00:01:37 | My father's name was
John Kinsella. |
00:01:40 | It's an lrish name. |
00:01:42 | He was born
in North Dakota in 1896 |
00:01:44 | and never saw a big city until he
came back from France in 1918. |
00:01:50 | Settling in Chicago,
he learned to live and die |
00:01:52 | with the White Sox. |
00:01:54 | Died a little when they
lost the 1919 World Series, |
00:01:58 | died a lot when eight White Sox were
accused of throwing that Series. |
00:02:03 | He played some in the minors,
but nothing came of it. |
00:02:07 | Moved to Brooklyn in '35,
married Mom in '38, |
00:02:11 | was already an old man
at the naval yards |
00:02:14 | when I was born in 1952. |
00:02:17 | My name's Ray Kinsella. |
00:02:19 | Mom died when I was three, and I
suppose Dad did the best he could. |
00:02:24 | Instead of Mother Goose, I was put
to bed to stories of Babe Ruth, |
00:02:28 | Lou Gehrig, and the great
Shoeless Joe Jackson. |
00:02:32 | Dad was a Yankees fan then,
so I rooted for Brooklyn. |
00:02:36 | In '58, the Dodgers moved away, so we
had to find other reasons to fight. |
00:02:41 | We did. |
00:02:42 | When I chose a college, |
00:02:44 | I picked the farthest
from home I could find. |
00:02:48 | This drove him up the wall,
which, I suppose, was the point. |
00:02:53 | Officially, my major was English,
but really, it was the '60s. |
00:02:57 | I marched,
I smoked some grass, |
00:03:00 | I tried to like sitar music,
and I met Annie. |
00:03:04 | The only thing we had
in common |
00:03:06 | was that she came from Iowa,
and I'd once heard of lowa. |
00:03:11 | After graduation,
we moved to the Midwest |
00:03:13 | and stayed with her family
as long as we could, |
00:03:16 | almost a full afternoon. |
00:03:19 | Annie and I got married
in June of '74. |
00:03:22 | Dad died that fall. |
00:03:24 | A few years later,
Karin was born. |
00:03:27 | She smelled weird,
but we loved her anyway. |
00:03:30 | Then Annie got the crazy idea she
could talk me into buying a farm. |
00:03:35 | I'm 36 years old,
I love my family, |
00:03:37 | I love baseball, and I'm
about to become a farmer. |
00:03:41 | But until I heard the voice, |
00:03:44 | I'd never done a crazy thing
in my whole life. |
00:04:25 | If you build it,
he will come. |
00:04:47 | If you build it, he will come. |
00:04:59 | Hey, Annie! |
00:05:01 | Annie, what was that? |
00:05:03 | What was what? |
00:05:06 | That voice just now.
What was it? |
00:05:12 | We didn't hear anything. |
00:05:18 | All right. |
00:05:22 | If you build it,
he will come. |
00:05:31 | Okay, you must
have heard that! |
00:05:33 | Sorry. Hey,
come on in to dinner. |
00:05:37 | Let's go, pumpkin. |
00:05:58 | Is there, like,
a sound truck on the highway? |
00:06:01 | Nope. Hey, Karin,
dinner's ready! |
00:06:05 | Kids with a radio? |
00:06:06 | Nope. |
00:06:08 | Hey, are you really
hearing voices? |
00:06:11 | Just one. |
00:06:13 | What did it say? |
00:06:16 | "If you build it,
he will come." |
00:06:22 | if you build what,
who will come? |
00:06:24 | He didn't say. |
00:06:27 | I hate it when that happens. |
00:06:28 | Me, too. |
00:06:44 | If you build it,
he will come. |
00:07:02 | Build what? What is this? |
00:07:05 | Ray? |
00:07:10 | It's okay, honey. I... I'm
just talking to the cornfield. |
00:07:19 | Anyway, I was walking down
along the street, |
00:07:21 | and I heard this voice saying, |
00:07:24 | "Good evening, Mr. Dowd." |
00:07:26 | Well, I turned around, |
00:07:29 | and here was this big, six-foot rabbit
leaning up against the lamppost. |
00:07:37 | Why did you do that?
It was funny. |
00:07:40 | Trust me, Karin.
It's not funny. |
00:07:42 | The man is sick. Very sick. |
00:07:44 | Karin, honey,
get your book bag. Let's go! |
00:07:47 | Hon, I'll take her today. |
00:07:49 | I've got errands
to do in town. |
00:07:51 | Far out. |
00:07:56 | Hey. What if the voice calls
while you're gone? |
00:08:01 | Take a message. |
00:08:02 | Bye. |
00:08:03 | Bye. |
00:08:08 | In all those years,
did you ever... |
00:08:11 | it's just I've heard that
sometimes farmers in the field... |
00:08:14 | They hear things.
You know, voices. |
00:08:17 | You hearing voices? |
00:08:18 | No. it's just I heard
some farmers do. |
00:08:22 | I, of course, don't, so I was wondering
if I was doing something wrong. |
00:08:28 | Did you... Did you ever hear
voices out there? |
00:08:31 | Who's hearing voices? |
00:08:32 | Ray is. |
00:08:34 | Out in the fields.
No, I'm not. |
00:08:36 | I'm... |
00:08:41 | Noises. That darned tractor... |
00:08:45 | I'm just going to get some 3-in-1 oil.
That ought to do it. |
00:08:49 | It was nice...
Nice talking to you. |
00:09:20 | If you build it,
he will come. |
00:09:23 | All right, that's it!
Huh? Who the... |
00:09:28 | Who are you, huh?
What do you want from me? |
00:09:30 | Son of a... |
00:09:32 | if you build it,
he will come. |
00:09:37 | If you build it... |
00:09:47 | if you build it, |
00:09:56 | he will come. |
00:10:26 | You don't suppose this is like
an acid flashback, do you? |
00:10:30 | I never took acid. |
00:10:31 | Maybe you will someday.
It's like a flash-forward. |
00:10:35 | Annie, there's more. |
00:10:37 | Honey, why don't you eat
a little bit? |
00:10:40 | I... I think I know what "if you
build it, he will come" means. |
00:10:45 | Why do I not think
this is so good? |
00:10:48 | I think it means that if I build
a baseball field out there, |
00:10:53 | Shoeless Joe Jackson will get to
come back and play ball again. |
00:10:59 | You're kidding? |
00:11:01 | Uh-uh. |
00:11:04 | Wow. |
00:11:06 | Yeah. |
00:11:08 | You're kidding. |
00:11:12 | Boy, I thought my family was crazy,
but this is the craziest thing ever. |
00:11:17 | I know. it's totally nuts.
I mean, Shoeless Joe! |
00:11:20 | He's dead. Died in '51.
He's dead. |
00:11:23 | They suspended him, right? |
00:11:25 | Right. |
00:11:26 | He's still dead? |
00:11:28 | As far as I know. |
00:11:33 | Did you know
Babe Ruth copied his swing? |
00:11:37 | If I did, I've forgotten it. |
00:11:45 | He was supposed to be
so graceful and agile. |
00:11:49 | I'd actually like
to see him play again, |
00:11:52 | to let him play,
to right an old wrong. |
00:11:55 | Wait. Wait a minute, Bosco. |
00:12:00 | Are you actually thinking
of doing this? |
00:12:04 | No. |
00:12:06 | I mean, I can't think of one
good reason why I should, but... |
00:12:18 | I'm 36. I have a wife,
a child, and a mortgage, |
00:12:22 | and I'm scared to death
I'm turning into my father. |
00:12:26 | What's your father got
to do with all of this? |
00:12:30 | I never forgave him
for getting old. |
00:12:36 | By the time he was as old
as I am now, he was ancient. |
00:12:43 | I mean, he must have had dreams, but
he never did anything about them. |
00:12:49 | For all I know, he may have
even heard voices, too, |
00:12:52 | but he sure didn't listen
to them. |
00:12:57 | The man never did one spontaneous
thing in all the years I knew him. |
00:13:02 | Annie, I'm afraid
of that happening to me, |
00:13:07 | and something tells me this may be my
last chance to do something about it. |
00:13:15 | I want to build that field. |
00:13:20 | Do you think I'm crazy? |
00:13:22 | Yes. |
00:13:28 | But I also think if you really
feel you should do this, |
00:13:35 | then you should do it. |
00:13:51 | What the hell is he doing? |
00:13:53 | He's plowing under his corn. |
00:13:56 | Why? |
00:14:03 | Ty Cobb called him the greatest
left fielder of all time. |
00:14:07 | He said his glove was the place
where triples go to die. |
00:14:11 | - Could he hit?
- Could he hit? |
00:14:13 | Lifetime average .356,
third highest in history. |
00:14:17 | Why'd they call him
Shoeless Joe? |
00:14:19 | When he was still
in the minors, |
00:14:21 | he bought a new pair of spikes
and hurt his feet. |
00:14:24 | In the sixth inning, he took them
off and played in his socks. |
00:14:28 | The players kidded him, |
00:14:29 | called him "Shoeless Joe,"
and the name stuck. |
00:14:33 | He's going
to lose his farm. |
00:14:35 | Damned fool. |
00:14:36 | Then in 1919, his team,
the Chicago White Sox, |
00:14:39 | they threw the World Series. |
00:14:42 | What's "threw"? |
00:14:43 | It means
they lost on purpose. |
00:14:45 | Gamblers paid them to.
Except Shoeless Joe. |
00:14:50 | He did take their money, |
00:14:52 | but nobody ever proved he did
one thing to lose those games. |
00:14:57 | If he threw it, |
00:14:58 | how do you explain he hit .375 for
the Series and committed no errors? |
00:15:03 | I can't. |
00:15:04 | Twelve hits including
the Series' only home run, |
00:15:07 | and they said
he's trying to lose? |
00:15:09 | It's ridiculous. |
00:15:11 | The commissioner of baseball
suspended eight of the players, |
00:15:14 | including the great Shoeless
Joe Jackson, for life. |
00:15:17 | What's "suspend"? |
00:15:20 | It means they never
let him play the game again. |
00:15:26 | My father said
he saw him years later |
00:15:28 | playing under a made-up name in
some 10th-rate league in Carolina. |
00:15:33 | He'd put on 50 pounds, and his
spring was gone from his step |
00:15:36 | but he could still hit. |
00:15:39 | Dad used to say nobody could
hit like Shoeless Joe. |
00:15:44 | I think that's the first time
I've ever seen you smile |
00:15:47 | when you mentioned
your father. |
00:15:53 | Well... |
00:16:03 | I have just created something
totally illogical. |
00:16:10 | That's what I like about it. |
00:16:15 | Am I completely nuts? |
00:16:19 | Not completely. |
00:16:22 | It's a good baseball field,
Ray. |
00:16:26 | It's kind of pretty, isn't it? |
00:16:28 | Mmm-hmm. |
00:16:51 | Any sign? |
00:16:55 | Something's going to happen
out there. |
00:16:59 | I can feel it. |
00:17:20 | So, for the veteran southpaw,
his summer of woes continues. |
00:17:24 | That's four straight hits
in the inning. |
00:17:26 | Daddy, what's a "southpaw"? |
00:17:31 | It means
a left-handed pitcher, honey. |
00:17:35 | So how bad is it? |
00:17:38 | Well, considering how much
less acreage we have for corn, |
00:17:42 | I say we'll probably |
00:17:45 | almost break even. |
00:17:51 | We used up all our savings
on that field, Ray. |
00:17:55 | Daddy? |
00:17:56 | Just a minute, Karin. |
00:18:02 | So what are you saying?
We can't keep the field? |
00:18:08 | Makes it real hard
to keep the farm. |
00:18:15 | Daddy. |
00:18:16 | In a minute, Karin! |
00:18:19 | There's a man out there
on your lawn. |
00:19:08 | I'll put up some coffee.
Why don't you go on outside? |
00:21:10 | Sorry. |
00:21:15 | I'll get some out there. |
00:21:48 | Hi. |
00:21:51 | Ray Kinsella. |
00:21:54 | Joe Jackson. |
00:22:24 | I bet it's good
to be playing again, huh? |
00:22:34 | Getting thrown out of baseball |
00:22:38 | was like having
part of me amputated. |
00:22:42 | I've heard
that old men wake up |
00:22:44 | and scratch itchy legs that have
been dust for over 50 years. |
00:22:50 | That was me. |
00:22:53 | I'd wake up at night |
00:22:56 | with the smell of the ballpark
in my nose, |
00:23:00 | with the cool of the grass
on my feet, |
00:23:05 | the thrill of the grass. |
00:23:15 | Can you pitch? |
00:23:18 | Yeah, |
00:23:21 | not bad. |
00:23:39 | Don't we need a catcher? |
00:23:40 | Not if you get it
near the plate. |
00:23:44 | Right. |
00:23:58 | I'm pitching
to Shoeless Joe Jackson. |
00:24:10 | Nice hit. |
00:24:26 | See if you can hit my curve. |
00:24:38 | You can hit the curve ball. |
00:24:41 | Put one right here, huh? |
00:24:44 | Right. |
00:24:59 | Right,
you're a low ball hitter. |
00:25:02 | Man, I did love this game. |
00:25:06 | I'd have played
for food money. |
00:25:10 | It was the game, |
00:25:12 | the sounds, the smells. |
00:25:16 | Did you ever hold a ball
or a glove to your face? |
00:25:22 | Yeah. |
00:25:23 | I used to love traveling on
the trains from town to town. |
00:25:29 | The hotels, |
00:25:31 | brass spittoons in the lobbies,
brass beds in the rooms. |
00:25:40 | It was the crowd, |
00:25:43 | rising to their feet
when the ball was hit deep. |
00:25:50 | Shoot, |
00:25:54 | I'd have played for nothing. |
00:26:04 | It's my family. |
00:26:09 | What's with the lights? |
00:26:10 | Oh, all the stadiums
have them now. |
00:26:14 | Even Wrigley Field. |
00:26:16 | It's harder to see the ball. |
00:26:18 | The owners found that more
people can attend night games. |
00:26:22 | Owners. |
00:26:37 | Mr. Jackson, this is my wife
Annie and my daughter Karin. |
00:26:41 | Ma'am. Hi. |
00:26:44 | Are you a ghost? |
00:26:47 | Karin. |
00:26:49 | She's kidding. |
00:26:50 | That's okay. |
00:26:52 | What do you think? |
00:26:55 | You look real to me. |
00:26:57 | Then I guess I'm real. |
00:26:59 | Would you like to come inside? |
00:27:03 | Thanks. I don't think I can. |
00:27:14 | Can I come back again? |
00:27:17 | Yeah. I built this for you. |
00:27:24 | There are others, you know. |
00:27:28 | There were eight of us. It would
really mean a lot to them. |
00:27:32 | Yeah, anytime.
They're all welcome here. |
00:27:46 | Hey, is this heaven? |
00:27:50 | No. |
00:27:54 | It's lowa. |
00:28:02 | Where's he going? |
00:28:04 | I don't know. |
00:28:18 | We're keeping this field. |
00:28:21 | You bet your ass we are. |
00:28:24 | You're going to lose
your farm, pal. |
00:28:27 | How can you lose
something so big? |
00:28:29 | He misplaced the house once.
Yeah, but it turned up. |
00:28:33 | Ray, come on. Ray? Ray? |
00:28:36 | This stupid baseball field's
going to bankrupt you. |
00:28:39 | If you default on your loan,
you're going to lose everything. |
00:28:43 | My partners will give you
a fair price. |
00:28:46 | Thanks, Mark.
Thanks, Mark, but no. |
00:28:48 | No. |
00:28:50 | What are you holding
onto this place for? |
00:28:52 | You never liked lowa. |
00:28:54 | That's not true. |
00:28:56 | You don't know
the first thing about farming. |
00:28:59 | I know a lot about farming.
More than you think. |
00:29:03 | Well, then how could you plow
under your major crop? |
00:29:07 | What's a crop? |
00:29:11 | Come on. That is funny.
What's a crop? |
00:29:14 | Daddy,
the baseball game is on. |
00:29:17 | Excuse us. |
00:29:27 | Annie, I don't believe
this guy. |
00:29:29 | I'm trying to bail him out, and
he leaves to watch television. |
00:29:33 | He used to be normal.
Yeah. |
00:30:11 | Buck! |
00:30:12 | Whoa! |
00:30:14 | All right. |
00:30:20 | Hoy! Hoy! Hoy! |
00:30:23 | All right! Home base! |
00:30:27 | Watch Joe's feet. |
00:30:29 | A good left fielder
knows what pitch is coming. |
00:30:34 | He can tell from the bat's angle
which way the ball's heading. |
00:30:40 | Show off! |
00:30:42 | Stick it in your ear, Gandil. |
00:30:44 | If you'd have run like that against
Detroit, I'd have won 20 games! |
00:30:49 | For Pete's sakes, Cicotte,
that was 68 years ago. |
00:30:52 | Give it up! |
00:30:54 | Hey! You guys want
to play ball or what? |
00:30:58 | Muscle-bound jerk. |
00:31:00 | At least I got muscles. |
00:31:02 | At most you got muscles. |
00:31:04 | Come on, asshole! Pitch! |
00:31:06 | Weaver, be nice. |
00:31:13 | Sorry, kid! |
00:31:14 | It's okay. I don't mind. |
00:31:17 | All right, Karin. |
00:31:18 | Hey, hey, hey! |
00:31:32 | Ray? Honey, Mom
and everybody's leaving now. |
00:31:36 | Okay. |
00:31:38 | Oh, well, it was... You know. |
00:31:41 | Thanks for coming. |
00:31:44 | Ray, think about what I said.
I'm just trying to help. |
00:31:47 | I know. |
00:31:49 | Thought you two were watching
some game. |
00:31:52 | It's not really a game.
It's more like practice. |
00:31:59 | There's only eight of them.
They can't play a real game. |
00:32:06 | Eight of what? |
00:32:09 | Them. |
00:32:13 | Who them?
Them them. |
00:32:16 | You don't see them? |
00:32:18 | Karin, honey,
what are you watching? |
00:32:20 | The baseball men. |
00:32:23 | Baseball men? |
00:32:27 | Do you see
the baseball men right now? |
00:32:29 | Of course I do. |
00:32:33 | What, you really
don't see them? |
00:32:36 | It's not very polite to try to
make other people feel stupid. |
00:32:41 | Mom, wait a minute.
Mom! Wait a minute. |
00:32:45 | Dee. Dee, wait.
You don't see these people? |
00:32:47 | It's not funny, Annie. |
00:33:03 | They couldn't see it. |
00:33:06 | This is really interesting. |
00:33:12 | Hey, Ray, look at this. |
00:33:14 | Sixty-eight years since I wore this
uniform, still fits me like a glove. |
00:33:19 | You must keep
in pretty good shape. |
00:33:22 | Now let's see, I died in '70. |
00:33:24 | That means I haven't had
a cigarette in 18 years. |
00:33:29 | You don't smoke, do you? |
00:33:30 | No. |
00:33:31 | Karin! Ray! Dinner! |
00:33:35 | "Ray, dinner."
"Dinner, Ray." |
00:33:38 | All right, all right. |
00:33:40 | Come on.
Let's hit the showers. |
00:33:42 | See you later. |
00:33:49 | See you, guys. |
00:33:57 | I'm melting! I'm melting! |
00:34:01 | Come on, you knucklehead. |
00:34:04 | That is so cool. |
00:34:11 | Ease his pain. |
00:34:14 | What? |
00:34:17 | I'm sorry. What?
I didn't understand. What? |
00:34:20 | Ease his pain. |
00:34:23 | Ease his pain. What... |
00:34:26 | What the hell does that mean,
ease his pain? |
00:34:29 | What pain? All right.
Whose pain? |
00:34:39 | Thanks a lot. |
00:34:51 | Come on, honey, wash up. We got
the PTA meeting after dinner. |
00:34:55 | Talking about banning books
again, really subversive books, |
00:34:58 | like The Wizard of Oz,
Diary of Anne Frank. |
00:35:01 | What happened to you? |
00:35:03 | The voice is back. |
00:35:04 | You don't have to build
a football field, do you? |
00:35:08 | He said, "Ease his pain." |
00:35:11 | Ease whose pain? |
00:35:12 | I asked him. He wouldn't say. |
00:35:14 | Shoeless Joe's? |
00:35:16 | I don't think so. |
00:35:18 | One of the other players? |
00:35:19 | I don't think so. |
00:35:21 | This is a very nonspecific voice out
there, and he's starting to piss me off. |
00:35:28 | I was having a fun day today,
a good day. |
00:35:31 | Want a fry? |
00:35:38 | And I say,
smut and filth like this has |
00:35:41 | no place in our schools. |
00:35:48 | Fascist.
I'd like to ease her pain. |
00:35:51 | Mrs. Kessinik, Mrs. Kessinik. |
00:35:53 | That book you're waving about
is hardly smut. |
00:35:57 | It's considered by many critics to be
the classic novel about the 1960s. |
00:36:01 | It's pornography! |
00:36:03 | No, no. The Supreme Court says
it's not. |
00:36:06 | And it's author, Mr. Mann...
ls sick! |
00:36:09 | Terence Mann is
a Pulitzer Prize winner. |
00:36:11 | He's widely regarded as the
finest satirist of his time. |
00:36:15 | He's a pervert! |
00:36:17 | Probably a Communist, too! |
00:36:20 | What planet are
these people from? |
00:36:22 | Mr. Harris, the so-called
novels of Terence Mann |
00:36:26 | endorse promiscuity,
godlessness, |
00:36:29 | the mongrelization
of the races, |
00:36:31 | and disrespect to high-ranking
officers of the United States Army. |
00:36:37 | And that's why right-thinking school
boards all across the country |
00:36:41 | having been banning
this man's S-H-l-T |
00:36:44 | since 1969. |
00:36:49 | Terence Mann? |
00:36:55 | You know why he stopped writing books.
Because he masturbates. |
00:37:01 | Excuse me, madam. |
00:37:04 | Excuse me. |
00:37:08 | Terence Mann was a warm,
gentle voice of reason |
00:37:11 | during a time
of great madness. |
00:37:15 | He coined the phrase,
"Make love, not war." |
00:37:19 | While other people were
chanting, "Burn, baby, burn," |
00:37:22 | he was talking about love
and peace and understanding. |
00:37:26 | I cherished his books, and I
dearly wish he had written more. |
00:37:31 | Maybe if you had experienced
even a little bit of the '60s, |
00:37:36 | you might feel
the same way, too. |
00:37:40 | I experienced the '60s. |
00:37:44 | No, you had two '50s and moved
right on into the '70s. |
00:37:48 | Annie, look at this. |
00:37:50 | Your husband plowed under his
corn and built a baseball field. |
00:37:56 | Now, there's
an intelligent response. |
00:38:00 | The weirdo. |
00:38:03 | Annie... Honey, it's all right.
I'll be cool. |
00:38:07 | At least he is not
a book burner, you Nazi cow. |
00:38:14 | At least I'm not married to the biggest
horse's ass in three counties. |
00:38:18 | All right, Beulah,
do you want to step outside? |
00:38:21 | Fine! |
00:38:23 | Annie. |
00:38:25 | All right, honey.
I've got a better idea. |
00:38:28 | Let's take a vote.
Who's for Eva Braun? |
00:38:32 | Who wants to burn books? |
00:38:34 | Who wants to spit on the Constitution of
the United States of America? Anybody? |
00:38:46 | All right. Now,
who's for the Bill of Rights? |
00:38:49 | Who thinks freedom
is a pretty darn good thing? |
00:38:53 | Come on! Come on!
Let's see those hands! |
00:39:00 | Who thinks we have to stand
up to the kind of censorship |
00:39:03 | they had under Stalin? |
00:39:20 | All right. There you go. America,
I love you. I'm proud of you. |
00:39:24 | Let's go.
We got to go. |
00:39:26 | This is great! |
00:39:29 | I figured it out.
I figured it out. |
00:39:33 | Was that great, or what?
I figured it out. |
00:39:35 | It's just like the '60s again!
I just figured it out. |
00:39:38 | "Step outside, you Nazi cow." |
00:39:40 | I know whose pain
I'm supposed to ease. |
00:39:42 | What? I know whose pain
I'm supposed to ease. |
00:39:44 | I just halted the spread
of neofascism in America... |
00:39:48 | Terence Mann.
What about him? |
00:39:50 | That's whose pain.
You sure? |
00:39:52 | I was right about building
the field, wasn't I? |
00:39:56 | Well, what's his pain?
I don't know. |
00:39:57 | How are you supposed to ease it?
I don't know. |
00:39:59 | Ray.
Well, Ann... |
00:40:01 | Look, he's my favorite writer,
too, |
00:40:04 | but what's Terence Mann
got to do with baseball? |
00:40:35 | Annie, it's incredible.
By the early '70s, |
00:40:38 | Mann decides people have
become either too extremist |
00:40:40 | or too apathetic to listen. |
00:40:42 | So he stops writing books, |
00:40:45 | he starts writing poetry
about whales, |
00:40:48 | and then he starts fooling
around with a computer. |
00:40:52 | Know what he does now? |
00:40:53 | He writes software for
interactive children's videos. |
00:40:56 | They teach kids how to resolve
their conflicts peacefully. |
00:41:00 | God, what an amazing guy. |
00:41:02 | What's that got to do
with baseball? |
00:41:04 | In the April 1962 issue
of Jet Magazine, |
00:41:06 | there's a story called
"This ls Not A Kite." |
00:41:09 | it's not his best work, |
00:41:11 | but the story's hero |
00:41:15 | is named John Kinsella,
my father. |
00:41:17 | Wow. |
00:41:18 | What do you mean, "Wow"? |
00:41:20 | Big wow! What's it got to do
with baseball? |
00:41:24 | You drive. |
00:41:31 | Okay, the last interview
he ever gave was in 1973. |
00:41:34 | Guess what it's about. |
00:41:35 | Some kind of team sport. |
00:41:37 | Mann was a baseball fanatic.
Listen to this. |
00:41:40 | "My earliest recurring dream
was to play at Ebbets Field |
00:41:44 | "with Jackie Robinson
and the Brooklyn Dodgers. |
00:41:46 | "It never happened.
The Dodgers left Brooklyn. |
00:41:49 | "Ebbets Field is gone,
but I still dream that dream." |
00:41:54 | That's sad. |
00:41:58 | The man wrote the best
books of his generation. |
00:42:02 | He was a pioneer in the civil
rights and the antiwar movement. |
00:42:05 | I mean, he made
the cover of Newsweek. |
00:42:07 | He knew everybody. He did everything.
He helped shape his time. |
00:42:12 | The guy hung out
with the Beatles. |
00:42:14 | It wasn't enough.
What he missed was baseball. |
00:42:17 | Oh, my God!
What? |
00:42:19 | "As a small boy,
he had a bat named Rosebud." |
00:42:22 | Give me that.
Sorry. |
00:42:24 | The guy hasn't been
to a baseball game since 1958. |
00:42:28 | So, in order to ease his pain, you're
supposed to take him to a ballgame. |
00:42:32 | Yes. |
00:42:34 | Ray, this is nuttier than
building the baseball field. |
00:42:37 | No. No, it's not. |
00:42:39 | It's pretty weird, but building
the field was 5, 10% weirder. |
00:42:43 | I'm going to have
to nip this one in the bud. |
00:42:45 | We're having moderate-to-heavy
financial difficulties here. |
00:42:49 | And you can't take off for Boston
while we're going broke in lowa. |
00:42:52 | This is really
new territory for us, |
00:42:55 | but we're dealing
with primal forces of nature. |
00:42:57 | The prudent thing is not
to quibble over details. |
00:43:01 | Yeah, but why do you have to go? Why
can't the voice send somebody else? |
00:43:06 | How about Shirley MacLaine?
Is she too busy? |
00:43:09 | What does this have
to do with you? |
00:43:11 | That's what I have
to find out. |
00:43:13 | Ray, we are behind on the mortgage.
That field ate up all of our savings. |
00:43:18 | We could lose this farm. |
00:43:19 | I won't even stay in motels. I'll
sleep in the car. I'll beg for food. |
00:43:23 | No. No! Now, this is too much! |
00:43:28 | Now, look. I understand your need to
prove to yourself and to the world |
00:43:32 | you are not turning into your
father, but you've done it. |
00:43:34 | You believed in the magic. It happened.
Isn't that enough? |
00:43:38 | It's more than that.
I know this is totally nuts, |
00:43:41 | but there's another reason
I'm supposed to do it. |
00:43:44 | I feel it as strongly
as I've felt anything. |
00:43:47 | There's a reason. |
00:43:48 | What? Just tell me what it is. |
00:43:51 | Something's going to happen
at the game. |
00:43:53 | There's something
at Fenway Park. |
00:43:55 | I got to be there with
Terence Mann to find it out. |
00:43:59 | Is Fenway the one with the big
green wall in left field? |
00:44:04 | Yeah. |
00:44:07 | I dreamt last night you were
at Fenway with Terence Mann. |
00:44:11 | Was I sitting on the
first base side? Yes. |
00:44:14 | About halfway up on the aisle? |
00:44:16 | Yeah. Eating a hot dog.
Eating a hot dog. |
00:44:19 | I had the same dream. |
00:44:21 | I'll help you pack. |
00:44:49 | Hi, I'm... |
00:44:51 | Hi, I'm Ray Kinsella. |
00:44:53 | Hi. No. |
00:44:54 | Hi. |
00:44:56 | Hi, I'm Ray Kinsella. It's a great
pleasure to finally get to... |
00:44:59 | Hi, I'm Ray Kinsella.
I'm a big fan of yours. |
00:45:02 | Hi. |
00:45:07 | How do you do, Mr. Mann? |
00:45:09 | I have to take you
to a base... |
00:45:12 | All right, stupid, put your
hands up and get in the trunk. |
00:45:16 | Good. Good. |
00:45:20 | He lives right around here.
Do you know him? |
00:45:24 | He's sort of a tall black man.
I'm a friend of his. |
00:45:27 | If he was much of a friend, he could
give you the directions himself. |
00:45:35 | That's a good point.
Thank you. |
00:45:39 | I don't know where he lives.
Get away from me! |
00:45:43 | I ain't going
to tell you nothing. |
00:45:45 | Go away! You're a pest! |
00:45:52 | Two blocks down,
right-hand side. |
00:45:54 | First door that don't have a
chicken in the window is his. |
00:45:58 | No chicken. |
00:46:44 | Who the hell are you? |
00:46:49 | Sir, my name's Ray Kinsella. |
00:47:11 | We got
a learning disability here? |
00:47:13 | If I could just have
one minute, please. |
00:47:15 | Look, I can't tell you
the secret of life, |
00:47:18 | and I don't have
any answers for you. |
00:47:20 | I don't give interviews, and
I'm no longer a public figure. |
00:47:24 | I just want to be left alone,
so piss off. |
00:47:28 | Wait! Wait! |
00:47:30 | Look, I've come 1,500 miles
to see you |
00:47:33 | at the risk of losing my home
and alienating my wife. |
00:47:37 | All I'm asking is one minute. |
00:47:40 | Please. |
00:47:45 | One minute. |
00:47:56 | Okay, I understand
your desire for privacy, |
00:48:00 | and I wouldn't dream of intruding if
this weren't extremely important. |
00:48:03 | Oh, God.
I don't do causes anymore. |
00:48:07 | This isn't a cause. |
00:48:09 | I don't need money
or an endorsement. |
00:48:11 | Refreshing. |
00:48:13 | You once wrote, |
00:48:14 | "There comes a time when all the cosmic
tumblers have clicked into place |
00:48:18 | "and the universe opens
itself up for a few seconds |
00:48:21 | "to show you what's possible." |
00:48:24 | Oh, my God! |
00:48:26 | What? |
00:48:27 | You're from the '60s. |
00:48:29 | Well, yeah. Actually... |
00:48:32 | Out!
Hey! |
00:48:33 | Back to the '60s. |
00:48:35 | No place for you here in the future.
Get back while you still can! |
00:48:42 | You've changed, you know that? |
00:48:44 | Yes, I suppose I have. |
00:48:46 | How about this? Peace, love, dope.
Now get the hell out of here! |
00:49:34 | You've really pissed me off. |
00:49:38 | Hold it. |
00:49:40 | I was hoping I wouldn't have
to do it this way. |
00:49:42 | What the hell is that? |
00:49:44 | It's a gun. |
00:49:45 | It's your finger. |
00:49:46 | No, it's a gun. |
00:49:48 | Let me see it. |
00:49:49 | I'm not going to show you
my gun. |
00:49:52 | I'm not going to hurt you.
I need you to come with... |
00:49:57 | What are you doing? |
00:49:58 | I'll beat you with a crowbar
until you go away. |
00:50:01 | Whoa! Wait! You can't do that. |
00:50:03 | There are rules here? Oh, no.
There are no rules here. |
00:50:08 | You're a pacifist! |
00:50:15 | Shit. |
00:50:16 | Thank you. Thank you. |
00:50:20 | So what? You kidnapping me?
What's the deal here? |
00:50:24 | I was... |
00:50:28 | I was hoping I could just
convince you to come with me. |
00:50:31 | So you are kidnapping me? |
00:50:33 | I have to take you
to a baseball game. |
00:50:37 | You what? |
00:50:39 | Tonight's game. Red Sox, A's. |
00:50:41 | Why? |
00:50:44 | Something will happen there. |
00:50:46 | I don't know what, but we'll
find out when it does. |
00:50:52 | My name's Ray Kinsella. |
00:50:53 | You used my father's name for a
character in one of your stories. |
00:50:57 | John Kinsella. |
00:50:59 | You're seeing a whole team
of psychiatrists, aren't you? |
00:51:01 | I don't blame you for thinking
that, but, no, I'm not. |
00:51:07 | I swear to God, I'm the least
crazy person I've ever known. |
00:51:11 | Why are you kidnapping me
to a baseball game? |
00:51:15 | May I... |
00:51:16 | Oh, please. |
00:51:18 | Want a cup of coffee? |
00:51:20 | No. |
00:51:22 | Want some cookies? |
00:51:25 | No. |
00:51:28 | I read an interview you gave
a long time ago |
00:51:31 | about how you always dreamed
of playing at Ebbets Field |
00:51:33 | and how sad you felt
when they tore it down. |
00:51:36 | I never said that. |
00:51:39 | You didn't? |
00:51:40 | I don't even recall
thinking that. |
00:51:46 | This is so weird. |
00:51:51 | This whole... |
00:51:54 | This whole thing is so weird. |
00:51:58 | Then why go through with it? |
00:52:04 | It's a long story. |
00:52:10 | But it's a really good story. |
00:52:12 | I'll tell you on the way. |
00:52:15 | I'm not going to get rid
of you, am I? |
00:52:17 | Come to this game. I'll never
bother you again, not even... |
00:52:22 | Not even a Christmas card. |
00:52:33 | So what do you do
with yourself these days? |
00:52:35 | I live, I work. |
00:52:37 | I learned how to cook. |
00:52:39 | I take walks
and watch sunsets. |
00:52:43 | Don't you miss being involved? |
00:52:46 | I was the East Coast
distributor of involved. |
00:52:50 | I ate it and drank it
and breathed it. |
00:52:52 | Then they killed
Martin and Bobby, |
00:52:56 | they elected
Tricky Dick twice, |
00:52:58 | and now people like you think |
00:53:00 | I must be miserable because
I'm not involved anymore. |
00:53:02 | I've got news for you. |
00:53:05 | I spent all my misery
years ago. |
00:53:07 | I have no more pain left
for any of you. |
00:53:10 | I gave at the office. |
00:53:13 | So what do you want? |
00:53:15 | I want them to stop
looking to me for answers, |
00:53:18 | begging me to speak again,
write again, be a leader. |
00:53:22 | I want them to start thinking
for themselves. |
00:53:24 | I want my privacy. |
00:53:27 | No, I meant what do you want? |
00:53:35 | Oh. |
00:53:37 | Dog and a beer. |
00:53:41 | Two. |
00:53:42 | 10 bucks. |
00:53:45 | Okay, I understand. |
00:53:46 | You should be entitled to
as much privacy as you want, |
00:53:49 | but why stop writing? |
00:53:52 | I haven't published a word
in 17 years, |
00:53:54 | and still I have to endure
lunatics like you. |
00:53:57 | What do you think would happen if I
suddenly came out with a new book? |
00:54:01 | They'd bleed me dry. |
00:54:17 | Go the distance. |
00:54:27 | Go the distance. |
00:54:49 | What's the matter? |
00:54:55 | You didn't see that? |
00:54:56 | See what? |
00:55:04 | I'm sorry. I guess
you didn't have to be here. |
00:55:07 | What? |
00:55:11 | Whenever you want to go,
we can go. |
00:55:14 | Fine. Let's go. |
00:56:02 | What is it
you're not telling me? |
00:56:06 | I've already taken up
too much of your time. |
00:56:21 | I wish I had
your passion, Ray. |
00:56:23 | Misdirected though it might
be, it is still a passion. |
00:56:27 | I used to feel that way
about things, but... |
00:56:33 | You got another message,
didn't you? |
00:56:36 | You'll think I'm crazy. |
00:56:37 | I already think you're crazy. |
00:56:39 | What did it say? |
00:56:44 | It said, "The man's done enough.
Leave him alone." |
00:57:07 | "Moonlight" Graham. |
00:57:10 | You saw it. |
00:57:11 | Saw what? |
00:57:13 | You saw it.
New York Giants, 1922. |
00:57:16 | He played one game.
He never got to bat. |
00:57:19 | What did I see?
Chisholm, Minnesota. |
00:57:22 | We were the only ones who saw it.
Did you hear the voice, too? |
00:57:26 | It's what told me to find you.
Did you hear it? |
00:57:32 | "Go the distance"? |
00:57:35 | Yes.
Do you know what it means? |
00:57:38 | Yes. |
00:57:39 | What? |
00:57:40 | It means we're going to Minnesota
to find "Moonlight" Graham. |
00:57:43 | We're going... We? |
00:57:45 | I must be out of my mind. |
00:57:47 | What do we do
when we find him? |
00:57:49 | How the hell
am I supposed to know? |
00:57:52 | That's right.
You're right. You're right. |
00:57:55 | This is so bitching. |
00:57:57 | I don't believe
I'm doing this. |
00:58:17 | Hey, Annie, guess what?
I'm with Terence Mann. |
00:58:20 | Oh, my God.
You kidnapped him. |
00:58:22 | No, I didn't. He wanted to. |
00:58:25 | Sorry, but I'm going
to be a few days longer. |
00:58:28 | We're going to Minnesota.
I don't believe this. |
00:58:31 | What's in Minnesota? |
00:58:33 | An old ballplayer.
I'll explain when I get home. |
00:58:36 | How are things with you? |
00:58:38 | Fine. |
00:58:39 | Great. Look, Ann,
I got to go, okay? |
00:58:42 | Give Karin a hug for me, |
00:58:45 | and I love you. |
00:58:46 | I love you, too. |
00:58:48 | Hey, someday explain all this
to me, okay? |
00:58:51 | I'll try. |
00:58:52 | Bye-bye. |
00:58:54 | Bye. |
00:59:02 | Why didn't you tell him? |
00:59:06 | Annie, you got no choice
in the matter. |
00:59:14 | Half a dozen Grahams. |
00:59:16 | No Archibald. No "Moonlight." |
00:59:20 | Follow me. |
00:59:33 | Hello. |
00:59:36 | Excuse me.
Maybe you can help us. |
00:59:38 | We're looking for an ex-baseball
player named Archibald Graham. |
00:59:42 | Oh, you mean Doc Graham. |
00:59:43 | No. I think
his nickname was "Moonlight." |
00:59:46 | Well, that's Dr. Graham. |
00:59:47 | Dr. Graham? |
00:59:49 | His baseball career
never amounted to much. |
00:59:51 | He went back to school. |
00:59:53 | His father was a doctor. |
00:59:55 | Do you know
where we can find him? |
00:59:56 | It's nothing bad.
We're not from the IRS. |
01:00:01 | Doc Graham is dead. |
01:00:03 | He died in 1972. |
01:00:08 | "And there were times
when children could not afford |
01:00:10 | "eyeglasses or milk
or clothing. |
01:00:13 | "Yet, no child was ever denied
these essentials |
01:00:16 | "because, in the background,
there was always Dr. Graham. |
01:00:19 | "Without any fanfare
or publicity, |
01:00:21 | "the glasses or the milk
or the ticket to the ballgame |
01:00:25 | "found their way
into the child's pocket." |
01:00:29 | You wrote that. |
01:00:31 | The day he died. |
01:00:32 | Can I see that? |
01:00:34 | You're a good writer. |
01:00:35 | So are you. |
01:00:43 | Something's missing. |
01:00:46 | Well, he sounds like
he was a wonderful man. |
01:00:50 | Half the towns in North
America have a Doc Graham. |
01:00:54 | What makes this one so special we
travel across the country to find him |
01:00:58 | 16 years after he died? |
01:01:01 | There's got to be more. |
01:01:09 | What else? |
01:01:11 | He always wore an overcoat, |
01:01:13 | he had white hair, |
01:01:15 | and he always carried
an umbrella. |
01:01:17 | What was the umbrella for? |
01:01:19 | It got to be a habit,
something to hang on to. |
01:01:22 | He said he used it to beat
away his lady admirers. |
01:01:27 | Tell me about his wife. |
01:01:29 | Alicia. |
01:01:32 | She moved to South Carolina
after Doc passed. |
01:01:37 | She passed
a couple years later. |
01:01:40 | She always wore blue. |
01:01:44 | The shopkeepers in town
would stock blue hats |
01:01:48 | because they knew if Doc
walked by, he'd buy one. |
01:01:55 | When they cleaned out
his office, |
01:01:58 | they found boxes of blue hats |
01:02:03 | that he never got around
to give her. |
01:02:06 | I'll bet you didn't know that. |
01:02:08 | No, I didn't. |
01:02:13 | No screwing, no drinking, no
opium, no midnight abortions, |
01:02:19 | no illegitimate children, |
01:02:22 | no shady finances. |
01:02:24 | You sound disappointed. |
01:02:27 | Shoeless Joe had a problem.
That's why he needed you. |
01:02:31 | This guy doesn't need us. |
01:02:33 | Terence. |
01:02:37 | Do you know you're missing? |
01:02:43 | Oh, God. |
01:02:46 | "His father,
who lives in Baltimore, |
01:02:49 | "notified police after receiving no
answer to repeated telephone calls." |
01:02:53 | Shoot. |
01:02:55 | I better call him. |
01:02:56 | You want me to... |
01:02:58 | Thanks. |
01:03:06 | I'm taking a walk.
Be back in a while. |
01:03:14 | What do I tell him? |
01:03:44 | "This year's"? |
01:04:27 | Dr. Graham? |
01:04:43 | My name's Ray Kinsella.
I'm from lowa. |
01:04:49 | Are you "Moonlight" Graham? |
01:04:56 | No one's called me "Moonlight"
Graham in 50 years. |
01:05:02 | Well, I've come
a very long way to see you. |
01:05:04 | I couldn't sleep tonight.
Usually I sleep like a baby. |
01:05:08 | I told Alicia
I was taking a walk. |
01:05:12 | Do you mind if I join you? |
01:05:15 | I'd like to talk to you. |
01:05:17 | Let's walk over to my office. |
01:05:21 | What do you want
to talk to me about? |
01:05:23 | When you got to the majors, you
played only one inning of one game. |
01:05:27 | What happened that inning? |
01:05:30 | It was the last day
of the season, |
01:05:33 | bottom of the eighth,
we were way ahead. |
01:05:35 | In three weeks,
I hadn't seen any action. |
01:05:40 | Suddenly old John McGraw points
a bony finger in my direction |
01:05:43 | and he says, "Right field." |
01:05:46 | I jumped up like I was sitting
on a spring, |
01:05:49 | grabbed my glove,
and ran out on the field. |
01:05:56 | Did you get to make
a play? |
01:05:58 | They never hit the ball
out of the infield. |
01:06:02 | The game ended.
The season was over. |
01:06:06 | I knew they'd send me
back down. |
01:06:09 | I couldn't bear the thought
of another year in the minors. |
01:06:12 | So I decided to hang them up. |
01:06:17 | Go on. Sit down. |
01:06:19 | Thank you. |
01:06:22 | So what was that like? |
01:06:26 | It was like coming
this close to your dreams, |
01:06:30 | then watch them brush past you,
like a stranger in a crowd. |
01:06:34 | Then, you don't think
about it. |
01:06:36 | We just don't recognize life's
most significant moments |
01:06:39 | while they're happening. |
01:06:40 | Back then I thought, "Well,
there'll be other days." |
01:06:44 | I didn't realize that
that was the only day. |
01:06:48 | And now,
I want to ask you a question. |
01:06:53 | What's so interesting about half an
inning that you'd come from lowa |
01:06:57 | to talk to me about it
50 years after it happened? |
01:07:02 | I didn't really know
till just now, |
01:07:05 | but I think it's to ask you if you
could do anything you wanted, |
01:07:09 | if you could have a wish... |
01:07:16 | And you're the kind of a man
who could grant me that wish? |
01:07:20 | I don't know. I'm just asking. |
01:07:25 | Well, you know, |
01:07:27 | I never got to bat
in the major leagues. |
01:07:29 | I'd have liked to have had
that chance, just once, |
01:07:32 | to stare down
a big-league pitcher. |
01:07:35 | Then just as he goes
into his windup, wink. |
01:07:40 | Make him think
you know something he doesn't. |
01:07:42 | That's what I wish for. |
01:07:44 | The chance to squint at a sky so blue
it hurts your eyes to look at it, |
01:07:48 | to feel the tingle in your arms
as you connect with the ball, |
01:07:51 | run bases, stretching a double into a
triple and flop face first into third, |
01:07:56 | wrap your arms around the bag. |
01:07:59 | That's my wish.
That's my wish. |
01:08:04 | Is there enough magic
out there in the moonlight |
01:08:07 | to make this dream come true? |
01:08:10 | What would you say
if I said yes? |
01:08:14 | I think
I'd actually believe you. |
01:08:17 | There's a place where
things like that happen. |
01:08:20 | If you want to go,
I can take you. |
01:08:27 | This is my most special place
in all the world. |
01:08:31 | Once a place touches you like this,
the wind never blows so cold again. |
01:08:36 | You feel for it,
like it was your child. |
01:08:42 | I can't leave Chisholm. |
01:08:44 | I understand. I do. |
01:08:49 | But I really think you're
supposed to come with us. |
01:08:54 | No. |
01:08:59 | But your wish? |
01:09:01 | It'll have to stay a wish. |
01:09:03 | I was born here, I lived here,
I'll die here, but no regrets. |
01:09:09 | Fifty years ago, for 5 minutes
you came this close. |
01:09:13 | It would kill some men |
01:09:15 | to get that close to their
dream and not touch it. |
01:09:19 | God. They'd consider it
a tragedy. |
01:09:21 | If I'd only gotten to be
a doctor for five minutes, |
01:09:25 | now that would have been
a tragedy. |
01:09:31 | I better be getting home. Alicia
will think I got a girlfriend. |
01:09:37 | And he smiled. |
01:09:40 | And then I figured, maybe we're
not supposed to take him with us. |
01:09:45 | I don't know. |
01:09:49 | I don't know why in the hell
we were supposed to come here. |
01:09:52 | Maybe it's to find out if one
inning can change the world. |
01:09:56 | Think it did? |
01:09:58 | Did for these people. |
01:09:59 | If he'd gotten a hit, he might
have stayed in baseball. |
01:10:04 | I don't know. |
01:10:06 | Oh, your wife called. She wants
you to call her tonight. |
01:10:15 | Ray? |
01:10:18 | I'm fine.
I'm just so glad it's you. |
01:10:21 | Listen, I talked to the bank, |
01:10:25 | and I asked them if we could
miss a payment or two, |
01:10:28 | and they told me that they had
just sold the note on the farm |
01:10:33 | to Mark and his partners. |
01:10:37 | Right.
So they own the paper now. |
01:10:39 | He says if we don't sell to them,
they're going to foreclose. |
01:10:43 | Ray, we don't have the money. |
01:10:48 | Look, I've got to take
Mr. Mann back to Boston first. |
01:10:52 | Okay? So, it's... |
01:10:53 | No. |
01:10:55 | Wait a second. |
01:10:57 | I'm going to lowa with you. |
01:11:03 | We're coming home. |
01:11:08 | Hell, I can't quit now.
I got to see this ballpark. |
01:11:12 | Not everyone can see it.
You might not. |
01:11:16 | Give it a try. |
01:11:24 | I need all the karma
I can get right now. |
01:11:32 | Thanks.
You're the first car by. |
01:11:34 | How far you going? |
01:11:37 | Iowa. |
01:11:38 | If it's okay, I'll just ride along a while.
I play baseball. |
01:11:44 | Hop in.
All right. |
01:11:55 | I'm looking
for a place to play. |
01:11:56 | I heard that all through the
Midwest, they have towns with teams. |
01:12:00 | In some places,
they'll find you a day job |
01:12:04 | so you can play ball
nights and weekends. |
01:12:06 | It's your lucky day. We're going
someplace kind of like that. |
01:12:12 | All right. |
01:12:13 | I'm Ray Kinsella.
This is Terence Mann. |
01:12:16 | Hi. |
01:12:18 | I'm Archie Graham. |
01:12:32 | It's funny the way he described
towns finding you a job |
01:12:35 | so you could play
on their team. |
01:12:38 | They haven't done that
for years. |
01:12:40 | Dad did that for a while,
but that was in the '20s. |
01:12:45 | What happened to your father? |
01:12:47 | He never made it as a ballplayer. He
wanted his son to make it for him. |
01:12:52 | By 10, playing baseball got to be like
eating vegetables or taking out garbage. |
01:12:58 | When I was 14,
I started to refuse. |
01:13:02 | Can you believe that? |
01:13:04 | American boy refusing to have
a catch with his father? |
01:13:08 | Why 14? |
01:13:11 | That's when I read The Boat
Rocker by Terence Mann. |
01:13:14 | Oh, God. |
01:13:15 | I never played catch
with him again. |
01:13:17 | That's the crap
people always lay on me. |
01:13:19 | It's not my fault you wouldn't
play catch with him. |
01:13:22 | I know. |
01:13:26 | Anyway, when I was 17, |
01:13:29 | I packed my things, said
something awful, and left. |
01:13:33 | After a while, I wanted to come
home, but I didn't know how. |
01:13:38 | Made it back
for the funeral, though. |
01:13:51 | What was the awful thing
you said? |
01:13:55 | To your father? |
01:13:58 | Oh. |
01:14:00 | I said I could never respect a
man whose hero was a criminal. |
01:14:06 | Who was his hero? |
01:14:08 | Shoeless Joe Jackson. |
01:14:12 | You knew he wasn't a criminal. |
01:14:15 | Then why did you say it? |
01:14:19 | I was 17. |
01:14:24 | The son of a bitch died
before I could take it back. |
01:14:29 | Before I could tell him, |
01:14:32 | you know. |
01:14:36 | He never met my wife. |
01:14:40 | He never saw
his granddaughter. |
01:14:44 | This is your penance. |
01:14:46 | I know. |
01:14:48 | I can't bring my father back. |
01:14:50 | So the least you can do
is bring back his hero. |
01:14:55 | Well... |
01:14:59 | Now I know what
everybody's purpose here is, |
01:15:03 | except mine. |
01:15:10 | Hey. |
01:15:36 | Daddy! |
01:15:38 | Karin, come here. |
01:15:43 | Hi! |
01:15:44 | Oh, we missed you. |
01:15:46 | Are you, okay? |
01:15:48 | Yeah. This is Terence Mann. |
01:15:50 | Terry. |
01:15:51 | Welcome. |
01:15:52 | Hi, Terry. |
01:15:54 | And this young fella
is...This is Archie Graham. |
01:15:58 | Archie. |
01:16:00 | He's come to practice
with the team. |
01:16:01 | He'll be able to do
a lot more than that. |
01:16:05 | What does that mean? |
01:16:13 | What do you say?
What do you say? |
01:16:16 | Hey, Ray. Welcome back. |
01:16:20 | Thanks, Joe. |
01:16:21 | Oh, my God. |
01:16:22 | What? |
01:16:23 | That's Shoeless Joe Jackson. |
01:16:25 | Of course it is. |
01:16:27 | You didn't believe me? |
01:16:28 | I thought I did, but... |
01:16:30 | Oh, my God. |
01:16:33 | Hi, Annie.
Hi, Joe. |
01:16:35 | Good to see you. |
01:16:37 | Terry, I'd like you
to meet Shoeless Joe Jackson. |
01:16:41 | Joe, Terry Mann. |
01:16:44 | It's a pleasure meeting you. |
01:16:45 | The pleasure's mine. |
01:16:47 | We got tired
of just having practices, |
01:16:51 | so we brought another team out
so we'd have some real games. |
01:16:55 | I don't mind. |
01:16:57 | Where'd they come from? |
01:16:58 | Where did we come from? |
01:17:00 | So many wanted to play here. We had
to beat them off with a stick. |
01:17:04 | Hey, that's Smokey Joe Wood |
01:17:07 | and Mel Ott |
01:17:09 | and Gil Hodges. |
01:17:11 | Ty Cobb wanted to play. |
01:17:13 | Nobody could stand him
when we were alive. |
01:17:15 | We told him to stick it. |
01:17:20 | Hey, are you Graham? |
01:17:24 | Yes, sir. |
01:17:25 | Why are you on the sidelines?
Came to play ball, didn't you? |
01:17:29 | Yes, sir. |
01:17:32 | All right. Well, go warm up. |
01:17:34 | Yes, sir. |
01:17:38 | Rookies. |
01:17:40 | Unbelievable. |
01:17:43 | It's more than that. |
01:17:46 | It's perfect. |
01:18:00 | - Ho!
- Safe! |
01:18:11 | Go, Graham! Go, kid! |
01:18:14 | Come on, Archie! |
01:18:15 | He looks like a baby
next to those guys. |
01:18:18 | He is. |
01:18:23 | Let's get a hit. |
01:18:27 | Let's go. |
01:18:32 | Oh! |
01:18:34 | Watch it, boy! |
01:18:37 | Say hey! |
01:18:39 | Don't let him
shake you up. Hang in there! |
01:18:41 | Knuckles, what did you throw
at the kid for? |
01:18:45 | He winked at me. |
01:18:47 | Don't wink, kid. |
01:18:50 | Good thing for you
he didn't throw the fastball. |
01:18:57 | Let's see that fastball. |
01:18:59 | Let's go. Come on. |
01:19:03 | - Yeah!
- Ball. |
01:19:05 | Hey, ump! Come on.
Give us a break! |
01:19:09 | Hey, ump. |
01:19:11 | How about a warning?
Sure. |
01:19:14 | Watch out
you don't get killed. |
01:19:16 | Time! |
01:19:21 | Those first two were
high and tight. |
01:19:23 | What will the next one be? |
01:19:26 | Well, either low and away
or in my ear. |
01:19:31 | He won't want to load the bases.
So look for low and away. |
01:19:34 | All right. |
01:19:37 | But watch out for in your ear. |
01:19:41 | - Come on, Archie!
- Let's go, kid! |
01:19:42 | Batter, batter,
batter, batter! |
01:19:44 | Come on, Arch.
It just takes one. |
01:19:47 | Never hit it, kid. |
01:19:59 | Yeah. Yeah. |
01:20:00 | That's deep enough. |
01:20:02 | Go! Go! |
01:20:04 | Go home! |
01:20:07 | Safe! |
01:20:08 | Son of a... |
01:20:09 | Way to go, Arch! Way to go! |
01:20:12 | Attaboy, Arch! |
01:20:15 | This is the wave! |
01:20:18 | - Way to go, man!
- Yeah, Archie. |
01:20:21 | All right. |
01:20:22 | That's what we needed. |
01:20:24 | Way to go. |
01:20:25 | Yeah. Way to go. |
01:21:00 | What is this? |
01:21:03 | What is this jerk doing? |
01:21:04 | Hi! |
01:21:06 | Shit! |
01:21:07 | Wreck him. |
01:21:08 | Let me at him! |
01:21:09 | You're interrupting
the game, Mark. |
01:21:12 | Ray, it's time to put away
your little fantasies |
01:21:16 | and come down to Earth. |
01:21:17 | It's not a fantasy.
They're real. |
01:21:19 | Who is real? |
01:21:21 | Shoeless Joe Jackson,
the White Sox, all of them. |
01:21:25 | You mean? |
01:21:26 | He can't see any of them. |
01:21:29 | Well, who is this, Elvis? |
01:21:32 | Ray. |
01:21:34 | As a matter of fact,
it's Terence Mann. |
01:21:36 | How do you do?
I'm the Easter bunny. |
01:21:39 | Let's settle this thing now.
You have no money. |
01:21:41 | Look. I'm not selling.
You have no money! |
01:21:44 | You have a stack of bills! Come
fall, you got no crop to sell. |
01:21:49 | I have a deal that allows you
to stay on the land. |
01:21:52 | We don't have
to sell the farm. |
01:21:56 | You'll live
in the house rent-free. |
01:21:59 | What about the team? |
01:22:00 | Do you realize
how much this land is worth? |
01:22:02 | Yeah. Yeah. |
01:22:06 | 2,200 bucks an acre. |
01:22:08 | We can't keep a useless baseball
diamond in rich farmland. |
01:22:12 | Read my lips. We're staying, all right?
We're staying. |
01:22:15 | Ray, you're bankrupt! |
01:22:17 | I'm offering you a way to keep your
home because I love my sister. |
01:22:20 | My partners don't care
and are ready to foreclose. |
01:22:25 | Daddy, we don't have
to sell the farm. |
01:22:28 | Karin, please! |
01:22:29 | Just wait! |
01:22:31 | Wait! |
01:22:34 | People will come. |
01:22:37 | What people, sweetheart? |
01:22:39 | From all over. |
01:22:41 | They'll just decide
to take a vacation, see? |
01:22:44 | And they'll come to lowa City. |
01:22:46 | They'll think it's really boring.
So they'll want to pay us. |
01:22:51 | Like buying a ticket. |
01:22:56 | You're not seriously listening
to this, are you? |
01:22:59 | Yes. |
01:23:01 | Wait a minute. |
01:23:02 | Why would anybody pay money
to come here? |
01:23:05 | To watch the games. |
01:23:07 | It will be just like when they
were little kids a long time ago. |
01:23:12 | They'll watch the game
and remember what it was like. |
01:23:15 | What the hell
is she talking about? |
01:23:18 | People will come. |
01:23:19 | All right.
This is fascinating, |
01:23:22 | but you don't have the money to
bring the mortgage up to date. |
01:23:26 | You're still going
to have to sell. |
01:23:29 | I'm sorry, Ray. |
01:23:31 | We got no choice. |
01:23:36 | Ray. |
01:23:38 | People will come, Ray. |
01:23:42 | They'll come to lowa for reasons
they can't even fathom. |
01:23:46 | They'll turn up your driveway, not
knowing for sure why they're doing it. |
01:23:50 | They'll arrive at your door |
01:23:52 | as innocent as children,
longing for the past. |
01:23:56 | "Of course, we won't mind if
you look around," you'll say. |
01:24:01 | "It's only $20 per person." |
01:24:04 | They'll pass over the money
without even thinking about it. |
01:24:07 | For it is money they have
and peace they lack. |
01:24:10 | Just sign the papers. |
01:24:13 | Then they'll walk out
to the bleachers |
01:24:17 | and sit in their shirt sleeves
on a perfect afternoon. |
01:24:23 | They'll find
they have reserved seats |
01:24:26 | somewhere along
one of the baselines, |
01:24:30 | where they sat
when they were children |
01:24:32 | and cheered their heroes, |
01:24:35 | and they'll watch the game, |
01:24:37 | and it will be as if they dipped
themselves in magic waters. |
01:24:41 | The memories will be so thick, |
01:24:44 | they'll have to brush them
away from their faces. |
01:24:47 | Ray, when the bank opens in the
morning, they'll foreclose. |
01:24:51 | People will come, Ray. |
01:24:53 | You're broke, Ray. You sell
now, or you lose everything. |
01:24:58 | The one constant through all the
years, Ray, has been baseball. |
01:25:03 | America has rolled by
like an army of steamrollers. |
01:25:07 | It's been erased like a blackboard,
rebuilt, and erased again. |
01:25:12 | But baseball has marked
the time. |
01:25:17 | This field, this game. |
01:25:20 | It's a part of our past, Ray. |
01:25:23 | It reminds us of all
that once was good, |
01:25:28 | and it could be again. |
01:25:31 | Oh, people will come, Ray. |
01:25:36 | People will
most definitely come. |
01:25:39 | Ray,
you will lose everything. |
01:25:43 | You will be evicted. |
01:25:56 | Come on, Ray. |
01:26:18 | I'm not signing. |
01:26:20 | You're crazy. Absolutely nuts! |
01:26:23 | I can't do it, pal. |
01:26:24 | I mean,
you build a baseball field |
01:26:28 | in the middle of nowhere,
and you stare at nothing. |
01:26:31 | It's not nothing. Your daughter's
turned into a space case. |
01:26:34 | Get your hands off her! |
01:26:38 | Karin? |
01:26:44 | Is she all right?
Is she breathing? |
01:26:47 | Should I get the car? |
01:26:54 | I'm going to call Emergency. |
01:26:57 | Annie, wait. |
01:26:59 | What? |
01:27:18 | Just wait. |
01:27:38 | What have we got here? |
01:27:39 | She fell. |
01:27:48 | This child's choking
to death. Get her up. |
01:27:52 | Hold her steady now. |
01:27:59 | Hot dog. Stuck in her throat. |
01:28:03 | She'll be all right. |
01:28:04 | She'll be turning handsprings
before you know it. |
01:28:12 | Thank you, Doc. |
01:28:15 | No, son. |
01:28:16 | Thank you. |
01:28:21 | Oh, my God. You can't go back. |
01:28:23 | Hey, it's all right. |
01:28:25 | I'm sorry.
It's all right. |
01:28:32 | I best be getting on home |
01:28:34 | before Alicia begins to think
I got a girlfriend. |
01:28:43 | Hey, Doc. |
01:28:45 | Good work, Doc. |
01:28:48 | Nice going, Doc. |
01:28:53 | Going to miss you, Doc. |
01:28:57 | Win one for me one day,
will you, boys? |
01:28:59 | Okay, Doc. |
01:29:01 | Yeah. |
01:29:09 | When did these ballplayers
get here? |
01:29:17 | Hey, rookie! |
01:29:31 | You were good. |
01:29:46 | Do not sell this farm, Ray.
You got to keep this farm. |
01:29:50 | You've had a rough day. Go inside
and get something cold to drink. |
01:29:55 | Yeah. That's a good idea. |
01:29:59 | Don't sell the farm, Ray. |
01:30:10 | Ray? |
01:30:12 | We're going to call it a day. |
01:30:14 | See you tomorrow. |
01:30:16 | Okay. |
01:30:21 | Hey, do you want
to come with us? |
01:30:28 | You mean it? |
01:30:29 | No, not you. |
01:30:32 | Him. |
01:30:36 | Him?
Come with you? |
01:30:39 | Out there. |
01:30:40 | What is out there? |
01:30:41 | Come and find out. |
01:30:43 | Wait a second. Why him? |
01:30:44 | I built this field. You wouldn't
be here if it weren't for me. |
01:30:47 | Ray, I'm unattached.
You have a family. |
01:30:49 | I want to know
what's out there. |
01:30:53 | But you're not invited. |
01:30:56 | Not invited? What do you mean
I'm not invited? |
01:30:59 | That's my corn out there. You
guys are guests in my corn. |
01:31:03 | I've done everything
I've been asked to do. |
01:31:05 | I didn't understand it,
but I've done it. |
01:31:07 | I haven't once asked
what's in it for me. |
01:31:09 | What are you saying? |
01:31:10 | I'm saying,
"What's in it for me?" |
01:31:14 | Is that why you did this? |
01:31:16 | For you? |
01:31:23 | I think you'd better
stay here, Ray. |
01:31:29 | Why? |
01:31:32 | There's a reason
they chose me, |
01:31:35 | just as there's a reason
they chose this field. |
01:31:39 | I gave that interview. |
01:31:40 | What interview?
What are you talking about? |
01:31:43 | The one about Ebbets Field, the one
that sent you to Boston to find me. |
01:31:50 | You lied to me. |
01:31:51 | You were kidnapping me at the time.
You lied. |
01:31:54 | You said
your finger was a gun. |
01:31:59 | That's a good point. |
01:32:01 | Ray. |
01:32:07 | Listen to me, Ray.
Listen to me. |
01:32:11 | There is something out there, |
01:32:14 | and if I have the courage
to go through with this, |
01:32:17 | what a story it'll make. |
01:32:21 | "Shoeless Joe Jackson comes
to lowa." |
01:32:33 | What? Are you going
to write about it? |
01:32:35 | You bet I'll write about it. |
01:32:37 | You're going to write
about it. |
01:32:40 | That's what I do. |
01:32:45 | Good. |
01:33:01 | Honey? |
01:33:07 | Honey, where's he going? |
01:33:09 | Terry's been invited
to go out with the others. |
01:33:12 | How are you feeling,
sweetheart? |
01:33:14 | Stupid. |
01:33:15 | You mean out? |
01:33:17 | Yeah. |
01:33:19 | Out. |
01:33:21 | Far out. |
01:33:24 | I want a full description. |
01:33:27 | Take care of this family. |
01:33:31 | Be careful. |
01:34:32 | Bye. |
01:34:36 | What? |
01:34:45 | What are you grinning at,
you ghost? |
01:34:48 | "If you build it, |
01:34:52 | "he will come." |
01:35:05 | Oh, my God. |
01:35:07 | What? What is it? |
01:35:13 | It's my father. |
01:35:20 | "Ease his pain." |
01:35:23 | "Go the distance." |
01:35:27 | it was you. |
01:35:33 | No, Ray. |
01:35:35 | It was you. |
01:36:03 | My God. I... |
01:36:05 | I only saw him years later
when he was worn down by life. |
01:36:11 | Look at him. |
01:36:14 | He's got his whole life in front of him,
and I'm not even a glint in his eye. |
01:36:23 | What do I say to him? |
01:36:27 | Why don't you introduce
him to his granddaughter? |
01:36:33 | Hi. |
01:36:36 | Hi. |
01:36:38 | I just wanted to thank you folks
for putting up this field, |
01:36:41 | letting us play here. |
01:36:43 | I'm John Kinsella. |
01:36:47 | I'm Ray. |
01:36:50 | My wife Annie.
Hi. |
01:36:53 | This is my daughter Karin. |
01:36:55 | Karin, this is my... |
01:36:59 | This is John. |
01:37:02 | Hi, John. |
01:37:06 | Hiya, Karin. |
01:37:10 | Well, we're going to let
you two talk. |
01:37:14 | I mean, if all these people
are going to come, |
01:37:16 | we got a lot of work to do. |
01:37:20 | It was very nice meeting you. |
01:37:23 | Ma'am. |
01:37:26 | Come on, hon. |
01:37:42 | You catch a good game. |
01:37:45 | Thank you. |
01:37:49 | It's so beautiful here. |
01:37:53 | For me... |
01:37:57 | Well, for me it's like
a dream come true. |
01:38:03 | Can I ask you something? |
01:38:09 | Is... Is this heaven? |
01:38:15 | It's lowa. |
01:38:18 | Iowa? |
01:38:20 | Yeah. |
01:38:25 | I could have sworn
it was heaven. |
01:38:35 | Is... |
01:38:37 | ls there a heaven? |
01:38:41 | Oh, yeah. |
01:38:45 | It's the place
dreams come true. |
01:39:07 | Maybe this is heaven. |
01:39:14 | Well... |
01:39:16 | Good night, Ray. |
01:39:20 | Good night, John. |
01:39:32 | Hey, Dad? |
01:39:37 | You want to have a catch? |
01:39:42 | I'd like that. |