BRENT DAVID

Hi, I’m…uh…Brent…uh…David.

Brent holds out his hand again, this time Zapatos hands him a box of the blue rubber bands.

LINDA ZAPATOS

You know what these are, kid?

Brent looks at the box of blue rubber bands, thinks hard and says,

BRENT DAVID

Blue rubber bands.

LINDA ZAPATOS

They’re gold! Pure gold. Fans are paying two bucks a piece for these things. You know what they cost? Six bucks a box! There are a thousand of those (bleepers) in a box. I swear to God, if everybody in the world were as dumb as Cubs’ fans we’d still be living in the sand.

Linda’s phone rings. She answers it.

LINDA ZAPATOS

Yeah, oh hey Steve, how’s the new trainer’s job going? Busy? Hope not, huh. (laughs)

What? Oh (bleep) me! You’ve got to be (bleeping) kidding me? He hurt his elbow? How’d he do that? He’s only pitched once! (Bleep.)

Does Hendry know? What’d he say? All right. Thanks for the heads up.

Zaptaos looks around the office for something to throw. She notices Brent still standing, mouth agape, in the doorway, holding a box of rubber bands. She takes the box and throws it across her office, knocking an Ernie Banks bobble head off of a shelf. Ernie’s severed head rolls across the floor and rests at Brent’s feet.

LINDA ZAPATOS

You want to meet Jim Hendry? Well, you’re about to.

She puts her hand on Brent’s back and turns him around and gently pushes him towards CARRIE FITCH’s desk. She then says to CARRIE…

LINDA ZAPATOS

We’re going to Hendry!