Abby: Hello, Dan. Dan: Hey.
-- How are you? -- Good.
Do you want to close the door?
Actually, I don't think we need
to have a session today.
Okay.
-- Seriously. -- Yes.
I'm not saying we'r e done completely.
I just don't think we need to have a session this week.
Okay.
All right, then. I'm just gonna go.
Okay.
And I'll see you next week.
Sounds good.
-- Seriously. -- What time you got there?
Announcer: I don't believe it! 29 feet, 8 1/4?!
-- Hmm? -- I said what time you got?
29, 8 1/4.
Huh?
I'm sorry.
Um...5 after 10:00.
Shouldn't we get started?
No. I'm not kidding.
-- Okay. -- I don't know why you don't ever believe me when I say I'm happy.
What's 29, 8 1/4?
Nothin' .
[ Cheering ]
It's a thing that happened last night.
What?
Believe it or not, Abby, I'm not allowed to tell you.
-- You'r e not allowed to tell me? By law? -- Nope.
It involves the r esult of a sporting event that was tape-delayed --
happened in the middle of last night in Auckland, New Zealand,
and my network's airing it tonight in prime time,
-- and they get a little touchy about it. -- I get it.
You know, it was the same thing in Nagano, Japan, so you know how it is.
You want to close the door and sit down?
Nah. I'm, uh, I'm gonna head to the office.
-- Okay. -- You know, the interesting thing is
that at the beginning of the week,
I r eally couldn't have car ed less about this story.
I normally don't get that ex cited about track and field.
I mean, I admir e the athleticism and everything,
but, f or me, ther e needs to be an opponent.
You seem to get ex cited about it on TV.
Well, that's my job.
When it's showtime, it's showtime.
Roll VTR.
60 seconds live.
Stand by, f our, five, and six.
Dave: Stand by, animation. -- Wher e's Dan?
Danny! Showtime!
Jer emy, let's go.
Yeah, I'll be right ther e.
Computerized voice: Welcome.
-- Pr eview Denver. Uh, get me Br ett in L.A. Will: Denver's up.
-- Jer emy, what's in that computer you'r e waiting f or? -- Huh?
-- You've been checking your e-mail all day. -- Chris, show me Auckland.
-- I'm waiting f or a letter f rom my sister. -- Okay.
-- 30 seconds live. -- Auckland's up.
Can you hear me, Oscar?
-- Is that Natalie? -- It's Natalie stateside.
How you doin'?
-- I'm doing okay. -- Just okay?
-- I'm a little nervous. -- You jump better than you talk?
I do almost everything better than I talk, Natalie.
One of these days, you'r e gonna have to come up her e and prove that to me, Oscar.
10 seconds live.
You r eally can't get ex cited about this?
A guy jumping f ar into a pit of sand?
-- Ah, he's gonna set a new world r ecord, you know -- -- Okay.
-- 29' 5", if I'm any judge in the art of the long jump. -- You'r e not.
Dave: In 3...2...
Good evening. From New York City,
I'm Dan Rydell alongside Casey McCall.
Those stories,
plus the T-wolves go hunting in Motor City,
the Sharks get jiggy in San Jose,
and, yes, we've got a Shaq attack in Hackensack.
We'll take you to Auckland, New Zealand,
wher e Oscar Parrish is poised
to demonstrate that what jumps up
may not come down f or an awf ully long time.
You'r e watching "Sports Night" on CSC. Stick around.
Dave: We're out.
Now, Oscar,
you've had a decade's worth of bad luck.
You wer e set to win the gold medal
at the world championships in Berlin,
and you tore an ACL in the preliminaries.
We all knew you wer e gonna br eak the r ecord in Atlanta,
and, of course, the death of your f ather on the eve of the games
kept you out of the competition.
So let me ask you a stupid question --
how much does all that add to the pr essur e on you?
Oscar: Well, there's plenty of pressure.
You know, all I've done since I was 14 years old
is try to jump a quarter-inch f arther.
I'm 33 now, and my legs stopped getting stronger a f ew years ago.
Is it f air to say this is your last chance to set a r ecord?
Yeah, this is the ballgame.
You've got a lot of people her e rooting f or you, Oscar.
Go strap those wings on your f eet and knock us dead.
I'll do my best.
Oscar Parrish f rom the Millennial Games.
A r eminder f rom our promo department --
you can catch all the action f rom Auckland
during CSC's prime-time coverage of the Millennial Games, live on tape delay --
I swear to God it says that -- "live on tape delay" -- tomorrow night at 8:00.
We'll be back and better than ever with all the highlights at 11:00.
For Casey McCall, I'm Dan Rydell.
You've been watching "Sports Night" on CSC.
-- We'll see you tomorrow. -- Good night.
I actually know this one.
Mike Powell's got the long-jump r ecord.
-- 29 f eet, 4 inches. -- You're not impressed?
-- Do you know whose r ecord he broke? -- No.
Then I'm not impr essed.
So the world has to wait till tonight to find out if your guy did it?
-- Oscar Parrish. -- Yeah.
Not the whole world, just this half of it.
-- You alr eady know. -- Yes.
-- You get it by Teletype. -- Teletype?
-- That's not what they call it? -- That's what they called it in Citizen Kane,
but ther e's been significant communications technology progr ess since then.
We have live satellite f eeds now.
Wer en't you leaving?
Yeah.
'Cause you'r e f eeling good.
Believe me, don't believe me.
Okay.
You know, we're having a perfectly f un conversation,
you gotta go and put your stethoscope on.
The meter's running.
No, the meter's not running. This wasn't an appointment.
2 4 hours notice, Danny. I gotta earn a living.
-- Well, that's a bit of a turnoff. -- Believe me when I tell you
the last thing I'm trying to do is turn you on.
-- Well, change whatever it is you'r e doing 'cause -- -- I'll see you next week.
Say, speaking of being turned on -- this'll take just a second
since you know the cast of characters.
Jer emy's in love with an adult-film actr ess.
A porn star?
I believe they pr ef er
to be called "adult-film actr ess."
You think it's his r eaction to his br eakup with Natalie?
It's Jer emy and a porn star, Abby.
Of course it's a r eaction to his br eakup with Natalie.
l-I'm inter ested in this.
If I hadn't gone to medical school,
I was thinking of being a porn star.
How long they been dating?
It's not entir ely clear whether or not they ar e dating.
Last time I saw Jer emy, he was heading out into a rainstorm.
-- Kim, come on. -- No.
Kimberly.
Track and field at 2:00 in the morning?
Elliot, wher e's your spirit?
It goes home with me at midnight when I'm done with work.
-- I'll order f ood. -- What kind of f ood?
What kind of f ood do you want?
-- Mexican. -- Mexican it is.
-- And Chinese. I like to mix them. -- What the hell?
Okey-doke. Elliot, ther e's gonna be Mexican f ood and Chinese f ood.
I'm kind of in the mood f or deli.
Mexican f ood, Chinese f ood, and f ood f rom a delicatessen.
-- I'm ther e. -- Outstanding.
-- Jer emy. -- Morning.
I am organizing a late-night posse to watch Oscar br eak the r ecord.
What kind of f ood?
You know, I'm getting kind of tir ed
of having to bribe people with f ood.
-- I'm not doing that anymor e. -- Pizza.
-- You got it. -- Thank you.
-- What's with the umbr ella? -- It's gonna rain tonight.
-- No, it's not. -- It r eally is.
No, QXR said overnight lows in the 50s and less than 10% chance of pr ecipitation.
No, this time of year, ther e's a low-pr essur e system that moves down f rom Newf oundland.
Ordinarily, it moves out to sea once it hits Northern New England,
but ther e's a particularly unusual Atlantic cold f ront
that's gonna keep it coastally contained.
Computerized voice: Welcome.
-- So you'r e saying it's gonna rain tonight? -- Yeah.
Good to know.
Damn.
Dana: Why don't I go to church?
Yeah.
I don't know. I never have.
You used to.
Well, once in a while, when I was a kid. Why ar e you asking me?
I don't know.
I've just always thought you'd like it.
Am I in need of something?
I was just asking.
I'm totally -- I mean --
I have absolutely nothing to say.
Then I'll just count my blessings.
I have work to do now.
Okay.
And what with being spiritually ber eft --
I just brought it up.
I'm a hot, young, single woman in New York.
What the hell does that have to do with anything?
I don't know, but ther e's r elevancy ther e.
Okay.
[ Knock on door ] Ex cuse me.
Come on in.
I have to get back to work.
Okay.
What's on your mind, Jer emy?
Oh, quite a bit, actually.
Then is it too late f or me to take back my question?
I think I'm in love with this girl.
No, obviously, love's too strong, but I met this girl.
Is she in any way r elated to me?
-- No. -- Then we'r e fine.
She's an adult-film actr ess.
A porn star?
I think they pr ef er "adult-film actr ess."
[ Chuckles ] How'd you meet her?
I met her the other night when she started talking to me at Anthony's.
We wer e talking f or a couple hours,
but then I kind of blew her off when I f ound out what she did.
Then I got to the office the next day, and I e-mailed her website.
-- She has a website? Yeah.
Well, I'm not that wild about e-mail traffic f rom porn stars coming to the office.
I set up a special addr ess. She's the only one that can hit it.
But it's been thr ee days since I sent it, and I haven't heard back f rom her.
By the way, if you ever want to do it, use a server in Finland.
It stor es the r eturn addr ess in an encrypted file,
sends the message to the r ecipient with an addr ess f rom the r emailer.
Does the porn star know you'r e this much of a dork?
I don't think she does.
But my question was... am I crazy f or thinking about her this much?
-- Jer emy... -- Yeah?
You'r e r eacting to your br eakup with Natalie,
and you'r e romanticizing
the time you spent with this girl.
Yes.
That's what I'm doing.
It's natural.
Yeah.
Okay, thanks.
Ar e the Rangers playing tonight?
They'r e in Detroit.
-- Danny... -- Dana.
The network would like me to r emind you
that you've signed nondisclosur e f orms
with r egard to tape-delayed broadcasts.
It's not like that inf ormation's hard to get.
-- They asked me to r emind you. -- To say nothing if
I don't think rumors about a long-jump competition in New Zealand
-- ar e gonna spr ead like wildfir e. -- Whatever.
Jer emy, rundown.
I'll be right ther e.
Computerized voice: Welcome.
You've got mail.
Abby: I want to write this down. Dan: Why?
'Cause I'm gonna watch the tape delay later,
and I want to know all the numbers.
So Mike Powell was 29 f eet --
Bob Beamon was 29 f eet, 2 1/2.
Mike Powell broke his r ecord at 29 f eet, 4 1/4 inches.
Wow, just an inch and 3/4.
An inch and 3/4 is 100 miles in track and field.
The distance is always 100 miles between first place and second place.
You know, Jackie Robinson had a brother, and he ran the 200 meters.
At the Olympics, he ran it f aster than anyone
had ever run it bef or e, and he still came in second.
I didn't know Jackie Robinson had a brother.
'Cause it was the 1936 Olympics,
and the guy who came in first was Jesse Owens.
Yeah, I was talking to a f riend of mine who's a sports f an,
and he said ther e was a magazine that did a top 100 list
of the most influential people in sports,
and he thought it was strange
that, uh, Casey made the list and you didn't.
-- Why would your f riend bring that up? -- He just did.
Seems like the only reason he would bring that up
is if he knew I was a patient of yours.
He doesn't.
Anyway, my point is
an inch is f or ever in track and field.
So 29 feet, 4 1/4 inches is the mark to beat?
Yeah.
Food of many lands --
Mexico, China, ltaly, your own nation of Israel.
It's track and field.
Yeah, but it's the camaraderie I'm talking about.
You know, I've never been to Israel.
[ Snaps fingers ] That is why I am bringing Israel to you, my f riend,
with fine smoked meats and cheeses.
Yeah, meat and dairy is just what you want
on the same plate f or that touch of Jerusalem.
Hey, come on. I don't think so.
-- Danny. -- Casey.
Danny! You know, I think that ther e's
a r esidual "top 100 list" thing going on.
Ther e isn't.
You've been like this f or, like, a week now.
-- Casey, ther e isn't. -- Okay.
I'm just going to go grab some menus if you change your mind.
Computerized voice: Welcome.
[ Thunder crashes ]
Jer emy, what is going on with you and e-mail?
Someone e-mailed me that they want to meet me at a certain place tonight,
and I e-mailed them that I'm not gonna go,
and I can see that they haven't opened the e-mail yet.
So she's just gonna be sitting ther e.
-- She? Who's she? -- Yeah. You don't know her.
-- What's her name? -- Her name's Jenny.
-- Jenny who? -- I don't know her last name.
She gave you her e-mail addr ess, but not her last name?
-- Ar e we done with 20 questions? -- I'm just askin' .
-- She works under a diff er ent name. -- What, is she a porn star?
They pr ef er "adult-film actr ess."
Oh, man.
[ Thunder rumbling ]
Oh.
I don't know why I r eacted that way.
You wer e jealous.
-- Of Jer emy? -- Yeah.
It rained r eally hard last night.
Wher e ar e you going?
I gotta go tell somebody I'm not gonna meet them.
-- You comin' back? -- Yep.
-- Hey, you wer e right about the rain. -- Yep.
Ah, wher e ar e you going?
-- I'm running to the ATM. -- Why?
I need cash.
-- For what? -- It's f or general use.
-- It's f or betting with Natalie. -- Yeah.
-- You'r e gonna bet on track and field. -- Yes.
You know, the two of you need to get yourselves in a meeting, you know that?
She gave me 8 to 5 on Heinrich in the pole vault.
-- Seriously? -- Back in a minute.
Oh, hey!
Oh.
Hey, ho!
Since you'r e going out in the rainstorm anyway,
[ Thunder crashes ] f eel like picking up the f ood?
From wher e?
-- The f ollowing six places -- -- Casey...
-- Come on! -- I'm not going to six places.
-- They'r e all across the str eet f rom each other. -- Have it deliver ed.
No, it'll take f or ever, and I'm starving.
Remember the job I did f or you when you had the flu?
-- Write them down f or me. -- Ah!
[ Thunder rumbling ]
-- Hi. -- Hi.
-- Oh, I'm, uh, wet. -- Yes.
-- You'r e not. -- I took an umbr ella.
-- Who knew it was gonna rain? -- You should've asked me.
Um, I was r eally glad to get your e-mail.
And I was glad you wrote me back, but then I sent you --
Would you hang on? Hey, Jack...
-- could I get a rum and Coke and a cup of hot tea? -- Yeah.
You sent me another what?
I sent you another e-mail.
Jack, why don't you hold off on that?
Look, I don't mind sitting her e and having a drink with you. I mean, that's fine.
But just so you know, ther e's not gonna be any kind of r elationship.
You don't mind sitting her e having a drink with me?
-- God, I'm walking on air. -- Jenny...
-- Why did you make me come down her e tonight? -- I sent you --
Come to think of it, why did you come down her e tonight if,
as you say, you sent me an e-mail?
-- I did send you an e-mail. -- Not that I got.
Jenny, check your e-mail. Ther e will be one f rom me, okay?
I don't want to argue about that.
What you said a second ago,
about wanting to make it clear right off
that ther e's not gonna be a r elationship,
and the f act that we'r e both her e right now anyway --
what I'm saying, it sounds a lot to me like,
"What I'd r eally like to do is get drunk with a porn star, go back to her place,
and not have to worry about it in the morning."
-- That is in no way even r emotely what I was saying. -- I'm sorry...
I'm someone you can't explain to your par ents, okay,
but r est assur ed it takes a lot mor e work to get me into bed than that.
Yeah, unless you'r e playing the role of Cass, the new pool boy.
You think I haven't heard that one bef or e?
[ Thunder rumbling ]
-- You should take my umbr ella! -- I don't want your umbr ella!
-- You'r e not gonna get a cab in the rain. -- I'm fine!
-- Listen, Jenny... -- I don't believe it.
What?
You can't stand in the rain without an umbr ella?
Yes, Jenny, I learned when I was young
that if I do that, I'll get wet.
And I learned when I was young if I get wet, I'll dry off.
I learned not to be troubled by water f alling f rom the sky.
I learned that, when I was young, the things that f rightened me
might not be so f rightening after all --
that possibly, the only r eason I was f rightened
was because I was young.
It was nice knowing you, Jenny.
You'r e wearing a raincoat!
What?
It was raining when you left your apartment.
You don't have an umbr ella 'cause you don't have an umbr ella.
Only you won't admit it 'cause you ar e Miss "I meant to do that.
"I'm f r ee and open and unaf raid of rain.
"I'm wet, 'cause that's how I meant it to be.
"I have a degr ee in dance f rom Julliard.
"I make X-rated movies now.
But that's how I meant it to be."
You think I'm timid?
God f orbid you should admit you'r e not a tough guy.
I'm going inside until the rain stops.
I was off ering you the umbr ella.
No, thank you.
[ Thunder rumbling, sir en wailing ]
How the hell long can it take a person to go to an ATM
and pick up f ood f rom six r estaurants?
Ar e the r estaurants close to each other?
Not as close as I led her to believe, but still.
[ Thunder crashing ]
Dan: Could you guys quiet down?!
Did you guys just hear Dan?
Could you guys quiet down?
-- I thought you went home. -- Evidently I didn't.
-- When's Oscar up? Elliot: Any minute.
Oh...my...God.
-- Dana? Dana: Hi.
-- What happened? -- It's raining.
Yes.
No, Casey, it's raining r eally, r eally hard.
-- Wher e have you been? -- l-I thought it was gonna let up after a few minutes,
and I was just gonna duck out of it.
The first door I tried was open.
You know what it was?
A church?
How did you know I was gonna say that?
I don't know.
I sat in a church...
and I f eel good.
I'm going back. Ther e's something ther e f or me.
You didn't get the f ood.
No, Casey.
[ All groan ] I wanted to tell you about my church experience.
Well, that's an even tradeoff.
They gave me this Hefty Bag.
-- It's starting. -- Jeremy...
Dave: Chris, sound. -- Guess wher e I've been. -- Church.
-- [ Gasps ] You see? He knew. -- I was standing right her e.
Turn it up!
Announcer: Conditions are ideal for Oscar Parrish.
Are we about to see a new world record?
Let's find out as Parrish sets.
Announcer #2: Here we go.
The jump...
He's got it.
He's got it!
I think he's got it, Gary!
29 feet, 5 1/4 inches. [ All cheering ]
Oscar Parrish sets the world record!
-- You told me who won. -- Yeah.
-- I lulled you into it. -- Hey, we were all lulled into it.
What do you mean?
[ Cheering on TV ]
-- Natalie... -- Yeah?
-- Have you seen this guy bef or e? -- No.
-- Who is he? -- He's Austrian.
Announcer #2: Walter Weingradt of Austria on the runway...
-- Look at those legs. -- 19 years old,
and jumping in only his third world competition.
Weingradt sets...
The jump...
Oh, my God.
Announcer #1: Gary... -- They're measuring...
They're measuring at 29 feet, 8 1/4?!
A f ull three inches better than Oscar Parrish,
whose gold medal hopes, whose world-record hopes,
have just come to an abrupt finish.
From out of nowhere, 19-year-old Walter Weingradt
has set a record that will not be challenged
for some time.
[ Thunder rumbling ]
Jack: Have a good night.
See? This is better.
It's a nice umbr ella, too. I got it at Macy's.
You r eally came back her e to talk to me about accessories?
A guy, long jumper named Oscar Parrish,
just set a new world r ecord,
which is what he'd been working toward his whole lif e.
Then that r ecord got broken a f ew minutes later
by a guy no one had heard of.
Do you know this guy?
-- Oscar Parrish? -- Yeah.
No, I don't know him, but if you cover sports...
Yeah.
Now two things -- the first is I signed a nondisclosur e f orm
that says I'm not allowed to tell you what I just told you.
So please don't tell anyone else.
My f riends and I
don't sit around talking about long-jump competitions.
Who the hell knows what you people talk about when you'r e naked?
Well, we certainly don't talk about it when we'r e naked, Jer emy.
What was the second thing?
[ Sir en wailing ]
I like you, and I hurt your f eelings.
I wanted to come back her e
and insist that you take my umbr ella.
I think you wanted to come back her e
just to be with me...
But give me the damn umbr ella.
I'm going home now.
I'm wet now!
What?
I'm getting wet, as you can see.
I don't mind, f or I am fine her e in the rain.
Pr etty big step f or you, is it?
Not monumental, but...
-- So... -- Yes?
Don't you want to know how I knew it was gonna rain?
Sur e.
This time of year, ther e's a low-pr essur e system
that moves down f rom Newf oundland.
Ordinarily, it moves out to sea
once it hits Northern New England,
but ther e's a particularly unusual Atlantic cold f ront
that I knew would keep it coastally contained,
leaving the system no choice but to move down her e.
Wow.
Yeah.
You'r e a dork.
Yes.
Yes, I am.
I'm gonna go home now, too.
You got an umbr ella?
-- Don't need one... -- For you are fine.
For I am.
I think that's just an ex cuse
f or being too dumb to have an umbr ella.
I'll walk you.
You'r e bother ed because he came in second?
He held the r ecord f or five minutes.
That's five minutes longer than most people do.
You know what? I've heard that kind of thing, and I'm gonna say this, okay?
If you'r e good enough to come in second place,
then you're good enough to be disappointed in it.
And you never heard of Bob Beamon.
Not everybody needs the love of strangers.
He was an athlete, Abby.
Athletes need to win. It's not about, you know --
You f eel disconnected f rom people around you now?
Yeah.
Yeah, people ar e challenging themselves, trying new things.
Dana went to church, f ound out she liked it. Jer emy's on an adventur e.
You wonder why that didn't happen to you.
Meantime, your partner got on the list, and you didn't,
just like Oscar Parrish.
-- It was his whole lif e. -- Probably wasn't.
And his whole lif e isn't over yet.
Now, I think most people would say you've got a pr etty good lif e.
But yours isn't over yet, either, by the way,
though our time is up.
-- Hmm? -- Our time's up.
No, it's cool. Really, I can't stay.
You alr eady did. That was the hour.
-- Really? -- Yes.
One of these days,
I'd like to go back to you sitting down.
Yeah.
[ Rock music plays ]