Characters:

Isaac - 20, male

Coach Able - 40's, male

Time and Place:

University workout facility. Present day.

Lights fade up slowly on ISAAC, 19 - an ace college baseball player mid-workout.

He is on a pitching rubber, throwing. He has a bucket of baseballs next to him.

He is electric. He is a great athlete.

But, this is a workout, he’s going slowly. Pacing himself.

He throws one, doesn’t love how it felt.

He goes again. Nods. It’s a little better.

He goes to get another ball.

Enter COACH ABEL, a man in his 40s.

Isaac pauses his routine. The pair stare at one another for a tense beat.

COACH

Hello?

ISAAC

Coach.

Isaac gets another ball. He stands on the rubber. A few beats.

COACH

You going to throw it?

ISAAC

I was...

COACH

Stage fright?

ISAAC

I like to throw alone sometimes - just go easy - clear my head. And yes, you being here does prevent me from doing that.

A beat.

COACH

... You’re not happy. And you’ve been telegraphing that to me pretty clearly. I’m trying to sus out if you’re just a gloomy fella or something about my recent hiring is the reason you’ve been so -

Coach motions at him.

COACH

This.

ISAAC

... You don’t want to know the answer to that.

COACH

Feels like that’s the answer right there.

ISAAC

Sure, but what do you want me to come out like... C’mon I can’t really say what I mean -

COACH

Why not?

ISAAC

You’re a coach.

COACH

... In the team meeting last week when they announced my hiring you had a look on your face like someone run over your puppy dog - So, let’s just set our roles aside and have this conversation. You’re not on board with me as your new head coach?

ISAAC

.... No.

Isaac throws.

Nice slider.

ISAAC

Wanted it lower...

COACH

I could tell... So, why are you not on board with me as your coach?

ISAAC

... Why do you even care what I think? That’s not supposed to matter.

COACH

Why’s that?

ISAAC

I’m just a junior, just one guy -

COACH

No, you’re really not. And you know you’re not... With all due respect to them, the other guys in this program are all going to finish out their degrees and go to work as accountants and insurance salesmen or God knows what else -

ISAAC

Coaches?

COACH

Exactly! ... But 10 months from now you’re going to have a dozen major league teams fighting for your services in the first round of the draft. You’re the only true talent first rounder this program has ever seen and frankly - I know you know everything that comes with that. And your teammates sure as hell know that. Like it or not, when the other 30 guys in the locker room look up to you as a player - they look up to you - and boom … you’re a leader.

A beat. Isaac nods. He gets it.

He throws another one.

COACH

You like throwing directly into the netting - without a partner like that?

ISAAC

Easier than coordinating two student athlete schedules.

Isaac grabs another ball.

ISAAC

Sooo - you came here to win me over. And therefore, earn the respect of the other players that also aren’t happy about Coach Abraham’s firing?

COACH

No. I’m mostly just curious why you’re hesitant about me.

ISAAC

... Why shouldn’t I be?

COACH

Everyone must have seen it coming. After... well what happened... it was clear that something big had to change. It’s not like they could promote some assistant. They had to clear everyone out -

ISAAC

So, you came to the rescue?

COACH

I wouldn’t put it that way. But I am excited about what we can build here. And you boys deserve a lot better than what you had before.

ISAAC

But the problem is, you’re new.

Isaac throws a pitch.

COACH

And?

ISAAC

That’s pretty much it - I don’t have any desire to deal with change. This is my last go in college. Things have been going well. So, why would I want any change? Here’s not much in it for me, not right now.

Isaac this program needed some big changes -

ISAAC

Fuck this program! - Why should I care? ...

COACH

Now we’re getting somewhere... Why “fuck this program”?

ISAAC

... How long you planning on being here?

COACH

In this job? Hopefully for a long time.

ISAAC

Exactly. This first year, it’s a trial run for you. It’s just breaking the place in... Me? This is it for my college career. And I get to be a guinea pig right as I’m trying to maximize my signing bonus in a few months. I got eyes on me. But ain’t nobody expect you to figure out this place overnight. After all you’re coming in and fixing up - what did the news call it - “an abusive culture”. We could go 0 and 40 and you’ll still be back next year... You’re getting a lot more out of this arrangement than me.

COACH

You sound pretty certain I don’t have much to offer you.

ISAAC

You know where I went to high school?

A beat.

COACH

I don’t guess so.

ISAAC

Black Springs Texas. Small town near the border. You’ve never heard of it. Cause ain’t nothing there. Town of about 3,000. I didn’t play on fancy travel ball teams or have personal coaching like half the dudes on this roster. I figured it out myself. My high school coaches were clueless. I watched instructs on YouTube, ran 10 miles every week. I figured it out myself. That’s how it goes where I’m from... I was the Texas State Highschool Player of the Year, District MVP, and of course I only gave up seven earned runs in over a eighty innings- and I did it without a single coach’s help... Come senior year, I didn’t exactly get a lot of offers. Sure, I got tryout invitations and stuff - the stats were impressive enough. But only one coach drove all the way out to Black Springs and offered me a full ride to a D1 on the spot. Looked my dad in the eyes, shook our hands ... My whole life, he was the only person who ever opened a door for me. And thank God he did too ‘cause if he hadn’t - I’d be diggign ditches, flipping burgers or dead by now. Never had much luck with school and it’s not like where I’m from things work out too often for kids like me... I was alone ‘til he got me here... Now two great seasons later, I got the whole world watching... Except - I’m on my own again...

COACH

… Isaac... I understand maybe you felt like maybe you owed Abraham something because of all of that. But what he did is beyond what anyone should do to someone else. Certainly, beyond how a coach should treat one of our players -

ISAAC

He hit somebody. It happens. We’re men. The kid was giving him lip, he put him in his place. Big whoop. He apologized there on the spot. The freshman he bopped even said it was okay -

COACH

But it’s not.

A beat.

ISAAC

... I’m not mad about Coach Abraham leaving ‘cause I feel like I owed him something... I’m mad ‘cause he was the only coach that actually made me better! And was it always pretty how he did it? Of course not. But it worked...

A beat.

COACH

... Maybe it did. I mean you throw 97. You have the nastiest changeup I’ve ever seen a college kid throw - and it ain’t particularly close either... But let me ask you this - in all those awards you won, back in high school, what’s the furthest you all ever made it in the playoffs.

ISAAC

... Area Champs.

Area? What that’s like two rounds deep? Y’all didn’t win state? They had a practical guarantee they could stop the other team from scoring with you on the mound and yet they couldn't win?

ISAAC

What can I say, po’ dunk town - the other guys weren’t exactly scoring a lot of runs for me.

COACH

Shame you weren’t born a basketball star. Then you could have just taken every shot yourself.

ISAAC

What’s your point?

COACH

Ain’t it obvious?... You might have a high opinion of Coach Abraham, but I can offer you something he never did - something it sounds like you’ve rarely had... Wins... How’s that sound?

ISAAC

Yeah - if you can make good on it -

Isaac throws.

COACH

That one was good...

ISAAC

I kept my weight back a bit too long.

COACH

I don’t think so. Looked okay to me... Don’t overthink it.

Isaac looks at him. Nods. He gets a ball and loads up again. Coach isn’t sure if he wants to say this next part... after a beat Coach decides to.

Good players come in all shapes and sizes in this game, but great players all have one thing in common. They know how to make adjustments. They know how to shift their body, their mentality. And they know how to make those changes on the fly... Isaac, I obviously don't know you that well but based on our conversations it seems like you need to make a big adjustment... You need to expect more. You need to expect to win because you’re a damn good player and a damn good kid and you deserve more... Now you tell me that Coach Abraham and his - let’s say “methods” worked for you... But I imagine, he probably said and did some stuff he shouldn’t have. And you didn’t deserve that ... You should expect more than that...

A long, long beat. Isaac drops the ball. Takes a sec to compose himself.

ISAAC

... It’s tough...

COACH

Yeah... Anything worth doing is... But you got yourself this far... And I can help you - when I can.

ISAAC

Alright...

COACH

... Thanks for talking with me today... You good?

ISAAC

Yeah.

Coach nods.

COACH

I’ll see you at the team meeting on Tuesday.

Coach starts to exit. Issac stops him with his line.

ISAAC

That thing you said ... about me being a leader - like it or not... I guess that means - when Abraham said things... Did things like that... I should have said something, huh?

Sounds like - on some level, you knew it was wrong. Even then.

Isaac nods.

COACH

Do you wish you’d said something?

A beat. Isaac nods.

COACH

You can’t go back and change that now. But you can remember - make the adjustment next time...

Isaac nods. Coach exits. Isaac takes a few beats. Gets a ball. Loads up to throw.

Blackout.