The Natural Page #4

But you gave it up?

Sort of.

But my mind was always on the game.

So I figured...

...to give it another try.

Just like that?

Just like that.

Where you from?

Does it matter?

Do you always talk this way

about yourself?

Let me tell you something about Pop.

He gave his heart and soul

to the game...

...only to get it trampled on.

I'd give my right arm

to get him the pennant.

It took me 16 years to get here.

You play me...

...and you'll get the best I got.

I believe you.

Pretty good food, huh?

It's damn good.

You can't spell it,

but it eats pretty good, don't it?

All right. A little hustle,

a little hustle!

I don't know where

that water comes from, but...

Never mind the water.

Just stand up there and hit the ball.

You wanna sit this one out?

Can you imagine that Judge

sending me a middle-aged rookie?

I'm gonna pay his contract.

I ain't gonna play him.

Never.

That's kind of a bad play there.

- Which are so

inherently symptomatic...

...of a losing team.

Sorry, doc, I had a little...

You know.

The mind is a strange thing, men.

We must begin by asking it...

..."What is losing?"

Losing is a disease...

...as contagious as polio.

Losing is a disease...

...as contagious as syphilis.

Losing is a disease...

...as contagious as bubonic plague...

...attacking one...

...but infecting all.

But curable.

Now, I want you to imagine...

...you are on a ship at sea...

...on a vast...

You wanna sit down and pay attention?

- Gently rocking.

Get back in here!

Gently rocking.

Gently rocking.

Gently rocking.

I'm sending you down, Hobbs.

Class B ball.

Tomorrow morning, you go

to the Great Lakes Association.

- You make the rules.

- That's right.

And you ain't been playing by them.

All these other guys play by them.

- You remember signing a contract?

- I remember signing it...

...to play ball. Not to be put to sleep

by some hypnotist. I won't do that.

You're going down.

Took me a long time to get here.

I won't do it!

I can't.

I came here to play ball.

Come back here!

Batting practice tomorrow.

Be there!

I have been...

...every day.

You all squared away?

- Yeah.

- All right.

Get in the cage.

Let's see what you can do.

Get out of there, Bump.

Show us what you can do.

Try this one, grandpa.

Come here!

Let me see that bat.

Not bad, kid.

Where'd you get this?

I made it myself

from a tree near home.

"Wonderboy. "

You put that on there?

What does it mean?

I made it a long time ago,

when I was kid.

I wanted it to be a very special bat.

How about this lightning bolt?

The tree I made it from

was split open by lightning.

I don't figure this.

All those years, and you never played

organized baseball?

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