OK, son, that a boy. Call it.
I got it.
Two hands on that, son, two hands.
Beggars can't be choosers.
I heard that.
You're putting too much topspin on that ball.
Can't even hit decent fungos.
Why don't you fungo up, huh?
Can you believe this guy?
You want this scrub teaching our kids God's game?
Long as I don't have to.
Look how he's using my--
his players.
The coach told me he's going to teach
the kids it's not whether you win or lose,
it's how you play the game.
Oh, no, not that.
How'd this guy get the job anyway?
What are his qualifications?
He's the only volunteer with a station wagon.
OK, call for it.
Talk it up out there.
I got to ask you a question, pal.
Heads up.
What qualifies you to coach this team?
Mr. Banducci, later, huh?
No.
My kid's out there.
I don't want him picking up bad habits.
I played college ball at San Diego State.
Oh, bitching.
I did box Golden Gloves.
What's that got to do with this?
Do we have to get another coach?
It's our third one.
Sal, pretend you're a New York Yankee.
So you you going to get?
Not you.
Nah, nah, I'm not going to get me.
We're going to get Uncle Doug.
Coach Penhall.
All right.
[theme music]
THEME SONG: We never thought we'd
find a place where we belong.
You don't have to stand alone, we'll never let you fall.
Don't need permission to decide what you believe.
I said jump down on Jump Street.
Your friends will be there when your back is to the wall.
You'll find you'll need us because there's
no one else to call.
When it was hopeless, a decision is what you need.
You better be ready to, be ready to jump.
21 Jump Street.
Best catcher the Terrytown Tigers ever had.
Some 14 years later, he returns to manage the team.
Hey.
I coached peewee baseball for my kid.
Let me tell you something, this job is
a piece of cake in comparison.
Sal, I don't think I can do it.
I mean, one kid's all I can handle right now.
Clavo still down?
Yeah, he's really depressed lately and I don't know why.
You need to spend more time with him.
You gotta do stuff that he's interested in.
He needs to be around kids his own age.
Clavo is too young to play.
Let him be the bat boy.
We're talking serious bonding, Doug.
Baseball with your dad.
The crack of ash on horsehide.
The smell of that fresh cut grass.
The melody of chin music from the mound.
No, I'm sorry.
No.
Look, I asked Hanson, he can't do it.
He's on a case in that district.
Doug.
OK.
This is a major confession here.
I was the absolute, no question about it, hands down,
worst baseball player ever.
Abner Doubleday did somersaults in his grave
when I took the field.
I choked more times--
I was the Chicago Cubs of peewee baseball.
It's not funny.
It hurts.
I guess you'll learn soon enough that a parent relives
every painful second when he sees the same thing happen
to his kid.
Sal, why don't you just coach?
I don't know what it's like to be a winner.
Maybe with your help Sal Junior can.
Hello there, friends.
Today we take on the problem of being
a successful baseball umpire.
Oh, good, here comes a player sliding into home plate now.
You're out.
I'm sorry, Debbie.
I'm late.
Work kind of got out of--
It's OK, Mr. Penhall.
I'm used to it.
Is everything OK?
Yeah.
I sent Clavo to bed an hour ago.
Problems?
No, he's never a problem.
He just sits at the table there drawing.
Don't worry about it, Mr. Penhall.
He'll get over it once he's old enough to hang out at the mall
with the other kids.
Thank you.
Thanks.
Build it and he will come.
All right, let's see everybody take the field
and positions that they want.
Infield practice.
Move it, monkeys, move it.
Goodnight, Mrs. Steinbrenner.
You know, all the really good ballplayers
take extra practice, and you are a good ballplayer.
Danny.
Thanks.
You look familiar, do I know your dad?
No.
Well, what's your last name?
Johnson.
So you two seem to have hit it off.
We're going for a burger, you want to go?
No, thanks.
I've got to go.
Bye, Danny.
You like that guy?
I like Danny.
He taught me how to play pepper.
Oh, yeah?
I'll play pepper with you.
Here.
Stand over here.
Batting stance, ready?
OK, you ready?
Are you ready?
Say yes.
Yes.
Here's the pitch.
Excellent.
So we put Danny at--
Short stop.
Short stop, good thinking.
Aaron will be second base, and Sal Junior should be left out.
Now, now, be nice.
Hey, Doug, look.
There's Danny.
Where?
On the box.
Oh, oh, oh.
That's Michael Jordan, dude.
No, on the milk box.
There.
Here, Sal.
Get to the line.
Sal?
Sal.
Baby, all we need is a hit.
Just make contact.
Keep your eye on the ball.
Good stance.
Don't put--
Hey, Doug, Doug-- maybe you should pinch hit.
What are you talking about?
There's no outs. - Right.
Look.
Why tempt fate, Doug?
It's the last inning, Danny's the winning run.
I thought you wanted Sal Junior
to learn what it's like to win.
Exactly.
Pinch hit.
Sal, go side down, man.
It's just a practice game.
OK, Sal baby, keep your head down, baby.
Eyes open, head down.
You're out of there.
Triple play.
2, 4, 6, 8, who do we appreciate?
Wildcats, Wildcats, yah.
Listen, Sal Junior, I don't want you to get
too depressed about this. There'll be other games.
- Penhall. - What?
What?
Cut the sportsmanship crap.
I would rather sit through an opera in German
than listen to that stupid cheer again.
Why did you let--
I thought we had an understanding.
I told you to pinch hit over there.
Doug?
We're a little snake bit out there.
By a boa constrictor.
I'm Doug Penhall.
Hi.
Bob.
Jones?
Johnson.
Oh, yeah, your Danny's father.
Yep.
Good ballplayer.
Sure is.
Did you teach him how to play?
He's picked up a lot here and there.
We both loved the game, like to watch it together.
Yeah, I saw the sign.
Man, I'm sorry.
I didn't mean to. - No, it's OK.
It was a good call.
Smart.
Thanks.
I got this third base coach, and she
roots for the Philadelphia Phillies
because she thinks the mascot is funny.
I could really use a good assistant coach.
Oh, come on.
Danny's our best player.
The other kids look up to him because he's
got good leadership qualities.
Some of that must come from you.
No, Doug, I appreciate the offer.
My work and stuff, you know?
You sure?
Yeah.
OK.
Thanks.
Good luck.
Oh, we're going to need it.
I'll see you around.
Thanks for helping me, guys.
I don't know what I'd do without you.
Danny, is that your father over there?
Yeah.
I'll see you, Clavo.
Can we play later?
Yeah, I'll call and see if it's OK.
See ya.
Keep your eye on Danny.
Hey, Curtis.
Did he react?
Kind of.
What's up?
I saw Danny or Curtis's picture on a milk carton
this morning at breakfast.
Maybe you're just hallucinating
after your third bowl of cocoa flakes.
Curtis Stapleton?
So you don't think that guy's really Danny's fa--
Curtis's father?
Seems like it.
But there's no proof of that.
Danny may not even know. - What do you mean?
Well, Doug, if children are kidnapped young enough,
they don't know that their captor's not their parent.
This says he's only been missing for a year or so.
He'd know.
Danny so something bad?
No. No.
Danny's a good kid.
Look, I'll check with juvenile services
and see if anything criminal is related to the disappearance.
I hope you didn't need the money.
I'm home early.
The one day Clavo doesn't need it.
What do you mean?
His friend Danny came over and we went to the park
and played a little pepper.
Is Danny still here?
Yeah.
He's in the bedroom.
OK, thanks a lot.
Goodnight.
CLAVO: My mother is in El Salvador.
DANNY: I've head of there.
Is it in California?
It's here.
Wow.
It's so far away.
Where does your brother live?
Here.
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
That's far away too.
Not really.
It's far when my mother isn't here.
Is Coach Penhall your dad?
No.
He my tio, my uncle.
Oh.
He's a nice coach.
He's a nice uncle.
He loves me, but I miss my mother.
Yeah, my dad loves me too.
My mother visits me.
DANNY: She does?
From way down there?
When I'm sleeping, she visits me.
That's just your dream.
You're dreaming about her.
So.
I guess I just don't dream about mine.
Hey, Clav, don't tell anyone about this, OK?
Now what's going on in here, you little 4-footers?
Oh, I see chicks, I see bear.
Hey, Dude, I think it's grazing time.
You hungry?
You want to eat?
No, I'm late.
OK, I'll drive you.
No, it's OK, I'll walk.
Don't be silly, it's dark.
Tell me where you live.
Tell me the address.
Um, I'll know it when I see it.
Here.
Right here?
Thanks, Mr. Penhall.
I'll walk you up, say hi to your dad.
No.
That's OK.
Bye, Danny.
Sorry.
But references or no references, you're
not going to find a better framer anywhere.
I see.
I understand.
We gonna have to leave again?
You know the rules, Danny.
When it gets dangerous, it's time to go.
But the first game is in a couple of days.
Hey, I promised you, you're going to play baseball.
And you're going to play baseball, whether it's
here or somewhere else.
It's not just baseball.
I was hoping we could stay here and get a house and everything.
Go ahead, eat up.
You still got your homework to do.
OK, get it together.
We're going to take pictures now.
Head over there.
Make sure my kid stand in front with a bat, all right?
So he remembers.
Danny.
OK, smile like you just won your arbitration.
I'm going to go follow him.
It's part of our deal, sport.
You could play ball, but no pictures.
It's dangerous.
I just want to be able to remember everyone.
You will remember them here.
I remember too many people that way.
So what do you think?
Well, it's obvious what's happened,
the boy's been kidnapped.
Well, Bob's his father.
He's taken Danny away from his legal parents.
That is kidnapping.
But he cares for the kid, and Danny loves him, I know that.
Well, what about the mother?
You stop to think about her?
Of course, I stopped to think about the mother.
Maybe he wasn't happy with his mother.
Well, the court decided the boy should be with his mother
and his stepfather.
When was the last time the court made
a good decision about anything?
Well, your biological bias aside, you know,
a father can be just as good a parent as a mother.
I resent that, Doug, and I think
you're letting your personal situation color
your judgment on this one.
OK, then, we'll go down to the motel, cuff the guy,
throw him in the backseat of a squad car,
give his kid a nice front row seat for the show.
Then he can cool his heels at the juvenile detention center
while he's waiting for his mother to pick him up.
But you do it.
All right, all right, but it's got to be resolved.
You can't let him skip again.
I know.
Hey, what's this?
Me and Danny.
No, no, this thing.
What is that?
It's the sun.
Why's the sun frowning?
Because he knows the two boys are sad.
Why are the two boys sad?
You know, Clavo, if you miss your mother, you can say so.
It won't hurt my feelings.
It won't?
No, of course not.
You know, I miss my own mother, and I miss Marta.
Does that hurt your feelings?
No.
If you're feeling happy or sad, I want to know about it.
I want you to let me in on it, you know?
Doug?
Yeah.
I miss my mother.
Clavo?
Yeah.
I'm glad you're here.
I'll tell you what.
Why don't you finish this up, and we'll
send it to your mother.
Should I make the sun happy?
No.
It's perfect just the way you made it.
It'll let her know that you miss her.
Yeah.
Hello, is there a Janet or Ed Stapleton there?
[phone ringing]
Yeah, Rocketdyne, Banducci speaking.
No.
Yeah, Sal Junior, tell your mom it's OK.
All right.
Now, listen, I want you to get some sleep.
Your first game is the day after tomorrow.
What?
Oh, yeah, the probe to Alpha Centauri.
It's going great.
OK.
Right.
Bye bye.
Rocketdyne?
Yeah, I told--
told my kid I work at a place that builds rockets.
Ah.
Why?
He likes rockets.
No, no, no, I mean, why did you lie to him, Sal?
What's up?
You ashamed of us?
Ain't you I'm ashamed of.
Well, you can't just lie to him, Sal.
Yeah, I can.
He'd want me to.
Captain, my dad, when he could find work,
had the goofiest jobs.
He was the Planter's peanut man once.
Another time, he cleaned up horse poop
behind those carriages that went around Central Park.
I just cringed every time he got a new job waiting
to hear how stupid it was.
I wish he would have just lied, and said he worked at Yankee
Stadium or Madison Square Garden,
preferably as a Yankee or a Ranger.
Hey, Sal, look, man, your son is not you, you know?
I mean, there's a lot of you in him, but it's not you.
I learned that with Kip.
I just want his life to be better
than Mine I want to protect him from four eyes jokes.
I don't want him to be a janitor.
Well, of course, you don't want him to be a janitor.
Not that there's a damn thing wrong with that now, Sal,
but, oh, come on, man.
The kid's going to be called four eyes,
and he's going to strike out at the plate.
We all do.
But you gotta let him take the cuts.
You understand, Sal?
Yeah.
Oh, oh, oh, oh, you know that probe to Alpha Centauri?
You think you could get Hanson and Penhall
on that thing for me?
I'll put in a good word, sir.
Like this.
Hey, that's cool.
[doorbell]
Showtime.
Mr. and Mrs. Stapleton, come right on in.
I'm Officer Doug Penhall.
This is Officer Judy Hoffs.
Hello.
Do you guys want some candy?
That's my little host, Clavo.
How about some soda?
Thank you, but they don't eat sweets.
Water will be fine.
Can I have some soda?
Let's get water for everyone.
Please, have a seat.
I hope you don't mind us bringing the children.
We left as soon as we heard from you.
We didn't have time to make arrangements.
No, of course not.
I hope you don't mind us handling it this way.
My wife and I are only interested in getting
the boy home.
We aren't seeking vengeance.
Officer Penhall will bring Danny--
Curtis.
I'm sorry.
Officer Penhall will bring Curtis and his father
here so that you can talk to them in a neutral environment.
It's important that the boy understand what's going on.
What will happen to Robert?
Well, we'll have to notify the authorities in Harrisburg.
I'm sure they'll want to speak to you before they decide
whether or not to extradite.
Excuse me?
I need some information.
Oh, hey, I just rent the rooms.
I don't know what they do in there.
I'm interested in a guy who lives with a kid in Room 4.
Deadbeat.
Cleared out this afternoon, still owes me for four nights.
You don't know where he went?
You find out, I'd sure like to know.
Officer Penhall, what exactly is going on here?
I mean, is this some kind of cruel joke?
No, sir.
When I saw Bob pay the motel manager,
I really thought they were paying in advance for the room.
Can you imagine what this does to my wife?
We didn't mean for this to happen, Mr. Stapleton.
Please, be a little more certain before you call.
That's all we ask.
Tomorrow's our first game.
You think they'll show?
It was very important to Curtis.
Come on.
Let's go.
OK, come on, you guys.
Where's Danny?
He's our best player.
[national anthem]
No.
The officer will handle this.
What's he doing?
What a time to get cold feet.
Play ball.
Get out.
Great.
So I wasn't paranoid.
OK, one away, man on second.
Kill them.
Judy, this isn't the Chicago Blackhawks.
Let's go, look alive out there.
Look alive out there.
Please don't hit it to me.
So the law tells you this is how it's going to be,
and you keep telling yourself it's all for the best
and try to get on with your life.
But I don't have a big career and I'm
no big lady's man or anything.
My kid was my life.
What about your wife?
I don't blame her for leaving me.
When a guy is out of work long enough,
a woman starts to look at him differently.
But my kid, he didn't look at me differently.
So you just took him?
Even though you knew that's not what's best for him?
What would you do?
All of a sudden, your kid's being raised by some guy who
has his way of doing things.
That's that.
So what?
No sweets, he'll live.
No.
Ed's denying Curtis things that make growing
up something to remember.
No music, no movies, no baseball.
Can you imagine that?
An 11-year-old kid not allowed to play baseball.
Well, I don't know what I'd do in that situation,
but I do know what I have to do in this situation.
OK.
I know.
You do me a favor?
All right.
Let's go, guys, heads up out there.
Heads up.
Come on, let's do it.
Sal Junior.
Aren't you going to coach?
That's what's so great about this game.
It's as much fun to watch as it is to play.
The thing that I don't get is why did you bring Dan--
Curtis back.
For not just the game, right?
I realized with the way we were living,
I was as guilty of keeping him from things as Ed was.
And all he'll ever remember about growing up
is running from one place to another.
Last inning.
Batter up.
Send someone in.
Batter to the plate.
All right.
You guys know what we gotta do, right?
Cameron, you're on, baby.
Let's go.
One run.
Come on, dig deep.
Oh my god, I can't take this.
You're out.
Hey, back to your bench.
No way.
He was--
I don't want to hear about it.
Back to your bench.
I'm not going back to my bench.
Turn around.
You're gone.
OK, Danny, get batter in there, babe.
Danny, let's go, kid.
Get in the game.
Get ready to knock it out, buddy!
Strike.
Darryl Strawberry.
Wally Joyner.
What does 20 Gwynne mean, really?
Use the force, Luke.
Ball.
Strike.
Take a cup, buddy, I got faith in you.
OK, mail call.
Doug, here.
Clavo?
Here.
Is there a Clavo in the building?
Here.
Oh, I didn't see you sitting there, you little doohickey.
You got a letter.
Who's it from?
Well, it's from Harrisburg.
From Curtis.
Danny.
His name is Curtis.
Remember we talked about that.
Oh, yeah.
What's it say?
I'm getting to that.
He's the fold master.
OK.
Dear Clavo, how are you?
I hope you are good.
I hope you are a good, period.
He forgot the period.
Our teacher told us to write a letter to a friend,
so this is it.
I hope I get a good grade.
My baseball team in Harrisburg is real good.
We are 8 and 2 and in the playoffs.
I made the all-star game.
How is your uncle Doug's team?
Still bad?
Well, it's time for gym, and we have to go.
Please write me, yours truly, Curtis Stapleton.
That's really nice.
There's another one.
PS, this note isn't part of my grade.
If your Uncle Doug knows where my real dad is, can
you tell him I miss him and would like to write him
letters too.
PSPS, my new baseball team is nowheres near
as good as your Uncle Doug's.
Yours truly, Danny.
OK, why don't we get ready for the game, huh?
[theme music]