Steve: How are the guys doing?

 

Billy: That was a killer¹. That was a killer. It's a tough one to swallow. It's...

 

Steve: They played great.

 

Billy: They played their hearts out. They did. They played fantastic. It just didn't fall our way.

 

Steve: You'll do better next year.

 

Billy: But we were close, though. We were so close. Right there.

 

Steve: Almost had it. You gotta feel good about that.

 

Billy: I feel great about it. I feel great about it. Um... We're not gonna do better next year.

 

Steve: Why not?

 

Billy: Well, you know we're being gutted³. We're losing Giambi, Damon, Isringhausen. Done deal. We're in trouble.

 

Steve: You'll find new guys. You found Jason, you found Damon.

 

Billy: I need more money, Steve.

 

Steve: Billy.

 

Billy: I need more money.

 

Steve: We don't have any.

 

Billy: I can't compete against $120 million with $38 million.

 

Steve: We're not gonna compete with these teams that have big budgets. We're gonna work within the constraints⁴ we have, and you're gonna do the best job that you can recruiting new players. We're not gonna pay $17 million to players.

 

Billy: I'm not asking you for 10 or 20, 30 million dollars. I'm just asking for a bit of help. Get me a little closer and I will get you that championship team. I mean, this is why I'm here. This is why you hired me. And I gotta ask you, what are we doing here...

 

Steve: Billy, I—

 

Billy: ...if it's not to win a championship?

 

Steve: I wanna win just as much—

 

Billy: That's my bar. My bar is here. My bar is to take this team to the championship.

 

Steve: Billy, we're a small-market team, and you're a small-market GM. I'm asking you to be okay not spending money that I don't have. And I'm asking you to take a deep breath, shake off the loss, get back in a room with your guys, and figure out how to find replacements⁵ for the guys we lost with the money that we do have.

 

Billy: I'm not leaving here. I'm not-- I can't leave here with that.

 

Steve: What else can I help you with?

 

*********************************

 

Dan: It's a good offer, and you gotta match it.

 

Billy: I-- I need another day.

 

Dan: His mind's pretty made up. I just think you should know that.

 

Billy: I get a call coming in. I'll get you back.

 

Dan: I promise you I'll let him know.

 

Billy: Bye. Yeah?

 

Scott: Billy, Scott. Just got off the phone with Dan.

 

Billy: No, you didn't.

 

Scott: I was surprised he called me.

 

Billy: Stop. I got Johnny for 7.5 or he doesn't play anywhere else. That's the deal you made.

 

Scott: Boston just upped it to 7.75. You there?

 

Billy: We had a deal, Scott.

 

Scott: We have a deal, if it's 8 million.

 

Billy: Oh, man, you played me.

 

Scott: I'm just doing my job for my client.

 

Billy: No, you're playing me, and you're still playing me. Congratulations, asshole. You win.

 

***********************************

 

Men discussing: I like guys that got a little hair on their ass⁶. He looks like a Mantle⁷ or a Mays, quite frankly⁸. He's got a baseball body.

 

Grady: Matty, who do you got?

 

Matty: I like Geronimo.

 

Grady: Yes.

 

Men discussing: The guy's an athlete. Big, fast, talented. Top of my list. Clean-cut, good face. Yeah, good jaw⁹. Five-tools guy. Good-looking ballplayer.

 

Billy: Can he hit?

 

Man A: He's got a beautiful swing, right, Barry?

 

Barry: The ball explodes off his bat.

 

Man A: He throws the club head at the ball, and when he connects, he drives it, it pops off the bat. You can hear it all over the ballpark.

 

Man B: A lot of pop coming up for them.

 

Billy: If he's good, why doesn't he hit good?

 

Man A: He is a good hitter. He'll be ready.

 

Billy: So he's gonna be a good hitter against big-league arms?

 

Man A: Could be great.

 

Billy: I don't think so.

 

Grady: Kid needs at bats. You give him 400 at bats, he's gonna get better.

 

Barry: He can play.

 

Grady: He's hit everywhere along the line. He's one of our guys. Okay, let's move on. Artie, who do you like?

 

Artie: I like Perez. He's got a classic swing. It's a real clean stroke.

 

Barry: I don't know. Can't hit the curveball.

 

Artie: Yeah. There's some work to be done, I'll admit that, but he's noticeable.

 

Man C: Got an ugly girlfriend.

 

Barry: What's that mean?

 

Man C: Ugly girlfriend means no confidence.

 

Barry: Okay.

 

Man D: You guys are full of it. Artie is right. This guy's got an attitude. An attitude is good. He walks in a room, his dick's already been there for two minutes.

 

Man E: He passes the eye-candy test. He’s got the looks. He's ready to play the part. He just needs playing time.

 

Man C: I'm just saying, his girlfriend is a six at best.

 

Artie: Look, if we're trying to replace Giambi, this guy could be it.

 

Man D: I agree with you.

 

Billy: La-la-la-la-la.

 

Grady: Damn, Billy, was that a suggestion?

 

Billy: Guys, you're just talking. Talking, "la-la-la-la-la," like this is business as usual. It's not.

 

Grady: We're trying to solve the problem.

 

Billy: Not like this. You're not even looking at the problem.

 

Grady: We're very aware of the problem. I mean--

 

Billy: Okay, good. What's the problem?

 

Grady: Look, Billy, we all understand what the problem is. We have to--

 

Billy: Okay, good. What's the problem?

 

Grady: The problem is we have to replace three key players in our lineup.

 

Billy: Nope. What's the problem?

 

Man: We gotta replace these guys with what we have--

 

Billy: No. What's the problem, Barry?

 

Barry: We need 38 home runs, 120 RBIs and 47 doubles to replace.

 

Billy: The problem we're trying to solve is that there are rich teams and there are poor teams, then there's 50 feet of crap, and then there's us. It's an unfair game. And now we've been gutted. We're like organ donors¹⁰ for the rich. Boston's taken our kidneys, Yankees have taken our heart. And you guys sit around talking the same old "good body" nonsense like we're selling jeans. Like we're looking forFabio. We got to think differently. We are the last dog at the bowl. You see what happens to the runt of the litter? He dies.

 

Grady: Billy, that's a very touching¹¹ story and everything, but I think we're all very much aware of what we're facing. You have a lot of experience and wisdom in this room. Now you need to have a little faith and let us do the job of replacing Giambi.

 

Billy: Is there another first baseman like Giambi?

 

Grady: No, not really.

 

Man: No.

 

Billy: If there was, could we afford him?

 

Grady: Nope.

 

Billy: Then what the fuck are you talking about, man? If we try to play like the Yankees in here, we will lose to the Yankees out there.

 

Grady: Boy, that sounds like fortune-cookie wisdom to me, Billy.

 

Billy: No, that's just logic¹².

 

Man A: Who's Fabio?

 

Artie: He's a shortstop. He's a shortstop from Seattle.

 

Grady: Now, this is no time to push the panic button. Billy, our scouts¹⁴ will find players, Player Development will develop them. We'll teach them how to play Oakland A baseball. With all due respect, we've been doing this a long time. Why don't you just let us be responsible for replacing Giambi with who we know that can play?

 

 

1. gut²: 损毁……的内部；破坏……的主要力量。例如：Fires gutted the buildings.（大火焚毁了多幢建筑物的内部。）

 

2. bar: 障碍，限制。

 

3. GM: =general manager 总经理

 

4. you played me: 你耍我。

 

5. clean-cut: 轮廓鲜明的。

 

6. eye-candy: 养眼的东西或人。

 

7. lineup: 选手阵容。

 

8. home run: 全垒打。

 

9. RBI: 打击得分。

 

10. runt of the litter: 电影《四眼天鸡》中的人物，这头小猪明明是一只大肥猪，却因为在家中吨位最小而自以为窈窕。runt是“小矮子”的意思。

 

11. first baseman: 一垒手。

 

12. fortune-cookie: 幸运签语饼，是一种甜脆的元宝状小点心，烘成金黄或杏黄色，空心内层藏着印有睿智、吉祥文字的纸条，食用时轻轻将其拦腰掰开，便会得到印有中英文的签语。

 

13. shortstop: 游击手。

 

14. scout¹³: 球探。

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