04x24 - Rounding Third

[bunniefuu]

OK, son, that a boy.
Call it.

I got it.
I got it.

Two hands on that,
son, two hands.

Beggars can't be choosers.

I heard that.

You're putting too much
topspin on that ball.

Can't even hit decent fungos.

Why don't you fungo up, huh?

Can you believe this guy?

You want this scrub teaching
our kids God's game?

Long as I don't have to.

Look how he's using my--

his players.

The coach told me
he's going to teach

the kids it's not
whether you win or lose,

it's how you play the game.

Oh, no, not that.

How'd this guy get
the job anyway?

What are his qualifications?

He's the only volunteer
with a station wagon.

OK, call for it.

Talk it up out there.

I got to ask you
a question, pal.

Heads up.

What qualifies you
to coach this team?

Mr. Banducci, later, huh?

No.

My kid's out there.

I don't want him
picking up bad habits.

I played college ball
at San Diego State.

Oh, bitching.

I did box Golden Gloves.

What's that got
to do with this?

Do we have to
get another coach?

It's our third one.

Sal, pretend you're
a New York Yankee.

So you you going to get?

Not you.

Nah, nah, I'm not
going to get me.

We're going to get Uncle Doug.

Coach Penhall.

All right.

[theme music]

THEME SONG: We
never thought we'd

find a place where we belong.

You don't have to stand alone,
we'll never let you fall.

Don't need permission to
decide what you believe.

I said jump down on Jump Street.

I said jump down on Jump Street.

Your friends will be there
when your back is to the wall.

You'll find you'll
need us because there's

no one else to call.

When it was hopeless, a
decision is what you need.

You better be ready
to, be ready to jump.

Jump Street.

Best catcher the
Terrytown Tigers ever had.

Some years later, he
returns to manage the team.

Hey.

I coached peewee
baseball for my kid.

Let me tell you
something, this job is

a piece of cake in comparison.

Sal, I don't
think I can do it.

I mean, one kid's all
I can handle right now.

Clavo still down?

Yeah, he's really depressed
lately and I don't know why.

You need to spend
more time with him.

You gotta do stuff
that he's interested in.

He needs to be around
kids his own age.

Clavo is too young to play.

Let him be the bat boy.

We're talking serious
bonding, Doug.

Baseball with your dad.

The cr*ck of ash on horsehide.

The smell of that
fresh cut grass.

The melody of chin
music from the mound.

No, I'm sorry.

No.

Look, I asked
Hanson, he can't do it.

He's on a case in that district.

Doug.

OK.

OK.

This is a major confession here.

I was the absolute, no
question about it, hands down,

worst baseball player ever.

Abner Doubleday did
somersaults in his grave

when I took the field.

I choked more times--

I was the Chicago Cubs
of peewee baseball.

It's not funny.

It hurts.

I guess you'll learn soon
enough that a parent relives

every painful second when he
sees the same thing happen

to his kid.

Sal, why don't you just coach?

I don't know what it's
like to be a winner.

Maybe with your
help Sal Junior can.

Hello there, friends.

Today we take on
the problem of being

a successful baseball umpire.

Oh, good, here comes a player
sliding into home plate now.

You're out.

I'm sorry, Debbie.

I'm late.

Work kind of got out of--

It's OK, Mr. Penhall.

I'm used to it.

Is everything OK?

Yeah.

I sent Clavo to bed an hour ago.

Problems?

No, he's never a problem.

He just sits at the
table there drawing.

Don't worry about
it, Mr. Penhall.

He'll get over it once he's old
enough to hang out at the mall

with the other kids.

Thank you.

Thanks.

Build it and he will come.

All right, let's see
everybody take the field

and positions that they want.

Infield practice.

Move it, monkeys, move it.

Goodnight, Mrs. Steinbrenner.

You know, all the
really good ballplayers

take extra practice, and
you are a good ballplayer.

Danny.

Thanks.

You look familiar,
do I know your dad?

No.

Well, what's your last name?

Johnson.

So you two seem
to have hit it off.

We're going for a
burger, you want to go?

No, thanks.

I've got to go.

Bye, Danny.

You like that guy?

I like Danny.

He taught me how to play pepper.

Oh, yeah?

I'll play pepper with you.

Here.

Stand over here.

Batting stance, ready?

OK, you ready?

Are you ready?

Say yes.

Yes.

Here's the pitch.

Excellent.

So we put Danny at--

Short stop.

Short stop, good thinking.

Aaron will be second base, and
Sal Junior should be left out.

Now, now, be nice.

Hey, Doug, look.

There's Danny.

Where?

On the box.

Oh, oh, oh.

That's Michael Jordan, dude.

No, on the milk box.

There.

Here, Sal.

Get to the line.

Sal?

Sal.

Baby, all we need is a hit.

Just make contact.

Keep your eye on the ball.

Good stance.

Don't put--

Hey, Doug, Doug-- maybe
you should pinch hit.

What are you talking about?

There's no outs.
- Right.

Look.

Why tempt fate, Doug?

It's the last inning,
Danny's the winning run.

I thought you
wanted Sal Junior

to learn what it's like to win.

Exactly.

Pinch hit.

Sal, go side down, man.

It's just a practice game.

OK, Sal baby, keep
your head down, baby.

Eyes open, head down.

You're out of there.

Triple play.

Triple play.

, , , , who
do we appreciate?

Wildcats, Wildcats, yah.

Listen, Sal Junior, I
don't want you to get

too depressed about this.
There'll be other games.

- Penhall.
- What?

What?

Cut the sportsmanship crap.

I would rather sit
through an opera in German

than listen to that
stupid cheer again.

Why did you let--

I thought we had
an understanding.

I told you to pinch
hit over there.

Doug?

Doug?

We're a little
snake bit out there.

By a boa constrictor.

I'm Doug Penhall.

Hi.

Bob.

Jones?

Johnson.

Oh, yeah, your Danny's father.

Yep.

Good ballplayer.

Sure is.

Did you teach him how to play?

He's picked up a
lot here and there.

We both loved the game,
like to watch it together.

Yeah, I saw the sign.

Man, I'm sorry.

I didn't mean to.
- No, it's OK.

It was a good call.

Smart.

Thanks.

I got this third
base coach, and she

roots for the
Philadelphia Phillies

because she thinks
the mascot is funny.

I could really use a
good assistant coach.

Oh, come on.

Danny's our best player.

The other kids look
up to him because he's

got good leadership qualities.

Some of that must come from you.

No, Doug, I
appreciate the offer.

My work and stuff, you know?

You sure?

Yeah.

OK.

Thanks.

Good luck.

Oh, we're going to need it.

I'll see you around.

Thanks for helping me, guys.

I don't know what
I'd do without you.

Danny, is that your
father over there?

Yeah.

I'll see you, Clavo.

Can we play later?

Yeah, I'll call
and see if it's OK.

See ya.

Keep your eye on Danny.

Hey, Curtis.

Did he react?

Kind of.

What's up?

I saw Danny or Curtis's
picture on a milk carton

this morning at breakfast.

Maybe you're
just hallucinating

after your third
bowl of cocoa flakes.

Curtis Stapleton?

So you don't think that
guy's really Danny's fa--

Curtis's father?

Seems like it.

But there's no proof of that.

Danny may not even know.
- What do you mean?

Well, Doug, if children
are kidnapped young enough,

they don't know that their
captor's not their parent.

This says he's only been
missing for a year or so.

He'd know.

Danny so something bad?

No.
No.

Danny's a good kid.

Look, I'll check
with juvenile services

and see if anything criminal is
related to the disappearance.

I hope you didn't
need the money.

I'm home early.

The one day Clavo
doesn't need it.

What do you mean?

His friend Danny came
over and we went to the park

and played a little pepper.

Is Danny still here?

Yeah.

He's in the bedroom.

OK, thanks a lot.

Goodnight.

CLAVO: My mother
is in El Salvador.

DANNY: I've head of there.

Is it in California?

It's here.

Wow.

It's so far away.

Where does your brother live?

Here.

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

That's far away too.

Not really.

It's far when my
mother isn't here.

Is Coach Penhall your dad?

No.

He my tio, my uncle.

Oh.

He's a nice coach.

He's a nice uncle.

He loves me, but
I miss my mother.

Yeah, my dad loves me too.

My mother visits me.

DANNY: She does?

From way down there?

When I'm sleeping,
she visits me.

That's just your dream.

You're dreaming about her.

So.

I guess I just don't
dream about mine.

Hey, Clav, don't tell
anyone about this, OK?

Now what's going on in
here, you little -footers?

Oh, I see chicks, I see bear.

Hey, Dude, I think
it's grazing time.

You hungry?

You want to eat?

No, I'm late.

OK, I'll drive you.

No, it's OK, I'll walk.

Don't be silly, it's dark.

Tell me where you live.

Tell me the address.

Um, I'll know
it when I see it.

Here.

Right here?

Thanks, Mr. Penhall.

I'll walk you up,
say hi to your dad.

No.

That's OK.

Bye, Danny.

Sorry.

But references or
no references, you're

not going to find a
better framer anywhere.

I see.

I understand.

We gonna have to leave again?

You know the rules, Danny.

When it gets dangerous,
it's time to go.

But the first game
is in a couple of days.

Hey, I promised you, you're
going to play baseball.

And you're going to play
baseball, whether it's

here or somewhere else.

It's not just baseball.

I was hoping we could stay here
and get a house and everything.

Go ahead, eat up.

You still got your
homework to do.

OK, get it together.

We're going to
take pictures now.

Head over there.

Make sure my kid stand in
front with a bat, all right?

So he remembers.

Danny.

OK, smile like you just
won your arbitration.

I'm going to go follow him.

It's part of our deal, sport.

You could play ball,
but no pictures.

It's dangerous.

I just want to be able
to remember everyone.

You will remember them here.

I remember too
many people that way.

So what do you think?

Well, it's obvious
what's happened,

the boy's been kidnapped.

Well, Bob's his father.

He's taken Danny away
from his legal parents.

That is kidnapping.

But he cares for the kid, and
Danny loves him, I know that.

Well, what about the mother?

You stop to think about her?

Of course, I stopped to
think about the mother.

Maybe he wasn't
happy with his mother.

Well, the court decided the
boy should be with his mother

and his stepfather.

When was the last
time the court made

a good decision about anything?

Well, your biological
bias aside, you know,

a father can be just as
good a parent as a mother.

I resent that,
Doug, and I think

you're letting your
personal situation color

your judgment on this one.

OK, then, we'll go down
to the motel, cuff the guy,

throw him in the
backseat of a squad car,

give his kid a nice front
row seat for the show.

Then he can cool his heels at
the juvenile detention center

while he's waiting for
his mother to pick him up.

But you do it.

All right, all right, but
it's got to be resolved.

You can't let him skip again.

I know.

Hey, what's this?

Me and Danny.

No, no, this thing.

What is that?

It's the sun.

Why's the sun frowning?

Because he knows
the two boys are sad.

Why are the two boys sad?

You know, Clavo, if you miss
your mother, you can say so.

It won't hurt my feelings.

It won't?

No, of course not.

You know, I miss my own
mother, and I miss Marta.

Does that hurt your feelings?

No.

If you're feeling happy or
sad, I want to know about it.

I want you to let me
in on it, you know?

Doug?

Yeah.

I miss my mother.

Clavo?

Yeah.

I'm glad you're here.

I'll tell you what.

Why don't you finish
this up, and we'll

send it to your mother.

Should I make the sun happy?

No.

It's perfect just
the way you made it.

It'll let her know
that you miss her.

Yeah.

Hello, is there a Janet
or Ed Stapleton there?

[phone ringing]

Yeah, Rocketdyne,
Banducci speaking.

No.

Yeah, Sal Junior,
tell your mom it's OK.

All right.

Now, listen, I want
you to get some sleep.

Your first game is the
day after tomorrow.

What?

Oh, yeah, the probe
to Alpha Centauri.

It's going great.

OK.

Right.

Bye bye.

Rocketdyne?

Yeah, I told--

told my kid I work at a
place that builds rockets.

Ah.

Why?

He likes rockets.

No, no, no, I mean, why
did you lie to him, Sal?

What's up?

You ashamed of us?

Ain't you I'm ashamed of.

Well, you can't
just lie to him, Sal.

Yeah, I can.

He'd want me to.

Captain, my dad, when
he could find work,

had the goofiest jobs.

He was the Planter's
peanut man once.

Another time, he
cleaned up horse poop

behind those carriages that
went around Central Park.

I just cringed every time
he got a new job waiting

to hear how stupid it was.

I wish he would have just lied,
and said he worked at Yankee

Stadium or Madison
Square Garden,

preferably as a
Yankee or a Ranger.

Hey, Sal, look, man, your
son is not you, you know?

I mean, there's a lot of you
in him, but it's not you.

I learned that with Kip.

I just want his
life to be better

than Mine I want to protect
him from four eyes jokes.

I don't want him
to be a janitor.

Well, of course, you don't
want him to be a janitor.

Not that there's a damn thing
wrong with that now, Sal,

but, oh, come on, man.

The kid's going to
be called four eyes,

and he's going to
strike out at the plate.

We all do.

But you gotta let
him take the cuts.

You understand, Sal?

Yeah.

Oh, oh, oh, oh, you know
that probe to Alpha Centauri?

You think you could
get Hanson and Penhall

on that thing for me?

I'll put in a good word, sir.

Like this.

Hey, that's cool.

[doorbell]

Showtime.

Mr. and Mrs. Stapleton,
come right on in.

I'm Officer Doug Penhall.

This is Officer Judy Hoffs.

Hello.

Do you guys want some candy?

That's my little host, Clavo.

How about some soda?

Thank you, but they
don't eat sweets.

Water will be fine.

Can I have some soda?

Let's get water for everyone.

Please, have a seat.

I hope you don't mind
us bringing the children.

We left as soon as
we heard from you.

We didn't have time
to make arrangements.

No, of course not.

I hope you don't mind
us handling it this way.

My wife and I are only
interested in getting

the boy home.

We aren't seeking vengeance.

Officer Penhall
will bring Danny--

Curtis.

I'm sorry.

Officer Penhall will bring
Curtis and his father

here so that you can talk to
them in a neutral environment.

It's important that the boy
understand what's going on.

What will happen to Robert?

Well, we'll have to notify
the authorities in Harrisburg.

I'm sure they'll want to speak
to you before they decide

whether or not to extradite.

Excuse me?

I need some information.

Oh, hey, I just
rent the rooms.

I don't know what
they do in there.

I'm interested in a guy who
lives with a kid in Room .

Deadbeat.

Cleared out this afternoon,
still owes me for four nights.

You don't know where he went?

You find out, I'd
sure like to know.

Officer Penhall, what
exactly is going on here?

I mean, is this some
kind of cruel joke?

No, sir.

When I saw Bob pay
the motel manager,

I really thought they were
paying in advance for the room.

Can you imagine what
this does to my wife?

We didn't mean for this
to happen, Mr. Stapleton.

Please, be a little more
certain before you call.

That's all we ask.

Tomorrow's our first game.

You think they'll show?

It was very
important to Curtis.

Come on.

Come on.

Let's go.

OK, come on, you guys.

Where's Danny?

He's our best player.

[national anthem]

No.

No.

The officer will handle this.

What's he doing?

What a time to get cold feet.

Play ball.

Get out.

Great.

So I wasn't paranoid.

OK, one away, man on second.

k*ll them.

Judy, this isn't the
Chicago Blackhawks.

Let's go, look alive out there.

Look alive out there.

Please don't hit it to me.

Please don't hit it to me.

So the law tells you this
is how it's going to be,

and you keep telling yourself
it's all for the best

and try to get on
with your life.

But I don't have a
big career and I'm

no big lady's man or anything.

My kid was my life.

What about your wife?

I don't blame
her for leaving me.

When a guy is out
of work long enough,

a woman starts to look
at him differently.

But my kid, he didn't
look at me differently.

So you just took him?

Even though you knew that's
not what's best for him?

What would you do?

All of a sudden, your kid's
being raised by some guy who

has his way of doing things.

That's that.

So what?

No sweets, he'll live.

No.

Ed's denying Curtis
things that make growing

up something to remember.

No music, no
movies, no baseball.

Can you imagine that?

An -year-old kid not
allowed to play baseball.

Well, I don't know what
I'd do in that situation,

but I do know what I have
to do in this situation.

OK.

I know.

You do me a favor?

All right.

Let's go, guys,
heads up out there.

Heads up.

Come on, let's do it.

Sal Junior.

Aren't you going to coach?

That's what's so
great about this game.

It's as much fun to
watch as it is to play.

The thing that I don't get
is why did you bring Dan--

Curtis back.

For not just the game, right?

I realized with the
way we were living,

I was as guilty of keeping
him from things as Ed was.

And all he'll ever
remember about growing up

is running from one
place to another.

Last inning.

Batter up.

Send someone in.

Batter to the plate.

All right.

You guys know what
we gotta do, right?

Cameron, you're on, baby.

Let's go.

One run.

Come on, dig deep.

Oh my god, I can't take this.

You're out.

Hey, back to your bench.

No way.

He was--

I don't want to hear about it.

Back to your bench.

I'm not going
back to my bench.

Turn around.

You're gone.

OK, Danny, get
batter in there, babe.

Danny, let's go, kid.

Get in the game.

Get ready to
knock it out, buddy!

Strike.

Darryl Strawberry.

Wally Joyner.

What does Gwynne
mean, really?

Use the force, Luke.

Ball.

Strike.

Take a cup, buddy,
I got faith in you.

OK, mail call.

Doug, here.

Doug, here.

Clavo?

Here.

Is there a Clavo
in the building?

Here.

Here.

Oh, I didn't see you sitting
there, you little doohickey.

You got a letter.

Who's it from?

Well, it's from Harrisburg.

From Curtis.

Danny.

His name is Curtis.

Remember we talked about that.

Oh, yeah.

What's it say?

I'm getting to that.

He's the fold master.

OK.

Dear Clavo, how are you?

I hope you are good.

I hope you are a good, period.

He forgot the period.

Our teacher told us to
write a letter to a friend,

so this is it.

I hope I get a good grade.

My baseball team in
Harrisburg is real good.

We are and and
in the playoffs.

I made the all-star game.

How is your uncle Doug's team?

Still bad?

Well, it's time for
gym, and we have to go.

Please write me, yours
truly, Curtis Stapleton.

That's really nice.

There's another one.

PS, this note isn't
part of my grade.

If your Uncle Doug knows
where my real dad is, can

you tell him I miss him
and would like to write him

letters too.

PSPS, my new baseball
team is nowheres near

as good as your Uncle Doug's.

Yours truly, Danny.

OK, why don't we get
ready for the game, huh?

[theme music]