. This is the kind of place where pec?l~ also
    linger to exchange gossip, swap lies, and pass ~. t~e.
    Ray is off to one side, chewing the fat with an ol~-timer.

    CONTINt.~D
    B

    II CONl'INUED .,
    RAY
    In all those years, did you ever •.•
    (searches)
    I've heard that sometimes farmers out
    in' the field .•• hear things. Voices.
    OLD-TIMER
    You hearing voices?
    RAY
    (quickly)
    No. It's just that I heard some farmers
    do, and .•. I, of course, don't, so I was
    wondering if I was doing something
    wrong, or something. Did you ever hear
    voices out there?
    CASHIER
    (calls from her
    cash register)
    Who's hearing voices?
    OLD-TIMER
    Ray is. Out in the fields.
    Now, everyone in the store turns to look at Ray.
    RAY
    .NO! No, I'm not. Really.
    But the people still stare. Ray addresses them.
    RAY
    Noises! That darn tractor, it's •••
    (forces a nervous
    laugh)
    Well, I'll just get some 3-in-l oil,
    that should •••
    (to the
    Old-Timer)
    Nice talking to you.
    COT TO

    12 RAY'S FARM - OAY 12

    Ray is out in the fields again, hard at work. A breeze


    picks up. He stops for a moment, cocks an ear L~d looks
    around. All he sees are the empty fields. Insects make
    the only sounds. He goes back to work. Then: •
    THE VOICE
    'If you build it, he will come.'
    CONTIKt."!:D
    12 CON'I'INU:E:D
    He throws his tools aown angrily ana looks all arouna, but
    there is no apparent source of the voice. Ray is pissea.
    RAY
    All right, who are you, ana what the
    hell ao you want from me?!?
    . All he hears is a faraway echo.
    THE VOICE
    'If you buila it, he will come.'
    This is serious. Ray shakes his heaa ana repeats t~e words
    to himself.
    RAY
    If you build it •.••
    As he thinks about these woras, some unexplainea impulse
    causes Ray to turn his head deliberately toward a portion
    of the cornfield between him ana the house.
    FLASH C':T

    ,......, 13 A BASEBA!.I. FIELD ..


    1 ',

    For the briefest of moments, the dreamlike image of a


    baseball fiela at night, illuminatea by flooalights, flares
    in over the lawn. Stanaing on the eage of the fiela, is
    the figure of a man with his back to us. Before we can see
    anything else, the image aisappears.

    RAY 14

    Ray's eyes wiaen.


    RAY
    ••• he will come.
    l'LASH C~_

    lS THE HAN ANt> 'I'P.E FIELtl 15

    The aream image flares in again, this time closer to the


    man. He stan as in the miaale aistance, 5ilhouet~ea by the
    lights, ana we see he is wearing a uniform of sc:e kina.
    He starts to turn slowly towaras us, but before" can see
    his face, the image aisappears.
    10

    16 CLost ON RAY
    Rey's mou'th opens. He half-laughs, as if to say "This
    Cl!.n't be." But whatever is in his mind won't go away.
    RAY
    ••• he will come.
    FLASH C"~'!

    17 17
    Now we see him in head-and-shoulders. Be has 'the muscull!.~
    neck of an athlete. As he slowly turns we start to see a
    bit of his wea'thered face before the image flares out.

    18 RAY
    Wheels are turning inside his head. Be is trying 'to figure
    l!.ll this ou't. In the distance, a bell is ringing. He
    looks 0.5.

    19 EXT. HOUSE - DUSK , ..


    Annie is on the veranda ringing the dinner bell hanging by
    the front door.
    ANNIE
    Yo, Ray! Food!

    20 HER POINT OF VIEW ~ THE FIELDS 2U

    We see Ray emerge slowly from the fields, the t~ilit sky.
    changing colors behind him.

    21
    Annie leans against a post, lazily watching Ray l!.?proach.
    She like. how he moves, and how he looks.
    ANNIE
    Biya, cutie.
    Ray climbs up the steps, accepts her kiss, and ins'tead of
    following her into the house, pulls her down wi'th him onto
    the swing. He takes her hand and looks into her eyes •
    •
    RAY
    Annie ••••
    CONTINt:ED
    11
    •
    21 . CONTINUED 21

    ANNIE
    (playing along)
    Ray ..•.
    -
    RAY
    You're not going to believe this .•••
    ANNIE
    You heard the voice again.
    RAY
    Wait, this gets better. I just saw a
    vision.
    ANNIE
    Get out of here!
    RAY
    I swear to God. An actual vision;
    ANNIE
    We're going to have to burn you at the
    stake if this keeps up.
    RAY
    I know.
    CUT TO

    22 INT. HOUSE - NIGHT


    The family is eating dinner. Ray seems lost in ~~ought.

    ANNIE
    Hey, you don't suppose this could be
    like an acid flashback, do you?
    RAY
    I never took acid.
    ANNIE
    Maybe you will someday, and it's a flash
    forward.
    RAY
    Annie, there'. more.
    ANNIE
    You're subscribing to the Enquirer. -
    RAY
    I think I know what 'If you build it;
    he will come' means.
    CONTINOl:D
    12

    22 CON'!INUE::l
    ANNIE
    Oooh, why do I not think this is a gooa
    thing?
    RJ..Y
    I think it means if I buila a baseball
    fiela out there, Shoeless Joe Jackson
    will get to come back and play ball
    again.
    ANNIE
    You' re }~idding.

    RAY
    Uh uh.

    She whistles. This is serious.


    P.AY
    Yeah.
    Ct."!' TO

    23 INT. KARIN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT 2 :.

    Ray ana Annie are putting little Karin to bea.


    ANNIE
    Boy, I thought my family was crazy, but
    this ... this is the craziest thing I've
    ever heard.
    RAY
    I know. It's totally nuts.
    ANNIE
    I mean, Shoeless Joe, he's ••••
    RAY
    (nods)
    Died in '51.
    ANNIE
    And he's the one they suspended, right?
    RAY
    Right.
    ANNIE •
    He still dead?
    RAY
    Far as I know.
    COT TO
    lJ

    INT. BATF~OOM - NIGHT


    Rey ana Annie in their pajamas, brushing ~~eir ~ee~~,
    getting reaay for bec.
    ANNIE
    You know what amazes me? No one could
    ever get you to believe in astrology,
    or ESP, or reincarnation, or heaven, or
    any of thet stuff. ~ut this .•• I think
    this shows real personal growth, Ray.

    Thank you.
    ~,ie smiles, but sees that Rey is troubled. S~e h~gs him.
    ANNI:::
    Oh, sweetie. I hope you know that even
    though I meke jokes, I'm going to visit
    you every month wherever they put you.
    He offers her a weak smile and exits.
    CUT TO

    I"'" 2S INT. RAY AND ANNIE'S B:::DROOM - NIGHT


    It is dark. For a few seconds it is quiet. The~:

    RAY
    Did you know Babe Ruth copied his swi~;?

    ANNIE
    If I did, I'd forgotten it.
    Ray sits up in the dark.
    RAY
    I always felt cheated I never got to see
    him play. He was supposed to be so
    graceful, and agile. So to actually get
    to see him play again ••• to let him ph~'
    again, to right an old wrong:7 ••
    Be shakes his head in wonder just to think of it. Annie
    turns on the light.
    ANNIE
    Wait a minute, Bosco. Are you actually
    thinking of aoing this? ..
    CONTINm:D
    I 25 COI'<':INU!:D

    r" No.
    (then)
    RAY

    I mean, I can't think o~ one gooa reason


    why I shoula, but ••.
    I (takes a breath)
    I'm thirty-eight years ola, I have a
    I wife, a chila, ana a mortgage, a~a I'm
    scarea to dea~h I'm turning into my
    father.
    ANNIE
    What's your father got to ao with this?
    Ray tries to picture his father in his mind. He speaks
    so~tly, but the words obviously have a great aeal of
    meaning for him.
    RAY
    I never forgave him for getting old.
    By the time he was as old as I am now,
    he was ancient. He must have haa
    areams, but he never aia anything about
    them. For all I know, he may have even
    heard voices, too, but he sure dian't
    listen to them. The man never aid one
    spontaneous thing in all the years I
    knew him. Annie, I'm scared that that's
    what growing up means. I'm afraia of
    that happening to me. Ana something
    tells me this may be my last chance to
    ao something about it.
    (looks at her)
    I want to buila that fiela. Do you
    think I'm crazy?
    She looks at him with great unaerstanding.
    ANNIE
    yes.
    He smiles wanly. She touches his face lovingly.
    ANNIE
    I also think that if you feel you really
    have to ao this ••• then you shoula ao it.
    They hola each other's gaze, and Ray cannot rem~er when
    he has lovea her so much. He takes her in his a:=s.
    OUtsiae their winaow, the field of corn lies waiting •
    •
    c::t1'l' '1'0
    I,; "
    -. ......... ~~ --:-...0;:;. •

    I
    15 .1f?{~._-
    ~.:
    · .....
    ',. '''-';'',
    .~
    -
    -
    : .. ,.. ...
    ".-." ,-

    ~-

    ~~:~/'''~,.- .~~
    r" THE CORNFIELD - DAY ". "
    26 26
    ~~
    · .'.
    ......i:,·.' -w:.:. )_.....
    .
    • .
    -
    _~.~-":-._
    Stalks of corn wave slowly in the~. _:.:'1. be.~:buz . . .~:
    near one. The light is yellow. SG.'II.Hri'y, :~ :.ta:1u·.bend
    .violently to the ground as Ray's 1:ract;cr:p1_·.~:UJ'R!er.
    I 27
    _ ON THE TRACTOR ! -~';,~(.~' ~:~f4~~~~/\;" 27
    t . ..,:. ....,'. '.' .
    Ray drives, Karin rides shotgun. ~Oidi~g·:~e ).arge det'-iled
    .. ~. ','
    " --01·
    .......
    -~."

    diagram Ray has drawn of the ball:park~a.dimensions.


    . ......... - '. .-,

    " .~.

    RAY
    Ty Cobb called him the gr.atest· l~t
    fielder of all time. His glove was
    called 'the place where tr.ipl.sgo to
    die. '
    ..:
    .;:
    28 HIGH ANGLE
    "
    28
    -, '.'

    The tractor turns to plow under m;k~"':cc:lrn; and we can ....


    the size of the area Ray has staked ',cffwith . marker sticks.
    . .~. ::' \'.' '. ',:.' .

    KARIN (v.on··, :.,. '.:


    could he hit?
    RAY (v.o.)
    , Lifetime .356 average.
    in history.
    Karin whistles.
    ..
    "

    '.
    29
    ANOTHER ANGLE~:':.~: .. i:~. ': .
    lSy the side of the road, an old.lI!aD .an!1 woman stand and.
    watch these neighbors plow under 'their c::orn. They look at
    each other as if to say "Could :i,t.. . be~ColllJllunists?" ' '",

    KARIN (V. 0;:) ";'.


    Why'd they called him Sho_less Joe?

    30 S:EED!~G THE FIELD - DAY


    :: . '".
    .--
    .
    :.:.~...:'.~ . : ' . .
    · ': ..
    0' ",

    . :;0
    ... 'oJ" :•• ;~':,' ".'," '...
    It is days later, an area the size .ot .~ baseball field has
    been plowed under, and Ray is . seei:Un;'
    - '., -. it
    '.
    . .-
    RAY (v.o
    When he was still in~'l;D'~,,~~~;;~~~::~;~~ ~ -
    .. .
    bought a new pairrb~o~ft..'itii~~. --
    -
    ........... -
    hurt his feet. A
    he took them off and.
    in' just his socks. '
    =.
    kidded him, called.
    _-
    -.~::'
    .
    .
    the nUle stuck •
    16

    I
    r,... 31 . W~.T:::R!NG TH::: GlV.SS - NIGHT
    We can see roughly where the grass h~s been plan~ed, ~nd
    '•

    where the dirt will be smoothed out for the b~se paths.
    R~y st~nds stock-still in the moonlight, w~ter hose in
    h~nd, patiently misting the baby grass, little Karin at his
    t side.
    RAY (V.O.)
    I Then in 1919, his team, the Chicago
    White Sox, threw the World Series.
    KARIN (V.O.)
    What's 'threw'?
    lV.Y (V. o. )
    They lost it on purpose. Gamblers paid
    them to.

    32 SIDE OF THE ROAD


    NOW, dozens of families stand to watch silent and
    dumb-eyed, at what has obviously become a daily spectacle
    among the townspeople. Some snap photos.
    RAY (V.O.)
    Except Shoeless Joe.

    33 SMOOTHING OUT THE FIELD - DAY


    Ray smooths out the base paths with a large roller, as
    Annie and Karin follow behind with rakes. On ei~~er side
    of the base paths, the infield and outfield grass is
    growing.
    RAY (V.O.)
    Nobody could prove any-~ing one way or
    another, but he was the one guy who
    probably wasn't in on it.

    INT. HARDWARE STORE - DAY


    Ray, Annie and Karin wait as the cashier totals ~? their
    load of lumber and hardware.
    RAY
    I mean if he was supposed to be throwing
    it, how do you explain the fact he hit
    .375 for the series and didn't commit _
    one error? Huh?
    KAlUN
    I can't.
    CONTINOD)
    l7

    I 34 CONTIN"JED
    I,",
    RAY
    Twelve hi'ts, including the series' only
    home run. And they s~id he was trying
    to lose!
    -
    KARIN
    It's ridiculous.
    CASHIER
    That's 855 dollars, sixty-four cents.
    From O.S., we hear oooh. Rey turns and notices ~cr the
    first time that a crowd of spect~tors -- employees and
    customers -- h~s been watching him and whisperin; among
    'themselves. They look ~t him as if he had two heacs.
    Ray turns his attention back to writing a check ~=r his
    purch~ses. He deadpans to Annie:
    RAY
    We'd better notify Mars to send us more
    money.
    ANNIE
    (equ~lly deadpan)
    Reml~k won't like that.
    RAY
    That's his problem. And tell him to
    make it in E~=th dollars this time.
    Ray hands over the check to the open-mouthed cas~ier.

    RAY
    Thank you. Have a nice day.
    Ray and Annie turn and leave with Karin. The f~~ers
    watch, obviously trying hard to fiqure this one C~~.
    CUT TO

    35 BUILDING TF~ OUTFIELD WALL - DAY


    Ray hammers the braces that will support the outfield wall.
    Karin hands him nails from a baq she wears aroan: her neck.
    RAY (V.O.)
    There's a famous story about when he
    came out of the courtroom, a kid ran 1:.,-
    to him, tuqqed his sleeve and said 'Say.
    it ain't so, Joe.' And Jackson looked
    down t him and said 'I'm afraid it is,
    kid. '
    CON'I'INCED
    l8

    CON:"IN'".:LD

    KARIN
    Then what happened?

    , 36 3€-

    Annie helps Ray lift a board to what will be the ~op ::-0 ....
    t RAY
    The Co~issioner of 3aseball suspended
    eight of the players -- including the
    great Shoeless Joe Jackson -- for life.
    KARIN
    What's suspenel?
    PAY
    They never let him play the game again.
    They continue to work in silence.
    CUT TO

    37 INT. SPORT:NG GOODS STORE ~.

    .;.

    Ray writes a check for his purchases: bats, balls, bases


    pitcher's rubber, home plate, etc. He appears slightly
    annoyed that once again, he is being stared at bv all the
    uniformed employees of the store. He turns to citch the
    Store Owner staring at him the most intently.
    RAY
    What. What!
    STORE OWNER
    You're the fella that plowed under you::-
    corn and built a baseball diamond,
    right?
    RAY
    Yeah. What about it?
    STORE OWNER
    (shakes his hand)
    Greatest damn thing I ever heard.
    The other employees beam their agreement.
    RAY •
    At these prices, I'm not surprised.
    CONTI~D
    19

    He lo:heels his shopping ca~t of sporting goods out th~ough


    a gaun-:let of approving salesmen. They smile and pat him
    on tile back. Ray cannot decide if they'~e c~azier than he
    is.
    RAY
    Thank you ... thank you •...
    CUT TO

    :38 TK! LIGHT S~ANDARD - NIGHT


    Atop the aluminum-painted poles, an ar~ay of sto~e-bought
    floodlights switch on, flaring against the blue-black sky.
    In this sharp white light the grass glows pa~rot g~een,
    cool as mint, soft as a cashmere blanket. Annie and Ka~i~
    watc~ as Ray puts down the clean white bases, whic~ pick
    up the light like little moons on a cold, clear nig~t.
    RAY
    My fathe~ said he saw him years later
    playing under a made-up name in some
    tenth-rate leaque in Carolina. He'd put
    on fifty pounds, and the spring was gone
    f~om his step, but he could still hit.
    Dad used to say no one could hit like
    Shoeless Joe.
    Ray is smiling wistfully.
    ANNIE
    That's the fi~st time I've ever seen you
    smile as you mentioned your father.
    Ray considers that.
    KARIN
    Ho.... come?
    ANNIE
    Come on, you. Bed time.
    Annie hoists Karin on her shoulders .... ith a grunt, and the
    three climb their .... ay down the bleachers. Ray's hand
    steadies Annie as she takes one of the steps.
    RAY
    Careful ••••
    •
    Moonlight butters the Io.... a night. They ....alk along the side
    of the field, and Ray stops. He looks at the field.
    CONTINU~
    20

    36 CON'I'!NUEtl
    RAY
    I h~ve just created something totally
    illogic~l.

    , Th~t's
    ANNIE
    what I like about it.
    RAY
    Am I completely nuts?
    ANNIE
    Not completely.
    't She looks out over the baseball tield.

    ~ ':
    ANN!E
    It's a good b~seb~ll tield, R~y.

    RAY
    It is kinda pretty, isn't it?
    ~ I Annie smiles at him and c~rries Karin inside. Ray steps
    onto ~~e porch and flicks the switch shutting oft ~~e
    floodlights over the field.

    ~.~ ct.'!' TO
    "

    39 RAY ANtl ANNIE'S BEtlROO!o1 - NI GHT 3,


    Ii Annie opens her eyes and sees Ray not beside her in bed,
    but in th window seat, looking out at the empty field.
    Barely awake, she gets out of bed, shuffles to his side and
    curls up against him.
    ANNIE
    Any sign?
    RAY
    Something's going to happen out there.
    :1 I can feel it.
    Annie lowers her head against his chest and goes b~ck to
    sleep. Outside, the trees are fully leafed.
    DISSOLV! TO

    RAY'S BASEBALL FIELD - OCTOBER


    The trees are almost bare now, and there's a Halloween
    pumpkin in the front window of the house. The cornstalks
    -
    CONTI~D
    •
    I, 40 ' CON':!N1:~D
    I r-
    rustle like crumpling paper in the Indian-summer ~reeze
    which ~lows fallen leaves across the empty baseball field
    while Ray sits in the stands, .• waiting.
    DISSOLV! TO

    41 TH~ EJ..S~EALL n~LD - LAT~ D~C~:SER

    It is covered with snow.

    INT. RAY AND ANNIE'S HOUS~

    Ray looks forlo=nly out the living room window tc~erds his
    snow-covered baseball field, the merrily blinkin; lights
    of the Christmas tree behind him belying his true mood.
    DISSOL\'! TO

    SPRINGTIME - DAY
    A baby robin tries to pull a worm out of the gro~,d.
    Inside the house, Annie is doing spring cleaning. She
    looks out the window to see:

    '4 Tn!: BAS~BALL FIELD

    Ray mowing the outfield grass. He stops, looks around,


    listens, hears nothing, and continues mowing.

    ANNIE 45
    just watches him.
    COT TO

    46 TV SC~EN

    We see the first ey~ibition game of spring trair.~n; from


    Florida, as the announcer talks about a "southpa'a· n pitcher.

    47 INT. RAY AND ANNIE'S LIVING ROOM - NIGHT


    Little Karin watches the TV, while Annie and Ray ' i t at the
    living room table, financial ledgers spread out ~efore them
    as they struggle with their accounts.
    KARIN
    Daddy, what's a southpaw?
    CONTImr~
    22

    CONTINUED ,
    ~
    -
    I

    RAY
    A left-handed pitcher.
    (to Annie)
    How bad is it?
    ANN!E
    Well, given how much less acreage we
    have for corn, I'd say we'll probably
    .•. almost break even.
    RAY
    Jesus.
    ANNIE
    We've spent all our savings on t~at
    fiele.
    KAR!N ( 0 • S. )
    Dacey ...•
    RAY
    Just a minute, Karin.
    (to Annie)
    So what are you saying? We can't keep
    the field?
    " ANNIE
    (saely)
    -It makes it real hare to keep the fa=,
    Ray.
    Ray closes his eyes.
    KARIN (O.S.)
    Daddy •.••
    RAY
    (a little testy)
    In a minute, Karin.
    KARIN (O.S.)
    There's a man out there on your lawn.
    Ray opens his eyes and turns to see Karin kneeli~; on the
    kitchen counter, looking out the win~ow. Ray ar:: Annie
    exchange a quick glance, an~ Ray walks to the wi~eow.

    48 EXT. THE WINDOW "6

    seen from outsi~e, as Ray's hea~ appears an~ loo~s out.


    He sees something out there an~ just looks at it.
    23

    There is a Man s~anQing on the eQge of the baseball fielQ. _


    He is wearing a baseball uniform. An olQ-fashioneQ one.
    ,
    II 50 INT. HOUSE 50

    Ray t~rns to Annie. She looks out and nods thoughtfully.


    Annie s~ays very calm in emergencies.
    ANNIE
    We'll put up some coffee. You go ahead.
    Ray takes a breath and steps out onto the veranda. The
    night sky seems close enough to touch.

    I;
    I
    51 EXT. HOUSE
    I On the porch wall, Ray finQs the switch, holdS his breath,
    flicks it and the floodlights sputter to life.
    ~
    52 THE MAN 5:':

    steps ont.o the fielQ. On his uniform is a large "5" with


    an "0" in the top crook, an "X" in the bottom, an:: an
    I""
    I
    American flag with forty-eight stars on his left sleeve.

    I 53 RAY ..
    ~ "
    "

    walks through the swirling ground mist towarQ the fielQ.

    54 RAY'S POINT OF VIEW


    Moving closer to the field we see the Man stanQir:g out in
    left fielQ. Feet spreaQ wide, body bent forwarQ from the
    waist, hanQs on hips, he waits.

    55 RAY
    Ray's mouth is dry. He reaches home plate anQ picks up one
    of the bats lying besiQe the pail of hard balls. The back
    of his neck tingles. Then, he picks up one of ~~e balls.

    56 IN THE OUTFIELD 56
    •
    The Man spreaQs his feet, pounQs his small, olQ-style
    glove, anQ waits to fielQ the ball.
    57 AT HOME PLATE 57
    Rey tosses the bell a few feet into the air and swi~;s at
    i~. And misses. Eis face reddens, he cleers his ~~roat,
    and tries agein. This time he connects.

    58 THE HELD 3S

    He hes hit a grounder that would be easily fielded by a


    shorts~op had there been one, but it bounces through ~nd
    f~lls in~o left field. The Man r~ns in for it, sooops it
    up cleanly a~d throws it back to the plate.
    t Ray is thrilled. He hits another ground ball, ~nd ~~is
    too, is fielded cleanly. Then another, which the }:l!.n
    deftly short-hops. Ray hollers out to him.
    RAY
    How's the field play?
    'I'HE MAN
    It's good. The ball bounces true.
    Ray smiles with pride. He tosses up another ball, gives
    it his best swing, and is thrilled to see he has actually
    lofted one into the air. But into center field. The Han
    sprints across the outfield, and makes a lovely catch in
    I"
    .1
    I
    short center. Instead of throwing the ball in, the Han
    runs it in, loping tow~rd home plate. Ray's he~~ thumps.
    RAY
    Hi.
    'I'he Han nods at him, takes the bat, and tests it to feel
    its weight.
    RAY
    • Ray Kinsella.
    t Joe Jackson.
    'I'HI: MAN

    Ray is thrilled to he~r the words spoken. It is Shoeless


    Joe Jackson after all, who stands not five feet ~w~y from
    him, trying out all the bats now. Ray isn't quite sure if
    he should talk, or ask questions, or just stand ~~ere.
    Finally, he can't help himself.
    RAY
    I bet it's good to be playing again,
    huh? •
    SHOEL!:SS JOE:
    It was like having part of me amputate~.

    CON'I'I~D
    2S

    58
    ~oe looks over at Ray, now, his dark eyes evincing the pain
    his steady voice tries to conceal.
    SHOELESS JOE
    ,~ I've heard that old man wake up and
    scratch itchy legs that've been dust for
    fifty years. That was me. I'd wake up
    I in the night with the smell of the
    ballpark in my nose and the cool of the
    grass on my feet. The thrill of the
    qrass ....
    He has found the bat he likes.
    SHOELESS JOE
    Can you pitch?
    RAY
    (with false
    modesty)
    Yeah, I'm not bad.
    Joe hands Ray the bucket of balls. Ray can barely contain
    his excitement as he races to the mound. Be sta~;s on the
    ~ber and faces Joe at the plate.

    RAY
    Don't we need a catcher?
    SHOELESS JOE
    Not if you can get it near the plate,
    we don't.
    Ray smiles, takes a breath and starts his windup, ~uring
    which he says aloud to himself:
    RAY
    I am pitching to Shoeless Joe Jackson.
    He makes a pitch. It's not a very good one, an~ Joe has
    to step across the plate to make contact, but his swing is
    ;raceful, compact and effortlessly powerful. He ~=ives the
    ball against the fence.
    Ray watches it with wonder and when he turns bac~, ~ackson
    is gesturing with the bat for him to make the ne~~ pitch.
    Ray makes the standard pitcher'. gesture for a c~rve ball.
    RAY
    See if you can hit my curve. •
    He goes into an elaborate windup, throws it, it ~oes not
    curve much, and Jackson whistles it right by Ray's ear.
    CONTI~D
    26

    5;
    RAY
    Yes, he can hi~ ~he curve.
    SBOEUSS JOE
    I ~ Stick with fas~ balls, kid.
    I I PAY
    ! You be~.

    Ray makes ano~her pitch, and Jackson hits a line drive down
    the third base line. Then a smoker down the first base
    line. Ray is mightily impressed.

    Wow.
    SHOEUSS JOE
    Damn, this feels good. Put it righ~
    here, huh?
    Joe holds the bat out low over the plate and Ray pitches
    it reasonably close to ~hat spot. Jackson hits i~ out of
    ~he park, and beams. Ray brightens up with reme==rance.
    RAY
    Right, you were a low ball hitter.
    SHOEUSS JOE
    Oh man, I did love this game. You know,
    I'd have played for food money. It was
    the game, ~he sounds, the smells. You
    ever held a glove or a ball to your
    face?
    Ray smiles as he walY~ in from the mound.
    ~ RAY
    ,
    Yeah.
    I SHOEUSS JOE
    And it was riding the trains from town
    to town. And the hotels with brass
    spittoons in the lobbies and brass be~s
    in the rooms. And it was the crowd
    getting to their feet when the ball was
    hit deep. Shoo~, I'd have played for
    free.
    '!'he sound of a screen door turns their attention to the
    house. Annie and Rarin are coming out to them. •
    RAY
    My family.
    Jackson nods and then points to the tloodliqhts.
    CONTlNaD
    58 CONTINUE:;) (3)
    SHO!:U:SS JOE
    What's with the lights?
    RAY
    All the stadiums have them now except
    Wrigley Field.
    SHO:::U:SS JOE
    Makes it harder to see t~e Dall.
    RAY
    The owners fo~nd that more people could
    attend night games.
    SHO!:LESS Jot
    I t (shakes heac)
    Owne=s .•..
    I ~ By now, Annie and Karin have joined them.
    RAY
    Mr. Jackson: my wife Annie, my daughter
    Karin.
    SHO:::LESS JOE
    Joe. Ma 'm .••
    (shakes Annie's
    hand and winks
    at Karin)
    Hi.
    KARIN
    Are you a ghost?
    Ray and Annie are instantly emDarrassed, and try to cover
    with forced, nervous laughter.
    RAY
    Karin •••
    (to Shoeless Joe)
    She'S just kidding.
    SHOtLESS JOE
    It's okay.
    (to Karin)
    What do you think?
    KARIN
    You look real to me.
    •
    SHOELESS JOE
    Then I quess I'm real.
    ANNIE
    Would you like to come inside?
    CON'l'INtjl;D
    28

    I 56 CONTIN"..:"!:D (" ) 38

    i""" SHOELESS JOE


    Uh, thanks, but •.. I don't think I can.
    Ray and Annie look at Joe for a moment, not quite
    ,I
    '
    understanding the ground rules here. Joe senses their
    discom:o~ and changes the subject.

    SHO:ELESS JOE
    Hey, can I come back again?
    RAY
    Yeah. I built this for you.
    SHOELESS JOE
    There are others, you know. There were
    eight of us. It'd sure mean a lot to
    them.
    RAY
    Oh man, anytime. They're all welcome
    here.
    Joe looks out over the field in eager anticipation of the
    good times to come.
    SBOELESS JOE
    Thank you, Ray. I appreciate it. See
    you later, huh?
    RAY
    Yeah., See you later.
    KARIN
    Say it ain't so, Joe!
    Joe laughs and walks to the outfield. Annie puts her arm
    around Ray and snuggles her head against his chest.
    Nearby, brook water splashes softly in the darkness, a frog
    shrills, and fireflies dazzle the night.
    Joe is in the outfield grass now, walking toward a door cut
    into the fence.
    ANNIE
    Where's he going?
    RAY
    (smiling)
    Through that door in the fence.
    •
    ANNIE
    Since when is there a door in the fence?
    CON'l'INU:::!>
    29

    56 CON'!!h~";:::D (5 )
    RAY
    (smiling even
    more broaQly)
    -
    I Qon't know. I didn't put one there.
    Joe reaches the door, opens it, and turns back to Rey, his
    voice cerrying effc~lessly through the night air.
    SHOELESS JOE
    Hey! Is this heaven?
    RAY
    I I No. It's Iowa.
    ,I Shoeless Joe Jackson nOQs anQ faQes away as he 'I.'e:'ks
    , I through L~e door in the fence. Ray and Annie looks at each
    I I other in absolute wonder.
    RAY
    We're keeping this field.
    ANNIE
    You bet your ass we are.
    CO'!' TO

    59 INT. RAY AND ANNIE'S Lrv!NG ROOM - DAY


    MA:RK
    You're going to lose your farm, pal.
    It is Sunday afternoon, anQ Annie's family is Visiting.
    her mother, pink-faceQ and white-dentureQ, sits ramrod
    straight in an antique rocking chair. Also prese~t are her
    brother, Mark, and his wife Dee.
    ,
    RAY
    ~ Come on, it's 50 big. How can you lose
    something so big?
    . ANNIE
    You misplaced the house once.
    RAY
    Yeah, but it turned up two days later,
    didn't it?
    MARK
    Ray, this stupid baseball field is goi~i
    to bankrupt you. Everybody knows it.
    All I'm saying i. if you wait till you
    default on your loan, you lo.e
    everything. Sell now, my partner.'ll
    (MOU)
    CONTI~
    30

    I 59 CONTIN"'J:E:D
    I I"'" MAlU{ ( Cont ' a)
    give you a more than a fair price and
    you walk away with a nest egg.
    I
    RAY
    Thanks, Mark, but no.
    ~.AlU\
    What are you holding on to ~~is place
    for? You've never even liked Iowa. You
    don't like farming, you don'~ know the
    first thing about it ---
    RAY
    Hey, I know a lot more about farming
    than you think.

    , MAjUI;
    How could you plow under your major
    c::,op?
    I,
    RAY
    (to ATonie)
    What's a c::,op?
    Karin enters breathlessly.
    ~!N
    Daddy, the baseball game is on.
    Ray beams. Karin returns the smile and reaches her a=ms
    out to be picked up. She scissors her legs aroun; her
    father at belt level, hugging his neck.
    RAY
    Excuse us.
    He exits, carrying Karin. Mark shakes his head.
    Y..ARX
    I don't believe this guy. I'm trying
    to bail him out ana he goes off to wat=~
    television.
    Annie stifles a laugh.
    MAlU{
    He used to be so normal.
    MOTHER •
    Does he beat you?
    ANNIE
    What???
    CON'I'INOtD
    59 CONT!NU:::D (:2 ) 59

    1-'.ARl<
    He's arinking, right?

    I ANN!E
    I He aoesn't arink, ana he aoesn't beat
    me, okay? Now I'll grar.~ you, he has
    go~ten me to worship Satan with him;-but
    , 'I just a little.
    , Her mother g~S?s.

    I
    I I
    ANN!E
    Kiaaing ... !'m kidaing!
    I Her family h~s no sense of humor about this whatsoever.
    i
    II ANN!:::
    ! think we neea more cheese.
    I~
    I, She goes into the kitchen, ana when she has rounced the
    corner, she raises her eyes to heaven ana mutters:
    I
    I ANNIE
    I Families.
    ,...., 60 TF.E n:E:LIl 60
    , ~ Karin ana ~ay sit on the bleachers, eating peanuts while
    I Shoeless Joe ana his seven teammates practice. (Three,
    including Shoeless Joe, are in the outfiela, two :ore in
    the infiela, one pitches, one catches, ana one bats.)
    The men are all in their twenties or thirties, b~t show the
    sheer enjoyment of returning after an absence of si~~y-five
    years to the game they love.
    Ray directs Karin's attention to the left fielder.
    II
    "
    RAY
    watch Joe. Watch hi. feet as the
    pitcher gets the sign and starts to
    pitch. A gooa left fielder knows what
    pitch is coming, ana he can tell from
    the angle of the bat where the ball'.
    going to be hit.
    At the sharp crack of the bat Shoeless Joe Whirls, takes
    five loping striaes toward the fence, turns again, reaches
    up, and the ball smacks into his glove. •
    Karin cheers. One of the players good-naturedly boos.
    HAPPY nlSCH
    Showoff!
    CONTI~
    32

    60 CON'I'!l<"UED 6:
    BOCK W1:AVER
    AW, stick it in your ear, Felsch.
    EDDIE: CICO'I'T:E
    Yeah, if you'd run like that against
    Detroit I'da won twenty games that year.
    HA?PY FELSCH
    Oh for ?e~e's sake, that was sixty-five
    years ago! Give it up, will ya ..•.
    SWEDE: RISBERG
    Hey, you guys wanna play ball, or what?
    HAPPY FELSCH
    ... you muscle-bound jerk.
    EDDIE CICOTTE
    oh yeah? At least I got muscles.
    HAPPY FELSCH
    No. At ~ you got muscles.
    BOCK W1:AVER
    Come on, asshole, pitch!
    The good-natured banter stops short, and the other players
    glare at Weaver who looks sheepishly towar~ the little girl
    and her father in the bleachers.
    BOCK WEAVER
    So:'ry, kid.
    KARIN
    It's okay!
    PLAYERS
    All right, Karin!
    The players resume their practicing and ribbing.

    61 EXT. HOUSE 61

    AnIlill emerges with her Mother, Mark and Dee, walking toward
    the bleachers where Karin and Ray are still watching the
    spirited practice.
    ANNIE:
    Ray? Mom's leaving.
    •
    RAY
    Oh. Well, it was ••• you know, thanks for
    coming.
    CONTINOtD
    :3:3

    61 CONTINUED
    MARK
    Think about what I saie. I just want
    to help.
    RAY
    I know.
    Mark just s~ancs there for a mome~t, the only so~~es coming
    from the players on the fie1e.
    MARK
    I thought you two were going to watch
    some game.
    RAY
    Oh, I guess it's not really a game.
    It's more like a practice.
    Mark looks at his wife ane Mother with concern. Ray
    eoesn't understane this reaction.
    RAY
    See, there's only eight of them, so they
    can't playa real game ••••
    MARK
    tight of what?
    Ray points to the noisy players on the fie1e.
    RAY
    Them.
    Now, Mother ane Dee look as if they're about to ~o into
    mourning. Mark kneels next to Karin.

    I MARK
    Karin honey .•• what are you watching?
    j KARIN
    The baseball men.
    I
    Y.AlU{
    I Do you see any baseball men right now?
    KARIN
    (slightly
    annoyee)
    Of course I co.
    Mark stanes up and shoots Ray an accusing look.
    Mother starts to walk away.
    -
    Annie's

    CONTINm:D
    34

    61 CONT!~D (2) £:
    MOTH~R
    I don't think it's very polite to try
    to make other people feel stupid.
    I Annie questions Mark and Dee as they pass her on ~~e way
    to catch up with Mother.
    ANNIE:
    You don't see it?
    DEE
    That's not funny, Annie.
    Her family leaves in a huff.
    ANNIE:
    They could~'t see it.
    RAY
    Interesting.
    He and Annie sit beside Karin and watch the players. Each
    slowly sta~s to smile.
    CUT TO

    62 ON THE FIELD - LATER


    The practice is over, the players are perspired a~d
    exhilarated. Ray is over at first base talking .ith Swede
    Risberg, the shortstop.
    SWEDE RISBERG
    Here, look at this. Sixty-five years
    since I worn this uniform, still fits
    me like a glove.
    RAY
    You must keep in pretty good shape.
    SWEDE RISBERG
    (noels)
    I died in '7S. So I ain't had a
    cigarette in, what, thirteen years. Yc~
    don't smoke, do you?
    RAY
    No.
    SHOELESS JOE •
    ( approaching)
    Felt good out there today, huh, quys?
    CONTINtiI:D
    62 E2

    Fuckin' A!
    BUCK WEAVER

    PLAYERS
    -
    Weaver!
    Buck realizes that once again he has cursed in front of
    Karin.
    WEAVER
    Oh shit. I mean, sorry. I'm sorry.

    ,, Annie calls from the house.


    ANNIE
    Ray! Dinner!
    I '
    SOm: OF TP.!: PLAYERS
    I ' (falsetto)
    I Ra--ay! Dinner!
    They all laugh. Ray clearly loves being part of ~is
    locker room-style comradery. Karin runs to ~~e house.
    SHOELESS JOE
    Come on, fellas. Let's hit the
    showers.
    I"" (to Ray)
    .See you later, Ray.
    I RAY
    Right. See you guys.
    The players call their "good-byes" to Ray and hea:! for the
    door in the outfield fence. Ray watches them fa:e out as
    they go through the door. Then he takes a moment to look
    around him.
    The baseball diamond set in the cornfield is quite
    beautiful. Ray takes a satisfied breath, and walks back
    toward his house. He is the very picture of contentment.
    Then he hears The Voice.
    'I'HE: VOICE
    'Ease his pain.'
    Ray stops short.
    RAY
    What? •
    No response.
    CONTINtltD
    :36

    62 CON:'INti:E:D (2) €:
    RAY
    I'm so=ry. I cl.icl.n't understand.
    TH:E: VOICE
    'Ease his pair.. ,
    Ray s-:'ops 5ho~t.
    I
    ;I
    RJ..Y
    What?
    No =esponse.
    RAY
    I'm 50=~y. I cl.idn't unde=stand.
    THE VOICE
    I !ase -his pain. t

    RAY
    Whose pai~? What pain?
    No =esponse.

    Why me?
    But there is no response.

    6:3 INT. HOt'SE


    Ray enters as Annie and Karin are putting dinne= on the
    ta~le. Ray plops into his chair at the head of ~~e table.
    ANNIE
    Come on, wash up. We've got a PTA
    meeting after dinner. They're talking
    about banning books again. Really
    subversive books like, Wizard of Oz,
    Diary of Anne Frank ---
    She notices Ray is strangely silent.
    ANNIE
    What happened to you?
    RAY
    The Voice is back.
    ANNIE
    Oh Lord, you d.on't have to build. a
    football field. now, d.o you?
    CONTINt:!::l
    37

    63 CON'!:N'UED 63
    RAY
    (shakes heaa no)
    He said .•. 'Ease his pain. I

    ANNIE
    Ease whose pain?
    I!
    ,
    RAY
    ! as};ee him. He woulcn' t tell me.
    ANNIE
    I Shoeless Joe's?
    !
    I I RAY
    I I I Qon't think so.
    ~ ANNIE
    One of the other players?
    RAY
    I con't think so.
    ANNIE
    This is a very non-specific voice you ',"e
    got out there, Ray, ana he's really
    starting to piss me off.
    Ray noes as Annie serves the meal in silence.
    CUT TO
    I
    I 64 EXT. IOWA CITY PUBLIC SCHOO~ BUILDING - NIGHT
    Parents stream in past the "PTA Meeting Tonite" si;n. Ray
    ana Annie stana ~y the doorway, talking with Mis! Corser,
    Karin's teacher. (Ray is too aistractea ~y his c.~
    thoughts to pay this much attention.)
    MISS CORSER
    Karin has such a wonaerful imagination.
    Lately, she's ~een making up these
    charming little stories a~out ghosts w~o
    play ~ase~all in a cornfiela ••• wonaerf~l
    imagination.
    ANNIE
    (with a
    mysterious
    smile) •
    Yes. She gets that from Ray.
    Miss Corser smiles approvingly. Ray realizes ~o~ women
    are looking at him, now, ana he emerges from his thoughts.
    CONTI~D
    :lS

    CON'!'INUED

    Hmm'?

    Annie leads Ray inside.

    65 INT. SCHOOL LIERk~Y - NIGHT


    Ray and Annie -- along with a hundred or so other grownups
    -- are sitting in chairs too small for their gro~~up
    backsides. Ray is s~ill lost in his own thoughts, doodling
    ,, "Ease his pain" over and over again, while an Irate Mother
    has the floor, holding up a novel.
    , I,
    IRATE MOTHER
    .• and I say smut and filth like this has
    no place in our schools!
    A large portion of the audience applauds. Annie w~ispers
    snarlingly to Ray:
    ANNIE
    Fascist. I'd like to ease ~ pain.
    Ray is still lost in thought.
    PlUNCIPAL
    Mrs. perkins, the book you are waving
    about is hardly smut. It is considered
    by many critics as the classic novel
    I
    I
    about growing up in~e 1960s.
    I

    ANNIE
    (whispers to Ray)
    I I read it four times. Funniest book I
    ever read.
    IRATE MOTH!:R
    It's pornography!
    PRINCIPAL
    The Supreme Court said it's not. And
    its author, y~. Mann ---
    ANGRY FATHER
    -- is sick!
    PRINCIPAL
    Terence Mann is a Pulitzer prize-winne=-
    and was widely regarded as the finest
    satirist of his time.
    IR1t.TE MOTHER
    Well I think he's a pervert, and quite
    probably a Communist, tool
    CON'I'INOED
    39

    65
    ~he crowe ~urmurs its assent.
    ANNI!:
    (to Ray)
    What planet are these people tro~?

    Ray loo~s as if he is starting to realize someth~ng.

    I I ANO'I'H!:R :PAREN~
    (reading tro~
    notes)
    ~he so-callec novels of ~erence Mann
    endorse promiscuity, godlessness, the
    I I ~ongrelization of races, and disrespect
    to high-ranking officers of the ~nited
    States Army. And that's why right-
    thinking school boards all across the
    country have been banning this guy's
    shit since 1969.
    RAY
    (to himself)
    ~eren=e Mann .•.•

    IRATE MOTH!:R
    You know why he stoppec writing books?
    3ecause he ~asturbatesl
    ANNIE
    (to Rav)
    I can't take this an~ore.
    I
    RAY
    / (very interested)
    ~erence Mann ••••

    Annie stancs anc smiles cisarmingly.


    ANNIE
    (very reasonably)
    Excuse me, macam, but you're speaking
    of something about which you don't knc~
    squat. Terence Mann was a warm anc
    gentle voice of reason during a time c!
    great macness. He coinec the phrase
    'Make Love, Not War.' ft~en others were
    chanting 'Burn, baby, burn,' he was
    writing about love, anc peace, and
    uncerstancing. He helped cefine an era.
    Anc a generation. Anc he helped us
    laugh at ourselves. I cherishec every-
    one of his books, anc I cearly wish he'c
    write more. Anc if you hac experienced
    even a little bit of the Sixties, you
    might feel the aame way, too.
    CONTINt'"";,l)
    40

    E5

    IRA'I'E MO'I'H!:R
    I experienced the Sixties.
    ANNIE
    No. I think you had two Fifties, and
    . moved right on to the Seventies.
    I I
    IRA'I'E MO'I'HER
    Oh yeah'? Well your husband plo·wed un::ie=
    his c==n and built a baseball field!

    I I The crowd "oohs" and "aahs."


    ANNIE
    Now there's an intelligent response.
    I IRATE MOTP.ER
    The weirdo.
    Ray is so excited at his revelation that he reall\· wants
    to leave immediately. He tugs Annie's sleeve. •
    RAY
    Annie ....

    I~
    But Annie mistakes her husband's intentions. She thinks
    '. he is cautioning her not to get embroiled in tro~ble.

    ANNIE
    (to Ray)
    It's okay, I'll be cool.
    (aloud, to the
    parent)
    At least he's not a book burner, you
    Nazi cow!
    Now the crowd erupts.
    IRATE PARENT
    You're both a bunch of weirdos!
    ~,ie pulls hersel! up to her full 5'4" and thrus~s an
    angry finger at the woman.
    ANNIE
    All right Beulah, you wanna step
    outside?!? Huh?
    The other woman takes a half-step backward.
    ever seen sweet Annie like this.
    ANNIE
    -
    No ene has

    I got a better idea. Let's put it to


    a vote. Come on! Who's for Eva Braun
    (MORE)
    65 . CONT!NUED (3) E5

    ANN!E (Cont'c1)
    here? Who wants to burn books? Who
    wants to piss on the Constitution of the
    Ur.itea Sates? Anyboc1y?
    The ~ajority who haa siaed with the book-banner ~ants to
    vote for'censorsr.ip, but under these terms just can't raise
    their arms. Little Annie is on a roll, now.
    ANNIE
    All right. Now: who's for The Eill of
    Rights? Come on ••. who thinks freedo~'s
    I • a pretty good thing? Let's see those
    I
    hands.
    So~e people start raising their hands.
    I I
    ANNIE
    I • Who thinks we have to stanc1 up to the
    kind of censorship they have in Russia?
    Rel uctantly, just about everyone raises t.'leir hanes. Annie
    I is thrilled.
    ~
    I ANNIE
    There you go. All right, America! I':
    proud of you. I ~.an it. You're
    beautiful!
    RAY
    (rising)
    Annie, we gotta go.
    ANNIE
    (to the crowd)
    We gotta go.
    Ray pulls her fro~ the roo~. Each is proud as hell, each
    for a different reason.

    66 EXT. SCHOOL - NIGHT


    as they burst out, bubbling over with their entr.~!ias~.

    ANNIE
    Oh Ray, was that great, or what? it ~as
    like the Sixties again.

    I
    RAY
    figured it out. . -
    ANNIE
    (reliving it)
    'Step outside, you Nazi cow.' Ha-ha!
    CONTINtln
    66 CONr:NU:::~

    ~.Y
    I know whose pain I'm supposed to e~se.

    ANNIE
    (s~opping short)
    Whe:t?
    I I RAY
    I know whose p~in I'm supposed to e~se.

    ANN!E
    R~y, I jus~ h~l~ed ~he spre~d o!
    neo-f~cism in America, and you're
    talking about ---
    RAY
    Terence M~nn.

    ANNIE
    What a!;)ou~ him?
    RAY
    That's whose p~in.

    ANNI:::
    How do you know that?
    RAY
    I don't know. I just know. I w~s rig~~
    about building the field, w~sn't I?
    ANNIE
    What's his p~in?

    RAY
    I don't know.
    ANNIE
    Then how are you supposed to ease it?
    RAY
    I don't know.
    None of t.~is que~tioning has dampened Ray's priee ~nd
    exci~ement. Ann~e shakes her head.

    ANNIE
    Ray ••••

    Annie ....
    RAY
    -
    CONTINtJ!~
    66 66

    ANNI~
    (':ries to put
    this gen':ly)
    He's !y favorite writer ':00,
    ~ut ... what's Terence Mann aot to do wi':h
    ~ase~all? -
    Ray's s:!le freezes. Then disappears. He hasn't a clue.
    ctJT TO

    I, 67 INT. UNIVERSITY or IOWA LIBRARY - DAY 6'i

    A ~ontage of Ray at the li~rary: checking indices, reading


    old magazines, finding newspaper interviews on =icr=fil~,
    I'
    scouring old an':hologies, and taking copious notes.
    So~e of ':he ar-cicles include: "Where is Terence ~:ann Now
    That We Really Need F.i~?" .•• "20 Rumors About Alnerica's
    Greatest Living Ex-Writer" .•• and, "Terence Mann: Still
    I: Ignoring Us After All These Years". The photogrl!.p!:.s show
    Mann to ~e a large ~lack man with gen':le eyes.
    RAY (V. o. )
    Annie, it's incredi~le.

    66 EX':'. LIBRARY Sf: .

    Ray and Annie run down the steps to the street fcr their
    car, Ray's words racing as fast as his feet.
    RAY
    By ':he early Seventies, the guy decides
    people have ~ecome either too extremist
    or too apathetic to listen to hi~. So
    he stops writing ~ooks. He starts
    wri':ing poetry. About whales and stuff.
    Then, he starts fooling around with a
    home co~puter, and ge':s hooked. Know
    what he does now?
    Annie shakes her head no.
    RAY
    He writes software for interactive
    children's videos. They teach kids how
    to resolve conflicts peacefully. What
    an amaz ing guy.
    •
    ANNIE
    Right. So what's it got to do with
    base~all?

    CONTINt;~O
    44

    68 CON'I'!N"'JED 5e
    :RAY
    In the April 1962 issue of Jet Magazine,
    there's a story of his callea-'This Is
    Not A Pipe. '
    An~ie la~ghs at that. Ray is so excited, he laughs too.
    R\Y
    It's not his best work, but the he=o c!
    the story, a character that Mann c=eated
    i, twenty-six years ago, is n~med John
    Kinsella. My father.
    I
    'I
    She stops short.

    Wow.
    i! He gives her a "See? What'd I tell you?" look.
    ANNIE
    What can I say ••• Biq wow, but .. what's
    , it got to do I,d th baseball?
    II They are standing by their car.
    II!

    '"
    " You drive.
    RAY

    69 INT. CAR
    ~ Annie drives as Ray excitedly consults his notes.
    RAY
    II Okay. The last interview he ever gave
    was in 1973. Guess what it's about.
    ,
    ANNIE
    I' Mmm. Some kind of team sport?
    I RAY
    Annie, he was a baseball fanatic!
    Listen to this:
    Be finds a page and reads from it:
    RAY
    'As a child, my earliest recurring dre~
    was to play at Ebbets Field with Jackie-
    Robinson and the Brooklyn Dodgers. Of
    course, it never happened, and the
    Dodgers left Brooklyn, and they torn
    down Ebbets Field. But even now, I
    still dream that dream.'
    CONTINm:D
    €9

    ANNIE
    Tha":'s sac ....

    70 EXT. RAY AND ANNIE'S HOUSE - DAY 70

    They have arrived home a~d are walking into the ho~se. He
    is still spouting things to her his research has ~~covered.
    I I
    RAY
    The man wrote the best books of his
    I generation, he was a pioneer in the
    I ,
    civil rights and a~ti-war movements, he
    made the cover of Newsweek, he knew
    everybody, he did everythJ.ng ••• he helpe:
    shape his time. He hung out with ~~e
    Beatles! But in the end, it wasn't
    e~ough. What he missed •.• was baseball.
    Annie takes a look at Ray's handful of Xeroxes.
    ANNIE
    Oh my God!
    RAY
    I What.
    I, r-. ANNIE
    (spookily)
    I I As a small boy, he had a bat named
    I 'Rosebud. '
    I
    Ray disapprovingly grabs the Xeroxes back from her .
    •
    ANNIE
    Sorry.
    RAY
    (continues
    reaaing)
    He hasn't been to a live baseball game
    since 1958.
    ANNIE
    So to ease his pain, you hav __ to take
    him to a ball game?
    RAY
    Yes.

    71 INT. HOUSE
    - 71

    as they enter ana put away their things.


    CONTINU~
    7l . CON'I':NU!:D -,
    '-
    ANNIE
    Ray, this is nuttier than building the
    field.
    RAY
    No it's not. It's pret~y weird, I gran~
    you, but building the field was weirder.
    Five, ten percent weirder.
    ANNIE
    I'm sorry, pal, but I have to nip this
    one in the bud. We are having moderate
    to heavy financial difficulties here.
    You cannot take off for Boston while
    you're going broke in Iowa.
    RAY
    Annie, this is really new territory for
    both of us, I know, but we're dealing
    with ~rimal forces of nature, here.
    When pr~mal forces of na~ure tell you
    to do something, the prudent thing is
    not to quibble over details and ---
    ANNIE
    (starting to qet
    pissed)
    .But why do yo~ have to go? Why can't
    the voice senQ someone else? What's
    wrong with Shirley MacLaine, she too
    busy? What does this have to do with
    you???
    Ray hears her anger and sits her down.
    RAY
    That's what I need to find out.
    ANNIE
    Ray, we're behind on the-mortgage. That
    field ate up our savinqs. We could lose
    the far:.
    RAY
    I won't even stay in motels. I'll slee?
    in the car, and I'll beg for food.
    ANNIE
    No. This is too much. I understand
    your need to prove to the world you're-
    not turning into your father, but you've
    done it! You believed in the magic, and
    it came true. Isn't that enough?
    CONTINt.'"I:D
    RAY
    Annie, it's mo~e than that. I know this
    is nuts, but the~e's another reason I'm
    supposed to do it. . I feel it. I feel
    it as strongly as I've ever felt
    an;'thing in my life. There's a reason.
    ,
    I I ANNIE
    What. Just tell me what it is.
    RAY
    I think some~hing's going to happen at
    the game. I don't know what, .
    but .•. the~e's something at Fenway Park
    in Boston, and I have to be the~e with
    Terence ~lann to find it.
    Some~~in; he just said changes Annie's mood.
    ANNIE
    Fenway Pa~k ..• Is that the one with the
    big green wall in left field?

    Ii Yeah.
    RAY

    I, "I, ANNIE
    I dreamt last night you were at Fenway.
    I
    I RAY
    I' Uh, was I sitting on the fi~st base
    I
    side?
    ANNIE
    yes ..•.

    R1.Y
    About the fifth row?
    ANNI:::
    (nocis,
    open-mouthecil
    You were keep in; score and eat in;
    RAY
    -- a hot dog. I had the same ciream.
    ANNIE
    I'll help you pack.
    72 INT. :S!DROO~l 72
    Ray is thro... ing clothes into a suitcase as :fast as he can.
    Annie reads from a road map she has marked for him.
    ANNIE
    ... you take that to 93, and then it gets
    all squiggly, and after that you're on
    your o...n. Ho ... are you going to find
    him, anyway'? He ... on't exac~ly be in t::e
    phone book, you kno....
    RAY
    The article says he has a storefront on
    Harvard Street next to some place that
    sells ~osher food. Shouldn't be too
    hard to fin:. I don't need a tie, do
    I'?
    ANNIE
    NO, dear. Not for a kidnapping.

    73 EXT. HOUSE 7-:


    I'I
    Ray has packed the car and is getting ready to leave.

    1\
    ,-.. RAY
    You'll be okay, right'?
    ,I ANNIE
    I'll try to sell the combine. We sure
    , , don't need it anymore.
    I
    i! Karin runs up, grabs Ray behind each ear and hugs and
    i kisses him.
    RAY
    So long Tiger.
    He get into the car and looks up at Annie.
    RAY
    I'll call you every night. If the tea:
    sho...s up ...hile I'm gone, just tell
    them •••
    (shakes his head)
    On second thought, stay a ...ay from them.
    Those guys haven't been near a woman
    since 1922.
    ANNIE •
    Ray, they're not going to make a pass
    at me. They're ghosts.
    RAY
    They're jocks. Keep away from them.
    CONTINO!:D
    49

    73 CONTINUED ,"
    She laughs, kisses him, anc watcbes him crive off.
    CUT TO

    ON TEE ROAD -,..


    ,I Ray's brave little Dats~n chugs along the in~ers~a~e
    be~wee::l eighteen-wbeele:-s, busses, gasol ine tan}:e::-s,
    au~o-trans?ort ~rucks, and other monsters.

    75 TRAVEL!NG MONTAGE
    Dr~vin; .•. ;as sta~ions ... boring roacsice res~auran~s ..•
    ge~ting lost ••. looking at the map ..• signs that a~nOU::lce
    the
    "Ente:-ing" anc "Leaving" of various states ... da),s turning
    to nights and back again ••. Finally, the green hi:ls of
    Massachusetts.
    CL"T TO

    76 BOSTON - DAY i(,

    He eme:-ges from a tunnel anc enters traffic, the likes of


    which he has not seen in a very long time. On O::1e side of
    the expressway the:-e are sweaty factories, anc 0::1 ~he
    other, old wood-frame apartment builcings with aevertising
    for long-forgotten procucts painted on the sices. L~natic
    crivers abounc. We are not in Iowa anymore.

    77 INT. RAY'S CAR 77

    He rehearses as he crives.
    RAY
    Hi, I'm Ray Kinsella. I'm really a bi;
    fan of ...
    (different)
    How do you, Mr. Mann, I have to take yeu
    to a baseball game.
    (shakes head)
    All right, put your hands up and get in
    the trunk!
    (facetiously)
    Good.
    •
    78 HARVARD STREET - BROOKLINE - DAY
    Ray drives slowly, looking for a store that sells Kosher
    food. But in this old Jewish neighborhood, there are
    dozens: butcher shops, delis, bakeries, groceries.
    50

    79 InT. KOSF.E:R BtJTCF.E:R SHOP


    Ray is asking the sprite1y Jewish Butcher for directions.
    RAY
    -
    He lives righ~ around he=e. Do you know
    him? I'm a friend of his.
    The B~~cher jus~ stares back, with suspicion.
    RAY
    He's sort of a tall, black man.
    BUTCHER
    If you was much of a friend, he'd of
    ;ive you ~he directions himself.
    Ray nods. He knows this is useless.
    RAY
    That's a good point. Thank you.
    Ray exits.
    CUT TO

    so ON THE STREET SC
    Ray has stopped an Ancient Jewish Woman on the s~reet. She
    looks from Ray's Iowa license plate to Ray's face.
    ANCIENT WOMAN
    I don't know where he lives.
    But by her raised eyebrows and the tone of her v:ice, it
    is clear that if she did know -- which she proba:ly does
    -- she certainly wouldn't tell him.
    CUT TO

    Sl GAS STATION 6:'

    Ray has pulled his car to the edg8 of the gas st~tion --
    he is not buying gas -- and slips a five dollar :ill to the
    ruddy-faced, teenaged Irish Pump Jockey.
    PUMP JOCKEY
    Two blocks down. Right hand side.
    First store that don't have a chicken
    in the window, is his. _

    !
    ,.... CUT TO
    51

    82 !:XT. RARVARD STlU:!:T - DAY c:


    In between a deli and a Koshe~ butcher sho~, Ray finds a
    sto~efro·nt with blacked-out windows. He enters an open
    hallway in which he sees the door to the storefront, as
    well as stairs to the apartments above it.
    I
    ,I The~e are half-a-dozen ~ail boxes on the wall. Ray checks
    the names. He smiles.
    I I
    , 83 INSERT- MAILBOX!:S
    I, All but one have imrnig~ant names. The fi~st one ~eads:
    ~l: TIE-DY!:D SOTTWAlU:. .
    III

    RAY
    , I' Ray to the s·to~efront door. Instead of a =u::er
    tu~:r.s
    II the~e is a long wire with a weight on its end hanging f~om
    a hole at the top of the door. Next to the wire is a
    I I handwritten note taped to the door, which reads: "You
    better have a goddamn good reason for ringing tr..is bell."

    • Ray laughs. This guy is great. He pulls on the wire. On


    I the other side of the door, a bell rings.

    ,it
    I
    ,.... Ray has to struggle to control his nervousness. He takes
    a b~eath. He hears footsteps inside, approachin; the door.
    II He cannot .help but smile with delight at the thought of
    I meeting one of his cultural heroes.
    I' The door ope:r.s. _ ~erence Mann is menacingly huge. He
    glares at Ray and roars:
    r:
    MANN
    Who the fuck are you???
    :1,
    Ii Ray is momentarily taken aback, but he figures :aybe the
    guy is joking, so he just smiles and plunges ahead.
    ,II
    RAY
    Sir, my name is Ray Kinsella, and it's
    a great pleasure to finally
    The door slams in his face. It takes Ray a few se:onds to
    realize the interview is over.
    He rings the bell again. The door opens. Mann's large
    frame fills it.
    MANN •
    We got a learning disability here?
    CONTINc:::Il
    52

    CONT!J<tJ!:D

    RAY
    (talks fast)
    Mr. Mann, I've come 1500 miles to see
    you at the risk of losing my home and
    alienating my wife. If I could just
    have a minute. Please.
    MANN
    Look. I can't tell you the secret of
    life, and I don't have any answers for
    you. I con't give interviews, I am no
    I
    longer a public figure, I just want to
    I be left alo~e. So fuck off.
    RAY
    Just one minute. I'm begging you.
    }lan~ looks r.:'m over. Then he sighs.
    MANN
    One minute.
    Mann turns and enters the storefront. Ray follo~s.

    85 INT. MANN'S STOREFRONT 8=


    It is hardly fashionable, but it's roomy and co:fo~able.
    =here are tables stacked high with mailing envelopes and
    a postage scale. A few workbenches have software and
    spread sheets strewn across them. In the back are a couple
    of personal computers.
    On a side wall there are book jackets and newspaper photos
    in cheap frames: pictures of Mann with Martin Luther
    King •.. with Bob Dylan ••. with Timothy Leary ••• Mann being
    arrested at some demonstration ••• Mann at woodstock ••••
    Mann's gruff voice pulls Ray's attention away frc~ these
    relics.
    MANN
    Your minute ain't getting bigger.
    RAY
    Okay. I understand your desire for
    privacy, and I wouldn't dream of
    intruding if this weren't extremely
    important.
    •
    MANN
    Oh God. I don't do causes anymore.
    CON'I'Im.~D
    53

    65 CDN~!NU:::D c5
    RAY
    This isn't a cause. I con't neea money,
    or an endorsement.
    MANN
    Refreshing.
    RAY
    You once "'ro~e: 'There comes a time
    when all the cosmic tUmblers have
    clickea into place, ana the universe
    opens itself up for a few seconds, to
    show you what is possible.'
    I I
    MANN
    Dh my Goa.
    'I
    I
    RAY
    What.
    MANN
    You're from the Sixties!
    'I, RAY
    Well, actually ---

    I
    ,-... Out.! Out.!
    MANN
    I
    I,
    RAY
    I, Just wait a secona
    II
    Mann picks up an ola-fashionea buq sprayer -- ~~e kina with
    II! a lonq arm that pumps in ana out -- ana starts sprayinq it
    at Ray as if he were an unwantea insect.
    MANN
    Back to the Sixties! Back!
    He is backinq Ray out the aoor.
    RAY
    If you'a just ---
    MANN
    There'. no place for you here in the
    future! Get back while you still can!
    He qets Ray just past the door ana slams it shut •
    Ray slams it open. He's pissed. •
    RAY
    You've chanqed, you know that?
    CONTI~
    65 CONT!N"".:r:ED ( :2 )
    Mann s~ops fuming and considers that. He sighs, sadly.
    MANN
    Yes. I suppose I have. How's this?
    (s~iles and makes
    the peace sign)
    'Peace, love, dope.'
    ,I (roars)
    Now get the fuck ou~ of here!!!
    And he slams the door shut again. Ray is flabbergas~ed.
    He is thinking furiously. Then he notices that in slamming
    ,I the door, the la~ch has not locked in place. He ~~iru~s,
    ~akes up his mind, and quietly opens the door.

    Mann has returned ~o work, his back ~o the door.


    Ray en~ers the loft, his left hand in his jacke~ pocket.
    When he is halfway across the loft, he clears his ~roat.
    ,I Mann spins around.
    MANN
    Now you've pissed me off.
    I RAY
    Okay, hold it right there.
    ,I ' "
    Be ju~s his pocke~ed hand forward, as if he had a gun in
    his jacke~.
    RAY
    I was hoping I wouldn't have to do i~

    I this way •.••


    MANN
    What the fuck is that?
    RAY
    It's a ~~. What'd you think it is?
    MANN
    It's your finger.
    RAY
    No it's not. It's a gun.
    MANN
    Yeah? Let me see it.
    RAY •
    Get out of here, I'm not going to show
    you my gun.
    Mann sighs, and stands.
    CONTINt:!I)
    55

    E5 CON'!!t.'UED (3 ) E3

    RAY
    Now look. I'm no~ going to hurt you,
    I just need you to go with me for a
    lit~le while, then -- wha~ are you
    coing?
    Mann has 'found a crowbar among his tools, and is advancing
    ,I to....a=d Ray.
    MANN
    I'm going to beat you with a crowbar
    till you go away.
    ~nderstandably, this makes Ray nervous.
    R;Y
    Whoa! Wait! You can'~ co that.
    M.\NN
    (still advancing)
    What, are ~here rules? There's no
    rules.
    Mann is almost to him, now, the crowbar raised above his
    head.
    RAY
    You're a paci!ist!
    Mann s~ops. He thinks. He lowers the crowbar.
    ~~
    Shit.
    Ray b=eathes a siqh of relief.
    RAY
    Thank you.
    MANN
    All riqht, are you kidnappinq me?
    What's the deal here?
    RAY
    I'm sorry. I was hopinq I could just
    convince you to come with me.
    MANN
    Then you ~ kidnapping me.
    RAY •
    I have to take you to a baseball game.

    You what?
    CONTINV'"~
    S6

    25

    RAY
    Tonight's game. Red Sox, Twins. -
    MANN
    Why?
    RAY
    Some~hing will happen there. I don't
    know what, but we'll find out when it
    does.
    Mann now has no idea what to make of all this, so he just
    looks Ray over for a few seconds.
    RAY
    My name is Ray Kinsella. You used my
    father's name for a character in one of
    your stories. John Kinsella.
    MANN
    You're seeing a ~ of psychiatrists,
    aren't you?
    RAY
    (laughs)
    I don't blame you for thinking that, b~~
    no, I'm not. I swear to God I'm the
    least crazy person I've ever known.
    MANN
    Then why are you kidnapping me to a
    baseball game?
    RAY
    I read an interview you gave a long ti:e
    ago about how you always dreamed of
    playing at Ebbets Field, and how sad y=~
    felt when they tore it down.
    MANN
    (shakes head no)
    I never said that.
    RAY
    You cHc1n't?
    MANN
    I don't even remember thinking it.
    Now Ray is not sure what to do. •
    RAY
    This whole thing is so weird.
    57

    85 CON':'!m::E:n (5) E5

    MANN
    Then why go ~hrough with it?
    RAY
    It's a long sto=y ..• and I'll tell you
    on ~he way. Please.
    MANN
    !'~ not going to get rid of you, am !:
    RAY
    !f you just come to this game with me,
    I'll never bother you again. Not even
    a C~=istmas ca=d.
    Mann picks up a ha~, plops it on his head and hea:s out the
    door.
    CUT TO

    86 CITY STREETS 6,

    Mann sits tensely beside Ray, who drives with his righ~
    hand, while his left hand remains in his pocket,
    substituting for a gun •
    . ~ l""'-
    I MANN
    ~
    . You do this often?
    I
    I
    RAY
    No. It's my first time. So be gentle.
    ItI Ray laughs nervously, and is embarrassed to see M~nn not
    sharing the humor.

    I RAY
    You used to have a sense of humor.
    I MANN
    Things used to be funny.
    Ray pulls up at an intersection. He has to choese between
    left and right. 3ehind him, cars are honking. R~y doesn't
    have a clue which way to go. He sighs.
    RAY
    I'm sorry. This is really humiliating.
    Which way is Fenway?
    •
    Mann shakes his head, then tilts it to the left.
    RAY
    Thank you.
    CONTINtm)
    58

    r'
    ,.... 86 CDNTIW'::ED
    Ray makes the turn, and heads o:ff down the stree';.
    c5

    Ii
    MANN

    :~ You're really inept at this, aren't you?


    Ray g=ins sheepishly and nods. Mann laughs.
    Ii
    I
    MANN
    I mean you're like a total ~umbler.
    ~i
    Ray chuckles his reluctant acceptance cf the tru,;~.
    I
    I
    I
    MANN
    'Bozo the Kidnapper. '
    RAY
    (no longer so
    amused)
    I
    Okay, okay ••.•
    Afte= a :few moments, Ray decides to ~reak the ice.
    RAY
    Can I ask you a question? Something
    I've always wanted to know.
    Ma~n nods. He's ~een asked this question a mill~on times.
    I'
    MANN
    No, I never slept with her.
    I
    RAY
    11 You never slept with who?
    MANN
    Whoever you were going to ask me ~out.
    If I'd ~een with one-tenth the famous
    women they said I was with, I'd ~e in
    formaldehyde ~y now.
    RAY
    (interested)
    You slept with a lot of famous women?
    MANN
    (sourly)
    What's your question?
    RAY •
    How'd you get a name like Terence?
    Mann cannot ~elieve that's the question.
    MANN
    Rastus was taken.
    CONTINt1!:Il
    59

    86
    Ray knows now to shut up. He retu=ns his attention to his
    driving, glances up to 1:is rearview mirror, and sees
    some~~ng that causes h~s eyes to widen in horror.

    87 .
    REAR-VIEW M:RROR 6"7

    A Boston po!ice car on his tail, red lights flashing.


    RAY (0.5.)
    Oh no.

    88 INT. RAY'S CAR


    Mann looks behind him, sees the police car, and t~rns back
    to Ray. Ray wears a look of resignation as he p~lls the
    car over to the side of the road, and shuts off ~~e
    ignition. Mann just looks at him, and starts to chuckle.
    MANN
    Nice going, Boze.
    RAY
    Okay. I don't really have a qun. So
    don't say any-~ing to this guy, okay?
    I swear to God there's a reason we're
    supposed to be at this game.
    Ma:m gives him a "Give me a break" look.
    Ray sees the Policeman is getting out of his cr~iser and
    ,I walking towards ~~em. Ray is desperate.
    RAY
    If I get arrested, the press'll be all
    over you, you'll have to appear in open
    court, you'll be the lead story on
    Entertainment Toniaht, and your
    picture'll Ee on the front page of eve~'
    tabloid in America.
    The Policeman knocks on Ray's window. He is yo~,;,
    fresh-scrubbed and earnest. Ray holds up one han: to him.
    RAY
    Just a second.
    (to Mann)
    'Terence Mann Kidnapped ••• Also seen in
    UFO with Elvis.' •
    Mann's eyes narrow. The cop knocks again, more
    insistently. Ray rolls down the window.
    CONTINT:tD •
    60

    66 co
    [I
    I I
    "'" Sorry.
    RAY

    ,I
    I
    POLl CE?'oAN
    License and registration.

    I Ne=vously, Ray cor.;lies. Mann turns his face tOward the


    passenger side window. Ray's mouth dries up. He has no
    idea .:hat !-:ann will do.
    I'
    I
    The Policell'.an sc:n:tinizes the license, turr:s it o\"er to
    I II look for convictions, and checks Ray's face against the
    . I felonli};e photo. Then he looks at Mann.
    POLICE?'oAN
    And what's your name, sir?
    " Ma~~ keeps his face averted.
    I'
    Terry.
    I POLICEMAN
    I Where is it that you and Rai~ond ar.
    I going, Terry?
    II" RAY
    II .Fenway Pa:-k! We're going to ";he ball
    I game.
    'I
    I
    I MANN
    (turns to cop)
    I, Actually, Officer, I'm being kidnapped.
    I
    II
    Discreetly, under his breath, Ray sings the "Ente=tainment
    , Tonight" theme song.
    I,
    I
    RAY
    '~ntertainment Tonight,
    doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo ...• ,
    Mann winces. The officer looks at him questioni~:ly.

    MANN
    What I mean by that is, I don't care
    much for baseball, but Raymond insiste:.
    POLICEMAN
    Yeah, I hate baseball.
    (hands Ray back •
    his 10)
    Your right taillight is out, Raymond.
    I want you to get it fixed at the first
    opportunity.
    61

    66 62

    RAY
    Yes. I will. Thank you.
    'I The Policeman walks away, and Ray heaves a siqh of relief.
    RAY
    I
    'Terry? '
    I W.NN
    'Raymonc:l.?'
    ,I
    'I, RAY
    Ray. My •.. hostaqes call me Ray. Can
    I call you Terry?

    so~rly, Mann noes. Ray smiles and drives off.


    RAY
    And thank you.
    MANN
    I didn't do it just because I don't wa~t
    the publicity.
    RAY
    Then what else?
    MANN
    I envy you your craziness, Ray. It's
    been years since I did somethinq
    completely crazy.
    RAY
    Well, you want to hear somethinq reall,·
    crazy?
    MANN
    Do I have a choice?
    RAY
    Nope. I live on a farm in Iowa. One
    day, out in the cornfield, I heard a
    voice ....

    89 DC'I'. CAR s:
    It qlides throuqh city traffic.

    90 EXT. FENWAY PARK - DAY - 90

    Ray slides the Datsun into a parkinq place, and ~e and Mann
    walk the short sleazy block to Fenway, and old-fashioned
    center-city ballpark. •

    CONTINtml
    62

    90 COli:'INt.i"ED

    (shaking his
    haac)
    MANN

    Eut ean't you aecept the probability


    -
    that it's all just a hallu:ination?
    RAY
    Annie a~c Karin see it, too.
    ~hey have rea:hed the ticket ~incow.

    RAY
    Two, fielc level, first base sice.
    The elderly Ticket Seller pulls out two tickets.
    TICKET S~LU:R
    Se:tion seventeen. Twelve collars.
    Ray takes out his wallet anc turns to Mann.
    RAY
    It's on lIle.
    MANN
    You're Cl!.llln right it is.
    Ray pays the lIlan anc receives the tickets.
    TICKET SELLER
    Gallle con't start for a while, but you
    can go in, watch batting practice.
    RAY
    Great.
    They enter the staciUlll.

    91 INT. STADIUM
    They walk through the incoor portion of the gra~dstand
    toward their section.
    RAY
    So what do you co with -yatl'rse1.f these
    days?
    MANN
    I live. I work. I've learned to cook.
    I take wal~~. I watch sunsets. •
    RAY
    Don't you lIliss being ••• involved?
    CONTI~D
    63

    91 CON~!NUtD

    MANN
    (snorts)
    I I I was the Eest Coast distributor of
    'involved.' I ate it, drank it, and
    ,I breathed it. Then they killed Martin.
    They killed Sobby. And then ~~ey
    elected Tricky Dic)~. '!'\otice. And now,
    people like you t~ink ! must be
    .1 miserable that I'm not involved anymore.
    Well, I've got news for you: ! spent all
    my misery ye~rs ago. I have no more
    pain for any cf you. I gave at the
    o~fice.

    They epproach the refreshment stand.


    R.l>.Y
    So •.• what do you want?
    Y.ANN
    I want them to stop looking to me for
    answers. Begging me to speak again,
    write again, be a leader. I want them
    to start thinking for themselves. And
    I want my privacy!
    Ray looks slightly embarrassed.
    (I""
    RJo.Y
    No, I meant what do you want from .•••
    Ray points to the hot dog vendor, as they have reached the
    front of the line.
    MANN
    Oh.
    (laughs at
    himself)
    A dog and a beer.
    RAY
    (to the vendor)
    Two.
    (to Mann)
    Okay, I agree, you should be entitled
    to as much privacy as you want. But w~y
    stop writing?
    MANN
    I haven't published a word in seventeL~
    years and I still have to endure •
    assholes like you all the time. What
    do you think it'd be like if I suddenly
    came out with a new book?
    •
    CONTlNO""~
    64

    91
    Rey no~~. Mann is ~ak~ng sense.
    , I 1-wm
    They'd bleed me d=y.

    9:2 SEC:'!ON .SEVENTEEN


    .Ray and 1-1ann emerge i::~o 'the sunlig~t and walk co-;.·n ~he
    aisle 'towa=d 'the field.
    RAY
    God, this place is so beautiful.
    The g=ass is so g=een you can almost smell it. ~ook~ng
    a=ound 'the old ballpark, they see only about twen~y or
    thi='ty die-hard fans in the s'tands for ba'tting F=ao'tice;
    a half-dozen players are grouped around the bat~ing cage
    as one player hits to several others in the fie::. A few
    spo='tswriters and other civilians s'tand near the dugouts.
    Ray and !olan.... stop a't the firs't row, right behind ~~e Red
    Sox on-deck circle, lean on the railing and talk.
    RAY
    It could be 1912 out there, for all t:.is
    place has changed. Babe Ruth stood on
    1;''''''' tha't very mound as a pitcher long before
    I' .anyone knew he could hit home r~ns.
    Same mound.
    I

    :1 MANN
    Why are we here, Ray?
    I,
    RAY
    Something about the game.
    CO'I' TO

    93 THE GAME - NIGHT


    The game is in progress. Ray and Mann are in t:.eir fifth
    row seats. They do not speak.
    At one point, Ray becomes suddenly and strangel"o: ewere that
    something is about to happen. He looks at Mann·~=o is just
    watching the game. Then he looks at the scoreboard.

    94 THE SCOREBOARD -
    Fenway Park has a sophisticated scoreboard that flashes
    pictures of the batter and pitcher, and can sho~ instant
    replays of some of the action.
    CONTIN'Cl:D
    65

    ,
    9'; -c '
    ~

    I , ,..... :Riqh't now, the c.isp:.ay is replacec by an oc.dly ;: o.... i~g


    ~essage. The so~~:s of ~~e s'tadiu~, 'the ga~e, an::: 't~e
    I I crowd fade ou't.
    There is o~ly 'the ~essage:
    :f

    ,i ARCF.:SA:"D "HOONLIGET" G:RAH1.!'1


    , Chisholm, !-!inn.
    I '
    I
    New York Giants
    )
    I Li!etime Statistics:
    1 Ga~e, 0 At 3a'ts
    I ----------------------------
    The ~essagedoes no~ jus't glow, i't pulsates. I't :'ooks
    al~ost otherworldly, phosphorescen't: clearly unlike
    any'thing ever seen before on a ballpark scoreboard.

    95
    :Ray looks arounc. hi~. The sounds of the ga~e re~~rn, and
    ~ro~ ~~e unconcerned faces of 'the people near'hi:, he
    realizes t.~at no one else can see the message. He opens
    his program and s'tar'ts writing it down. Ma~ no~ices this,
    ,' bu't cannot see what :Ray is writing.
    Then Ray hears The Voice.
    TH::: VOIC:::
    'Go the distance. '
    RAY
    Oh ~y God.
    MANN
    What's the matter?

    RAY
    Nothing.
    MANN
    You okay?
    :Ray sighs.
    RAY
    Yeah. •
    (then)
    Whenever you want to go, we can go.
    CONTI~:>
    66

    ,
    95 CONTINU:ED
    ,..... MANN

    "
    I,

    RAY
    I'
    "
    If you want to go, we can go.
    Mann looks at Ray curiously, trying to read this new
    ri attitucS.e.

    I, MANN
    Then let's go.
    I,
    ,
    Mann rises and heads up the aisle. Ray looks do~~ at the
    program -- at the handwritten legend of Moonligh~ Graham,
    who played one game fifty-seven years ago, but did not get
    to bat -- and follows Mann out of the ballpark.
    CUT TO

    96 THE RIDE BACK TO BOSTON 9\

    It is nighttime, and Mann drives. Ray slumps, dozing,


    troubled. Mann looks curiously at Ray, but says nothing.
    They ride in silence.
    CUT TO
    I'

    97 MANN'S STR:EET - NIGHT


    The street is blue with moonlight as they park i~ ~ront of
    the storefront.
    MANN
    Where are you going from here?
    RAY
    Home.
    MANN
    What is it you're not telling me?
    RAY
    (shakes head no)
    I've taken up too much of your time.
    Mann gets out of the ear.
    MANN •
    I wish I had your passion, Ray. However
    misdirected it may be, it's still a
    passion. I used to feel that way abo~t
    thinqs, but ••••
    CONTINt!:D
    67

    97 CONTINUED
    Ray slides in~o the ~river's seat.
    MANN
    You got another message, didn't you?
    RAY
    You'll t~ink I'm crazy.
    Y.ANN
    I already ~hink you're crazy. What ~id
    it say?
    Af~er a little thought, Ray smiles sadly.
    RAY
    It said 'The man's done enough. Leave
    him alone.'
    Ray pu~s the car in gear, makes a wide turn, and s~arts ~o
    head back up the street. But he stops short when l-Iar.n' s
    form looks out of the darkness into the glare of ~he
    headligh~s .

    Ray does no~ know why Mann is blocking his path. Or why
    he appears ter-se, almost frightened.
    MANN
    'Moonlight' Graham.
    Ray's jaw erops.
    RAY
    You saw it.
    MANN
    Saw what?
    RAY
    New York Giants, 1922. He played one
    game, never got to bat.
    Mann looks spectrial in the high-contrast glare en the
    headligh~s.

    MANN
    What did I see, Ray?
    RAY
    Chisholm, Minnesota. We were the only
    ones who saw it. Did you hear the
    voice, too? •
    Mann glances at Ray, then looks away.
    CONTI~D
    68

    97 CONTINU!:D (2)

    I,
    RAY
    It's all right to admit it.
    told me to find you.
    That's whe~
    -
    No response.
    RAY
    Did you hear it too?
    MANN
    I 'Go the dist.ance. '
    I
    RAt
    I
    I Do you know what it. means:
    I
    Yes.
    ,
    ,, What.
    RAY

    't MANN
    I,
    It means ... we're going to Minnesot.a to
    I', find Moonlight Graham.
    RAY
    , ,......, (thrilled)
    I We:
    I,

    ,'I Yeah.
    I, RAY
    What do we do when we find him?
    , I MANN
    We'll know that when we find him.
    Ray opens the passenger door of the Datsun and M~~n jumps
    in. Ray releases the brake and peels out, burni~; rubber.
    The two men look happy as kids with bats over shc:!lclers,
    gloves dangling, on their way to a sandlot.
    c:t1'l' '1'0

    98 ON TH!: ROAD 98

    Once on I-90, they begin the long haul across the Great
    Lakes states. Ray drives, Mann dozes in the rec:ined
    passenger seat. ..
    RAY (V.O.)
    Annie, I'm really sorry, but I'm qoinq
    to be a few days lonqer.
    CON'l'INm:D
    69

    98 CONTINUED
    ANNIE (V. 0.)
    (phone: filtered)
    Oh, Ray .•• Is everything all right?
    RAY (v.O.)
    Everything's great, and I'll tell you
    all abou~ it when I get back, but I'm
    going to Minnesota now.

    99 MORE ON TEE ROAD


    Now Mann d=ives, and Ray tries to sleep, his stockinged
    feet propped up on the dash, occasionally sliding ~ith a
    thud against the s~eering column.
    ANNIE (V. o. )
    (phone: filtered)
    I don't believe this. What's in
    .Minnesota?
    RAY (V.O.)
    An old ballplayer. I'll explain when
    I get home. How are things with you?

    ,....., 100 GAS STATION


    Ray is using the pay phone on the wall of the office, while
    the car is being gassed.
    ANNIE (V.O.)
    (phone: filte=ed)
    Uh, fine.
    RAY
    Hey, guess what? Te=ence Mann is wi~h
    me. We're going to Minnesota together.
    ANNIE (v. 0.)
    (phone: filtered)
    Are you kidding me? Oh, Ray, that's
    unbelievable!
    RAY
    I know. I gotta go. Hug Karin for me.
    I love you.
    ANNI!: (V. O. )
    (phone: filtered)
    I love you too. You guys behave -
    yourselves. Hurry home.
    CONTINt."!:D
    70

    100 CON':'!NUED
    Ray smiles and hangs up.

    'I CUT '1'0


    1
    101 ANNIE'S KI'1'CHEN lO::'
    She
    .
    hangs up, and loses her smile as she turns back to the
    kitchen ~able, where her brother Mark sits with ~wo men in
    business suits.
    MARX
    Why didn't you tell him?
    ANNIE
    For the same reason I've never pissed
    on your birthday cake.
    MARX
    Annie, you don't have a choice in the
    matter.
    Annie looks very troubled.
    ct1'I' !I'O

    102 ON THE ROAD - MINNESO'1'A 10:

    '1'hey are north of Duluth, and the landscape has grown


    harsher, the trees shorter and more gnarled, the c;rass
    tougher and wirier.
    After Virginia, Minnesota, all the land is scarrec. Above
    the town the mines sit like sand-colored bunkers in the
    cliffs, stern and silent.
    Near Chisholm, the land is getting ever weirder. :t looks
    like a pasture rooted and rerooted by giant hogs. It has
    been split and gutted; greenery has grown back, =~~ at
    weird and unnatural angles. .
    But as they swing into town, the highway divides a~d they
    cross a beautiful and tranquil lake, so smooth a~: shiny
    it might be a scene painted on a glass plate. A sign reads
    WELCOME '1'0 CHISHOLM.

    103 CHISHOLM, MINNESO'1'A l03

    Ray and Mann bave parked on the main street next-:o a


    corner phone booth. Ray is flippin~ througb the ~~in phone
    book attached to the booth by a cba~n.
    CON'I'INt"!:~
    7l

    l03 CONTINUED ::3


    RAY
    " Half a cozen Grahams ... no Archibala, r.o
    Moonlight.
    I' I MANN
    Follow me.
    I
    I CUT TO
    I

    I' lO':' EXT. CHISHOLM FREE ?P~SS


    II
    I, The local newspaper is locatea in a small store!~ont that
    , 'I was probably once a confectioners or a ary-goods store.

    l05 !NT. CH!SHOLM FREE PRESS 10:'


    , II
    It Ray ana Mann are talking with the paper's publis~er, Veda
    Ponikvar, a hanasome woman in her sixties, with a sweet,
    ~ fi
    innocent smile, ana eyeglasses hanging from a f~ne chain
    around her neck.
    I I
    MANN
    I We're trying to find an ex-baseball
    player namea Archibala Graham.

    "
    ,

    'I
    I I
    'V"EDA
    .You mean 'Doc' Graham.
    ,II
    I, RAY
    'I No, I think his nickname was
    Iii 'Moonlight. '
    VEDA
    ,,, Yes, that's Doctor Graham.
    I, MANN
    I
    Doctor Graham.
    This is interesting news to Ray ana Mann.
    VEDA
    His baseball career never amountea to
    mUCh, so he went back to school. His
    father was a aoctor.
    MANN
    Do you know where we can fina him?
    RAY •
    It'. nothing baa. We're not from the
    IRS, or anything ---
    CONTINt.:ZO
    72

    :05 CONTINUED
    VEDA
    Doc Graham is aeaa. He diea in 1972.
    Ray ana Mann look at each other, unsure of what ~r.is means
    to their quest.
    CUT TO

    106 NEWSPAPER BACK ROOM :Of,

    Ray ana Mann sit a~ a table in the newspaper's b5Ck room,


    the "morgue" file on Doc Graham -- a collection of
    clippings, pictures, ana the obituary -- strewn before
    them.
    Right now, their at~ention is on Veaa, who has p~t her
    glasses on, ana is reading from an eaitorial.
    I
    , ~DA
    ..• 'Ana there were times when chilaren
    ~I
    coula no~ affora eyeglasses or milk, or
    clothing. Yet no chila was ever aenie~
    ~~es. essentials, because in the
    backgrouna, there was always Doctor
    Graham. Without any fanfare or
    publicity, the glasses or the milk or
    the ticket to the ball game founa their
    'way into the chila' s pocket.'
    MANN
    You wrote that.
    ~DA
    The aay he aiea.
    MANN
    You're a gooa writer.
    The compliment is just right, ana she smiles war=:y.
    ~DA
    Excuse me.
    She exits. Mann spreaas out the clippings ana shakes his
    heaa.
    MANN
    Something's missing.
    Ray is looking at a photo of Doc Graham as a man
    .,~n his
    late sixties.
    CONTINt:::D
    73

    106 CONTINUED
    ~.Y
    Well ... he sounas like he was a wonaerful
    man.
    Mann shakes his heaa.
    I MANN
    I Half the towns in North }~erica has a
    Doc Graham. What makes this one so
    special we have to come halfway across
    the coun~ry to fina him fifteen years
    after he diea? There's got to be more.
    Veda enters with a piece of paper from a yellow :egal paa.
    VEDA
    You might want to talk to some of these
    people. They knew Doc pretty well.

    I
    Ma~~ takes the list ana looks it over.
    II CUT TO
    I
    I
    I
    107 INTERV!EW :. 0',

    Two ola Coagers on a park bench.


    """' FIRST CODGER
    II Oh, that man haa an arm on him. One a:y
    over at ~he ballpark, he saia 'Lemme see
    that ball', ana one of the boys threw
    him the ball, ana he walkea over behin~
    home plate, rearea back, ana firea tha~
    ball over the left fiela fence.
    SECOND CODGER
    Ana he was at least fifty years ola whe~
    he aia it.
    FIRST CODGER
    It was still rising when it aisappeare~.

    lOB INTERVIEW lOr


    A woman, an olaer Nurse.
    NURSE
    I went with him to make a housecall at
    one of the camps ••• mining camps. The •
    husbana was sick, ana they haa no stove,
    so they haa no heat.
    (HOU)
    CONTI~D
    74

    lOS CONTINUED
    NURSE (Cont' d)
    When we got back to Chisholm, Doc went
    to the hardware store and bought a stove
    for them and paid to have it delivered.
    -
    And I know that wasn't ~~e only time he
    did something like that.

    109 COUNTRY KITCHEN ~STA~~T - DAY


    ,I Several tables have been pushed together, and Ma~n sits
    surrounded by townspeople, mostly men past retire~ent age.
    ,,
    , BALDING MAN
    He didn't smoke or drink, but he used
    to chew up paper and spit it out
    wherever he went. If you were around
    Doc very long, you learned to duck.
    MOUSTACHED MAN
    He'd even chew up his prescription
    ~ slips, so sometimes we'd have to dig
    into our pockets for a piece of paper
    ,I so Doc could write us prescriptions.
    I
    . WHITE-HAIRED MAN
    He always wore a black overcoat, even
    in the summer, and it was always
    flapping open, even in the winter and
    it was fifty below. And he had white
    hair, like me, and he always carried an .
    umbrella.
    SMOKER
    'Cept he was always, I mean always,
    losing them. Stores 'round town would
    " just lean his umbrella somewhere near
    the door, and if anybody asked, they'd
    just say 'Oh, that's Doc's umbrella'.
    l".ANN
    What was the umbrella for?
    WHITE-HAIRED Y.AN
    Oh, I think it got to be a habit,
    something to hanq onto. But if you'd
    ask him, he'd saf it was to beat away
    all his lady adm1rers.
    This, as much as the other remembrances, brings ~arm
    chuckles to the old men. ..
    MANN
    Tell me about his wife.
    CONTINt:I:D
    75

    109 CON'I:N"'u:ED
    BALDING MAN
    Alicia. She moved to South Carolina
    after he passed. She passed a few years
    later. She always wore blue. I bet you
    didn't know ~~at.
    MAl'<"N
    (smi!es)
    No. I didn't.

    110 MOT:EL OFFIC:E - NIGHT


    The woman Manager of the motel is having a cup o! coffee
    ...·ith Ray.
    MOT:::L l'J.NAG:ER
    You know, everybody's talking about yo~
    two.Ou:, neighbors came over last night
    and we just told Doc Graham stories
    until after midnight. I even wrote so~e
    of them down.
    She takes out a piece of paper.
    RAY
    That's very nice of you.
    MOTEL MANAGER
    Well, it's funny. It's like all these
    memories we have of Doc had gone to
    sleep and sunk way down inside us. But
    once you started asking about him, and
    started us talking about him, why they
    swum back up to the sur!ace again.
    Ray smiles.
    CUT TO

    111 MO:!':EL ROOM


    Ray and Mann are sitting in their beds, comparir.; their
    notes.
    MANN
    No screwing, no drinking, no opium, no
    illegitimate children. No midnight
    abortions, no shady finances.
    •
    Ray puts down his notes ana picks up the Chicago Tribune.
    RAY
    You sound disappointed.
    CONTI~D
    76

    -, ,
    ll1 CON'!'INUE:l ---
    MANN
    Shoe less Joe had a problem. That's why
    he needed you. This guy doesn't need
    us.
    Suddenly, Ray s~raigh~ens with a s~ar~.

    RAY
    .i Oh, my God.

    ~ !. Ray hurries over to Mann, offe.ring ~he opened ne;.'Spaper,


    and points out an ar~icle to Mann. It is headlined:
    , i
    TERZNCE MANN MISSING.

    Dall'.n •
    II (reads)
    I 'His son, who lives in New York City,
    notified police after receiving no
    answer to repeated telephone calls .•• '
    II Shi~. I'd better call him.
    II

    I,
    , .
    t He pulls the phone on~o the bed and cl.ials
    YJANN
    "0".
    I' What the hell do I tell him.
    it
    '1

    I
    '" -You wan~
    RAY
    lIIe to .•• ?
    "
    I He motions ou~side ~ith his head.
    i i
    MANN
    Thanks.
    Ray exits.
    I ~
    ct.'!' TO
    I
    ~ ll2 EXT. CHISHOLM RESIDENTIAL STREET - NIGHT
    Ray walks by the old movie theatre, which sits a~ the edge
    of a residential street. The Godfather is playin;. He
    nods at an elderly man who passes hlm on the street. He
    passes a darkened house and notices there is a sign of some
    kind in its unlit front window. He takes another two or
    three steps before he has to stop to take a better look at
    the siqn.
    •
    77

    :'13

    I~ ~akes a second to make ou~ the image in ~he dark, but


    it is a head shot of Richard Nixon. Above, it says ":FO\!::-
    Mo::-e Years". Below, i~ reads "Re-Elect The Presiden~".

    114 RAY -_......,


    is puzzled. He tur~s and looks a~ tbe theatre ma::-quee.

    , It
    ,,-
    --;, TEE TE!ATRE MARQUEE ,,
    --~
    -
    I ! Under the letters tbat spell out "The Godfather", a::-e
    I smaller letters that read "Nominated for 10 Academy
    Awarc.s" .

    II 116
    d frowns. He says the word to himself.
    I
    ~ II Nomineted?
    RAY
    I

    ~ I' Ray now looks at the car parked nearest to him.

    I I
    , I '" 117 Th"E CAR

    It is an old Mustang. Tbe annual tag on the lieerose plate


    .f reads: 1972.
    I I
    11B
    looks around

    119 EIS POINT OF VIEW :.:."


    All the cers on the street are pre-1972. And s~ill walking
    down the block away from him, is the elderly man ~ay passed
    moments earlier.
    Tbe man is about sixty-five years old, stooped a little,
    but the body is still lithe, an athlete's body. Foe is
    wearing a dark overcoat ••••

    120 CLOSER POINT OF VIEW 120


    •
    ••• and he carries an umbrella.
    78

    RAY . ,
    ~

    "-21
    II'" The litt-le hairs on the back of Ray's neck stan: up. His
    mouth is dry, and for a moment, he cannot speak. Then, he
    ,I calls to the man.

    , Doctor Graharn?
    :RAY
    ,
    ,I Slowly, the man stops a:1d tur:1S back ~o face Ray. Ray
    star~s ~o ~=o~ to h~m.

    ,I ELDERLY MAN
    II Who's that?
    :RAY
    My name is Ray Kinsella. I'm from Iowa.
    Are you Moonlight Graham?
    ,i The old man narrows his bright eyes to see Ray mcre
    I clearly.
    I

    I
    I DOC GRAHAM
    No one's called me 'Moonlight' Graham
    for fifty years.
    I
    I I :RAY
    Well, I've come .••
    'I
    ,

    ,I
    '" (smiles to
    himself)
    ; •• a very long way to see you.
    DOC GRAP.AM
    ,I Funny. I couldn't sleep tonight.
    Usually, I sleep like a baby. So I told
    Alicia I was going to take a walk.
    :RAY
    'I Mind if i join you?
    to you.
    I'd like to talk

    Doc nods and they start to walk.


    DOC GRAHAM
    Let's go to the high school. We can si~
    in my office. What do you want to talk
    about?
    RAY
    Well, first of all, how' d you get to be.
    called 'Moonlight'?
    DOC GRAHAM
    'Cause of a night like this, long ago.
    -
    I'd just gotten to the minors, and I
    went out to the ballpark.
    (MORE)

    CON'l'I~D
    79

    :::
    DOC G~~~ (Con~'d)
    There's nothing as peaceful as a
    ballpark at night. Like a church.
    AAY
    Yeah, I know what you mean.
    DOC G~~~~
    An~ay, I fell asleep. Ney.~ morning,
    they found me in the on-deck circle, all
    Ii curled up like a baby. Someone called
    me 'Moonlight,' and it stuck.

    122 EXT. HIGH SCHOOL


    Doc fumbles out a key, and lets them in.
    AAY
    When you got to the majors, you played
    only one inning of one game. What
    happened in tha~ inning?

    123 INT. HIGH SCHOOL


    They enter the hallway of the old school, the s~ell of
    varnish and chalk almos~ palpable.
    DOC GRAHAM
    It was the last day of the season.
    Bottom of the eighth, and we were way
    ahead. I'd been up with the club for
    most of a month, but hadn't seen any
    action. Just then old John McGraw
    points a bony finger at me and says
    'Right field.' Well sir, I jumped up
    like I was sitting on a spring, grabbed
    my glove, and ran out onto the field.
    They reach a varnished door with an opaque glass inset, and
    enter. Doc Graham's office.

    124 INT. DOC GRAHAM'S OFFICE 12~

    Doc seats himself behind a cluttered desk, and :c~ions Ray


    to the black-leather sofa a few feet away.
    AAY •
    Did you get to make a play?
    Doc takes a sheet of paper off his desk, expertly rips an
    inch or so off the corner with his teeth, and begins
    chewing.
    CONTINUED
    80

    CONTIh'U!:D
    DOC G?AHAM
    , Nope. They never hit the ball out of
    the inHele..
    I

    Ray chuckles, but then flinches as Doc shoots his little


    spitball toware.s him.
    DOC GRAHAM
    Heaes up.
    It hits the back of the sofa a few feet f=om Ray, a~d hangs
    there, like a white fly.
    RAY
    I was warnea about you.
    DOC GRAHAM
    An3~ay, one inning later the game ~as
    over, ana so was I.
    RAY
    And what ~as that like?
    DOC GRAHAM
    It was like coming this close to your
    dreams, and then watching them brush
    past you like a stranger in a crowd.
    Ray noas, .and a look of understane.ing begins to appear on
    his face. He looks out the window, focused on !a=away.
    DOC GRAHAM
    Except, at the time, you don't think
    much of it. Hardly anybody recognizes
    the most significant moment of their
    life when they're happening. Back then
    I just fiqured there'd be plenty more
    aays. I didn't know that would be the
    only one.
    Doc Graham notices that Ray is looking very seric~s.

    DOC GRAHAM
    Now, let me ask you a question, Ray
    Xinsella. What makes that half-inning
    so interesting that you come all the ~I!~.
    from Iowa to ask me about it sixty-five
    years later?
    Ray chooses his wores carefully.
    •
    CON'I'INtJ"!:~
    81

    CON7IN".J:E:D (2 )
    RAY
    I aian't re~lly know till just now. But
    I, I think it's ~o ~sk you if you coula co
    any~hing you ... antea to .•. if you coula
    ,I have a wish.... .
    DOC GRAHAM
    ,I A.,...."':. ••••

    Doc nods r.is underst~nding. He smiles wryly, t~kes ~ new


    I, piece of paper, ~na bites off a little section.
    DOC GRAHAM
    I, Ana are you the kind of man who could
    grant me that wish?
    RAY
    I acn't kno.... I'm just ~sking .•..

    Doc le~r.s his left elbow on the desk ana rubs his foreheaa
    thoughtfully with a p~lm, as if it were an eraser that
    coula erase the ye~rs and t~ke him back to 1929 ~na the
    Polo Grounas in New York.
    DOC GRAHAM
    I never got to bat in the major leagues.
    I'a h~ve likea the chance -- just once
    --'to s~are aown a big league pitcher.
    'St~re him aown ~nd then just as he goes
    into the winaup -- wink! Hake him
    wonder if I know something he doesn't.
    Th~t's what I wish for. The chance to
    squint my eyes when the sky is so blue
    it hurts to look at it, ana to feel the
    tingle that runs up your arms when you
    I connect aeaa-on. The chance to run the
    bases, stretch a aouble to a triple, ~n;
    flop race-first into thira, wrapping l::Y
    arm arouna the bag. That's my wish, i'.a~·
    Kinsella ••• that's my wish.
    Ray begins to smile. Graham is staring intently at him.
    DOC GRAHAM
    Is there enough magic floating arouna
    in the night out there for you to make
    that wish come true?
    RAY
    What woula you ao if I said 'Yes'? •
    DOC GRAHAM
    I think I might actually believe you.
    CON'l'Im."1:~
    62

    CON':'rN":ED ( :l )
    RAY
    Tbere is a place where things like that
    ,! happen-.- And if you want to go there,
    I can take you.
    Doc's eyes sta~ to glisten, and he offers an e~~arrassed
    smile as ·he wipes away a tear.
    DOC GRA.~J1
    If it means leaving chisholm .••.
    , II
    He shakes his head no. Ray is surprised.
    llY
    I understand, b~t I think you're
    supposed to come with us.
    DOC GRAHAM
    This is my most special place in the
    world, Ray. Once a place touches you
    like this, the wind never blows so cold
    again. You feel for it like it was your
    child. I can't leave here.
    Ray cannot believe the man won't leave Chisholm f:r his
    drea:.
    RAY
    ·But your wish ••••
    DOC GRA.'iAM
    It'll stay one. I was born here, live~
    here, and I'll die here. That's okay.
    I'll have no regrets.
    RAY
    But sixty-five years ago -- for five
    minutes -- you came this close.
    (holds up two
    fingers)
    It would kill some men to get that clcse
    to their dream and never touch it.
    They'd consider it a tragedy.
    DOC GRAHAM
    Son ••• if I'd only gotten to be a doctor
    for five minutes •.• now that would have
    been a tragedy.
    Those words fill up the room, and Ray sinks back against
    ~c~~. •
    CONTINt...ED
    63

    CON'!!N"J!:D (~ ) --~

    DOC GRAHAM
    Well, I'd better ge~ home before Alic~a
    s~a~~s ~o ~hinki~g I've go~ a
    I ;
    g~rlf::iend.

    And Doc Graham smiles a~ him.


    :RJ..Y (V. 0.)
    : I And he smilec:..
    ct.'!' TO
    I:

    125 INT. MOT!:L ROOM - NIGHT


    l~ is leter that same night, and Rey has beenre=o~nting
    his e~~erience with Doc Graham to Mann, who appears quietly
    troublec.
    RAY
    And then I ~igured maybe we're not
    supposed to take him with us. SO-now
    I don't know why the hell we were
    supposed to come here.
    MANN
    Maybe it was to find out if one inning
    can change the world.
    I t RAY
    Did it?
    MANN
    It did for these peoDle. If he'd gotte~
    a hit, he might've stayed there.
    (then)
    Your wife called before. She wants ycu
    to call her tonight.
    CUT '!'O

    126 INT.RAY AND ANNIE'S BEDROOM - NIGHT , ...


    ;..
    -< •

    _____ Annie is asleep. The phone rings, and the spee~ ~ith which
    she picks it up suggests that her anxiety to get ~is phone
    call prevented her from sleeping very deeply.
    CONTINe.:.:>
    •
    84

    l26 CON'!'IWJED
    ,..... Ray.
    ANNIE
    (pause)
    II
    I asked the bank if we could miss a
    payment or two, and they told me theY'd
    just sold the note on the farm to Mark
    :1 and his partners. So they own the
    I paper now, and he says if we don't sell
    i I to them, they'll foreclose. Ray, we
    don't have the money.
    I II
    II l27 IN'!'. MO'!'EL ROOM - NIGET

    I I Ray holds the phone, pained.


    RAY
    Okay, look. They can't foreclose for
    ! ;1 thirty days, or something like that.
    I: I've got to take Terry back to Boston
    first, so it'll be
    MANN
    No.
    III Ray looks over at Mann.
    III
    ,..... MANN
    I'm going to Iowa with you.
    I~ RAY
    We're coming home.
    I CUT TO
    :I
    III l28 ON TA~ ROAD - MORNING 128
    I, Ray drives with purpose and speed. Mann looks relaxed.
    t MANN
    Hell, I couldn't quit now. I've got :~
    r see this ballpark.
    RAY
    Not everybody can see it. You might
    not.
    MANN
    I'll give it a try.
    As they turn onto the highway near the lake, a =eenager
    with a dufflebag appears on the side of the roa~, his arm
    -
    raised in a hitchhiker's stance. Ray pulls the car over
    to the side of the road. •
    CONTlNtl:D
    85

    128 CONT!Nt:'ED --~

    RAY
    I need all the karma I can qet riqht
    I I now.
    The car stops, and the Teenager runs for it. He tosses
    :I
    I
    du!flebag in the backseat and squeezes in after it •
    .
    h~s

    TE:E:NAG:::R
    !\ Thanks. You're the first car by. !
    didn't expect to get a li!t so soon.
    Ray sta=ts the car back.onto the highway.
    RAY
    How far are you going?
    T:E::E:NAGER
    How far are you going?
    RAY
    Iowa.
    T:E:tNAGER
    Well, if it's okay with you, I'll ride
    along for a while. I play baseba11.
    Ray and Mann exchange brief smiles.
    TEENAGER
    I'm looking for a place to play, and I
    heard that all through the Midwest,
    towns have teams, and in some places
    they'll find you a day job so you can
    play ball nights and weekends.
    RAY
    This is your lucky day, kid. We're
    going someplace kind of like that.
    T:E:ENAGER
    All right!
    RAY
    I'm Ray Kinsella, this is Terry Mann.
    TEENAGER
    Hi. I'm Archie Graham.
    Mann and Ray just look at each other.
    •
    And the little Datsun heads off down the hiqhway.
    CUT '1'0
    66

    129 INT. CAR - NIGET


    Archie sleeps in the ~ackseat.

    MANN
    I'm eying to ask him if he has a
    -
    . nickname.
    :1 ~.Y
    I Don't. He didn't get it till he was in
    Ii the minors.
    MANN
    Maybe we can give it to him.
    I
    RAY
    Funny, the way he descri~ed towns,
    finding you a jo~ 50 you can play on
    their team •.. they haven't cone that fcr
    years. My Dad did that for a while.
    But that was in the Twenties.
    MANN
    What happened to your father?
    RAY
    He never mace it as ball player, so he
    tried to get his son to make it for him.
    By the time I was ten, playing baseball
    got to be like eating vegetables or
    taking out the garbage, so when I was
    fourteen, I started to refuse. Can you
    believe that? An American boy refusing.
    to have a catch with bis father.
    MANN
    Why at fourteen?
    RAY
    That's when I reae The Boat Rocker, by
    T·erence Mann.
    MANN
    Oh God.
    RAY
    I never played catch with him again.
    MANN
    (seriously)
    See, that's the kine of crap people are
    always trying to lay on me. It's not
    my fault you woulcm' t play catch with.
    your father!
    CONTINtJ.:::l
    •
    67

    129 CONT:NUED
    RAY
    II
    '" I know. Anyway, when I was seventeen,
    we had a big fight, I packed my things,
    said something awful, and left. Afte~
    :I a while I wanted to come home, but I
    didn't know how. I made it back for ~~e
    funeral.
    II YoANN
    What was the awful thing you said?
    II
    II. RAY
    , I said I could never respect a man whose
    hero was a criminal.
    I MANN
    Who was his hero?
    ':1 RAY
    Shoeless Joe Jackson.
    Mann considers this all very carefully.
    .1 MANN
    You knew he wasn't a criminal.
    Ray nods.
    ,
    1'.ANN
    ~i Then why'd you say it?
    I RAY
    I was seventeen.
    ! I Mann nods with growing understanding.
    MANN
    So this is your penance.
    I RAY
    I I know. I can't bring my father
    back .•..

    MANN
    •••• 0the least you can do is bring beck
    his hero.
    Ray nods.
    MANN •
    Well now we know what everybody'.
    purpose here i •••• except mine.
    Ray looks at him. He hadn't thought of that. After a few
    moment. Ray points to something in the distance.
    88

    130 POINT OF VIEW !30

    Some~hing down the road, in the midst of all this f1a~


    fa~land, is glowing in ~he night.
    It is an illUF.ina~ed baseball diamond in a cornfield.

    131 RAY .AND ~NIE' S FARM - NIGHT 131


    Ray t ..rns the Datsun in~o the long driveway and, ,.'i~h a
    rumble, crosses the metal cattle guard tha~ keeps 1ives":.ock
    from escaping to the roadway.
    He eases the car to a stop in front of the house, and as
    ~he three men unfold themselves from the car, Karin bolts
    from the back door of the house, a blur of white =louse and
    pink pedal pushers. She flings herself into Ray's arms,
    and hugs his neck in unrestrained joy.
    KARIN
    Daddy!
    Then Annie appears too. They kiss while Mann and Archie
    wai~ ~o be introduced. Finally, Mann clears his ~hroat.
    RAY
    ( (beaming)
    Karin, Annie ... This is Terence Mann.
    MANN
    .Terry.
    KARIN
    Hiya Terry.
    Annie steps forward, wiping some curls from her e"es with
    a hand that has recen~ly been immersed in flour. ·She
    smiles, wipes the hand on the thigh of her jeans, and
    shakes his hand.
    ANN:::E
    Welcome.
    MANN
    Thank you.
    RAY
    And this young fellow is Moon -- uh,
    Archie Graham.
    Karin and Annie shake his hand.
    •
    RAY
    He's come to practice with the team •
    • CONTIN"'u"!D
    89

    131 CON':INUED
    ANNIE
    He'll be able to do more than just
    Ii practice.

    :I
    II
    RAY
    What does thet mean?

    Come on.
    , . They walk towards the field.
    ANNIE
    Let's enjoy this place while we still
    have it.
    I
    I 132 EXT. BASEBALL FIELD - NIGHT ., "!.

    Ray and Annie walk silently with their arms aro~~c each
    other as they lead Mann, Archie and Karin to the bleachers.
    Kann's eyes widen as several of the players sho~t greetinqs
    to Ray.
    SHOEUSS JOE
    Hi, Ray, welcome back.
    RAY
    Thanks, Joe. Gooc to see you.

    Oh my Lord.
    RAY
    What.
    I MANN
    ~ That's Shoeless Joe Jackson!
    RAY
    Well of course it is.
    MANN
    I've seen pictures. Those are the Whi~e
    Sox!
    RAY
    You mean you still didn't believe me?
    •
    MANN
    I thouqht I cic, but ••• Oh my Lord.
    They have reached the foul line where Shoeless Joe waits
    for them.
    CONTI~..I)
    90

    132
    RAY
    Terry, I'd like you to meet Joe Jackson.
    Joe, this is Terry Mann.
    Mann and Jackson shake hands.
    MANN
    I~'s a pleasure ~o mee~ you.
    SHOEUSS JOE
    Pleasure's mine.
    (to Ray)
    Ray, I hope you don't mind, ~ut we got
    tired of just having practices, so we
    ~rought another team out with us so we
    could have some real games.
    He points to the visitors' ~ench, and, indeed, t~ere are
    a dozen or so more old-time ~ase~all players in cl:S.-tillle
    ~ase~all uniforms.

    RAY
    I con't mind. Where'd they come from?
    SHO:E:USS JO:E:
    (chuckles)
    Where'd we come from. Man, you wouldn'~
    ~elieve hOw many guys wanted to play
    here. We had to ~eat 'em off with a
    ~ stick.
    ARCHIE:
    I (from the
    ~leachers)
    I Hey, that's Mel Ott. And Carl
    Those are the New York Giants!
    H~~ell.

    f SHOEUSS JOE:
    With a couple of Cardinals and A's
    I thrown in for good measure. Ty Co~~
    wanted to play, ~ut none of us could
    s~and the sonofa~itch when we were
    alive, so we told him to stuff it.
    (to Archie)
    Hey, are you Graham?
    ARCHIE:
    Yes sir.
    Ray and Mann are astonished that Shoeless Joe kno.- who
    Archie is.
    CONTI~:l
    132 CON'!!l<""J:ED (2 )
    SHO::::U:SS JO::::
    What t~e hell you doing on the
    sicelines? You came here to play ball,
    didn't you?

    Yes sir.
    SHOEU:SS JOE
    Go ",'arm up!
    A..~CHIE
    (thrillee)
    , Yes sir!
    , Archie quickly scampers down the bleachers, onto the fiele,
    shakes Joe's hano, and runs to the dugout.
    I MANN
    Unbelievable.
    RAY
    It's more than t~at. It's perfect.
    CUT TO

    133 13:l .

    The White Sox are in the field, the Giants at bat. A Giant
    hitter bunts, ane the runner on secone takes thirc cespite
    a close throw.
    ~I
    I Mann, Ray, Karin ane Annie are in the stands, Mann keeping
    score.
    MANN
    Does he get a hit for ~~at?

    RAY
    Karin?
    KARIN
    Um, no. The batter was trying to
    sacrifice.
    RAY
    So how do you score it?
    KARIN
    Fielder's choice? -
    RAY
    Very good.
    92

    133
    Mann is imp=essed. He lif~s Karin up from her sea~ on ~he
    =ow below them, and places her next to him to help him. ~

    YoANN
    You bet~er sit here.
    Karin beams. Ray ~aps Mann and points to the pla~e.

    RAY
    Look.
    A=chie Graham -- now wearing a Giant's uniform -- drops one
    of the two bats he has been swinging in the on-deck circle,
    and advances on the plate, slashing the air with a
    b=and-new bat the color of vanilla ice cream. Ee plants
    himself in the batte='s box, then cocks the bat, ~he top
    end of it trembling as if he were stirring some~~in;, and
    waits for the pitch.
    ~he pitcher looks in for his signs. Archie stares back.
    As the pitcher goes into his windup, Archie winks at him.
    ~here is a moment of confusion and then anger on the
    pitcher's face, and when the ball speeds to the plate it
    is aimed right at Archie's head. He dives out of the way
    and hits the dirt hard. The Catcher chuckles th=ough his
    mask.
    CATCH!:R
    Good thing for you that wasn't his
    fastball.
    Archie digs in again at the plate, but backs up j~st a
    little. Now his look to the pitcher is one of
    dete=ination.
    ARCHIE
    Come on, let's see your fastball.
    ~he pitcher smiles, winds up and throws. Very fast. And
    right at Archie's chin. Again, he has to dive o~~ of ~~e
    way. This time, however, he gets ri9ht up and i:=ediately
    appeals to the Umpire.
    ARCHIE
    Hey, ump, how about a warnin9?
    UMPIRE
    Sure. Watch out you don't get killed.
    Both benches lau9h at that. Archie holds up his~ands to
    call time, and steps out of the batter's box. T~. on-deck
    batter, Mel Ott, Comes over.
    CONTINUZD
    133

    OTT
    Okay, kid, firs~ ~wo were high and
    tigh~, where do you think ~he nex~ one's
    going to be?
    Jo.RCEIE
    Eithe::- low and away, or in roy ea::-.
    OTT
    He don't want to load the bases. Look
    for low and away.
    Archie nods and star~s to ~alk baCK to the plate.
    OTT
    But watch out for 'in your ear.'
    Archie takes his place in the batter's box again. He still
    looks determined, but a little less cocky. The next pitch
    is a curve that looks as if it's heading right for him.
    But he holds his ground, and when the ball breaks down and
    a~ay, he steps in, snaps the bat forward, and hits it.

    ~e ball sails in a high arc to right center. =he center


    fielder backs up a couple of steps, lopes a few st::-ides to
    his left, and makes the catch.
    Archie is out, but the runner on third tags up a~d scores.
    As A::-chie curls across the diamond from the firs~ baseline
    to the Giants' bench, he hea::-s cheering.
    In the stands, Ray, Annie, Karin and Mann are giving him
    a standing ovation. In return, he touches the b::-~ of his
    cap, a ballplayer's cool response to adulation.
    MAJm
    (laughs)
    Look at that. Mr. Cool.
    But when Archie gets to the bench, he can't contain himself
    anymore. He leaps up and lets out a cheer of pu::-e joy.
    OISSOL...."! TO

    134 THE FIELD - LATER


    The game has ended, and players are rough-housing and
    joking as they slowly make their way to the door in the
    outfield fence. Ray and Mann are talking to som.~f the
    players over the fence.
    MAJm
    Where do you go when you walk through
    that door? What do you do?
    CON'l'INW..I)
    CON'!:m:::::D
    CF.ICK GANDIL
    We sleep.
    RAPPY FELSCH
    And wait..
    SHO::::U:SS JOE
    We d::-eam.
    RAY
    You can't leave the field any ot.her way·,
    can you?
    SHOELESS JOE
    Not. if we ~ant t.o come back.
    RAY
    I'd love t.o go wi~~ you somet.ime.
    The silence t.hat follows is long and ominous.
    RAY
    I'd like t.o see what.'s out there.
    There is st.i11 no ~esponse.

    RAY
    I'll take that as a no for now.
    He spot.s Archie jogging off t.he field.
    RAY
    Hey, slugger, congratulations!
    Archie jogs over.
    ARCHIl:
    Thanks. I can't stop shaking I'm so
    happy. 'Course, I would've liked a base
    hit ....
    KARIN
    But you got a RBI!
    ARCHIE
    I sure did, didn't I?
    SHOELESS JOE
    (yells back)
    A rookie's luck! •
    They all laugh at that.
    RAY
    Well come on, this calls for a drink.
    CONTINtT"-.D
    95

    CONT:NUED (:2)

    A=chie hesitates.
    I
    ARCHIE
    I can't. I'm .•..
    ,t He motio~s with his heac towar: the other players
    disappea=ing th=ou;h the out~ield doo=. Ray nods
    unce=s-::andingly.
    /
    RAY
    Gooc game, A=chie.
    ARCHIE
    Thanks.
    Y.ANN
    Gooc night, kid.
    Ray, Karin, Annie anc Mann watch A=chie jog towa==s the
    rest of the players. When he reaches the fence, he turns
    back to them.
    ARCHIE
    Mr. Kinsella?
    Ray turns towarc him. Archie looks as if he knows more
    than he's saying.
    ARCHIE
    Thank you for brinqing me here. I
    couldn't have wished for an~~hing more.
    Ray recognizes there may be more behind those wo==s than
    just ~ teenager's pleasure. But he decides not to ask any
    questl.ons.
    RAY
    I know. You're welcome.
    Archie runs through the door in the fence and va~ishes.

    ct1'I' TO

    135 INT. KITCHEN - MORNING 135


    Mann and Karin eat their country breakfasts at o~e end of
    the table, while at the other end, Annie and Ray sit in
    front of the bank books, ledqers, and the sheaf Qt bills
    puffed up around the paper spike.
    ANNIE
    Once we fell behind in the payments, t:e
    full amount of· the mortqaqe became due.
    CON'l'INm:I)
    96

    1:35 CONTINUED
    RAY
    And they own the paper, so they have ~~e
    I legal right to foreclose.
    ANNIE
    Unless we sell.
    t
    , RJ..Y
    Either way we lose the farm. Maybe we
    can make it a condition of the sale tha~
    they keep the !ie1d up.
    I ANNIE
    Forget it. They're buying up single
    farms all arouno us, make it one big
    farm. First thing they'll do is plow
    under your field.
    Ray just sits ~here, letting that sink in.
    CUT TO

    136 EXT. FARM - DAY _....


    ,-: ....

    , ,..... Ray and Mann walking.


    MANN
    - I don't have a lot of money, Ray, but
    maybe I could pitch in a little.
    RAY
    Fine. You can put in twenty bucks for
    groceries.
    MAl.'N
    That's not what I meant. Maybe the
    I reason you were supposed to find me was
    so I could help you with this.
    RAY
    More likely it's that you're supposed
    to start writing again. About this.
    Y.ANN
    Don't change the subject.
    RAY
    You promise to publish and I'll let you
    chip in from your royalties.
    •
    Mann's expression sUddenly turns to one of indignation.
    CONTINm::)
    97

    136 CON,!!}."t'ED
    MANN
    One thing hes nothing to co with the
    other.
    RAY
    I'm not sure I agree with that.
    MANN
    You're not only st~bo=n, you're stupid.
    RAY
    Thet I won't argue with.
    ~nnie emerges from the house anc cells to Ray.
    ANNIE
    Honey, that wes Mark. He's coming
    tonight. He neecs a cecision tonight.
    CUT TO

    137
    Again, it's Joe Jackson's Chicago White Sox against ~~e New
    York Giants, now featuring rookie Archie Graham.
    I In the stancs, Mann keeps score, Karin munches on a hot
    cog, anc Annie anc Rey snuggle together to watch ~~e game.
    t
    ANNIE
    , Everything is so perfect here.
    RAY
    Whatever I have to co to save this
    place, I'll co.
    ANNIE
    I know.
    SUQcenly, Ray snaps his heac to the sice, as one Qoes to
    pick up a ~istant soun~.
    RAY
    He's here.
    They look an~ see Hark's· car hea~ing up the sravel lane.
    Be parks the car at the edse of the field, and the game
    stops as he walks risht across it, completely mi~less of
    the players. Since he doesn't see any of them, a few
    actually have to move out of his way. He approa~e. the
    bottom of the bleachers.
    RAY
    You're interrupting the gam., Mark.
    CON'l'I~D
    98

    --,-
    ..
    M~rk shakes his head sadly at ~he thought that these
    othe~ise sensible rela~ions have lost their minas.
    I
    , MARK
    Ray, it's time to put away our little
    fan~asies and oome down to earth.

    R.;Y
    / It's not a f~ntasy, Mark. They're re~l.

    I ~1~rk obviously doesn't see


    MA..-;U\
    ~nyone on the field.

    (emphatic~lly)
    Who's real?
    R.;Y
    Shoeless Joe Jackson. The White Sox.
    The Giants.
    (to Mann)
    He can't see ~ny of it.
    MARK
    And who's tha~? Babe Ruth?
    Ray smiles, savoring the moment.
    RAY
    As a matter of fact, it's Terence Mann.
    MARK
    Ah, how do you? I'm Michael Jackson.
    (to Ray)
    Ray, we have to settle this thing righ~
    now.
    RAY
    I'm not selling you my home.
    MARK
    You have no money, you've got a stack
    of bills to choke a pig, and come fall,
    you've got no crop to sell. But I have
    a deal to offer you that will allow yo~
    to stay on this land.
    This has Ray's attention. Mark climbs the bleac:'ers to
    stand closer to him.
    KARIN •
    Daddy, we don't have to sell the farm.
    But no one pays her any attention. All eyes are on Mark.
    CON'I'INU~tI
    99

    l37 CONT!N"J:E:D (2 )

    !-lARK
    Let us buv you out, ane we'll leave the
    house. You can live in it rent free as
    • long as you want.
    ~ RAY
    Wha~ about the baseball fiele?
    / MARK
    Do you realize What this lane is wortt?
    I Over $2200
    RAY
    an acre.
    MA..'I<K
    Then you must realize we cannot keep a
    useless baseball eiamone in the mieele
    of rich farmlanc.
    RAY
    No eeal, Mark. We're staying.
    KARIN
    We eon't have to go.
    MAIU<
    (exploees)
    You'r~ virtually bankrupt, ane I'm
    offer1ngyou a way to keep your home
    because I love my sister! I've got
    part~ers who eon't give a caron about
    you, ane they're reacy to foreclose
    right now!
    t KARIN
    Dacey, we eon't have to .ell the farm.
    MAIU<
    Karin, please!
    RAY
    Wait.
    They all turn to Karin.
    KARIN
    People will come.
    RAY •
    What people, sweetheart?
    CONTINt;!:l)
    100

    137 CON':':mJ:E:D (3) .-~


    _,; I

    I"'" KARIN
    From allover. They'll just decide to
    take a vacation, see, and they'll com&
    to Iowa Ci~y, and they'll think it's
    really boring, so they'll take a drive.
    And they'll drive down our road, and
    they'l: see the lights and ~hey'll think
    it's really pretty.
    Ray, }_-:.nie, and Mann listen with wonder to this ,:ision.
    KARIN
    So, the people in the cars? They'll
    drive up and they'll want to pay us,
    like buy in; a ticket.
    l-lark looks at them all as if they're crazy.
    MARK
    You're not listening to this seriously,
    are you?
    ANNIE
    Yes.
    MARK
    Why would anybody pay money to come
    here?
    Karin looks at her Uncle Mark as if he were a simpleton.
    KARIN
    To watch the game. And it'll be just
    like when they were little kids a long
    time ago, and it was summertime, and
    they'll watch the game and remember what
    it was like.
    Ray and Annie couldn't be prouder of their daugh~er than
    they are right now.
    MARK
    What the hell is she talking ~out?

    ANN!!:
    She'S talking about people seeing their
    memories ••• touching their past.
    RAY
    (nods)
    People will come. -
    CONTlmr:;~
    1C1

    137 CONT!~J~D (~)

    ANN!~
    It'll be like one of those tiny, French
    restaurants that have no sign. You find
    it by instinct. They'll be drawn.
    MARK
    Okay, this is all fascinating, but the
    fac-: remains that you don't have the
    money to bring the mortgage up to date,
    so you still have to sell. I'm sorry,
    but you have no choice.
    lie produces a document ano. hands it to Ray with a pen. Ray
    looks a-: it. He doesn't know what to 0.0.
    MANN
    Ray .. _,.

    Ray looks at Mann.

    138
    s~eaks now as he has not spoken for many years: as Terence
    Mann, master of words, spellbinder.
    MANN
    People will come, Ray. They'll come to
    Iowa for reasons they can't even fatho:::.
    They'll turn up your driveway, not
    ~~owing for sure why they're doing it,
    ano. arrive at your door, innocent as
    children, longing for the past. 'Of
    course we won't mino. if you look
    around,' you'll say. ' It's only twenty
    dollars per person.' And they'll pass
    over the money without even looking at
    it. For it is money they have, ano.
    peace they lack.

    139
    pushes the papers forward.
    MARK
    Just sign the papers, Ray.

    140 • HO
    is not one to give up.
    CONTI~!)
    102

    HO CONTINUED
    MANN
    They'll walk out to the bleachers and
    sit in sh~rtsleeves in the per~ect
    evening, or they'll find they have
    reserved seats somewhere in the
    grandstand or along one of the baselines
    -- wherever they sat when they were
    children and cheered their heroes.
    They'll watch the game, and it will be
    as if they'd d~pped themselves in magic
    waters. The memories will be so thick
    they'll have ~o brush them away from
    their faces.

    141 Y.ASTER , .,
    -~-

    Spellbound, Ray has put the papers down. Mark p~=ks them
    up again. He is battling Mann for Ray's attentio~.

    MARK
    Listen to me. Tomorrow morning, when
    the bank opens, they will foreclose.
    -
    MANN
    People will come, Ray.
    MARK
    You're broke, Ray. Sell now or lose
    . everything.
    Y.ANN
    The one constant through all the years,
    Ray, has be~n baseball. America has
    rolled by l~ke an army of steamrollers.
    It's been erased like a blackboard,
    rebuilt, and erased again. But baseball
    has marked the time. This field, this
    game ••• it's a piece of our past. It
    raminds us of all that once was good.
    And that could be again. People will
    come. People will most definitely come.
    Mann has moved everyone (but Mark) with the beau,:}' of his
    words, and the passion in his voice. Behind him, ~~e
    assembled ballplayers respectfully applaud.
    BUCK WUV!:R
    (teary-eyed)
    That was beautiful •••• •
    The other players nod, also teary-eyed.
    CONTINt1!D
    103

    1-:1
    BUCK W-~V!R
    (sincerely)
    ... fuckin' beau~i:ul.
    The pl~yers on either side of him jab his ribs wit~ their
    el=ows, b~~ Ma~n, R~Y and Annie laugh with pleas~=e.
    Y.;:.RK
    Ray. You will lose eve:-y:hing and you
    will be evrc:::e:i.
    Ray looks at the paper with dread. He looks at Shoeless
    Joe and the players. Ee looks at his family. Then he
    turns back to Mark. It's decision time.
    RAY
    I'm not signing.
    Ma:.i' sha};es his head sa::l.1y. Annie hugs Ray. The players
    braa~~e a g:sat sigh of relief. Mann smiles.

    Ray ••••

    Ray leoks up at Marm, who, with a gentle tilt of t.."le head,


    directs Ray's attention to the house. Ray looks behind him
    -toward the house.

    1-:2 RAY'S POINT OF VIEW - CARS

    have parked in front of the house. More are coming quietly


    down the driveway. Oozens 0: cars. Cars with o~t-of-state
    license'plates.
    Some people have gotten out of their cars and wait
    patiently. One or two families sit on their hoo::s, or have
    set up picnic dinners on their station wagons' tailgates.
    ,,

    Ray, Annie, Karin and Mann are deeply happy -- b~t not
    terribly surprised -- to see these people.
    RAY
    (sing-song)
    They're he-reo
    Mark looks at the house and then back at Ray. •

    Who's here?
    l04

    ..,
    CONT!Nt:ED
    ..
    -,-
    ":
    10

    RAY
    (with an edge)
    You don't see those cars? All those
    people?
    }'oAlU{
    Don't do this, you son of a bitch!
    There's nE cars, nE people ....
    KAR!N
    Uncle Mark, ! can see them.
    ANN!E
    We all can.
    MARK
    You're crazy. You're all bat-shit
    crazy!
    RAY
    Watch your language, Mark.
    MARK
    You buil~ a baseball fiel~ in the mi~~le
    of nowher., you sit aroun~ here an~
    stare at nothing ---
    KARIN
    !t's not nothing.
    Mark grabs Karin's arm an~ pulls her to her feet as if she
    were "Exhibit A."
    MARK
    An~ you've turne~ your ~aughter into a
    go~~amn moron!

    RAY
    Get your hanes off her.
    Ray rises threateningly, an~ Mark turns towar~ h~=. !n so
    ~oing, he twists little Karin off balance.

    MARK
    I'm trying to help you, go~~amnit!

    In that split secon~, they hear a strangle~ gasp, an~ see


    Karin falling forwar~ from the top row of the bleachers •
    RAY •
    Karin! ! !
    105

    KARIN . , ,
    1" -~~

    Her hot dog flies off, ~he bun and wiener separa~ing in
    midair. One small sandal bounces end over end and lands
    at the foo~ of ~e bleacher. I~ takes forever for her boc\'
    to come down with a sickening ~hud on the hard green boards
    of one of the bottom rows.

    H5 TEI: OTP.ERS
    rush down to where she lies, face up. Ray is firs~, but
    he does not know what to do. Annie and Mann hover. Mark
    is horror-stricken, bu~ no one knows what to do.
    M.:.RK
    Oh my God, I'm sorry .•. ~~nie .•. I didn'~
    mean to ....
    Karin is unconscious, and seems to be fighting f=r breath.
    Ray and Annie's eyes meet in anguish.
    ANNIE:
    Should we move her?
    RAY
    Get the car.

    l46 ANNIE: 1~€ .

    springs for the house. The tourists by their cars watch


    quietly.
    ANNIE:
    Is there a doc~or? A nurse? Any of
    you?
    They sadly shake their heads no. Annie races inside.

    l47 BACK AT THE BLEACHERS


    Most of the White Sox players s~and by the left field
    fence, staring silently.
    MANN
    How long?
    RAY
    It's a twenty-minute drive.
    Mann winces. He knows that could be fatal. Ray kneels by
    Karin. Her nOse and one side of her face have been scraped
    -
    by the fall. Blood starts to trickle from her nCse, across
    her cheek and down her neck. She is becoming bl~er and her
    cough is faint, as though she is in another room.
    CONTlNOl:!)
    106

    147 CON~!N"JED -"='

    Mark takes off his S300 pale-green velvet corau:-oy jacket


    and is wordlessly holding it out to Ray. Ray takes the
    jacket and covers Karin gently.
    Karin is getting paler, bluer; and her breathing more
    strained ~nd distan~.

    Karin ....
    Then, without reason, Ray slowly turns toward the 'field.
    The White Sox stand near him by the fence, the Gian':.s stay
    around their bench. All except one: young Archie Graham.

    HS ARCHIE G?AF.AM
    has notioed the commotion in the bleachers, and r.e starts
    to lope across the field.

    BLEACHERS
    Annie has pulled the car over and honks. Ray holds up his
    hand to her to wait. His eyes are on young Archie Graham.

    150 YOUNG ARCHIE GRAHAM 1St'


    As Graham gets closer, his featu:es begin to change, and
    his step slows. He reaches the e~d of the fence -- around
    which no player can pass -- and when he emerges from the
    shadows on the bleachers side, he is no longer yo~g
    Moonlight Graham, the ballplayer of long ago ••• b~t Doc
    Gr~~am, the old man from Chisholm, Hinnesota. His baseball
    glove has turned .into a black doctor's bag.

    l51 TH::: BLEACHERS l5:1


    as Doc Graham approaches.
    DOC GRAHAM
    What have we got here?
    RAY
    She fell.
    Doc kneels beside her and instantly knows what is .rong •
    •
    DOC GRAHAM
    This child's choking to death.
    CONTINm:D
    107

    CON'!'!N't'ED
    He picks her up with one h~nd under her shoulders and t~e
    other under her knees, seats himself on the bleachers, and
    turns her face down, Supporting her chest with one hand,
    he delivers a series of sharp blows between her s~ou1der
    blades with the heel of his other hand .
    .
    Annie hor-.ks again. Ray waves her to him. l-!~rk C3nno':
    believe wha': he is seeing.
    Suddenly, Karin's diaphragm expands as she sucks in ~ir.
    Doc reaches around and pries her mouth open, releasing a
    sizable piece o~ hog dog and bun.
    As he turns her over, we c~n see the blueness disappearing
    from her face ~s she continues to bre~the deeply. Doc
    peels back each eyelid in turn, stares at the pupil for a
    ~ew seconds, and lets the eye close. .
    DOC GRAH1.M
    She's okay. I don't think the fall
    really hurt her, just the dog in her
    thro~~. She'll be coming around in a
    minute or two.
    RAY
    (sighs deeply)
    Thank you, Doc.
    Doc looks deeply into R~y's eyes.
    DOC GRAHAM
    No, son. Thank you.
    It just now sinking for Ray what Doc Graham has sacrificed
    to save the child. Ray looks to the field, ~nd ~~en back'
    at the Doctor.
    RAY
    Oh, my God, you can't go back.
    DOC G~,,!
    It's okay •••
    (nods knowingly)
    It's okay.

    152 MARK AND ANNIE 152

    Hark is slack-jawed. He has seen something magical happen


    and cannot explain it. •
    MARK
    I saw ••• All of a sudden this kid runs
    off the field and turns into ••••
    CON'l'INmtl
    lOB

    152
    He looks ques~ioningly at Anr.ie. She smiles ~eass~~ingly.

    Am;!:::
    There's hope tor you yet, Mark.

    153 RAY AND DOC GRAHA!-!


    Doc G~aham stands, and picks up his black bag.
    DOC GRAH).M
    Well, I best be getting back home befo~e
    Alicia
    . ,
    sta~ts to thinking I've got a
    d.
    gJ.r._rJ.en
    ~.

    He w~lks a=ou~d the edge of the fence, and heads !== the
    out!ield doo~. The players respectfully 1I',ake way !or him.
    HAPPY FELSCH
    Good work, Doc.
    EDDIE CICOTT:::
    way to go, Doc.
    DOC GRAHAM
    1,-. ~~~~k~~u~OYs. Win one for me, someday,

    He passes them.
    SHOEL:E:SS JOE:
    Hey ~ookie!

    Doc Graham turns.


    SHOEL:E:SS JOE
    You were good.
    Only now do Doc Graham's eyes shine with tears. Ee smiles,
    and disappears through the doo~.

    154 ON THE S I DE 154

    Karin is coming to, Ray and Annie by her side. So:e of the
    players start to gather up their equipment. Sho.less Joe
    calls to Ray.
    SHOELESS JOE
    We're gonna call it a night. We'll s •• •
    you tomorrow.
    RAY
    Okay.
    CONTINOD)
    109

    CON'!!NU:E:D
    MANN
    Good night.
    Joe st~rts to trot of! the field, then he stops a~d turns
    back to the bleachers.
    SHO:E:L:E:SS JOE
    Hey! You wann~ come with us?
    Ray's jaw drops.
    RAY
    You mean it?
    SHOELESS JOE
    Not you.
    (points to Mann)
    Rim.
    RAY
    Rim?
    MANN
    Come with you?
    I,..... SHOELESS JOE
    Out t.here.
    MANN
    What is out there?
    SHO:::USS JOE
    Come find ,out.
    RAY
    wait a second. Why him?
    Shoeless Joe and the other players wait for Mann ~o join
    them, ignoring Ray's question.
    RAY
    I built this field! You wouldn't be
    here if it weren't for me.
    MANN
    Ray, for God's sake, I'm unattached.
    You've got a family.
    This takes Ray down a peg or two.
    •
    RAY
    But I want to know what's out therel !
    want-to .ee itl
    '"
    CONTINUO
    110

    , -,
    ~;j .. CONTINUEJ (2)
    MANN
    There's a reason they chose me, just as
    there was a reason they chose you to
    fine: me.
    RAY
    Oh yeah? Why?
    ?-'.ANN
    Because, you big jerk, I gave that
    interview.
    RAY
    What interview?
    MANN
    The one about Ebbets Field. The one
    that charged you up and sent you all t."le
    way to Boston to find me.
    RAY
    Then you lied to me.
    MANN
    You were kidnapping me at the time, you
    asshole! Think of it, Ray: maybe
    there's an Ebbets Field still floating
    around out there somewhere. And maybe
    I'll get to sit in the stands, and watch
    a twenty-year-old kid with a smooth face.
    and kinky hair try out for the 1948
    Dodgers.
    RAY
    (to Shoeless Joe)
    So I do all the work, and all I qet is
    to see everybody else's dreams come
    true. Is that it?
    SHOELESS JOE
    What are you saying, Ray?
    RAY
    I'm saying I'm happy for you, and I'm
    happy for him, but after all
    this ••• what's in it for me?
    SHOELESS JOE
    Is that why you did this?
    MANN
    For you?

    There's somethinq out there for me, Ray.


    -
    And what a story it'll make: a man
    beinq able to touch the perfect dream.
    CONTlNOl:z)
    C:)NZ:NUED (3)

    RAY
    Then you'll w~ite ~bout it?
    !"..ANN
    You bet I will.
    Annie w~iks K~~in over. ?~y benes down to K~rin's !~oe.

    R.. Y
    How you feeling, honey?
    KARIN
    stupie.
    ~~y l~ughs ~ne hugs her. He looks up ~t Annie.
    R1-.Y
    TerlJ-' 's been invitee to go with the
    players.
    ANNI!:
    You mean 'out'?
    RAY
    (noes)
    out.
    ANNI::
    (hums Twilicht
    Zone ~~eme)
    Doo-eOO=Ooo-eoo. Be c~re!ul.

    She smiles brightly ane gives M~nn ~ kiss on the oheek.


    Mann shakes Ray's h~ne.
    RAY
    I w~nt a full aesoription.
    MANN
    You take care of this family, Ray.
    Mann joins several of the White Sox as they leave the
    fiela.

    155 155
    i . absolut.ly dumbfounded a. he s.e. the players fa:!e out
    upon walking through the outfielc gat.. He turns to Annie .
    •
    MARK
    H. just ••• Where'd h •••• ?
    CON'l'INU!~
    ll2

    ~ :: ::

    ANNIE
    You go inside and lie do~. I'll
    explain later.
    Mark walks off towarc the people in their cars outside t~e
    house.
    Y.ARl\
    Where'd all these people come from .•. ?

    156 BAC~ AT TEE FIELD 155

    Or.ly a few players are left on the field.


    RAY
    We're keeping this field.
    ANNIE
    You bet your ass we are.
    Ray realizes Shoeless Joe is staring at him, wi~~ a
    shit-eating grin on his face.
    RAY
    What •...
    Shoeless Joe just keeps smiling.
    RAY
    What're you grinning at, you ghost?
    SHOELESS JOE
    'If you build it •••• '
    He noes toward where the catcher is taking off r.is gear at
    home plate.
    SHOELESS JOE
    ' ... h! will come.'
    Ray looks at the Catcher. The hairs on the bac}: cf his
    neck begin to stand up.
    RAY
    Oh , my God.
    ANNIE
    What is it?
    •
    RAY
    It'. my father.
    .
    .'.
    ""
    ,---
    ,~

    :'57 THE YOUNG CATCHER


    has taken of: his mask. He is in his early twe~ties. He
    is in the same pose as t~e photo we saw in the prologue.

    l58 RAY .AND SHOELESS JOE .


    .
    Ray ~lanches and turns to Shoeless Joe, his voice a
    strangled whisper.
    RAY
    Say it ain't 50, Joe.
    SHOEUSS JOE
    I'm afraid it is, kid.
    The Catcher is now walking toward Ray.
    RAY
    ( finally
    understanding)
    'Ease his pain .•• '
    SHOELESS JOE
    (smiles and nods)
    'Go the distance.'
    When he says ~ose words, Shoeless Joe sounds j~st like The
    Voice.
    RAY
    It was you.

    l59 SHOELESS JOE , -Q


    _:l.

    SHOELESS JOE
    No, Ray. It was you.
    Shoeless joe winks and walks away, disappearing t:.rough the
    door in the outfield fence.

    l60 RAY ANI) ANNIE


    The Catcher is halfway across the field. Ray t~~s to
    Annie. He cannot even swallow.
    RAY
    My God, I only saw him later, when be
    was worn down by life. Look at him. -
    The young Catcher has reached the outfield grass. Ray
    walks down to the edge of the outfield.
    CONTlNU:;I)
    114

    CON'I'!Nt.i!:!) :50
    ,.......160
    RAY
    He h~s his whole life in front of him,
    and I'~ not even a glint in his eye.
    What do I say to him?
    ANNIE
    Introduce hi~ to his granddaughter.
    Ray cannot ~elieve how wonderful Annie is. The Ca~=~er has
    reached the edge of the field, ~nd now stands be!o=e Ray
    and Annie.

    CATCh~
    Hi, I just wanted to thank you folks fer
    putting up the field and letting us pl~y
    here. I'~ John Kinsella.
    They shake his hand.
    RAY
    I'~ Ray. My wife Annie. And this is
    my daughter, Karin.
    (to Karin)
    Karin, th~s is ••••
    He al~ost says "My father."
    RAY
    ... • John.

    Hi, John.
    JOHN
    Hiya, Karin.
    Ray and Annie are ~ea~ing. Annie takes Karin's ~L,d.

    ANNIE
    We're going to let you two talk. I h~~·e
    to go look after our guests. So~eone's
    gotta start collecting admission if
    we're going to keep this place.
    (to the Catcher)
    Very nice ~eetin; you.
    JOHN
    M'o.
    •
    ANNIE 161

    hoists Karin up and totes her toward the tourists waiting


    in front of the house.
    llS

    l62 162
    wa~~~ them for a while, then s~a~ ~o s~oll across ~~e
    fielti.
    RAY
    You catch a qood qama.
    ,jOHN
    Thank you. I~'s so beautiful hera. Its
    lik••.• well for me, it's like a dream
    coma true.
    Ray cannot speak. He nods.
    ,jOHN
    Can I "ask you somethinq?
    Aqain, Ray nods.
    JOHN
    Is this heaven?
    Ray smiles and shakes his head no.
    RAY
    It's Iowa.
    .... - JOHN
    '" Iowa. I could've swcrn this was heaver..

    l63 l6::
    stops and looks intently at' John. B. asks this cr.l.~tion
    as if he ware askinq the secr.t of life. Maybe t. ~s.
    RAY
    Is there a heavan?

    164 JOHN l6-'


    takes tilDe to answer that. Be looks up at the n!;~t sky
    and searches" it.
    JOHN
    Oh, yeah ••••
    Than he looks square into Ray' s eyes.
    JOHN
    Beavan's where dreams come true. -

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