THE SANDLOT KIDS
Written by
David Mickey Evans & Robert Gunter
June 10 th, 1992
A FADED KODACHROME PHOTO
Of the 9 best (11-year-old) buddies that ever lived. On a
makeshift baseball diamond - a sandlot... circa 1962:
SCOTTY SMALLS, studious-looking; ALAN "YEAH-YEAH" McCLENNAN,
little, hyper; HAMILTON "HAM" PORTER, tubby with a huge smile;
KENNY DeNUNEZ, handsome bean pole; TOMMY "REPEAT" TIMMONS and
his brother TIMMY; BERTRAM GROVER WEEKS, wearing inch- thick
horn rims; JEFF "SQUINTS" PALLEDOROUS, a transistor radio
plug wedged in his ear; and BENNY RODRIGUEZ, leaning on
Scotty's shoulder, sporting the world's all-time hottest
sneakers... P.F. Flyers.
One palm up, together like the 9 musketeers they're holding
forward a baseball... with a mysterious smudge.
NARRATOR
Everyone's got that one summer when
they were a kid... a summer so perfect,
that it stays with them forever. It
stays caught in time, like Camelot.
pause That summer is like a book with
a million blank pages that you get to
fill with the greatest story you could
ever dream up.
(BEAT)
This is a story about a legend. And
for us, that summer was the one when
the legend got made.
WE CLOSE IN TIGHT on the black smudge, which becomes:
A SERIES OF B&W PHOTOS & STOCK FOOTAGE
GEORGE WASHINGTON crossing the Delaware. DANIEL BOONE in
frontier buckskins. ABE LINCOLN giving the Gettysburg address.
FREDERICK DOUGLAS orating from a podium. SITTING BULL in his
splendor. THE WRIGHT BROTHERS at Kitty Hawk - this photo
blends to news reel stock footage of the actual launch. The
following also blend to stock: JOE LOUIS clobbering MAX
SCHMELLING. JESSE OWENS in the '32 olympics. ALBERT EINSTEIN
scrawling on a chalkboard. CHARLES LINDBERG and his Spirit
of St. Louis land in Paris. As the waiting throngs cheer
WILDLY:
NARRATOR (CONT'D)
Everybody sometime in their life has
met a real live hero.
(MORE)
2
NARRATOR (CONT'D)
They're not exactly a dime a dozen,
but there's plenty of people who've
done real great things. But hardly
anyone has ever met a certified Legend,
because most of them are dead before
they get voted one.
CHUCK YEAGER in the X-1 breaking the sound barrier. MACARTHUR
stepping ashore, pipe clenched. JIM THORPE playing football.
ELVIS PRESELY on stage in hep-cat duds. NEIL ARMSTRONG setting
foot on the moon.
NARRATOR (CONT'D)
So, to actually be there at the moment
one gets made... well, forget about
it. It never happens. Almost never...
To understand how it all got started,
you have to go back...
WE PULL BACK FROM THE MOON - like a baseball in the sky.
NARRATOR (CONT'D)
...to the all-time, hands down, complete
and undisputed Legend that ever lived.
A BASEBALL in someone's hand. WE PULL BACK FROM IT.
NARRATOR (CONT'D)
In any language, in any country, in
any world. The Sultan of Swat. The
King of Clout. The Great Bambino.
You have to go back to...
BABE RUTH is holding the baseball.
NARRATOR (CONT'D)
...The Babe.
(BEAT)
There's never been anyone greater than
The Babe. And when he called his famous
full count homerun in the 1932 world
series, he made sure he'd live forever.
THE BABE
hits a homerun. Settles into his signature, locomotive
basepath chug.
NARRATOR (CONT'D)
And it's a good thing he became
immortal, because without him, what
happened that summer, absolutely never
(MORE)
3
NARRATOR (CONT'D)
would've happened. Weird thing was,
before I moved to the neighborhood, I
had no idea who he was. And he played
a game I knew nothing about.
SLO-MO - THE BABE'S CLEATS
send up chalky dust at each STEP. His foot hits home plate -
taking us 30 years into the future. The Babe's antiquated
leather cleat becomes...
EXT. DODGER STADIUM - 1962 - DAY - STOCK
...the cleat of basepath speedster MAURY WILLS.
NARRATOR
Fourteen years later, after The Babe
was gone, there was another guy who
had something to do with the legend
getting made too. A guy who set a
record that summer that was so awesome,
some people still don't believe it.
WILLS TAKES OFF, STEALING 3RD
so fast that no one knows he's gone. The Pitcher fires to
rd. The 3rd BASEMAN gloves the dirt. The UMPIRE wings the
air.
UMPIRE
Safe!
WILLS' CLEAT becomes
THE P.F. FLYER SNEAKER of...
EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - PLAYGROUND - 1962 - DAY
...BENNY RODRIGUEZ, as he steps up to the plate.
THE PITCHER
fires.
BENNY
cranks one deep to right. He tears around the bases like
lightning (this kid is real fast). He rounds 3rd. The ball
comes in home - cutting him off. He's caught in a pickle.
FROM
4
BEHIND THE CHAIN-LINK BACKSTOP
YEAH-YEAH, HAM, DeNUNEZ, REPEAT, TIMMY, BERTRAM and SQUINTS
come unglued and crowd the basepath.
HAM
PICKLE!
BENNY
pickles the CATCHER and 3RD BASEMAN. He feints n' rubba-legs
them out of position. He sprints for home. Safe! Just as
he crosses home plate
SQUINTS
pulls his transistor radio ear plug out.
SQUINTS
Thirty-one! Maury Wills just stole
number thirty-one!
THE ON-FIELD TEAM
throws their gloves 9 different ways in disgust.
OTHER TEAM
(ABOUT BENNY)
Crap! Can't beat that guy! Ya dufuses,
why'd ya get him in a pickle for?! Ya
know he's the damn pickle king! Rubba
legs for sure! Truly rubba legs.
BENNY JOINS THE GANG
They imitate the big leaguers; skinning five, spittin' 'zooka
chaw-juice. Yeah-Yeah hands Benny his glove. Squints jots
the stats in his pee-chee folder.
SQUINTS
Game over. Sixteen zip. Murderers'
Row remains undefeated.
OPPONENT
Hey! We never got our ups!
The lunch bell RINGS. The gang heads across the playground
back to the bungalows.
OPPONENT (CONT'D)
All your moms wear boxers!
Without looking back, eight "birds" hit the air. Nervous,
NEW- KID
5
SCOTTY SMALLS
has been watching nearby.
EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - DRINKING FOUNTAIN - DAY
Just as Ham, Squints and Benny go for the 3 spigots, Yeah-
Yeah taps each rapidfire:
YEAH-YEAH
Milk-milk-pee.
HAM
Great, I'm dyin' a thirst and you pee
me out!
BENNY
Ham, it ain't really.
HAM
Then switch with me.
BENNY
Do I look stupid?
Everyone drinks from the 2 "un-cursed" spigots. Ham last.
As they turn to leave, Scotty goes for the fountain. The
guys hang - waiting for doom. Scotty drinks from the pee
spigot! The guys GAG and FAUX-BARF. Scotty has no idea why
they're laughing at him.
NARRATOR
I moved to the neighborhood about a
month before school let out. I was
from another state, and didn't have a
single friend in a thousand miles.
INT. CLASSROOM - DAY
Benny, Ham, Scotty (sitting by himself) and the other STUDENTS
are clock watching. The BELL RINGS. Summer vacation! The
classroom empties... papers circle to the floor from 35
departing cyclones.
INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - HALLWAYS / ENTRANCE - DAY
Streams of excited KIDS spill into the corridors - a river of
scrambling tennis shoes and clashing lunch boxes at the
entrance gate.
SCOTTY'S
caught in the mayhem.
6
HE SPIES
the 8 guys forging ahead. He follows them.
NARRATOR
It was a lousy way to end up the 5th
grade, 'cause I had zip time to make
friends before summer. And that's
about where it all started...
EXT. OLD REDWOOD FENCE - FOILAGE - DAY
Scotty sneaks close around some dense bushes, clutching books
and "John Glenn - Freedom 7" lunchbox. He steps through the
barrier (a secret doorway in the fence) onto the distant
OUTFIELD OF
EXT. THE SANDLOT - DAY
The gang's homemade baseball diamond. They're:
CLEANING THE BLEACHERS
with broken brooms.
RAKING THE INFIELD
with halves of tools.
LAYING NEW CHALK LINES
with a holed box of detergent powder.
CLEARING THE OUTFIELD
of leaves, trash and sticks.
RE-ERECTING A PIECE OF RAGGED PLYWOOD
in left field - painted green and lettered "The Green Monster."
SCOTTY
maintains cover and
PERUSES THE LAYOUT
a row of houses, whose backyards are all chain link fenced.
The fencing is trimmed individually in wood, bamboo etc...
One has the world's coolest treehouse. Next to it... is the
last house. This owner has cordoned his backyard - tall panels
of that green "tropical-look" privacy fiberglass lashed to
the fence.
7
SCOTTY
remains undercover, but he's bustin' to join in.
THE GANG
never notices him. As they work:
HAM
Fifth grade's history, man. A hundred
days, man. A Hundred days of baseball.
All Day, everyday, as much as we can.
That's the best.
TIMMY
We got all summer.
REPEAT
We got all summer.
BENNY
Let's play.
YEAH-YEAH
Yeah-Yeah... let's play.
The guys round up in the infield. As they play catch, they
spread farther and farther apart... until they've each taken
up the position they most like to play. They fit the paltry
little diamond; scrappy, happy kids.
EXT. THE BLOCK - DUSK
Tract homes - everybody's got a different thing going in the
front yard. The guys (sans Timmons') split up toward their
homes - slappin' gloves, "so-longing" for the night.
NARRATOR
Everyone but the Timmons twins lived
on my new block.
FROM HIS DRIVEWAY
Scotty, shuttling moving boxes to his garage, watches them
go.
NARRATOR (CONT'D)
They lived in a house by the sandlot
and had the world's greatest tree house,
because their dad was a contractor.
8
FROM BENNY'S PORCH
Benny is the last to go in. He sees Scotty watching. So, he
nods... just a little.
THE BLOCK
clears to empty. The street lamps arc on, drawing soft white
circles on the sidewalks. FROM THIS HEIGHT, they look like
baseballs dotting the neighborhood.
NARRATOR (CONT'D)
Even before I knew any of them I envied
that tree house...
INT. BENNY'S ROOM - NIGHT
A shrine to the pastime. Pennants, magazine pictures, game
programs, baseball cards, a whole section of Maury Wills,
radiating from a picture of Wills caught in a pickle.
NARRATOR
...later, it would become second only
to Cape Canaveral as a command post
for history.
(BEAT)
When I moved in that summer, I'd never
played baseball, but it wasn't too
tough figuring out who these guys'
heroes were. So, after a week of
watching... I figured baseball seemed
like the best way to get in with them.
BENNY'S
in bed, oiling his glove, staring out his window at Scotty's
house. Taped to his footboard is the most important picture
of all... a picture of The Babe.
INT. SCOTTY'S ROOM - NIGHT
Jr. Chemistry set. Heath Kit gadgets. An unbelievable Erector
Set contraption with little motors and stuff. An autographed
picture of Mr. Wizard. Scotty's pj'd at his erector set table,
bothered and unhappy. This stuff is too damn easy for him.
He whips on a last bolt and connects the itty-bitty motor.
SWITCHES ON
THE CONTRAPTION
a tiny scoopelvator snatches up a white marble. Drops it on
a roller coaster track. The marble whips around corners and
9
loop-da-loops... lands in a mini-catapult. Another motor
draws it back via a winding string. Boy Scout camping-knife
scissors ratchet in - snip the string - the catapult fires.
THE MARBLE
leaps a little green fence and WONK! Ouuuhhh! beans
HIS MOTHER (HAVING JUST COME IN)
right in the forehead.
BEDROOM
Scotty winces at the shot.
SCOTTY
Sorry, Mom.
MOM
I thought we agreed we'd take this
apart... and not spend so much time in
here.
SCOTTY
(FEELING LOW)
I know - but it's just nighttime.
MOM
Scotty, have you made any friends yet?
SCOTTY
No.
MOM
Why not, honey?
SCOTTY
'Cause I'm still "new."
MOM
Honey, I don't want you sitting in
here all summer fiddling with this
stuff, like you did last summer... and
the one before that.
(BEAT)
Scotty, look at me. I know you're
smart, and I'm proud of you. But you
have to get outside, you have to...
play.
She sits across from him, trying to get through.
10
MOM (CONT'D)
I want you to get out in the fresh air
and make friends. Run around and scrape
your knees. Get dirty. Climb trees
and hop fences. Get in trouble for
crying out loud.
(BEAT)
Not too much, but some. You have my
permission. Now how many mothers do
you think say that to their sons?
SCOTTY
None mothers I guess.
MOM
I want you to make friends this summer,
Scotty. Lots of them.
SCOTTY
I know, but I don't - I'm no good at
anything. Face it, Mom, I'm just an
EGGHEAD -
MOM
- and you'll always be just an egghead
with an attitude like that. So promise
me, alright?
SCOTTY
'Kay.
MOM
Maybe tomorrow you'll make some friends.
SCOTTY
Yeah, maybe tomorrow.
(BEAT)
Mom? Do you think Bill - I mean Dad -
will teach me to play catch?
MOM
Are you kidding, he'd love it, you
know what an athlete he wasIn high
school.
(ALTERMNATE LINE)
You know what a pitcher he was in high
college.
INT. SCOTTY'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - NIGHT
Scotty slurps a glass of chocolate Quick. Rinses the glass
too carefully. Gathers courage for something. Breathes deep -
starts across the house.
11
INT. SCOTTY'S HOUSE - HALLWAY - NIGHT
Scotty peeks through a slightly open door. BILL moves around
inside, unpacking boxes. Scotty reaches to knock. Stops.
Almost walks away. Then musters the gumption. KNOCKS.
BILL (O.S.)
Yeah...
Scotty takes a few cautious steps into...
INT. BILL'S DEN - NIGHT
...a trophy room. Ribbons, plaques, trophies. Bill must've
been some athlete; but he limps now. Scotty lingers...
gathering more courage.
NARRATOR
My real dad died when I was just a
little kid. My mom married Bill a
year before we moved to the
neighborhood.
(BEAT)
At the time, he and I were still getting
used to each other.
SCOTTY
Um, Dad - sorry, I mean Bill, remember
you promised you'd teach me to play
catch?
BILL
Um hum...
He dusts a batting trophy.
SCOTTY
Well, could you teach me?
BILL
Sure.
He places a pitching plaque. Scotty waits awkwardly. Waits
for more words. They don't come.
SCOTTY
Okay. Great. Thanks.
BILL
Um hum.
Scotty leaves, bringing the door with him on his way out.
Through the cracked portal he sees Bill set a silver pedestal
on the main shelf. On this he sets a baseball...
12
just a baseball.
INT. SCOTTY'S ROOM - THE NEXT MORNING
Scotty wakes up. Checks his (Theme) clock. 8:30. He bolts
out of bed. Dashes through the house to the front door.
Throws it open and runs down to...
EXT. SCOTTY'S HOUSE - DAY
...the sidewalk. Fan sprinklers water all the lawns. Way
far down the block
HE GLIMPSES
Ham, at the HELMS BAKERY TRUCK, buying a donut, then scrambling
around the far corner.
HAM
Hey-hey, come on! Wait up - wait up!
SCOTTY
panics. Runs back inside and...
INT. SCOTTY'S ROOM - DAY
...strips off his cowboy pj's. Redresses. Digs through his
CLOSET
finding a vinyl, "toy" baseball glove. It's still in the
package, with a note attached: "To Scotty Boy - Love, Grandma!"
It's all he's got. He shovels through a pair of Mickey Mouse
ears - a cowboy hat - finds the closest thing he's got to a
baseball cap... a long, duck-billed fishing cap with a big
embroidered trout.
EXT. ENROUTE TO THE SANDLOT - DAY
Scotty runs by (soon familiar places):
A 5 & DIME
A BOYS CLUB
A LITTLE LEAGUE FIELD,
where he slows momentarily, envious of the crisply uniformed
kids... wow. Moving on down
EXT. THE BLOCK OF SANDLOT COMMON HOUSES - DAY
whose backyards we already know. Scotty flat out stops at
13
THE HOUSE
with the fiberglass panels out back. Scary place.
EXT. THE SANDLOT - DAY
Scotty slips quietly through the secret fence doorway, emerging
IN
DEEP LEFT FIELD
where he hugs the perimeter, moving slowly toward the sandlot
common houses. Winded, Scotty finds
THE GANG'S
already playing "over the line."
NARRATOR
They never kept score. They never
chose sides. They never even really
stopped playing the game... it just
went on forever. Everyday they picked
up right where they left off the day
before. It was an endless "dream game."
(BEAT)
There was only 8 of them, so they didn't
have a whole team. It didn't matter
though... Benny was so good he took
everyone's position when it was there
ups.
(BEAT)
I didn't know any of that then... I
just knew they were having the time of
their lives and I wanted to be a part
of it.
SCOTTY
watches and listens (as he goes) to the SHARP, satisfying
sound of the hardball, SNAPPING CLEANLY in the oily leather
of their gloves.
HE LOOKS AT
his own toy glove... how embarrassing.
SCOTTY
continues around the perimeter, trying to be seen and become
invisible. He goes unwittingly CLOSER TO those green
fiberglass panels.
14
DENUNEZ
winds up and pitches to
BENNY
who connects big. CRACK!
SCOTTY'S
come too close to the green fence. Something has overcome
him... fear! He stares with serious woollies at
A HOLE IN THE FIBERGLASS
and sees only dust rising in time with some great, SOUNDS OF
EXHALATION. And then, before he can draw any conclusions...
disaster.
GANG (O.S.)
Hey! Look out!
SCOTTY
whips a look up and sees
THE FLY BALL
coming right at him.
SCOTTY
tracks it, frozen stiff. Scared shitless. At the past
possible moment, he throws his arms over his face and ducks...
social suicide.
THE BALL
beans him at the glove covering his noggin.
SCOTTY
hits his butt. The ball rolls a bit. Comes to an "I-dare-
you" stop: right up against the diseased fiberglass panels of
that preternatural fence. Scotty pulls his arms away from
his face.
THE GANG
LAUGHS uproariously.
TIMMY
Nice catch!
15
REPEAT
Nice catch!
HAM
Hey! Throw the ball back!
YEAH-YEAH
Yeah-yeah, hurry up!
BERTRAM
We gotta a game here, man!
SCOTTY
moves for the ball. As he goes, he sweats:
SCOTTY
'Kay, I'll get it!
(TO HIMSELF)
Don't be a goofus - don't be a goofus -
don't be a goofus.
He reaches the fence and the ball and stops. It's hard to
move. The force emanating from the backyard has got him:
DUST THROUGH THE HOLE IN THE FIBERGLASS
keeps perfect time with the monster-breathing.
AN OLENADER BUSH
moves. It scares the living kapok out of
SCOTTY
who snatches up the ball and back-pedals 10 feet.
SQUINTS
WE'RE WAITING...
He throws back the ball. And his chances of getting in with
these guys are over. Because Scotty... throws like a girl!
THE BALL
droops forward in the air. Lands 6 feet from him. Rolls
slowly up to the gang, finally coming to a dainty stop at
DeNunez' feet.
THE GANG
looks from the ball to Scotty... they CRACK UP!
16
SCOTTY
walks away... crying.
SCOTTY
(TO HIMSELF)
My life is over.
BENNY
is the only one that isn't laughing. He stares the others
down.
DENUNEZ
Come on, Benny-man, didn't you see
that throw?
He imitates it, "flipping" his glove to Ham. The gang BUSTS
UP again.
HAM
(TRULY STUNNED)
That kid's got the gaw'damn panty-
waistiest arm I ever saw in my whole
life.
SQUINTS
I seen a guy once that threw like that.
I mean not that bad, but at least so
bad that he hadda move in the fourth
grade 'cause they nicknamed him
"Bloomers."
Benny's look stifles the bunch.
BENNY
I bet not one of you knows how The
Babe got his nickname.
HAM
Easy, 'cause of the way he looked like
a little kid face.
BERTRAM
Bull, it's just 'cause he liked kids
and stuff.
SQUINTS
Wrong. The Babe was called The Babe,
because he was like the child of Yankee
Stadium.
17
BENNY
I knew it. You're all full of crap.
George Herman Ruth got his nickname
because his mom died when he was just
a little kid, and he hadda go live in
an orphanage.
Silence. None of the other guys has heard this before.
BENNY (CONT'D)
Nobody liked him there. The bigger
guys picked on him all the time. And
when they messed with him he couldn't
fight back, 'cause he was just... like
scared. So when they messed with him,
he cried about it.
(BEAT)
He cried... so they called him The
Babe.
This hits home real good.
BENNY (CONT'D)
How ya think that kid just felt?
Benny exits the sandlot, leaving the others with a lesson
learned.
NARRATOR
Everyone knew Benny was different.
Nobody ever voted or anything, but he
was the leader.
EXT. THE BLOCK - DUSK
As Benny goes into his house, the other's round the corner
far behind him.
THE MOON
is up. Full. Like a big baseball.
NARRATOR
Even though he seemed like a regular
guy, he wasn't. Benny was special,
and he was loyal.
(BEAT)
When they'd all tried out for youth
league, they'd all made it. But when
they found out they'd have to play on
different teams, Benny told 'em that
if they couldn't play together, they
shouldn't play at all. So, they stayed
together.
18
EXT./INT. BENNY'S ROOM - NIGHT
Benny's at the window, clutching a baseball, staring over at
Scotty's house.
NARRATOR
So, the only person that ever felt
sorry for me 'cause I was such a weenie
was Benjamin Franklin Rodriguez.
(BEAT)
Even though neither of us knew it at
the time, we were connected. Like I
had been born for just that one moment,
when I would perform the world's all-
time boner, and Benny would bail me
out.
(BEAT)
Connected as friends... born to meet
for just that one moment.
We DRIFT OFF Benny to his PICTURE OF MAURY WILLS in a pickle.
INT. SCOTTY'S HOUSE - DINING ROOM - DAY
A PICTURE OF MAURY WILLS on a Post Super Sugar Crisp box.
BILL & SCOTTY
at the table. Bill sifting through mounds of paperwork. Scotty
eating breakfast. Scotty's spoon CLANGS one too many times.
Bill looks up at him.
SCOTTY
Sorry...
Scotty picks up his bowl and cereal, goes into
INT. SCOTTY'S HOUSE - THE KITCHEN - DAY
where his mom is making coffee.
MOM
(QUIETLY)
Well?...
SCOTTY
He's too busy, Mom.
MOM
(ENCOURAGING)
Go back in there and ask. He'll take
the time. Go on.
19
INT. SCOTTY'S HOUSE - DINING ROOM - DAY
Scotty comes back in. Stops mutely near Bill. Long, agonizing
seconds pass. Finally:
SCOTTY
Um, Da -
Quick look toward the kitchen, then:
SCOTTY (CONT'D)
(so Mom won't hear)
- I mean, Bill. Could we... I mean
could you, like you said - teach me to
catch today?
BILL
Um, yeah, but later, okay? I gotta
get this done.
It ain't much, but it's something.
SCOTTY
Okay, thanks.
Mom comes in behind Scotty.
MOM
Bill, can't you take a break and teach
him now?
SCOTTY
Mom, it's okay -
(NOBODY'S LISTENING)
BILL
Honey, I said I would and I will. I'm
just under the gun here, ya know?
SCOTTY
Mom, really -
MOM
- How long could it take? You can't
spare a half hour to show him?
Bill drops his pen. Checks his watch. A lost battle here.
BILL
(ANNOYED)
Fine. Alright. I'll get my glove.
Come on.
20
Bill exits past them. Scotty's been "Mom-embarrassed." She
looks at him:
MOM
(CLUELESS)
There. See. Told you so.
Scotty shuffles out back, shaking his head.
EXT. SCOTTY'S HOUSE - BACKYARD - DAY
Bill slides his hand into his glove. He warms up the cradle,
POPPING the "hardball" into the palm.
SCOTTY
stands ready to "learn" on the other side of the yard.
Appropriately pitiful in "trout" cap and toy glove.
BACKYARD
BILL
Keep your eye on the ball. Put the
glove up where it goes. Okay?
SCOTTY
Yeah, okay, I think so.
Bill throws one to Scotty. The toy glove goes up to the right.
The ball sails by to the left.
SCOTTY (CONT'D)
Darn. Sorry.
Bill's a little amazed at that one. He checks his watch.
BILL
That's alright, just throw it back.
Scotty eagerly retrieves it. Turns to throw - deja vu - he
runs over, hands Bill the ball.
SCOTTY
Here.
He runs back across the yard. Turns 'round again. Holds his
glove up stiffly.
SCOTTY (CONT'D)
Okay. I'm ready.
Bill cannot believe this. Checks his watch again.
21
BILL
Keep your eye on the ball. Put the
glove up where the ball goes.
He throws again. The ball bounces off the toy glove - breaks
the webbing.
SCOTTY
Darn. My glove got -
BILL
- not bad. Right side at least. Now,
just throw it back this time.
SCOTTY
But my glove -
Bill's looking at his watch again. Scotty fetches the ball -
gulps - "flips" it back.
BILL
(DISBELIEF)
Oh, my God.
EXT. THE BLOCK - SCOTTY'S HOUSE - DAY
Benny comes out of his house. From the sidewalk
BENNY'S POV
up the side of Scotty's house into the backyard. He can see
Scotty. Only Scotty. Standing there game as hell, trying to
catch balls that seem to be coming too fast. The ball comes.
Scotty ducks. The ball hits the block wall behind him,
caroming back toward where we assume Bill is throwing from.
BENNY'S
drawing the wrong conclusion.
EXT. SCOTTY'S HOUSE - BACKYARD - DAY
Scotty's still game. Bill's at ropes end. Check his watch
again.
BILL
Alright, Scott, listen, this one's
gonna come right at you, easy, okay?
SCOTTY
'Kay.
22
BILL
Just keep your eye on the ball and put
your glove up. You'll catch it.
SCOTTY
Okay.
BILL
throws.
THE BALL
comes slowly forward.
SCOTTY
sticks his glove up.
SCOTTY'S EYES
widen.
THE BALL
hits dead center glove. Rips the "toy" webbing. Flies through
AND CLOUTS
SCOTTY
right in the eye.
BILL
BILL
Oh my -
EXT. THE BLOCK - SCOTTY'S HOUSE - DAY
BENNY
- God, whadda jerk!
INT. SCOTTY'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY
Scotty's mom comes unglued.
MOM
Bill! What happened?!
BILL
Well, he -
23
SCOTTY
(PRIDE'S SAKE)
- just took my eye off the ball, Mom.
Scotty's mom pulls his hand away from his eye. Great shiner.
Bill grabs a steak from the fridge, FLOPS it over Scotty's
eye.
BILL
There. Keep that on for an hour.
It'll still be black, but it won't
swell.
(BEAT)
Sorry. We'll try again soon.
EXT. SCOTTY'S HOUSE - DAY
Scotty emerges. Sits on the porch. Pitiful and forlorn.
Chin in his hands, he looks across the street. He starts.
His hand moves to cover his black eye... but he thinks the
better of it.
BENNY'S
on the curb across the street. A moment goes by. Benny raises
a hand.
SCOTTY
slowly waves back.
BOTH
Benny comes over to Scotty's sidewalk.
BENNY
Gonna go play some ball. Need a extra
guy. Wanna go?
SCOTTY
Naw. Thanks.
BENNY
Why not? Doncha like baseball?
SCOTTY
Oh. Yeah. But, ah...
BENNY
But what?
Scotty searches for a quick way out of this. Gets it:
24
SCOTTY
But my glove's busted. So, ya know, I
can't go. Thanks, though.
Benny reaches behind his back. Takes something out of his
jeans - like he's going for a gun. Smiles a little.
BENNY
That's okay.
He offers it to Scotty... a "real" glove.
BENNY (CONT'D)
I got a extra one.
Scotty SHOUTS over his shoulder:
SCOTTY
Mom! I'm gonna go play some ball!
As they move away down the block.
SCOTTY (CONT'D)
Thanks. Cool glove.
BENNY
Yeah. Cool shiner. We gotta stop by
the 5 & 10 first. Need a new ball.
And chaw and stuff, ya know?
SCOTTY
Yeah.
BENNY
You dip chaw?
SCOTTY
(COMPLETELY CLUELESS)
Sure. A'course.
EXT. FIVE & DIME - DAY
Benny & Scotty go inside.
INT. FIVE & DIME - DAY
Benny grabs a new baseball on the stride, and handful of
bazooka from a jar on the soda fountain counter. He leaves
the money and exits. Scotty follows.
25
EXT. REAR OF FIVE & DIME - DAY
Benny and Scotty come upon the gang (all their mouths are
full a' bazooka) as Ham's chompin' on a candy cigar doing a
BABE IMITATION:
HAM
Hey! Check me out! I'm the
Great Bambino!
The gang laughs.
SCOTTY
(OVER EAGER)
Who's that?
The gang stifles. They're none-to-pleased. Ham sees why.
The new kid... "flipper." Eight pairs of eyes burn holes in
his little soul.
HAM
What?...
(BEYOND HIM)
What did he say?
BERTRAM
Were you born in a barn, man?
YEAH-YEAH
Yeah-yeah, what planet are you from?
SQUINTS
You never heard of The Sultan of Swat?!
DENUNEZ
The Titan of Terror!
TIMMY
The Colossus of Clout!
REPEAT
The Colossus of Clout!
BENNY
(even he's amazed)
The King of Krash!
NARRATOR
I had no idea who they were talking
about. But there was no way I could
let them know that... so, I lied.
26
SCOTTY
Oh! The Great Bambino! Of course. I
thought you said The Great Bambi.
HAM
(SHIVERING)
That wimpy deer?
SCOTTY
Ah, yeah - I guess. Sorry.
The gang goes SILENT. They spit - they're tough. Scotty
dribbles - he's wimpy.
BENNY
(W/MOUHTFUL)
So, Scott, this is Ken DeNunez; Alan
McClennan, we call him Yeah-Yeah;
Hamilton Porter, we call him Ham; Tommy
and Timmy Timmons, Bertram Grover Weeks,
and Mike "Squints" Palledorus.
(TO GANG)
He's Scott Smalls.
SCOTTY
Hi.
The gang just stares.
BENNY
He's gonna play with us. He makes
nine. Now we got a team.
EXT. SANDLOT - DAY
The pack follows Benny onto the diamond. Scotty trails after
them.
BERTRAM
Why'd you bring him for, Benny?
BENNY
'Cause there's eight of us, and he
makes nine.
BERTRAM
Yeah, so would my sister, but I didn't
bring her!
BENNY
With nine Guys we got a whole team.
27
HAM
No, with Elswenger we had a whole team,
and Elswenger could throw!
DENUNEZ
He ain't game, Benny. He can't throw
for nothin'.
Scotty drifts off by himself. He can hear what's exchanged.
TIMMY
Benny, you already play all the empty
positions since Elswenger moved to
Arizona.
BENNY
And now I get to rotate 8 positions
instead of 7. I need the practice.
SQUINTS
No you don't. It's stupid, Benny.
The kid's an L-7 weenie.
YEAH-YEAH
Yeah-yeah, Oscar Mayer even.
BENNY
Oh yeah, Squints, and you're Willie
freakin' Mays. You catch like a dork -
anybody ever bust your chops about
that?
SQUINTS
(PALTRY EXCUSE)
No, but I'm - ya know, I'm -
BENNY
- and you run like a duck, Yeah- Yeah.
YEAH-YEAH
(IT'S TRUE)
'Kay-'kay... But I'm -
BENNY
- part-a the game.
SQUINTS
(DEFENSIVE)
Right.
YEAH-YEAH
Yeah-yeah.
28
BENNY
How come he don't get to be?
Nobody's got an answer for that one. Base up you blockheads.)
THE GANG
hits the field. Their suspicious glares aren't lost on
SCOTTY
standing off by himself, kinda lost. Benny comes over.
BENNY (CONT'D)
You take right field, Smalls.
SCOTTY
(EAGER)
Right. Okay. Ah... where exactly is
that?
BENNY
(SURPRISED)
Uh, over there.
Scotty runs "over there" anxiously.
BENNY
takes home plate worried: "Maybe the kid is a weenie."
INFIELD
DeNunez at the mound. Benny's up.
BENNY (CONT'D)
Get two.
Repeat at 3rd, stabs it effortlessly and fires to 2nd. Timmy
snatches it down and drag-tags the invisible base runner,
then fires to Bertram at 1st. SNAP! Outta there. Bertram
throws back to DeNunez. Benny's ready:
BENNY (CONT'D)
Smalls! Get one!
CRACK! THE BALL
arcs up... comes down right at
SCOTTY
who raises the glove, and skippers around, as if he were
tracking a falling leaf. The ball lands 5 feet behind him.
29
THE GANG
shakes its collective head, exasperated.
SCOTTY
runs to the ball, is about to throw... runs it in to DeNunez
instead.
SCOTTY
Here. Sorry, sorry.
THE GANG
is stunned.
SCOTTY
runs back to right field. Ready again - a game kid.
BENNY
trots out after him.
BENNY
Hey, you can throw it ya know.
SCOTTY
No, I can't... I don't know how.
(LUMPY THROAT)
Um, thanks for taking me here... but
I think better go.
Scotty turns to leave. Benny grabs his arm.
BENNY
You think too much. I bet you get
straight A's and shit, huh?
SCOTTY
No, I got a B once. Actually it was
an A minus.
(QUICK)
But it shoulda been a B.
BENNY
This is baseball, you're not supposed
to think, you're just supposed to play.
(BEAT)
You ever have a paper route?
SCOTTY
Uh, I helped a guy one time.
30
BENNY
Throw it like you chuck a paper. When
your arm gets here... just let go of
it.
(PAUSE)
Just let go.
Scotty nods. Benny starts back.
SCOTTY
Wait - how do I catch it?
BENNY
Don't worry. Just stand there and
stick your glove in the air. I'll
take care of it.
HOME PLATE
Benny mentally calculates the distance. Puts a little rub on
the ball. Flips it into the air...
BENNY (CONT'D)
Smalls, get one!
...and swings through deliberately. CRACK!
SCOTTY
sees it coming. Stands there stiffly. Sticks his glove up,
closes his eyes.
SCOTTY
Please, catch it. Please, catch it.
Please, ca -
SNAP! His glove swings down. He opens his eyes. Looks into
his glove. The ball is there. He takes it out and chucks
the ball like a folded paper.
BERTRAM
catches it good and solid at 1st.
BERTRAM
Okay! Hey, let's play ball!
SCOTTY
loosens up. From home plate
31
BENNY
gives him a "Thumbs Up." The significance of this is only
outweighed by his sudden fear, when...
SCOTTY
glimpses something.
SCOTTY'S POV
of some great, lumbering thing moving past a crack in those
green fiberglass panels.
EXT. THE BLOCK - DUSK
In good spirits, the guys break off to their houses.
SCOTTY & BENNY
split up in the middle of the street between their homes.
SCOTTY
Thanks.
Already at his door, Benny just raises his glove in answer.
SCOTTY (CONT'D)
Wait, here - your glove.
BENNY
Keep it.
INT. SCOTTY'S ROOM - NIGHT
Scotty opens a new writing tablet, and titles the page:
"Baseball Stuff to Remember." He writes: "1. The Great
Bambino?" He hasn't got a clue.
EXT. VACANT LOT - DAY
Benny coaches Scotty. Correct batting stance and swing. Benny
thumb-flicks bottle caps at Scotty from a coffee can full.
They're tough to hit. But soon Scotty's tagging every one of
them.
THE SUN SETS.
EXT. SANDLOT - DAY
DeNunez fires - fastball. CRUNCH!
32
SCOTTY
tags it. The ball sails over
SQUINTS'
Head in center. From left field
BENNY
gives Scotty another "Thumbs Up." The kid's in.
EXT. SANDLOT - DAY - LATER
Squints arrives with a box of baseball cards.
NARRATOR
Everyday, first thing, we'd all pick a
card from what we called "The Dugout."
Squints shakes it up. Everybody picks one.
NARRATOR (CONT'D)
It was just a shoe box, but whoever we
picked, we got to be when it was our
ups. One day, when Ham took his pick
a little too seriously, the guys let
me in on the world's most terrifying
secret...
BENNY
Bingo! Maury Wills!
SCOTTY
Mickey Mou - ah, Mantle.
YEAH-YEAH
Say hey, Willie Mays.
DENUNEZ
Stan Musial.
TIMMY
Lou Brock.
REPEAT
Lou Brock - I mean, Luis Aparicio.
BERTRAM
Frank Robinson.
SQUINTS
Oh... Bob Uecker.
33
HAM
Hank Aaron. I'm up.
EXT. SANDLOT - DAY - MINUTES LATER
The gang "peppers"
HAM
(at home plate) mercilessly.
DENUNEZ
pitches - strike. Pitches again - strike. Delivers and
HAM
takes a Ruthian cut at it. CONNECTS to deep right.
SCOTTY
tracks it.
THE BALL
comes down.
SCOTTY
runs beneath it - glove up.
THE BALL
drops into a backyard. The one with the green fiberglass
panels.
SCOTTY
stops short. Looks back to
THE GANG
who're already packing up in slumped dejection.
SCOTTY
makes a decision. Swallows against fear of the fence. He
takes one step toward that fence.
SCOTTY
Wait a sec, I'll get it!
34
THE GANG
comes unglued.
GANG
NOOOOOOOOOO! STOPPPPPP!
They rush over - grab Scotty - pull him back 10 feet into the
"Fear-Free" zone.
SQUINTS
Holy crap, you coulda been killed!
YEAH-YEAH
Yeah-yeah - truly! Whadda you doin'?!
SCOTTY
Well, you were all leavin', so I thought
I'd just -
SQUINTS
- if you were thinkin' you wouldn't a
thought that!
BENNY
You can't go back there, Smalls.
SCOTTY
Then how do we get the ball?
TIMMY
We don't.
REPEAT
We don't.
BERTRAM
It's gone.
HAM
Forever even.
DENUNEZ
Forget it, it's a memory.
BENNY
Game's over. We'll get a new one
tomorrow. Just forget it. We'll never
see it again.
SCOTTY
Why not?
35
GANG
(HUSHED)
The Beast.
Scotty stares at them; all heads hung.
BENNY
Go over there, real slow, and be quiet.
Don't touch the fence, just peek through
that hole in the green stuff... go on.
As Scotty goes forward, the gang steps back.
SCOTTY
draws his eye close to the hole in the fence. WE SEE
EXT. MR. MERTLE'S BACKYARD - DAY
A LIMITED VIEW of 3 feet square. WE SEE nothing but the
ball... in the small crater it's made in the dirt. There are
oddly similar craters in the immediate vicinity. Those craters
are empty.
A MAMMOTH, HAIRY PAW
comes down from out of nowhere. As it CLEARS FRAME, the
baseball is gone. Only the crater remains.
EXT. SANDLOT - DAY
Scotty snaps his head away from the hole - runs over to
THE GANG:
SCOTTY
Something got the ball!
(UNNERVED)
What was that thing?!
Considered looks are exchanged, then, in unison:
GANG
Campout.
EXT. TIMMONS' BACKYARD - NIGHT
Aglow. (NOTE: Same as Sc. 80)
INT. TREE HOUSE - NIGHT
A Boy Scout lantern. Professionally built structure. The
gang's got sleeping bags. They're roasting marshmallows over
a Cub Scout camping stove.
36
Ham's brought personal s'mores supplies.
HAM
Wanna s'more?
SCOTTY
Some more of what?
HAM
No. You wanna s'more?
SCOTTY
I haven't had anything yet, so how can
I have any more of nothing?
HAM
You kill me Smalls. Look, these are
s'mores stuff. Pay attention:
(CONCOCTING)
First you take the graham - you put
the chocolate on the graham, Hershey's
of course - you hold the chocolate on
the graham while you roast the mallow-
He does. The mallow flames to life.
HAM (CONT'D)
-then when the mallow's flamin', ya
stuff it on the chocolate and cover it
with the other end.
(BEAT)
Then, you scarf.
Ham does. The junk squirts half way down his shirt.
HAM (CONT'D)
(BARELY INTELLIGIBLE)
Kinda messy... Good though.
Squints turns the lantern down low...
SQUINTS
Alright, listen up.
(TO SCOTTY)
First time DeNunez heard this story he
FAINTED -
DENUNEZ
- Bull, Squints!
BENNY
You did, man.
DeNunez shuts up. It's true.
37
SQUINTS
When Yeah-Yeah heard it he peed his
pants.
YEAH-YEAH
Shut up, Squints - did not!
HAM
You did, man.
SQUINTS
And when The Ham heard it he barfed up
two bags of marshmallows.
HAM
Liar! It was only one.
SQUINTS
So stay away from the door... you
might fall out. And don't sit on your
sleeping bag... you could shit your
pants.
(SOLEMN)
Now, quiet...
Absolute silence. Kid-reverence equals fright.
SQUINTS (CONT'D)
The legend of The Beast goes back a
long time... before any of us could
pick up a baseball. Back to a place
called Mertle's Acres.
DREAMY DISSOLVE TO:
THE STORY OF THE BEAST:
EXT. "MERTLE'S ACRES" - DAY
A legendary place... benefitting from years of kid-
embellishment: a gothic, scrapyard fortress oddly designed to
keep something in not out.
SQUINTS (V.O.)
The Beast belongs to Mr. Mertle, the
guy that used to own Mertle's Acres
Junkyard. And nobody's ever seen him
since the day it happened...
INT. MERTLE'S ACRES - DAY
Blurbling pockets of super-heated muck.
38
BURNED-OUT SHELLS
of twisted vehicles - strewn carcasses. A battlefield.
OLD APPLIANCES
that form tortured faces in the shadowy recesses.
SQUINTS (V.O.)
Mertle's Acres was a bitchin' place,
that had everything you could ever
imagine.
OTHER STUFF
like savaged shopping carts. A school bus graveyard. Scrap
motorbikes. Cargo ship buoy balls. The gutted shell of a
fighter plane.
SQUINTS (V.O.) (CONT'D)
And the stuff was worth a fortune.
So, one day Mr. Mertle got him this
new pup from the pound. They were
glad to get rid of him, on account of
while he'd been there, he'd killed
three dogs bigger than he was.
(BEAT)
That was exactly what Mr. Mertle figured
he needed to protect his junkyard,
'cause people kept stealing stuff at
night, when he wasn't around.
WE DRIFT THROUGH
a maze of dark, grimy junk-passageways.
SQUINTS (V.O.) (CONT'D)
So he bought The Beast, and set him
loose in Mertle's Acres.
SOMETHING LOPES BY
at the end of a passage. (NOTE: We never fully see The Beast.)
SQUINTS (V.O.) (CONT'D)
The Beast was still just a pup of six
months, but he already weighed a 150
pounds... and he kept gettin' bigger.
A TRASH BAG
full of meat hits the ground - disappears. SLIFFTHT! It
spits back INTO FRAME... empty and tattered.
39
SQUINTS (V.O.) (CONT'D)
He threw The Beast a trash bag full of
meat every night, and just left him
alone. All alone in the whole place
by himself... to grow.
AN EYEBALL
among a pile of broken headlights. As big as the headlights.
FLEETING GLIMPSES OF MORE STUFF
like Mannequins, with bite-chunks missing. Plastic flamingoes,
brutally mangled. A decapitated "lawn jockey." A plastic
cow, legs gnawed off. And BREATHING... amongst the artificial
"life" forms.
A GARGANTUAN FOOTPRINT
in the center of an old truck tire.
THE BEAST'S SHOULDERS
moving powerfully - as tall as a burned-out VW.
SQUINTS (V.O.) (CONT'D)
And so, in a few months, the pup grew
into The Beast. And he grew big as a
car. And he grew mean, 'cause nobody
liked him, and he didn't like nobody
either.
(BEAT)
And so he only had one thing on his
mind... to kill.
INT. MERTLE'S ACRES - NIGHT
TWO THIEVES in ski-masks. Suddenly, a HEATED WIND strips
their masks. Two elephantine feet come down on their faces.
They SCREAM.
SQUINTS (V.O.)
And he did. And he liked it.
ANOTHER THIEF
suddenly enveloped by a shadow. He's dragged into darkness...
he SCREAMS.
TWO OTHER THIEVES
load their van and take off. They skid. CRUNCH! The van
caves in. The Thieves are dragged out, BLATHERING in horror.
40
FROM HIGH ABOVE MERTLE'S ACRES
The Beast moves like a murderous phantom. WE HEAR ROARING,
and primordial bloodlust.
VARIOUS OTHER THEIVES
are tossed hither and yon... mixed in with fake flamingoes,
and a flying plastic cow.
EXT. MERTLE'S ACRES - DAY
Police cars. DETECTIVES speak with MR. MERTLE; his shoulders
slumped, his eyes moist. They show him file photos of (THEIVES
in ski masks.)
SQUINTS (V.O.)
The Beast was the most perfect junkyard
dog that ever lived... a true killing
machine.
(BEAT)
After awhile, the police started getting
phone calls from people, reporting all
the missing thieves. The ones The
Beast had killed... it added up to
about 37 guys.
Mr. Mertle solemnly heads inside the junkyard.
SQUINTS (V.O.) (CONT'D)
But they never found a single body...
not one. Some people say they all got
away, and were just so scared that
they ended up in insane asylums and
stuff.
(BEAT)
But we know what really happened.
Mr. Mertle emerges from the junkyard. Cops take cover behind
their cars. Guns are leveled toward Mr. Mertle and what
follows him at the end of a rusty tow chain.
SQUINTS (V.O.) (CONT'D)
The Beast... ate them.
(BEAT)
He ate them bones and all.
EXT. THE BLOCK OF SANDLOT COMMON HOUSES - DAY
PEOPLE slam their windows - draw their curtains. LITTLE KIDS
are snatched up by PARENTS, who run inside and lock their
doors.
41
MR. MERTLE
leads the The Beast on a huge chain. (NOTE: We only see bits
of The Beast.)
SQUINTS (V.O.)
The Beast was good at his guarddog
job. Too good. So the cops said he
had to be retired. But he didn't have
to be killed or nothin', on account of
there was no evidence... no bones...
no teeth for dental records.
EXT. MR. MERTLE'S BACKYARD - DAY
The green fiberglass panels are brand new here in the past.
SQUINTS (V.O.)
The police told Mr. Mertle that if
wanted to keep The Beast, he hadda
lock him in his backyard, so he could
never get out.
A CRANE
lowers a giant bathtub into the backyard. FIREMEN fill it
with water.
SQUINTS (V.O.) (CONT'D)
And that he hadda chain him up, so's
in case he tried to get out to eat
children and stuff, he couldn't.
CONSTRUCTION WORKERS
sink an I-Beam girder. Cement fills the chasm.
MR. MERTLE
contructs a huge lean-to from old bullet-holed, tin-ad signs.
A WELDER
Braises chain to the girder.
MR. MERTLE
"collars" The Beast with the other end.
THE BEAST
disappears beneath the lean-to. DUST EXPLODES from underneath
as he lies down.
42
SQUINTS (V.O.) (CONT'D)
Mr. Mertle asked the cops how long he
had to keep his pup chained up like a
slave.
EXT. MR. MERTLE'S FRONT PORCH - DAY
A POLICEMAN "mouths" the word, "F-O-R-E-V-E-R."
SQUINTS (V.O.)
They said... until forever.
DREAMY DISSOLVE TO:
INT. TREE HOUSE - NIGHT
Ham drools mallow goop. His hands are fisted tight... 'mallows
squirt out twixt his clenched fingers.
REPEAT & TIMMY
have their pillows 'round their heads like bonnets.
DENUNEZ & YEAH-YEAH
stare and shake.
BERTRAM'S
eyes are shut tight, his bottom lip shudders.
BENNY
gulps.
SCOTTY'S
sitting shattered. He checks his pants to see if he's peed
them. His mallow's a briquette. It SPUTTERS and flames out.
SQUINTS
is proud of his story prowess.
SQUINTS
And so... The Beast sits there under
that lean-to, dreaming about the time
when he can break the chain and get
out... dreaming of the time when he
can chase and kill again.
43
THE GANG
BERTRAM
See, man. That's why you can't go
over there. Nobody ever has. Nobody
ever will.
HAM
One kid did, but nobody ever seen him
again.
DENUNEZ
That ain't true -
HAM
- yeah it is! He got eaten!
YEAH-YEAH
Yeah-yeah - that kid who went to get
his kite... what was his name?
DENUNEZ
"Boogers" Fleming?
TIMMY
No. It was that guy with the warts on
his face.
REPEAT
Davy "The Toad."
TIMMY
That's what I said.
Solemnity spreads among them. Kid-reverence.
SQUINTS
Davy "The Toad" Stodenrous.
BERTRAM
Yeah, The Toad...
YEAH-YEAH
Yeah-yeah, poor Toad.
SCOTTY
(WEAK)
Nuh-uh... none of that's true. You
guys are just -
SQUINTS
- oh, yeah?... Come here. Stick your
head out the window and look down.
44
Scotty goes slowly... He sticks his head out guillotinely,
through the small square opening.
EXT. TREE HOUSE - NIGHT
Scotty's head comes out turtle-like. The tree house overhangs
the common wall.
HE LOOKS DOWN INTO
Mr. Mertle's backyard and SEES an old footed bathtub filled
with murky water. A steel pole, cemented into the center of
the yard. A tow chain, snaking away from the pole and
vanishing under the lean-to. Dust rises and falls from 'neath
the lean-to.
SCOTTY
hears the ORGANIC EXHAUST that accompanies the dust... rising
and falling... in POWERFUL EXHALATIONS.
INT. TREE HOUSE - NIGHT
Scotty pulls his head back, scared shitless.
SCOTTY
(HUSHED)
He's down there!
SQUINTS
You bet he is.
HAM
Whatever goes over that fence... stays
there.
SQUINTS
It becomes the property of The Beast...
Forever.
EXT. TREE HOUSE - NIGHT
(NOTE: Same as Sc. 54) FROM THE SANDLOT... a FULL MOON hangs
ominously over the tree house; a glowing little box of debate
in the scary night.
NARRATOR
I learned that more than a 150 baseballs
had gone over that fence... and not
one of them was ever seen again. Even
when some brave kid worked up enough
courage to peek over the fence.
(MORE)
45
NARRATOR (CONT'D)
(BEAT)
Because, when they went over, they
vanished.
(BEAT)
I knew it was true, because when I
looked down in there, I didn't see a
single... solitary... one.
EXT. FIVE & DIME - MORNING
Squints and Yeah-Yeah come out of the store in a big hurry,
with a new baseball in a box. They stop momentarily - open
it and chuck the box. Yeah-Yeah rams his mouth full of 'zooka
WHILE
SQUINTS
spits into his palm and rubs the ball to get the shine off.
His eyes go suddenly wide and he stares, and oggles, and gawks:
SLO-MO - A BEAUTIFUL BLONDE GIRL
about 19-years-old walks by into the store. She smiles at
Squints.
SQUINTS
can only manage a totally embarrassing goofy grin.
EXT. THE SANDLOT - MORNING
The guys are waiting anxiously as Yeah-Yeah and Squints run
over. Yeah-Yeah tosses Benny the ball. He rubs it up. Passes
it along. They all take a turn.
BENNY
What took you so long?! We been here
forever already!
YEAH-YEAH
Squints was pervin' a dish.
SQUINTS
Shut up, I wasn't!
YEAH-YEAH
Yeah-Yeah you were! Yer tongue was
hangin' outta yer head and you was
swoonin'!
(SWOONIN')
Oh-oh Wendy Peffercorn my darling lover
girl...
46
Squints goes for Yeah-Yeah. Ham holds him back.
SQUINTS
Hold me back! Hold me back!
HAM
I am holdin' you back Squints.
SQUINTS
Oh, yeah. Well, lemme go then.
(CALMS)
DENUNEZ
So, where'd you get the money this
time Yeah-Yeah?
YEAH-YEAH
Oh, yeah-yeah! It was great! So I
went around pretended like I was selling
perscriptions to magazines. And the
people asked if they should pay me
now. So I said yeah-yeah, pay me now!
And they did!
The guys are astonished.
HAM
Sonavabitch!
YEAH-YEAH
What-what?! I'll take it back. I
know it was crappy, but I didn't have
no money, I -
BENNY
- naw, don't, man. He's just mad he
didn't think of it.
HAM
Yeah, you know how many lawns I hadda
mow when it was my turn?! Geez. Let's
play.
THE SUN
crests the sandlot... it's gonna be a hot one.
EXT. SANDLOT - LATER
A real hot one. Ham sweats uncontrollably. His lunch bag
drips PB&J.
47
DENUNEZ
spits a 'zooka sploink that SIZZLES when it hits.
THE GANG
simultaneously heads for the bleachers. Everybody but Benny.
FINALLY:
HAM
I can't take it no more, Benny. I'm
bakin' like a toasted cheeser!
TIMMY
It's hotter than the fires of hell.
REPEAT
It's hotter than a fish in a fryin'
pan.
The brothers "look" at each other on the miscue.
BENNY
Come on, don't be wimpy.
SQUINTS
Face it, Benny. It's not a fit day
out for man nor beast. We gotta call
it for the day.
BENNY
Vote then. Everyone that wants to be
a can't-hack-it panty waist, and wear
their momma's bra, raise your hand.
They all raise their hands. Grinning.
BENNY (CONT'D)
Fine. Be like that. So what're we
gonna do then?
They look at each other, as if Benny's gone quite mad... it's
SO OBVIOUS:
GANG
Scam Pool Honeys!
EXT. PUBLIC POOL - DAY
TEENAGE POOL HONEYS arranged particularly on their beach towels
along the deck, soak up the rays in their polka-dot bikinis.
48
THE GANG
rushes out in cut-off shorts, and banzais the shallow end.
Ham leaps over the water like a graceful Manatee.
HAM
Hamonball!
KERSPLASH! A Ham-tsunami SLOSHES the Coppertone'd bods of
POOL HONEYS
They're up and SCREAMING at him.
NARRATOR
Benny would've played ball all day and
all night... rain shine, tidal wave,
whatever, it didn't matter. Baseball
was the only thing he cared about and
everything else was just a waste of
time.
(BEAT)
But, of all the things we ever did
besides baseball, goin' to the pool
was what he tolerated best. Even though
none of us had ever seen a Playboy
magazine - which we constantly lied
about - we figured the pool was the
next best thing to being there.
THE GANG
dunks each other, play "attack-sub," etc...
NARRATOR (CONT'D)
It wasn't the Pool Honeys like we said,
'cause if any one of them had come up
to any one of us, we'd of peed our
pants.
(BEAT)
We went for... the Lifeguard.
THE LIFEGUARD
is unbelievable. In fact, it's WENDY PEFFERCORN. She slides
Coppertone up and down her legs.
THE GANG
one by one, stop foolin' around. Chest deep in the shallow
end, they're a detached and frozen pocket of leering dopes.
The OTHER 80 KIDS in the pool play on around them.
49
SQUINTS
is suddenly afflicted.
NARRATOR (CONT'D)
And one day, it became too much for
Michael "Squints" Palledorous. And he
did the most desperate thing any of us
had ever seen.
THE LIFEGUARD
oils up and down.
THE GANG
gawks on. (Cool Hand Luke scene):
BENNY
Oh, man...
YEAH-YEAH
Yeah-yeah, too cruel.
TIMMY
She don't know what she's doing.
REPEAT
She don't know what she's doing.
BENNY
Yeah she does. She knows exactly what
she's doing.
SQUINTS
I've swum here every summer of my adult
life... and every summer there she is.
(LOSING IT)
Lotioning... oiling... smiling.
(TEETH CLENCHED)
I - can't - take - this - no - more!
THE GANG WATCHES AS SQUINTS
pushes through the water, pulls himself out, and walks really
fast to the diving board (taking off his glasses to impress
her as he passes.)
SCOTTY
What's wrong with him?
50
YEAH-YEAH
(WORRIED)
Don't-know, but that's the deep end,
and Squints can't swim!
SQUINTS
walks the plank to the end. Looks wantingly toward
THE LIFEGUARD
who smiles back at him.
SQUINTS
holds his nose. Takes the deep leap. Hits the water and...
UNDERWATER
...sinks like a stone. Squints grins as he founders.
THE GANG
lines the edge of the deep section.
BERTRAM
Squints!
HAM
Oh my God! He's drowning!
THE LIFEGUARD
to the rescue. Seconds pass... she surfaces and lays a limp
SQUINTS
ON THE DECK
Everybody at the pool gathers 'round. The Lifeguard lays
Squints flat. She administers mouth-to-mouth.
The gang watches on tense as hell.
Squints peeks at them through a secretly opened eye. As the
Lifeguard is "saving" his sneaky life, Squints can no longer
restrain himself, he grabs her - gives her a sloppy SMOOCH!
She tears away. Stands up over his wimpy little form:
LIFEGUARD
You little pervert!
She grabs Squints by the scruff of the neck. Run-walks him
toward the exit, and...
51
EXT. PUBLIC POOL - DAY
...chucks his boney butt into the hedges. The guys scramble
out, dragging their clothes after them. They help Squints
up.
HAM
Did you plan that?!
SQUINTS
A'course I did. Been plannin' it for
years.
They let Squints walk out front:
NARRATOR
Michael "Squints" Palledorous walked a
little taller that day. And we had to
tip our hats to him. He was lucky she
hadn't beat the crap out of him. We
wouldn't have blamed her. What he'd
done was sneaky, rotten and low.
(BEAT)
And cool.
(BEAT)
Not another one among us would've ever,
even for a million dollars, had the
guts to put the move on the Lifeguard.
He did. He had kissed a woman. And
he kissed her long and good.
(BEAT)
We got banned from the pool forever
that day... but every time we walked
by after that, the Lifeguard looked
down from her watchtower, right over
at Squints... and smiled.
INT. SCOTTY'S ROOM - NIGHT
Scotty pours over his "Baseball Stuff To Remember" list: 2.
Maury Wills, 3. Mickey Mantle, 4. Willie Mays, 5. Hank Aaron,
6. Stan Musial, 7. Lou Brock, 8. Luis Aparicio, 9. Brooks
Robinson, 10. Frank Robinson, 11. Bob Uecker. Right Field is
near the green fence. Left Field is in the left. Double play
gets two outs. Triple play is impossible. Single is good.
Double is better. Home run is best. And, ominously, "Don't
get in a pickle or you're dead!" And one entry that's double
question marked: 1. The Great Bambino??
EXT. SANDLOT - SUNSET
The Guys play in magic hour. CRACK!
52
BENNY
jolts a high fly to
SCOTTY
in right field. No problem now. He backpedals, judging.
CLOSER TO
MR. MERTLE'S FENCE
then, SNATCH! Scotty makes a clean catch.
BENNY
gives Scotty "Thumbs Up." Just as
SCOTTY'S
gonna throw the ball back, he shivers, noticing that the sun
has fallen to a precise declination; its rays focused behind
the glowing green fiberglass of
MR. MERTLE'S FENCE
against which a hulking black form rises in the backyard...
blocking out the sun against the panels. A gargantuan shadow.
THE SUN GOES DOWN
The shadow vanishes. TRIBAL DRUMS SOUND far in the distance.
The oleander bushes rustle menacingly, like...
MATCH DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. JUNGLE - B&W - NIGHT - (ORIGINAL "KING KONG,"
1932 - STOCK)
...a wall of tropical foliage. Frightening. Primordial.
(NOTE: the scene with NATIVES atop the wall when Kong grabs
Fay Wray.)
INT. BOYS CLUB AUDITORIUM - NIGHT
ON THE PROJECTOR SCREEN King Kong rips through the jungle.
THE GANG'S
here with 100 OTHER BOYS at the afternoon show.
EXT. BOYS CLUB AUDITORIUM - NIGHT
The gang gathers. Ham bursts out behind the gang as Kong!
53
HAM
Eee! Eee! Eee! Oh! Oh! Oh!
The guys SCREAM - spin to face the Ham. He BUSTS UP.
HAM (CONT'D)
Hey, check me out! I'm the mighty
King Kong!
(DODGING BLOWS)
Hey! C'mon! It was a joke, ya dopes!
Do I _look_ like a monkey?!
A GROUP
of other kids comes out behind them. LITTLE LEAGUERS. Matching
caps and shirts. The gang straightens up.
LEAGUER PUNK 1
Yeah. Ya smell like one too. Hey
guys, it's the sandlot babies!
LEAGUER PUNK 2
Skin yer knees lately sliding on rocks?!
HAM
Shut up, blockhead.
LEAGUER PUNK 2
What're you gonna do, Porter, sit on
me?!
LEAGUER PUNK 1
Rodriquez, why do hang around with
these rejects, man? You could be
playin' with us on a official American
Youth League certified big time diamond.
You'd make the Allstar team easy.
BENNY
Play us and you'll find out why,
Phillips.
LEAGUER PUNK 1
Forget it, we play real ball, not with
toy bats and sneakers!
The punks head off, LAUGHING as they go. Benny glares at
them.
SQUINTS
Benny, man, are we gonna let 'em get
away with that?!
54
BENNY
Yeah. For now. Let's go.
EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD SIDEWALK - NIGHT
The guys 'round a corner and continue on. They fall serious.
SCOTTY
You think he really died in the end?
BENNY
Who?
SCOTTY
King Kong...
SQUINTS
Not possible. He's so big that fallin'
off the Empire State's just like us
fallin' off a roof... he's alive.
SCOTTY
So whadda you think happened to him?
Heads are scratched. Chins are rubbed. Thoughts are thunk.
TIMMY
Most likely.
SCOTTY
Hey, guys? Has anyone ever really
seen The Beast?
THE GANG STOPS
except Scotty, he goes forward - turns back.
SQUINTS
Look, Smalls. You ever seen King Kong
for real? In person, I mean?
SCOTTY
No. But -
SQUINTS
- well, he's real right?
SCOTTY
Yeah, a'course.
SQUINTS
And he's still out there somewhere
right?
55
SCOTTY
Yeah.
SQUINTS
See, there's just somethings that are.
Ya know, stuff that it's better not to
talk about... 'cause thinkin' about it
just makes it worse.
(BEAT)
Nobody has to see The Beast to know
he's there.
SCOTTY
(HORRIFIED THOUGHT)
You don't think that The Beast is
really...
Motionless silence. No one's ever considered this. They
suddenly realize where they are:
EXT. MR. MERTLE'S HOUSE - DAY
Denial kicks in as they carry on:
GANG
King Kong? Naw! God is that stupid!
No stinkin' way! Oh boy, had me feelin'
like a douf there for a minute! Whew,
what a relief!
EXT. THE SANDLOT ALLEYWAY - NIGHT
FROM THIS HEIGHT WE SEE them round the corner, and carry on
past the sandlot. Little debating specks, far away from us,
and the cares of the world.
HAM
Hey, who d'ya think'd win in a fight,
King Kong or Godzilla?
GANG
Godzilla. King Kong. 'Zilla! Kong!
'ZILLA! KONG!
YEAH-YEAH
Yeah-yeah, wait a sec, maybe they'll
do a movie someday and we'll find out.
GANG
Yeah. That would be cool. I'd see
that. Kong would kick his ass. No
way, 'Zilla's got that fire breath
stuff, he'd fry the monkey!
56
EXT. DODGER STADIUM - ESTABLISHING - 1962 - DAY
The gang heads toward hallowed halls.
INT. DODGER STADIUM - TUNNEL - DAY
Footsteps echo as the gang walks along, alone, in awe.
EXT. DODGER STADIUM - INFIELD - DAY
The '62 DODGERS (and our gang's Home Team) are taking batting
practice.
THE GANG
and a bunch of kids at the infield railing. Autograph signing.
Benny sticks his glove through the crowd up to a certain
player.
NARRATOR
Besides The Great Bambino, who I still
had no clue about, Benny had one living
hero.
MAURY WILLS
autographs Benny's glove. Hands it back to...
INT. BENNY'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - DAY
...Benny who's suddenly here watching a baseball game. The
gang's with him.
YEAH-YEAH
Yeah-yeah, here he comes. He's gonna
steal second.
BENNY
Naw he ain't, not yet.
TELEVISION - STOCK '62 DODGER GAME
Maury Wills on 1st. Taunting the pitcher. Big lead off.
NARRATOR
A guy that would break the stolen bases
record that year that had stood for as
many years as there were baseball's
lost to The Beast.
THE GANG
can't wait for Wills to go.
57
GANG
He's gonna go, Benny. Here he goes,
man. Right now, watch, watch. There,
there!
BENNY
leans forward seriously.
BENNY
No... not yet.
TELEVISION - STOCK '62 DODGER GAME
Maury Wills gets ready to steal.
NARRATOR
Maury Wills became a hero for what he
did.
BENNY
watches intensely.
BENNY
He's... gonna... go... riiiight...
now.
TELEVISION - STOCK '62 DODGER GAME
Maury Wills steals second.
BENNY
smiles to himself.
GANG
(CLUELESS)
How'd you know that? How'd you guess?
How'd ya know?
NARRATOR
Benny... would become a Legend.
INT. SCOTTY'S HOUSE - DUSK
Scotty opens the front door, BENNY'S THERE. 4th of July party
inside. All ADULTS.
BENNY
(URGENT)
Get your glove, c'mon.
58
SCOTTY
What's the big deal?
BENNY
Nightgame!
EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD HORIZON - DUSK
The sun is setting.
EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD STREET ON WAY TO SANDLOT - DUSK
THE GANG
hurries along with their ball gear, through a Block party of
bubble-topped BBQ's attended by APRONED DADS grillin' dogs n'
burgers.
KIDS
clutching "Red Devil" fireworks, timing the sinking sun.
MOMS
pouring iced tea.
HAM
pilfers dog makin's from various Q's. Concocts a two-fisted
doglog! He catches up to
THE GANG
marching away into the SETTING SUN.
A LONG LINE OF FIREWORKS
in the street.
MATCH HEADS
are lit.
YELLOW MATCH FLAMES
The SAME SIZE IN FRAME as our guys at the end of the block,
are set to fuses.
DADS AND KIDS
rush for the curbs... and
59
THE FIRECONES FLOW INTO THE SKY
in kaleidoscopic columns of star-hot colors.
MATCH DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. SANDLOT - NIGHT
BURSTING FIREWORKS IN THE SKY down from which WE TILT TO
THE GANG
playing hard beneath them. Snap throws. Basket catches.
Snatching grounders.
NARRATOR
There was only one nightgame a year.
On the Fourth of July, the whole sky
would brighten up with fireworks, giving
us just enough light for a game.
(BEAT)
We played better then too. Because I
guess, we all felt like Big Leaguers
under the lights at some great stadium.
(BEAT)
Benny felt like that all the time.
BENNY
Knocks dirt from his p.f. flyers. Twirls the bat. Cocks it
back. Coils up 'round his back leg.
DENUNEZ
delivers. Fastball.
CRUNCH!
Ash meets cowhide.
FIREWORKS EXPLODE
high above them.
THE GANG
stops play and marvels up at the colors.
SCOTTY'S
a little kid with a too-big mitt and floppy cap, goggling up
at the fireworks. The ball lands by him. He retrieves it.
Is about to throw - stops.
60
EVERYONE'S
staring at Benny up at
HOME PLATE
bat slung second-naturedly over his shoulder... a real ball
player.
NARRATOR (CONT'D)
We all knew Benny was different. We
knew that he was gonna go on to bigger
and better games.
(BEAT)
Because everytime we stopped to watch
the sky that night like regular kids,
Benny was there to call us back.
DENUNEZ
pitches.
BENNY
cranks one to kingdom come.
NARRATOR (CONT'D)
For him, baseball wasn't just a game.
For Benjamin Franklin Rodriguez...
A FINAL FIREWORK EXPLODES
in a beautiful burst above them.
NARRATOR (CONT'D)
...baseball was life.
MATCH DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. THE SANDLOT - DAY
The gang is still in the same positions. As if having never
left.
HAM
fires to 3rd from home.
INFIELD
Ham and Repeat catch Benny in a pickle. Benny feints, dodges
and rubba-legs them. He crosses home easily.
61
TIMMY
Truly rubba legs.
REPEAT
Truly rubba legs.
THE LITTLE LEAGUERS
show up on their bikes.
LEAGUER PUNK 2
It's easy when you play with rejects
and fat kids, Rodriquez.
BENNY
marches over. The gang follows.
BENNY
What'id you say, crapface?
LEAGUER PUNK 1
He said, they shouldn't be allowed to
even touch a baseball. They're an
insult to the game.
That did it! Ham rushes the punk. The gang holds him back.
HAM
Come on! We'll take you on right here,
right now! Come on! Right now!
LEAGUER PUNK 1
We play on a real diamond, Porter. And
you ain't good enough to lick the dirt
off our cleats.
HAM
Watch yer mouth, jerk!
LEAGUER PUNK 1
Shut up, dipshit!
HAM
Asshole!
LEAGUER PUNK 1
Scab eater!
HAM
Butt sniffer!
LEAGUER PUNK 1
Pus licker!
62
HAM
Fart smeller!
LEAGUER PUNK 1
Dog crap for breakfast eatin' geek!
HAM
You mix yer Wheaties with your momma's
toe jam!
LEAGUER PUNK 1
You bob for apples in your toilet, and
you like it!
The teams GASP. Then:
HAM
YOU PLAY BALL LIKE A GIRL!
THUNDERING SILENCE. The ultimate baseball insult.
LEAGUER PUNK 1
What did you say?
HAM
You heard me.
LEAGUER PUNK 1
Tomorrow. Sun-up. At our field. Be
there, buffalo-butt breath.
HAM
Count on it, pee drinkin' craphead.
EXT. LITTLE LEAGUE FIELD - DAWN
Ham raises his catcher's mask:
HAM
PLAAAAAAAY BALLLLLLLL!
DENUNEZ
STRIKES OUT
BATTER 1
Whif. Whif. Whif.
BATTER 2
GROUNDS TO
63
YEAH-YEAH
at short. He stabs it. Fires to
FIRST BASE
outta there.
BATTER 3
hits a lazy fly ball to
RIGHT CENTER FIELD
where Scotty and Bertram run for it - watching the ball, not
EACH OTHER:
SCOTTY/BERTRAM
I got it. I got it.
They stop - the ball drops between them.
SCOTTY/BERTRAM (CONT'D)
I thought you had it.
BATTER 3
rounds 2nd base.
BENNY
Somebody get it!
SCOTTY
picks it up and fires for home for all he's worth.
BATTER 3
rounds 3rd.
THE BALL
rockets toward Home.
BATTER 3
slides in a cloud of dust.
THE BALL
BLASTS INTO
64
HAM'S MITT
and Ham drags the baseline.
THE DUST CLEARS
Ham's got him tagged. Ham goes Jackie Gleasonaic:
HAM
You - are - out - of - here! Out!
Gone! Dead! To the moon! Roger,
Wilco, Over and OUT!
Ham abruptly stops Cramdoning because
EVERYBODY'S LOOKING
at him.
HAM (CONT'D)
Ah, you're out.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. LITTLE LEAGUE FIELD - DAY
Benny's at bat. BANG! Single to left. Throw to 1st - too
late. Throw to 2nd - too late. Throw to 3rd - he's on his
way home. Throw to home - safe!
THE LEAGUERS
gawk; an inside the park home run.
BENNY
(TO CATCHER)
That's one. Get used to it.
HIGH ABOVE FIELD, A SERIES OF ECU'S OF
the gang belting shot after shot. Rounding base after base.
Crossing home.
EXT. VACANT LOT - DAY
(Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans "Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah" scene.) The
guys strut along, air-batting, mime-catching. Benny RIPS a
momentous victory slide.
EXT. CARNIVAL - NIGHT
The gang comes down the midway and stops at a ticket booth
for a ride we don't yet see. As they buy their tickets:
65
BENNY
Crack! Boom! Outta here! You see
the looks on their faces? Did ya? It
was like, "Duh... so that's how you
play baseball."
BERTRAM
Crap! I almost forgot. Chaw!
He holds up a pounch of chewin' 'baccy.
THE GANG
gathers 'round.
BERTRAM (CONT'D)
I was savin' it for a good time.
SCOTTY
What is it?
HAM
Geez, Smalls... I s'pose you don't who
The Babe is either. It's chaw. Plug.
Wad. Chewing Tobacco!
Bertram passes it around. Everybody sniffs.
SCOTTY
Whadda you do with it?
HAM
You're killin' me, Smalls. You chew
it, of course.
DENUNEZ
All the pros do.
YEAH-YEAH
Yeah-yeah, gives ya tons of energy.
TIMMY
Let's dip.
REPEAT
Let's dip.
Bertram pinches a too-huge wad. Stuffs it in his mouth. The
bag goes around. All cud up.
BENNY
Smooth.
66
HAM
Juicy.
SQUINTS
Tangy.
SCOTTY
Kinda tastes like an ashtray smells.
DENUNEZ
Supposed to.
SQUINTS
Let's ride.
The gang gets on the ride: THE ANTI-GRAV!
EXT. CARNIVAL - ABOARD ANTI-GRAV - NIGHT
As they ride, and spin round and round and round... the brown
glop falls from their mouths. They all watch
BERTRAM
who turns salmon... yellow... green. Then, presumably
EXT. ANTI-GRAV - NIGHT
yawns breakfast, lunch, and dinner like a firehose. At least
that's what WE HEAR as the ride spins vertical - that, and a
host of blood curddling SCREAMS from vom-victims. As the
RIDERS DISEMBARK
A BARF CHAIN REACTION
ensues. They all running SCREAMING from the ride and lose
it.
EXT. THE SANDLOT ALLEYWAY - NIGHT
The gang wobbles, MOANING as they go. Ham is strangely
unaffected he unpockets a fistful of some digusting glorp:
The guys lose it. WE DRIFT off them and their predicament to
THE HOLE
in the green fiberglass fence. An EYEBALL - big, bloodshot
and amused. GUTTURAL PANTING... The Beast is LAUGHING at
them.
67
EXT. SCOTTY'S HOUSE - DAY
Scotty's cod belly white and jelly fish limp, from a long
bout of the chuckies.
Bill tosses his luggage in the car trunk. Scotty's mom leans
out the driver's window.
MOM
I'll be back in an hour, Scotty, I'm
taking Dad to the airport.
SCOTTY
(STILL WOOZY)
'Kay. Where you goin'?
BILL
Chicago, on business for a week. Listen,
Scott, while I'm gone, you're the man
of the house. Understand?
SCOTTY
Yeah, I guess so.
BILL
We'll take another stab at catch when
I get back, okay? So, take care of
things while I'm gone. I'm counting
on you.
He offers his hand to Scotty. They shake.
SCOTTY
(PERKING UP)
Okay. I will.
EXT. FIVE & DIME - DAY
The gang comes out with a new boxed baseball. Each has a
pack of Topps. A bag of Bazooka.
NARRATOR
Once we got over trying to be big shots,
we just stuck to what we could handle,
and swore off the hard stuff forever.
When we finally got back together for
some baseball, something amazing
happened.
(BEAT)
It was an omen... one that was meant
just for Benjamin Franklin Rodriguez.
68
EXT. THE SANDLOT - DAY
They tear open their packs of baseball cards. First things
first - they eat the gum sticks. Then, shuffle through the
cards looking for gold.
SQUINTS
Whad'ya get, Ham?
HAM
A Mickey Mantle and 7 guys I never
heard of. How 'bout you?
SQUINTS
A Brooks Robinson and a Koufax. Pretty
good.
BERTRAM
I got junk.
DENUNEZ
One Drysdale, a bunch a duds.
YEAH-YEAH
Yeah-yeah, me too. Four bombs, but
one Whitey Ford.
SQUINTS
Benny, whad -
The guys notice
BENNY
staring down at the cards in his hands. He slowly shuffles
them top to bottom... top to bottom.
THE GANG
moves over, concerned.
HAM
Hey, Benny, whatsa matter?
BERTRAM
You okay, man?
Benny slowly raises his eyes. Slowly holds the cards out to
Squints, who takes them cautiously. Squints shuffles them
forwards and backwards. He passes the eight cards amongst
them all.
SQUINTS
Oh, my God...
69
TIMMY
Imfuckingpossible.
(ALTERNATE LINE, same
BELOW)
Unstinkinbelievable!
REPEAT
Imfuckingpossible. Don't tell mom I
said that tim.
TIMMY
I won't.
HAM
This can't happen... can it?
BERTRAM
It just did.
YEAH-YEAH
Yeah-yeah, it's an omen.
Squints hands the cards back to the Benny, who takes home
plate alone.
EIGHT IDENTICAL MAURY WILLS CARDS
THE GANG
can only stare at him. Suddenly, Squints clutches his ear
PLUG:
SQUINTS
Oh geez... Oh geez. I - I don't believe
it. Maury Wills just stole 80 bases!
The guys are boggled.
BENNY
picks up a bat.
BENNY
We gotta play. I gotta play right
now, guys. Right now.
THE GANG
obeys. They hurry into the field. As they go:
SCOTTY
What's it mean?
70
SQUINTS
It's a miracle, Smalls. A damn miracle.
NARRATOR
We all expected something to happen
right then... during that game. What
we had just witnessed was bordering on
the supernatural... we knew that greater
hands than ours were at work.
(BEAT)
And it happened alright.
(BEAT)
It happened right in front of our
noses... and we didn't even know it.
DENUNEZ
delivers.
CRACK!
Magic dust EXPLODES from Benny's bat. The red lacing BURSTS!
THE BASEBALL
dermis flays. The string-wound innards fly into
YEAH-YEAH'S GLOVE
in left field. The cowhide "figure 8's" lay there in
THE INFIELD
like huge swatted moths. The guys gather 'round.
BERTRAM
Bitchin'.
BENNY
Naw, it ain't.
SQUINTS
C'mon, Benny, maybe two, three guys in
history have ever busted the guts out
of a ball. That's what the omen was.
GANG
Truly. Sure. Absolutely. Yeah-yeah,
Benny. It must be so.
BENNY
All's it means is that we can't play
no more. It's only noon, and I just
blew the whole day for us.
71
DENUNEZ
No, you didn't. It's the most amazing
thing I ever seen.
BENNY
Anybody got any money?
(NO ANSWER)
Then it ain't okay, 'cause now we can't
play no more.
SCOTTY
Yeah, we can.
BENNY
What, you got 98 extra cents just layin'
around at home, Smalls?
SCOTTY
No, but I got a ball.
CUT TO:
INT. BILL'S DEN - DAY
A BASEBALL on a silver pedestal (Bill's baseball). Scotty's
HAND ENTERS FRAME. His indecisive FINGERS almost touch the
ball... then, SNATCH!
EXT. THE SANDLOT - DAY
Scotty dashes across the schoolyard.
SCOTTY
(out of breath)
I got it! Let's play!
He tosses the ball to
BENNY
who catches it.
BENNY
Bitchin'. Your ball, your ups.
Benny hands Scotty the bat, heads to right field, leaving
SCOTTY
alone at home plate with Ham (the catcher).
BENNY
tosses DeNunez the ball on his way by.
72
DENUNEZ
almost misses it. He rounds up, throws to
BERTRAM
at 1st. Bertram throws to
TIMMY
at 2nd. Timmy almost drops it. There's a smudge on the ball.
Timmy tosses to
REPEAT
at 3rd. Repeat fires to
YEAH-YEAH
in left. The ball caroms off Yeah-Yeah's glove, comes down
fast! Yeah-Yeah barehands it. Safe. He launches to
SQUINTS
in center. It's gonna be short! Squints sprints - Willy
Mays basket catch. He throws to DeNunez.
SCOTTY
digs in.
HAM
Batter up!
DENUNEZ
fires. Scotty swings - WHIFF. Again - whif. Once more...
BOOM! Goodnight, Irene! Scotty drops the bat. Trots for
first base in "home run" fashion.
BENNY
backpeddles.
SCOTTY
watches him, slowing, worrying.
THE BALL
drops over the green fiberglass fence.
73
SCOTTY
stops dead in the base path.
THE GANG
CHEERS:
TIMMY
Nice crank, Smalls.
DENUNEZ
Decent cut.
BENNY
It's outta here! Who's got the big
bat now, boys!
GANG
Smalls. Smalls. Smalls. Smalls.
SCOTTY
is drawn to the fence with mounting terror.
THE GANG
starts over.
HAM
What the hell's he doing?
BERTRAM
Maybe the shock of his first homer was
just too much for him.
AT THE GREEN FIBERGLASS FENCE
Scotty runs right up to it - clutches desperately. Panting.
Trembling. The guys arrive. Scotty turns back to them... he
has aged 25 years.
SCOTTY
We gotta get that ball back.
HAM
Right! Good one, Smalls.
SQUINTS
Sure. We'll just hop over and say,
excuse me Mr. Beast sir, could we have
our ball back, oh, and please don't
kill us while we're here!
74
BENNY
It was a great shot, but forget about
it... game's over. We'll get another
ball.
SCOTTY
You don't understand!
BENNY
Sure we do. You feel bad 'cause you
belted a homer, and now we can't play
no more.
SCOTTY
No! You don't understand! THAT WASN'T
MY BALL!
THE GANG'S POV
of something moving in the backyard. Just a rippling shadow
and trailing dust accompanying it over the fence top.
THE GANG'S
eyes go to Scotty.
SQUINTS
Whadda you mean it wasn't your ball?
SCOTTY
It's my stepdad's. I stole it from
his trophy room. It was a present or
soemthing - somebody gave it to him.
We have to get it back. He's gonna
kill me!
SQUINTS
Smalls... listen to me. This is a
matter of life and death.
(THINKS)
Where did your old man get that ball?
SCOTTY
I dunno... I think some lady gave it
to him.
SQUINTS
Some lady?...
SCOTTY
Yeah, she even signed her name on it.
(THE END)
Some lady named Ruth... Baby Ruth.
75
EYEBALLS
pop from their sockets.
GANG
BAAAYYYBE RUUUUUTH?!
THE GANG
sprints for the fence. Scramble up it. Just their eyes peer
over the top.
WHAT THEY SEE
a baseball in a little impact crater. A ball that has most
clearly been autographed by... BABE RUTH.
A long, hideous forelimb thrusts from 'neath the lean-to. A
massive paw-thing comes down on the ball. Drags it slowly
away... leaving a baseball-deep furrow in the dirt. The
CANINE "LAUGHTER" comes again...
THE GANG
drops from the fence - turn to face Scotty.
DENUNEZ
The Beast got it.
TIMMY
You're dead as a doornail, Smalls.
REPEAT
You're dead as a doornail, Smalls.
TIMMY
Nice knowing you.
REPEAT
Nice knowing -
TIMMY
- shut up, Tommy.
(STUNNED)
Smalls, you mean to tell me you went
home and swiped a ball that was signed
by Babe Ruth, and brought it out here
and actually played with it?
REPEAT
And actually played with it?!
76
SCOTTY
Yeah, but I was gonna put it back.
SQUINTS
But it was signed by Babe Ruth!
SCOTTY
Well, who is she?!
HAM
What?! What?!
(OVERCOME)
What did he say?!
DENUNEZ
The Sultan of Swat!
BERTRAM
The King of Krash!
REPEAT/TIMMY
The Colossus of Clout!
GANG
BABE RUTH!
HAM
(for good measure)
The Great Bambino!
SCOTTY
(that did it)
OH, MY GOD! THAT'S THE SAME GUY?!
BENNY
Yeah. Smalls, Babe Ruth is the greatest
baseball player that ever lived. People
say he was less than a God, but more
than a man. Ya know... like Hercules
or somethin'.
(BEAT)
The ball that you just aced to The
Beast is worth... well, more than your
whole life.
Scotty falls to his knees. Grabs his stomach.
SCOTTY
I don't feel so good.
They all step back, expecting the worst. Then, they fan him
with their baseball caps.
77
SCOTTY (CONT'D)
(HEARTFELT)
We gotta get that ball back.
BENNY
When does your old man get home from
work?
SCOTTY
He's gone on business for a week.
BENNY
Okay, we need 98 cents. So, everybody
spread out and find some soda bottles
and cash 'em in. We need a new
baseball.
CUT TO:
A BRAND NEW BASEBALL
Benny's hand signs B A B E R U T H across the leather in
ridiculous chicken scrawl.
EXT. FIVE & DIME - DAY
Forgery in progress. Benny does the honors.
DENUNEZ
I dunno, Benny-man.
YEAH-YEAH
Yeah-yeah, it's pretty crappy.
SQUINTS
He ain't gonna buy that, Benny. It
doesn't look anything like the Babe's
signature.
BENNY
It doesn't matter what it looks like.
His mom's never gonna know the
difference. This'll just buy us some
time, ya dorks.
CUT TO:
INT. BILL'S DEN - DAY
Scotty's HAND ENTERS FRAME. Little anxious FINGERS wrapped
around the phony "Babe Ruth" baseball. The second the ball
is back on its pedestal:
78
MOM (O.S.)
Scotty?
DEN
Scotty whips 'round like he's been slapped by a wet mackerel -
Mom's in the doorway.
SCOTTY
Huh?!
MOM
Honey, what are you doing in here?
SCOTTY
Ah... just looking at Bill's - I mean
Dad's baseball.
Scotty hurries away from the "autographed" ball.
MOM
You know he doesn't like you touching
his things.
SCOTTY
Yeah, I know. Sorry, Mom.
MOM
Has he ever told you about that ball?
SCOTTY
Uh - no, not really, I don't think so -
no, he hasn't at all - I don't know
_anything_ about it.
MOM
It's signed by Babe Ruth...
Sweet mother of - Mom knows! Scotty may collapse.
MOM (CONT'D)
...the greatest baseball player that
ever lived.
SCOTTY
Um... really?
MOM
It sure is. Dad's father gave it to
him. Maybe someday, he'll give it to
you.
79
SCOTTY
(DAZED)
Uh... neat.
NARRATOR
It was salt in an open wound. Even my
own mom, who was only a grown-up girl,
knew who Babe Ruth was.
INT. TREE HOUSE - DAY
The gang's all here. Big plans. War conference.
SCOTTY
So, how do we get it back?
SQUINTS
I have no idea.
NARRATOR
I was dead meat. I knew it. They
knew it. We had thought that those
cards Benny had gotten meant that
something great was going to happen.
Now I figured that they'd just meant
my life was over.
SCOTTY
Can't we just hop the fence and get
it?
HAM
Remember Davy Stodenrous.
TIMMY/REPEAT
Poor Toad.
SCOTTY
Oh, yeah. I forgot.
(A THOUGHT)
Hey? Why don't we just go over there
and knock on the door, and ask Mr.
Mertle to get it for us?
Everyone looks at Scotty - the kid just sprouted a dunce cap.
SQUINTS
Are you outta your mind?! Mr. Mertle
is the meanest old man that ever lived!
He's the one that sicked The Beast on
The Toad!
(BEAT)
That's not an option, Smalls. Forget
about it.
80
SCOTTY
Oh. Okay. I will.
Silent moments... not a single blinking idea between them.
Then, suddenly:
SQUINTS
We need to assess the situation!
GANG
(better than nothing)
Of course! Right! Good one, Squints!
Access (sic) the situation! Okay!
BERTRAM
Um, Squints? How do we do that?
SQUINTS
First we survey the enemy's environment,
then we make note of the surrounding
terrain.
HAM
What?...
SQUINTS
(COPPING)
I heard that on "Combat." Let's just
look out the window.
EXT. TREE HOUSE - DAY
The gang pokes their heads-only through the window. They
look down into:
EXT. THE BADLANDS (MR. MERTLE'S BACKYARD) - DAY
The house is a godforsaken stucco'd corpse.
THE YARD
is the final resting place for: melted frisbees, withered
kickballs, skeletons of heat-crumbled paper kites, an airforce
of exposure-splintered balsa wood gliders, and a fleet of
model rockets - their drag-chutes turning to dust. And
hundreds of little empty craters - that used to cradle
baseballs.
THE RUSTY TOW CHAIN
snakes through the dirt - buried then exposed. It terminates
'NEATH
81
THE LEAN-TO
from under which rises hazy twirls of dust. The dust is kept
from ever settling by some enormous ORGANIC EXHAUST.
A GIANT PAW-THING
emerges from under the lean-to, pushing the Babe Ruth
autographed cowhide into full view - "I dare you..."
INT. TREE HOUSE - DAY
The guys jerk their heads back inside.
TIMMY
He's darin' us!
REPEAT
He's darin' us!
DENUNEZ
He's waitin' for us, man. Just like
he did with The Toad.
GANG
(REVERENT)
Poor Toad.
HAM
We're on his territory now.
BERTRAM
Think he's pissed?
BENNY
Is Doby Gillis a dork? Anybody got
any bright ideas?
THE BIG MONTAGE STARTS WITH:
A tree house debate. Much shouting. Much disagreement.
Many hands miming mechanical contraptions.
NARRATOR
We had absolutely no idea what the
hell we were gonna do. So things
started primitively.
EXT. THE SANDLOT - MR. MERTLE'S FENCE - DAY
The gang hurries out from the Timmons' yard carrying a broom
stick. They wriggle it under the fiberglass fence. Squints
peers through the peep hole motioning directions to Ham.
Suddenly - SNAP! Ham pulls the stick back. 'Tis toothpick'd.
82
EXT. TIMMONS' BACKYARD - DAY
The guys fell the clothes line pole with a hack saw. 6 feet
of inch thick pipe. They heft it up - go out to
EXT. THE SANDLOT - MR. MERTLE'S FENCE - DAY
and shove the pipe under the green fiberglass. HORRIBLE SOUNDS
ERUPT from the Badlands. Dust mushrooms over the fence. The
pipe draws under in FEROCIOUS JERKS. Gone. Moments. The
pole sails back over the fence - bounces on the asphalt with
ANGRY CLANGS. 'Tis pretzel'd.
INT. TREE HOUSE - DAY
Bertram arrives. Hands "it" over. How embarrassing:
BERTRAM
It ain't mine. I told you, it's my
little sister's!
A Cootie Toy. They
ASSEMBLE THE INSECT
putting a hunk of chewed 'zooka on each Cootie foot. Attach
it to a plastic parachute - ah-ha! Genius. An airborne
assault!
EXT. THE SANDLOT - MR. MERTLE'S FENCE - DAY
Squints indicates "go."
INT./EXT. TREE HOUSE - THE BADLANDS - DAY
THE GANG
DRIFTS THE
COOTIE N' CHUTE
out the tree house window. It floats silently toward the
baseball. The Cootie lands right on the Babe Ruth. The gum
sticks.
THE GANG
hauls it in.
THE BALL
slowly rises. Suddenly
83
THE BEAST'S JAWS
erupt from 'neath the lean-to and CHOMP the Cootie whole.
The string snaps.
THE GANG
pulls up the frayed end.
INT. TREE HOUSE - NIGHT
Now a War Room. Map of the Badlands: crazed trajectories,
distances to The Beast, etc. Coffee can PBX system. Cardboard
periscope. X's on a calendar counting down "Bill's Return."
The new retreival system:
THREE EUREKA CANISTER VACS
all connected. Ham's catcher's mask bolted to the end pipe
for ball securing.
EXT. TREE HOUSE - OVER THE BADLANDS - NIGHT
Toy flashlights and BSOA lanterns hang from the structure,
semi-illuminating the Badlands.
OUT THE WINDOW
goes the vacuumtraption, 30 feet of wobbly pipe.
EXT. THE SANDLOT - MR. MERTLE'S FENCE - NIGHT
Squints directs the operation, looking
THROUGH THE CARDBOARD PERISCOPE
WE SEE the vacupipe-mask... 12 inches from the baseball.
SQUINTS (O.S.)
(coffee can muffled)
A-okay. Roger, affirmative. Initiate
retreival suction.
INT. TREE HOUSE - DAY
They throw eureka switch one. WEOHH!
EXT. THE BADLANDS - NIGHT
The baseball moves itty-bittily.
INT. TREE HOUSE - NIGHT
They throw eureka switch two. WEEOOOHHH!
84
EXT. BADLANDS - NIGHT
THE BASEBALL moves a lot!
INT. TREE HOUSE - NIGHT
They throw eureka switch three! RRRWWEEEOOOHHH!
EXT. THE BADLANDS - NIGHT
The baseball leaps from the ground - sticks in the catcher's
mask collection basket.
EXT. THE SANDLOT - MR. MERTLE'S FENCE - NIGHT
SQUINTS (O.S.)
We have suction! Pull it up! PULL IT
UP!
INT. TREE HOUSE - NIGHT
The gang reels it in. Suddenly, the whole apparatus JOLTS.
EXT. THE BADLANDS - NIGHT
A great beef-paw yanks the end pipe under the tree.
STEEL TEETH
pinch the metal tube shut.
INT./EXT. TREE HOUSE - NIGHT
The vacuums build pressure fast. WHINE crazily.
THE GANG
leaps from tree house.
SQUINTS
lingers in the trap doorway a second too long:
EXT. TREEHOUSE - NIGHT
The gang (minus Squints) is face down in the dirt - arms over
heads. The vacuums explode. Foggy clouds of dust pour out
of the treehouse. Squints appears. He's battleship grey.
Takes his glasses off. Only his eyes show white.
SQUINTS
We've been going about this all wrong.
I blame myself. We need total surprise.
(MORE)
85
SQUINTS (CONT'D)
Therefore, we tunnel. The Beast will
never expect it.
EXT. TIMMONS' BACKYARD - DAY
The guys all wield a shovel, and have flashlights taped to
their baseball caps like coal miners.
INT. UNDERGROUND TUNNEL - DAY (DARK)
Flashlight beam at the fore, Scotty crawls with a safety rope
'round his waist. He pokes the cardboard periscope up through
the dirt.
THROUGH THE PERISCOPE
the Badlands from ULTRA LOW ground level. WE SCAN 360 degrees.
Suddenly, the scan stops. The name B A B E R U T H, FILLS
the periscope's lens.
EXT. THE BADLANDS - DAY
Scotty's hand feels for the Babe Ruth. He grabs it. It's
slimey.
SCOTTY (O.S.)
(SUBTERRANEAN)
I got it! I got it!
The ball SQUIRTS out of his fingers.
THE BALL ROLLS
beneath the lean-to. It hits
THE BEAST
in the nose. With a SEISMIC ROAR The Beast leaps out. WE
DON'T SEE MUCH. He's too big. We're too close.
EXT. TREE HOUSE - DAY
Yeah-Yeah SHOUTS to Ham at the tunnel entrance.
YEAH-YEAH
It's huge - oh, my God! It's huge -
pull him out! It's huge! PULL HIM
OUT!
EXT. BADLANDS - DAY
THE BEAST'S JAWS dive toward Scotty's hand. They get within
an inch of Scotty's hand, and his fingers vanish - THWOOOP!
86
EXT. TIMMONS' BACKYARD - DAY
The gang pulls Scotty out of the hole. Yeah-Yeah is
unconscious on the grass. The guys turn a hose on him. He
comes 'round SCREAMING:
YEAH-YEAH
It's huge - pull him out! Oh God,
it's like a dinosaur! Wh - Wh - Where
am I?!
SQUINTS
Yeah-Yeah! Get hold of yourself! What'd
you see?!
YEAH-YEAH
(accelerating to lunacy)
Oh-oh, it was like hugeness and darkness
and like the world was ending and the
devil came up through the ground and
the - and the - and the -
HAM
- somebody slap him quick! We're losin'
him!
WHAP-WHAP! Squints administers. Yeah-Yeah snaps out of it.
YEAH-YEAH
Thanks. I needed that.
EXT. TIMMONS' BACKYARD - DAY
Construction completes. A kid crane. A tricycle, block 'n
tackle, fishing-pole n' body harness. In a line, the guys
step on and off a scale. Everybody stares at Yeah-Yeah.
YEAH-YEAH
Yeah-yeah, I know - I'm lightest. But
I ain't goin' over there! NO WAY!
All eyes to the ground.
BENNY
Sorry, Smalls. It was a good idea
anyway.
DENUNEZ
Yeah, tough luck, Smalls.
HAM
It won't be that bad, Smalls. Your
dad'll probably only shoot you or
something.
87
YEAH-YEAH
Hey-hey, don't blame me! I didn't hit
the ball over there, man!
Silence. Yeah-Yeah considers.
YEAH-YEAH (CONT'D)
Yeah-yeah, okay. But if I say pull me
up, you guys better PULL ME UP!
Benny takes Yeah-Yeah aside. Hands him all over Ham's
catcher's gear.
BENNY
Here. Put these on.
YEAH-YEAH
Wha -? Why? Whadda I need All this
stuff for Benny? I mean, why a mask
and a gonad Protector?
BENNY
Oh, ah, nuthin', ya know, just
For, ah... Altitude leveling
And stuff. Put it on.
Benny hurries off as Timmy and Repeat approach with a
frightening looking harnass assembly. Yeah-Yeah backs away:
TIMMY
Don't worry. We're professionals.
REPEAT
Our Dad's a contractor.
EXT./INT. OVER THE BADLANDS - INSIDE THE TREE HOUSE - DAY
HAM'S
strapped in at the tricycle winch.
YEAH-YEAH'S
dangling over the lean-to.
YEAH-YEAH
(into can phone)
Okay-okay, I'm right over it. Let me
down - slow!
HAM
lets go. Oops. WHIZZZZ!
88
YEAH-YEAH
plummets.
YEAH-YEAH (CONT'D)
Ahhhh! Stop! STOP!
HAM
back-cranks.
YEAH-YEAH
comes to a twirling halt four feet off the ground.
YEAH-YEAH'S POV
into the lean-to. Blackness and dust.
YEAH-YEAH (CONT'D)
'Kay-'kay, tip me, hurry up. I'm
gettin' the woollies.
Yeah-Yeah reaches... Gets it!
YEAH-YEAH (CONT'D)
Okay get me outta here!
HAM
struggles.
HAM
HELP! I'M LOSIN' HIM!
YEAH-YEAH
looks down from the guys on the tree house - back to level -
"4 foot" eye-level with: THE BEAST'S MOUTH!
YEAH-YEAH
(QUAKING)
H - h - help! Help! HELP-HELP- HELP!
(TRYING ANYTHING)
Hail Mary Father who art star light
twinkle twinkle hey diddle diddle -
INSIDE THE TREE HOUSE
hands crank the trike wheel. Yeah-Yeah's to window level in
seconds. He's got the ball!
89
THE BEAST'S JAWS
leap into view.
THE TOW CHAIN
goes taut. The jaws abruptly disappear.
EXT. THE BADLANDS - DAY
The Beast's shadowy form RUSTLES contentedly under the lean-
to. Yeah-Yeah dropped the ball.
EXT. TIMMONS' BACKYARD - DAY
Yeah-Yeah's shattered. Balling. The guys sniff. Oh no, bad
news. He shoves them away:
YEAH-YEAH
Yeah-yeah, I did it! SO WHAT?! You
jerks, I told you to pull me back
faster!
(starin' them down)
You - you penises.
Yeah-Yeah waddles away. The guys rush to hold the fence door
up for him. He goes through stiff-legged (can't bend over).
EXT. THE SANDLOT - DAY
Yeah-Yeah heads across the field... waddle-waddle.
NARRATOR
Yeah-Yeah grew two feet in our eyes
after that. There was no stinkin' way
any of us would've showed back up, if
we'd loaded our drawers.
(BEAT)
Yeah-Yeah did. He showed back up and
got right to work, like nothing ever
happened.
MATCH DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. THE SANDLOT/TREEHOUSE - MORNING
(LOCK OFF. Same as Sc. 157) - Yeah-Yeah returns across the
sandlot and goes up into the treehouse.
INT. TREE HOUSE - DAY
158
According to the calendar - 1 day till Bill's back. Scotty's
got the conch.
90
SCOTTY
I think I know how to get it.
(they're all ears)
Anybody got an Erector Set?
Eyes dart. Brows feint.
SQUINTS
That thing with the nuts and bolts and
tiny wrenches that you can build junk
out of?
SCOTTY
Exactly.
SQUINTS
Never heard of it.
HAM
I used to have one when I was like I
dunno, a little kid.
GANG
(LIARS)
Might have some pieces. Gee, I don't
think so. I'd have to look. Maybe in
the attic. Not in our room though.
INT. TREE HOUSE - DAY - 20 MINUTES LATER
The guys re-arrive. Each holding huge arm loads of Erector
Set stuff.
GANG (CONT'D)
Guess I had more than I thought. Forgot
my grandma got me some for my birthday.
It's my little brother's.
Scotty's brought his "Set." A footlocker full of neatly
arranged pieces. Nut and bolt compartments. Electric motor
sections.
BERTRAM
Bitchin'.
SCOTTY
I really like Erector Set.
GANG
(ATTITUDINAL 360'S)
Me too. I was just thinkin' the same
thing. Couldn't agree more, Smalls.
I play with mine all the time.
91
SCOTTY
Let's get to work. Here's the plans -
FURLSNAP! Holy cow! Scotty unfolds them - amazing crayola
blueprints drawn on taped-together grocery bags.
INT./EXT. TREE HOUSE - DAY
The guys swarm the tree house. Scotty supervises from the
backyard, wearing a plastic hardhat. They build. Scotty
hooks up electric motors. Throws one toggle, and...
EXT. TREE HOUSE - DAY
...it comes to life. A 35 foot hollow erector-beam and
electric catapult-car assembly. They tilt-n'-tip it over the
fence. Scotty pilots the little car from the treehouse deck.
EXT. THE SANDLOT - DAY
Benny's got his glove - waiting.
EXT. TREE HOUSE - TIMMON'S BACKYARD - THE SANDLOT - THE
BADLANDS - DAY
Scotty on controls. Squints on periscope, with Bertram on
the Yuban-comm for him. Others at support points.
THE CAR drives down.
THE BEAST strirs.
THE CAR rolls out the end.
THE CATAPULT BUCKET scoops the ball.
SQUINTS
(CLEANLY)
Fire!
GIANT SLEEPY EYEBALLS
roll open. A THUNDERROAR!
SCOTTY
flips the toggle.
THE "RAT-TRAP" CATAPULT
fires.
92
THE BASEBALL
is airborne.
BENNY
runs for it.
BENNY
I got it! I got it!
THE AIRBORNE BEAST
blocks out the sun. CLUNCHEENK! The Beast's FRONT TEETH
SNATCH the Babe Ruth ball delicately out of the air.
THE UNSEEN BEAST
crash lands beyond the fiberglass paneling, right on top of
THE
ERECTOR CONTRAPTION
wrenching it viciously.
THE STRUCTURE
comes tumbling down - bending into flimsy knots as it CRASHES!
EXT. TIMMONS' BACKYARD - DAY
Scotty stands alone on the tree house roof... staring down
into the Badlands. A little, wrecked shell of a kid, who is
now dead meat. The guys look up at him sorrowfully.
NARRATOR
My life was over. Just as Bill had
finally warmed up to me, and asked me
to be the man of the house, I had to
knock a priceless chunk of history
into the clutches of a monster. Great.
END THE BIG MONTAGE.
EXT. THE BLOCK - DUSK
The gang, minus Timmy and Repeat, shuffle along home without
a word exchanged.
FROM HIS PORCH
Benny watches a dejected Scotty slowly head inside across the
street.
93
INT. SCOTTY'S ROOM - NIGHT
Scotty stares up at the ceiling in oceans of worry.
INT. BENNY'S ROOM - NIGHT
The room is dark. Benny's in bed. He clicks on a "baseball-
bat" flashlight. Shines the beam toward his footboard...
illuminating the photo of The Babe.
BENNY
We can't get it back, Babe.
(BEAT)
I'm sorry.
Suddenly, a RACKET from inside Benny's closet. A bright LIGHT
GOES ON in there. Then, smoke comes out.
Benny jumps up on his bed - flattens against the wall. Hasn't
done this in years:
BENNY (CONT'D)
M - M - Mom?...
The closet door CREAKS open... by itself. Everything inside
is oddly devoid of color.
BENNY (CONT'D)
Who's there?!
BABE RUTH steps out of the closet. He exists in the only way
any kid from 1962 has ever seen him: BLACK & WHITE.
THE BABE
Now don't go peeing your pants or
nuthin', I'm just here to give ya a
hand.
The Great Bambino PUFFS on a massive stogie... the source of
all the smoke.
BENNY
B - B - But, you're...
THE BABE
...dead? Legends never die, kid.
Benny comes off the wall. The enormous Ruth towers over him.
BENNY
You're really him. You're The Babe.
The Sultan of Swat. The King -
94
THE BABE
- of Krash and a hundred other dopey
names. Forget about that, we ain't
got much time. I'm here 'cause you're
in some kinda pickle, right?
BENNY
Yeah.
THE BABE
A baseball with my John Hancock on it
went over a fence, and you can't get
it back. Right?
BENNY
Yeah, right.
THE BABE
(clear and simple)
Then just hop over there and get it.
There ya go. Problem solved.
(tips his cap)
See ya, kid.
The Babe turns to go back to wherever he came from. Benny
grabs his arm - shocked that he actually feels something
"real."
BENNY
Wait! I can't.
THE BABE
Can't what?
BENNY
Go into that backyard.
THE BABE
Why not?
BENNY
There's a Beast back there.
THE BABE
What kind?
BENNY
A giant gorilla-dog-thing that ate one
kid already.
THE BABE
Is that a fact? Listen to me, kid.
(MORE)
95
THE BABE (CONT'D)
Everybody gets one chance to do
something great. Most people either
never take the chance 'cause they're
too scared, or they don't recognize it
when it spits on their shoes.
(BEAT)
This is your "big chance," and ya
shouldn't let it go by.
(PAUSE)
Remember those cards you got the other
day?
BENNY
Sure, yeah, five Maury Wills all in
the same pack.
THE BABE
What're the odds on that?
BENNY
About a zillion to one.
THE BABE
More even. Someone's tellin' you
somethin', kid. And if I was you...
I'd listen.
BENNY
Yeah, but what?
THE BABE
You're the one with the rubba legs.
Figure it out.
(BEAT)
You gotta do what your heart tells
you, else you'll spend the rest of
your life wishin' you had.
BENNY
You mean, I should hop that fence -
and pickle with THE BEAST?!
THE BABE
Lemme tell you something... you
remember that called shot homer I hit?
BENNY
Sure, the greatest most famous and
legendary home run of all time.
THE BABE
Yeah, right, well said.
(MORE)
96
THE BABE (CONT'D)
(BEAT)
Well, you think I knew I was gonna
swat that?
BENNY
Sure ya did, Babe.
THE BABE
Not a chance. Matter of fact, all the
way down to first I kept sayin' to
myself, "you lucky bum."
(BEAT)
Think about that, kid. I'll see ya
later.
The Babe disappears back into the closet, then:
THE BABE'S VOICE
Remember, kid. There's heroes and
there's Legends. Heroes get
remembered... but Legends never die.
(BEAT)
Follow your heart, kid, and you'll
never go wrong.
A RACKET in the closet matching:
INT. SCOTTY'S ROOM - DAY
KNUCKLES on glass. Scotty hurries sleepy-eyed to the window
and opens it. Benny stands outside, holding a shoe box.
BENNY
(WITH PURPOSE)
I had a dream. Get dressed. We're
goin' to the sandlot.
EXT. THE SANDLOT - DAY
The guys march toward the rising sun - across the sandlot
behind Benny. Toward destiny.
THE GREEN FIBERGLASS FENCE
They stop here. Benny steps forward. He opens the shoe box.
Laces on brand new P.F. Flyers. Moves for the fence. Scotty
grabs his arm.
SCOTTY
Benny - wait. It's okay, it was my
fault. I'll just take whatever I get.
You don't have to do this.
97
A look in Benny's eyes. Kismet.
BENNY
(PREDESTINED)
Yeah I do, Smalls. I have to.
Benny turns from him - swallows hard. Swings himself onto
THE
TOP OF THE FENCE
and balances - deciding.
THE BABE'S VOICE
(in Benny's head)
...Follow your heart, kid, and you'll
never go wrong.
Benny turns back one last time. Gives Scotty "Thumbs Up."
With a pearl diver's breath - he plunges into...
EXT. BADLANDS - DAY
...here. He stands fixed, staring hard 'neath the lean-to.
DUST RISES
from thereunder. ORGANIC EXHAUST. The LAZY CLINKS of heavy
chain links... The Beast is rising to its feet.
IT MATERIALIZES
piece by piece: fore feet the size of a catcher's mitt, bulking
head and shoulders, hulking flank and haunches.
BENNY'S
mouth hangs open. He's frozen, staring at
THE BEAST
and it's worse than Squints recounted... because it's real.
This is the biggest dog that ever lived! 300 lbs. 4 1/2
feet tall. And ugly. This was a bad idea. The Beast lingers
8 feet away with slack in the chain.
THWOOOP! It spits something out, which rolls in the dirt...
STOPS EXACTLY
BETWEEN THEM
A goo-slobbered ball. Dirty Beast-foam drips off, revealing
the smeared signature, B A B E R U T H. "G'head kid, I dare
you!"
98
A PICKLE
Benny measures The Beast. Times its ballooning chest.
The Beast's eyes glue to Benny. Flopping, hot-water-bottle
tongue PANTS. Licks chops. Leather'd nose twitches - smelling
for movement.
THE TOE
of Benny's P.F. Flyer digs into the cracked earth.
CLINK
the Beast leans forward - one chain link lifts from the ground.
SHTHUFT!
Benny spits, blowing his tanks.
THE BEAST
bristles.
BENNY'S EYES
widen, focusing.
WAR BREAKS OUT!
Benny goes for the ball.
THE BEAST'S
knotted muscles quaver and UNCOIL.
BENNY'S
P.F. Flyers leave behind tiny dust roosters.
THE BEAST'S
claws dig deep furrows. FOG BANKS of dust spread out behind
it. Forelegs gallop at flared, over-anxious angles.
BENNY
leaves scrambling footprints. He slides - grabs the ball -
"Pops-Up" Maury Wills fashion - heads back for the fence.
The ball slips from Benny's fingers. Re-grabs it - shoves
the ball in his teeth, freeing his hands for the leap up the
fence.
99
THE BEAST
gains. SHNAPP! Jaws SHUT like a tripped bear trap.
BENNY
springs off the ground. He's on the fence.
THE BEAST
reaches chain's end - it goes taught. Breaks! The two foot
length still attached to The Beast's neck bullwhips - the
chain catches Benny in the butt.
BENNY
YOWWWWW!
He vaults over the fence.
EXT. SANDLOT - DAY
The gang looks up. A great shadow envelopes them.
THE BEAST IS LOOSE!
The guys turn to stone. Benny takes off.
BENNY
OOOOH SSSSHIT!
The Beast tears by the guys after Benny. The two vanish out
of the sandlot.
SCOTTY
What're we waitin' for?! Let's go
after 'em!
EXT. SIDEWALK - NEIGHBORHOOD - DAY
Benny runs. The Beast is gaining. In its wake: dichondra
lawns RIPPED to shreds. Scotty and the guys make tracks a
block behind.
EXT. FIVE & DIME - DAY
On display: Pinwheels, Mailbox Propellers and Puddle-Jumpers.
Benny flies by. The Beast follows. As they pass, contact:
the whirly-gigs take off!
INT. CAR - TRAVELING - DAY
A MOTHER drives. In the passenger seat, her TODDLER fingers
a "scooter-pie" in marshmallowy strings.
100
TODDLER
(BEAMING)
Mommy, mommy - wook! Ah, ah - goggy!
(BEAT)
Big goggy.
The Mother looks out the passenger window.
ON THE SIDEWALK
Benny and The Beast run even. Then pull ahead.
EXT. "SNELGROVE'S" ICE CREAM - DAY
Gag per storyboards - t.b.d.
EXT. ALLEYWAY - DAY
Benny's cookin'. The Beast follows - TRASHCANS SCATTER like
bowling pins.
Scotty and the guys follow. All slow to check out the garbage
bins... so many crushed beer cans.
Benny darts in the rear entrance to a "random" building. The
Beast tears after him - KNOCKING the door off its hinges.
INT. BOYS CLUB AUDITORIUM - DAY
ON THE MOVIE SCREEN Kong does battle with T Rex.
BENNY
comes sliding AT US across the waxed stage floor - from under
the movie screen. He slides off the stage - into midair -
lands on his feet. Splits up the aisle between the rows of
folding chairs and blasts out the door.
KIDS' HEADS
turn to watch him. KONG ROARS! They look back at
THE MOVIE SCREEN
where, just as Kong proclaims himself king over the dead T
Rex,
THE BEAST
Leaps through the center of the silver screen - leaves a 6
foot hole - lands 20 feet down the aisle - CRASHES through
the doors and disappears.
Moments pass. Our guys follow.
101
EXT. SIDEWALK - DAY
Hot-rubber SQUEAKS from Benny's P.F. Flyers. The Beast's
claws leave jagged scars in the concrete.
CATS HISS
in terror and faint.
EXT. PUBLIC POOL DECK - DAY
POOL HONEYS lounge, all bedecked with rock-hard, Annette
Funicello hairdo's.
Benny blasts out of the pool building, "tire stepping" over
the Honeys. They're up and RANTING at him. Until, The Beast
comes...
...sliding across the water-slippy deck like an out-of-control
anvil. He "bowling pins" the Pool Honeys. The Honeys HIT
THE WATER.
Benny cuts back through the pool building. The Beast follows -
parting our guys and the other Kids.
EXT. LITTLE LEAGUE FIELD - DAY
Game in progress. From outta nowhere, Benny jams across the
diamond. The game stops... EVERYONE gapes at:
Some huge dog-beast charging after a kid.
EXT. CITY PARK - PICNIC AREA - DAY
Big banner: "FOUNDER'S DAY!" Perfectly arranged picnic
blankets covered with wonderful spreads of goodies.
BENNY
zips under the banner - runs through - grabs a Coke like a
long distance runner.
THE BEAST
rages after him, through:
A DEADEND! MIDWAY
of neatly arranged display booths. (This is pie n' cake booth
gag per storyboards - allow 2 pages.)
EXT. TOWN SQUARE - NEARBY - DAY
102
Founder's Day parade (et al).
BENNY
rips into the square. He rubba-leg zigzags, nimbly avoiding
everything and everyone.
THE BEAST
Is a runaway freight train. He PLOWS through CLOWNS. CHILDREN
are snatched from the dog's path by terrified parents. The
Beast tears through the concession stands:
VATS & DISPENSERS
EXPLODE! The VOLUNTEERS dash out SCREAMING - "tar n' featherd"
with baked beans and potato chips.
BENNY
zips through the MARCHING BAND - ducking trombone slides -
leaping glockenspiels.
THE BEAST
ain't so graceful. He "barn-doors" the band. CRASH! An
instrument tangled heap.
THE ONLOOKERS
pour into the street, knocking the MAYOR from his convertible,
and the FOUNDER'S DAY QUEEN from her float.
FROM THIS HEIGHT
this all looks like the end of a "Dr. Suess" book!
SCOTTY AND THE GANG
search through the confusion. _They've lost Benny_! Suddenly,
doubling back on them
BENNY
SHOOTS BY:
BENNY
Sandlot!
Benny's gone. Seconds later - The Beast follows.
SQUINTS
This way! Shortcut!
103
THE GANG
forges through the disaster.
EXT. THE SANDLOT - MR. MERTLE'S FENCE - DAY
The gang's GASPING for BREATH. And then, unbelievably
BENNY & THE BEAST
Are coming right at them! They race across the sandlot.
Kill- anxious beast-drool splashes the seat of Benny's pants.
THE BEAST'S
muscles flex.
BENNY
just runs. He runs as if a big dog was chasing him. He
lurches a step - RIP! A pants pocket flaps from an incisor.
BENNY
LOOK OUT!
He lays down the world's all-time most perfect SLIDE. He
careens toward the bottom of
MR. MERTLE'S FENCE
hits it and, defying gravity, RUNS STRAIGHT UP THE GREEN
FIBERGLASS PANELS!
BENNY
jets upward, leaving smashed green fiberglass footsteps -
standing out from the fence 90 degrees - the Donald O'Connor
"Singin' In The Rain" trick!
THE BEAST
sucks air - ROARS - EXPLODES from the ground - soars, gaping
maw first, right for
BENNY
who pushes off the top of the fence.
THE BEAST
GNASHES up at Benny's heels - misses by an inch. He plummets
toward the Badlands. Then, the unspeakable happens,
104
BENNY
DROPS
THE BABE RUTH AUTOGRAPH
and comes tumbling down after the ball.
BENNY (CONT'D)
Oh noooooo!
EXT. THE BADLANDS - DAY
Benny HITS the dirt with a gut twisting THUD! Dust everywhere.
EXT. THE SANDLOT - DAY
The gang climbs the fence. They look down into
EXT. THE BADLANDS - DAY
where, when the dust clears, they see
BENNY
holding the Babe Ruth Autograph up high like a trophy.
BENNY
I GOT IT!
THE GANG
hops down and races over. Suddenly, from the
FENCETOP
His shirt snagged:
SCOTTY
Help him! I'm stuck! I'm stuck! Help
him!
THE BEAST
is hanging from the fence. His chain has caught. He struggles -
choking to death - right below Scotty.
THE GANG
petrifies where they stand.
105
SCOTTY
tears his shirt loose. Scrambles to where The Beast hangs.
Tries to lift the tow chain free - too heavy! He'll die in
seconds.
SCOTTY
Pick him up! Scoot him up so I can
let him off!
(DESPERATE)
COME ON!
NOBODY
moves. They wanna but they can't!
SCOTTY
goes for broke. He reaches out and puts his hand on The
Beast's head.
SCOTTY (CONT'D)
(CONTACT)
Easy. Easy, boy.
THE BEAST
whimpers. Scotty balances atop the fence. Grabs the tow
chain. Lifts with all his might... his fingers bleed. The
Beast goes limp. An inch. That did it! The beast falls.
SCOTTY
goes with him - 8 feet to the dirt. The FENCE COMES DOWN -
breaking the barrier to the sandlot. He lands on the ground
NOSE TO NOSE
with The Beast.
SCOTTY
leaps to his feet.
THE BEAST
rises with him.
SCOTTY
freezes solid.
106
THE GANG
watches in horror.
THE BEAST
scans them instinctively - He might kill them all where they
stand.
SCOTTY'S
about to load up his fruit o' da looms.
THE BEAST
sticks his mammoth head right in Scotty's face. SNIFFS. That's
it! The kid is lunch! His jowls part - hot BEAST-BREATH
BLOWS Scotty's hair back.
SCOTTY
closes his eyes.
THE GANG
SLAP their hands to their eyesockets.
THE BEAST
leans closer. Mouth opens. Cold-leather nose presses against
Scotty's forehead. Then... He licks Scotty's face.
SCOTTY
wipes away the Beast slob. He doesn't even have to kneel
down to read the name on The Beast's "doggy tag." It says...
...Hercules.
This time Scotty gives Benny "Thumbs Up."
UNDER THE LEAN-TO
Hercules digs, then stands away.
THE GANG
steps closer. Look into the hole. Their faces light up with
wonder. In
THE HOLE
Are 150 baseballs.
107
THE GANG'S BLOWN AWAY
BENNY
We can play forever now.
SCOTTY
takes The Beast by the collar. He and Benny go to
MR. MERTLE'S BACK DOOR
Scotty KNOCKS. MR. MERTLE answers the door. An old man with
dark glasses. He comes out on the porch.
MR. MERTLE
Hello?...
SCOTTY
Um, we brought your dog home.
MR. MERTLE
Hercules? How'd he get out?
SCOTTY
Well, sir... um, we kind of, well,
what happened was -
BENNY
- we hit a baseball into your yard.
Then we tried to get it and -
MR. MERTLE
- why didn't you just come to the
door... I'd have gotten it for you.
Squints, Yeah-Yeah, Ham, DeNunez, Repeat, Timmy and Bertram
faint.
MR. MERTLE (CONT'D)
Well, thanks for bringin' him back.
(BEAT)
Why don't you boys come in... we can
talk about baseball.
INT. MR. MERTLE'S HOUSE - DAY
Fairly spartan, except for one room, where it seems that Mr.
Mertle spends most of his time. He leads Benny and Scotty
INTO
THE BASEBALL ROOM
Mr. Mertle sits at a table. Benny and Scotty stare at the
tabletop.
108
It holds a scale model Baseball Diamond: green felt field and
little bases, outfield wall and miniature player figures. A
picture on the wall of Mr. Mertle and Babe Ruth.
SCOTTY
You knew Babe Ruth?
MR. MERTLE
Yeah. And he knew me too.
(BEAT)
They never let us play together, but
we were friends. Good friends. He was
almost as great a hitter as I was.
But, he'd of told you he was better.
The picture is signed: "To Thelonius Johnson Mertle, the second
greatest slugger I ever saw... Babe Ruth."
A baseball game on the RADIO. As each play is CALLED, Mr.
Mertle's hands deftly put his tiny players in the correct
positions. Mr. Mertle is blind.
MR. MERTLE (CONT'D)
(HOLDING BALL)
This the one that went over my fence?
BENNY
Yeah.
Mr. Mertle brushes his fingers over the leather.
MR. MERTLE
This is an old ball, boys. Really
old.
(BEAT)
Hercules gave it a good chewing, didn't
he?
SCOTTY
(WEAK)
Yes, sir.
MR. MERTLE
You sound upset, son - what's wrong?
SCOTTY
Well, you see... that ball belongs to
my stepdad... and, uh - it was signed
by Babe Ruth.
Mr. Mertle shakes his head... hands the ball to Scotty.
109
MR. MERTLE
Hmm. Well, I'm sure your dad will
understand.
SCOTTY
I don't think so.
On the RADIO, Wills steals second.
MR. MERTLE
(TO BENNY)
Son, move Maury Wills to second base
for me, will ya?
Benny moves the little figure to second base.
MR. MERTLE (CONT'D)
If he steals third that'll be number
100.
(TO SCOTTY)
Helluva pickle you're in, boy.
SCOTTY
Yes, sir...
Mr. Mertle retrieves something from a glass case. A baseball.
MR. MERTLE
I'll make you a deal. If you boys
come over once a week and talk baseball
with me, I'll trade you balls.
BENNY
Well, that's really nice of you... but
this ball really is signed by The Babe.
MR. MERTLE
(CHUCKLES)
This one really is too... and all the
rest of the '27 Yankees.
He hands his baseball to Scotty... Benny stares at it in
disbelief.
BENNY
Oh my God - Murderers' Row.
As they ogle the ball:
BENNY (CONT'D)
(AWED)
Lou Gehrig...
110
SCOTTY
Babe Ruth.
MR. MERTLE
(SMILING)
They're all there.
Scotty hands Mr. Mertle the chewed up Babe Ruth ball. Shakes
his hand.
SCOTTY
Deal.
On the RADIO, Maury Wills steals 3rd for his 100th stolen
base. Scotty notices the wall clock:
EXT. SCOTTY'S HOUSE - DAY
Mom's car is in the driveway. Scotty goes up the walkway
slowly. Benny just behind him. The gang lingers at the
sidewalk. Scotty sets one foot on the
PORCH
and Bill comes out. He looks none-too-pleased. He towers
over Scotty. The gang hangs their heads.
BILL
This better be good.
Benny unpockets a little felt bag. Hands it to Scotty. He
holds the bag up to a perplexed Bill, who opens it. He looks
from Scotty to Benny and back again. Then...
...stares down at the "Murderers' Row" ball.
CUT TO:
EXT. SCOTTY'S HOUSE - BACKYARD - DAY
A BASEBALL sailing through the air. SMACK! it's caught in a
brand new glove. Scotty's new glove. Scotty snap throws the
ball back to Bill. He and Scotty are having a great game of
catch.
NARRATOR
It was weird that Benny said Babe Ruth
was like the Hercules of baseball, and
then The Beast's name turned out to be
Hercules.
(BEAT)
It was also strange that Mr. Mertle
had a Murderers' Row ball to replace
the one signed by The Babe.
111
Bill and Scotty smile as they fire the cowhide back and forth.
NARRATOR (CONT'D)
Some people might say that it was all
a coincidence... but looking back at
it now, it seems like everything was
connected, just like me and Benny.
(BEAT)
It was like we were a part of the same
myth as The Babe... the Myth of
Baseball.
Scotty's mom sticks her head out the back door. She smiles,
watching her "two boys" toss the ball around.
MOM
Guys, supper's ready.
DAD
(FORMERLY BILL)
Give us another ten minutes. I'm
helpin' my boy break in his new glove.
INT. MR. MERTLE'S BASEBALL ROOM - DAY
Mr. Mertle sits contentedly behind his little "diamond." The
RADIO ANNOUNCER calls Maury Wills' 104th steal of 1962.
MR. MERTLE'S DIAMOND
HIS HAND moves a wooden figure from 1st to 2nd. This tactile
"playing field" becomes...
EXT. THE SANDLOT - DAY
...this one, where the guys are playing ball. There's a new
addition to their team. A mascot. A big mascot.
HERCULES
in a t-shirt and cap.
THE GUYS
all play as if, somehow, this may be the last time they ever
get to be a team. As they play, they're "sponged" from the
PICTURE in this order: Yeah-Yeah, Repeat and Timmy, Ham,
DeNunez, Bertram, Squints, Hercules, Scotty, Benny.
NARRATOR
That was the last summer that we all
got to play together.
(MORE)
112
NARRATOR (CONT'D)
But it would stay with us forever.
(as they all dissolve:)
Yeah-Yeah's parents shipped him off to
military school. Timmy and Tommy grew
up to build skyscrapers. Ham went to
college and became a pediatrician.
DeNunez played triple A ball and never
got to the majors. Bertram got really
into the sixities and no one ever saw
him again. Squints grew up and married
Wendy Peffercorn; they bought the Five
& Dime and they still own it to this
day. Hercules lived to be 199 years
old... in human years.
Everyone but Benny has vanished from the Sandlot.
NARRATOR (CONT'D)
After Benny pickled the Beast, his
reputation spread all over town. From
then on he was known as Benny "The
Juet" Rodriguez.
BENNY'S P.F. FLYER
comes down on home plate and vanishes, leaving
THE SANDLOT
empty.
NARRATOR (CONT'D)
The nickname stuck with him the rest
of his life.
EXT. CHAVEZ RAVINE - PRESENT - DAY
Dodger stadium. A ROAR goes up inside the ballpark.
ANNOUNCER (V.O.)
(FAMILIAR)
That's a triple, and that'll put the
winning run on third, with two out in
the bottom of the ninth. What a shot!
EXT. DODGER STADIUM - INFIELD - DAY
From the dugout, TOMMY LASORDA calls for a pinch runner. A
PLAYER comes out of the dugout, stripping off his warm-up
jacket.
113
ANNOUNCER (V.O.)
Lasorda's sending in a pinch runner -
and it'll be...
(DRAMATIC PAUSE)
I don't believe it! Lasorda's calling
up the "Old Man" to pinch-run in the
biggest clutch situation this season!
They say the veteran's lost a step or
two. But if I were you, I'd get ready
for some fireworks.
THE CROWD
is on its feet as 40-year-old BENNY "THE JET" RODRIGUEZ takes
over third base from the PLAYER already there. They shake
hands on the exchange. The 3rd base COACH walks over to The
Jet. Pats him on the back.
COACH
(GRINNING)
Give 'em hell, Jet.
THE JET
I'll do my best, Maury.
The Coach moves into the coaching box... turning his back to
us. Emblazoned across his jersey, is the name W I L L S.
THE PITCHER
takes the signal.
THE JET
leads off 3rd base - ten steps! The Pitcher fires to 3rd.
The Jet hand tags.
THE PITCHER
settles.
THE JET
leads off. Eleven steps.
THE PITCHER
fires to 3rd again. The Jet gets back.
THE JET
leads off again. Twelve steps. The pitch - strike. The
CATCHER tosses it back. Just then...
114
...The Jet moves. So fast that no one knows he's gone till
it's too damn late. The Pitcher awkwardly throws home. The
Catcher wipes the baseline. Too late...
...the dust clears. The UMPIRE eagle-wings the air.
UMPIRE
SAFE! SAFE! SAFE!
The tag missed by two feet. It's all over. The Crowd jumps
to its feet. The Dodger dugout is all over The Jet.
ANNOUNCER (V.O.)
The Dodgers win the pennant! The
Dodgers win the pennant!
The Jet breaks through his adoring teammates just long enough
to give "Thumbs Up" to...
ANNOUNCER (V.O.) (CONT'D)
I don't believe it, the Old Man stole
home! The Old Man -
INT. ANNOUNCER'S BOX - DAY
...39-year-old SCOTT SMALLS - The Announcer - who returns
"Thumbs Up."
SCOTT
(after a pause)
The Jet stole home! The Jet stole
home!!
EXT. DODGER STADIUM - INFIELD - DAY
The Jet signs autographs for swarming KIDS. As the CROWD'S
CHEERING CONTINUES and ECHOES into the past, we
CUT TO:
A FADED KODACHROME PHOTO
of the 9 best (11-year-old) buddies that ever lived. On a
makeshit baseball diamond - a sandlot... circa 1962. They're
all holding something forward - displaying - one palm up,
hand beneath another - together like the nine musketeers:
A baseball. A baseball with a familiar smudge.
END TITLES.
FADE OUT.
THE END
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