Cooperstown

Scene:  Norfolk International Airport…..

Leslie:  I know Cedric and Amanda left early.

Patrick:  Yeah.  They took care of getting their highnesses back to the UK.

Colin:  You need not worry about the rest of your family.  We’ll get ’em home safe..

Patrick:  I know you will Colin and thanks.

Jeff:  OK.  I’ve got the preflight all done.  Let’s all climb aboard.

Patrick:  I’ve got all the luggage aboard.  Where are we flying into, Jeff?

Jeff:  Griffiss International Airport in Rome, NY.

Patrick:  Oh good.  It’s about a 45 minute drive to Cooperstown.

Jeff:  And what about the car?

Patrick (shows Jeff the email on his smartphone):  It’s all good.  Enterprise is picking us up at the airport.

Jeff:  Excellent.

 

Fallon (on her phone):  Great.  Tom we’re really looking forward to seeing you.  I know Jeff and, especially, Patrick are over the moon about this.  Yes.  We’re anxious to hear what going on with the new land.  We’ll see you in a few hours.  Bye.  Tom is there already.  He got there last night.

Patrick, Jr.:  Dad.  Was that Tom Seaver on Fallon’s phone?

Patrick:  Yeah.  We’re meeting him up in Cooperstown for the Hall of Fame induction ceremony.  He also wants to give us a progress report on that new land for his winery in Calistoga.

Patrick, Jr:  Is that why Richard Channing is so pissed at you?

Patrick:  Among other reasons.  Yeah.  Now, listen, Kid.  You need to get that wife of yours home in one piece.

Patrick, Jr.:  We’ll see you guys at home later.  Bye, Dad.

 

(aboard Denver-Carrington One enroute to Cooperstown via Rome, NY)

Patrick:  Let me guess.  Now that we’re at cruising altitude, you’re going to let Fallon take the stick.

Jeff:  That’s right.  Come on up here, Fallon.

Patrick:  I should have known.

Leslie:  That was some three days in Virginia Beach.  We got a lot accomplished.

Patrick:  We sure did.  And leave it to us to squeeze in some business at Hall of Fame induction weekend.  This must be quite a change from flying that helicopter.

Jeff:  It is different.

Patrick:  You mind me asking which one you like better?

Jeff:  No preference really.  I like them both.

 

(in the cockpit)

 

Jeff:  That’s it, Fallon.  You’re doing fine.  Now, why don’t you try climbing a little.  Just ease back on stick a little.  That’s it.

 

(back in the cabin)

 

Patrick (on his phone):  Great.  So you’ll be there to meet us.  On the Corporate runway.  And your office is just outside the airport exit?  Great.  We’ll see you when we land.  Bye.

Leslie:  So everything’s all set?

Patrick:  The car is going to be on the tarmac waiting for us.  So, Jeff.  What do you think of this year’s Hall of Fame class?

Jeff:  Not bad.  It’s huge.

Patrick:  Yeah I know.  Six guys.  Jim Thome.  612 Home runs and a 40 homer season in each league.  He should be in there.  Chipper Jones.  Part of those great Braves teams from the 90’s.  Vlad Guerrero.  9 time All-Star.  8 Silver Sluggers.  Trevor Hoffman.  One of the greatest relief pitchers of all-time.  Alan Trammell.  ’84 World Champion.  Great glove at Short.  Jack Morris.  254 wins.  4 time World Champion for three different teams. I can’t think of an undeserving one in the bunch.

Jeff:  Looks we picked up a bit of a tailwind, so, we’re going to be a little early..

 

(a couple of hours later)

Jeff:  We’re coming up on Griffiss International Airport.  Patrick.  You want to come up here and work the radio?

Patrick:  Sure.  Hey! There used to be an Air Force Base here.  They still have a research lab here.

Jeff:  All right.  Fallon.  I’m going to need to take back control of the plane.  We’re getting ready to land.

Fallon:  I’ll go back and sit with Leslie.

Patrick:  Griffiss Tower this is Denver-Carrington One requesting permission to land.

Griffiss Tower:  Permission granted Denver-Carrington One.  Use Corporate Runway One.

Patrick:  Roger that, Griffiss Tower.  There’s the runway and by George, there’s our car.

 

(about twenty minutes later)

 

Patrick:  Griffiss Tower.  This is Denver-Carrington One.  We are down.

Griffiss Tower:  Roger that, Denver-Carrington One.  We copy you down.

(Jeff taxis the plane over near a hangar)

Patrick:  Ladies and Gentlemen.  Cooperstown awaits.

 

(about half an hour later)

Patrick:  Looking for NY Route 28.

Leslie:  There it is.

 

(about half an hour later)

Patrick:  There’s Lake Otsego and Cooperstown is just ahead.

Jeff:  And there’s the Baseball Hall of Fame.  Patrick.  Find a place to park.

Leslie (checking the passes):  Hey! Wait a minute!  These things entitle us to VIP parking.

Fallon:  There’s VIP Parking straight ahead.

 

(about five minutes later.  after getting out of the car)

Fallon:  And there’s Tom.  🙂

Tom Seaver:  Fallon!  🙂

Fallon:  Hey, Tom.  You remember Patrick, Leslie and my husband Jeff.

Tom Seaver:  Nice to see all of you again.  Patrick.  I figured you, especially, weren’t going to miss this.  🙂

Patrick (wearing a road blue Cardinals’ cap):  No way.  We just went from meeting British Royalty to meeting Baseball Royalty.

Tom:  How’s that priest friend of yours doing?

Patrick:  He’d be green with envy if he knew where we were right now.  Seriously.  He’s doing great.  He’s now CARDINAL McGrath and he’s Archbishop of Denver.

Tom Seaver:  Speaking of Cardinals.  That’s one organization I wouldn’t have minded playing for.  They’re a class act.  I see you’re wearing a Cardinals’ hat.  They’re getting ready to start the ceremony.  Let’s go get settled.  Where did you come from anyway?

Jeff:  Oh.  Were just in Norfolk and Virginia Beach.

Tom Seaver:  Oh yeah.  Norfolk was actually my last stop in pro ball.  I was pitching for the Mets in an exhibition game against the Tides.  I wanted to see if I had one more year left in me.  I had nothing.  I was throwing beach balls that day.

Patrick:  I was actually at that game.  I was still active Navy then.

Leslie:  So they’re inducting six people?

Tom Seaver:   That’s right.  The largest induction class in quite some time.  Oh.  I have these for you guys to take home.

Patrick:  Two Cases??  This is really nice of you.  These will occupy an honored place in Blake’s old wine cellar.  Come on, Jeff.  Let’s go bring these to the car.

 

(a few minutes later.  Patrick and Jeff return and watch as Vladimir Guerrero, Trevor Hoffman, Chipper Jones, Jack Morris, Alan Trammell and Jim Thome are inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame)

 

(the Carrington/Colby/Jennings clan and Tom Seaver then stop to listen to a local band play a classic baseball tune)

Tom Seaver:  Oh.  Patrick.  Leslie.  I know you have grandchildren on the way and i want you to have these.

Leslie:  Tom.  Thank you.  One’s a boy and one’s a girl.

Patrick:  Hey! Our granddaughter’s aunt Emily blazed a trail playing Pee Wee Hockey with boys.  Who’s to say our little granddaughter won’t grow up to be a female baseball player?  Seriously.  Tom.  Thank you.  🙂

Tom Seaver:  I wanted to tell you.  Richard Channing’s been on my case to sell him that land.

Patrick:  What???  Nothing doing.  We bought that land fair and square.  The government confiscated it and it was anybody’s ballgame.  Pardon the pun.  That son of a bitch tried to set me up in that Suharto Kickback Sandal.  He’s never going to stop.

Tom Seaver:  Yeah.  Well.  I’m not selling.  That brings me to the good news.

Fallon:  Please tell us.

Tom Seaver:  Well…..we finally have a Merlot coming out and we think we’ll be able to enter it in the Napa Valley Christmas Wine Tasting.

Jeff:  Good.  I hope Falcon Crest has a Merlot and you beat it.

Tom Seaver:  Our Cabernet beat Lance’s Reserve Cabernet in the Spring Wine Tasting.  And I wanted to show you guys the latest profit figures.

Leslie:  Wow!  a 10% profit.  what was projected?

Tom Seaver:  8.  One more thing.  We should be able to start harvesting grapes on that new section of land THIS Fall.  That ought to make Richard Channing nice and mad.  🙂

Patrick:  Nice going.  🙂  But I tell you what.  We’re going to have a word or two with Mr. Richard Channing.  Tom.  I can’t thank you enough for inviting us to this.  This has been amazing.

Fallon:  Wasn’t baseball invented here?

Patrick:  NO!  That whole Doubleday story’s a bunch of malarkey.  Abner Doubleday was at West Point in 1839 and he never claimed to have invented baseball and he never even saw a professional game.

Fallon:  Do you know the real story, Baby Brother?

Patrick:  No.  The Game’s EXACT origins are a mystery.  Nobody knows.  That’s one of the beauty parts of baseball.

 

(about seven or eight hours later)

Jeff:  Buckle everybody.  We’re coming up on Centennial Airport and home.

Patrick:  Man! This weekend has been something else.

Leslie: Yeah it has, but look at everything we got accomplished.

Patrick:  Tell me about it.  Look.  There’s my car.  And there’s Mom, Dex, Kid and Blondie.

Jeff:  Are we going into work tomorrow?

Patrick:  We’ll see.  Let’s go get the rest of our family and go home.

Jeff:  Centennial Tower this is Denver-Carrington One requesting permission to land.

Centennial Tower:  Roger that, Denver-Carrington One.  Use Runway One.

Jeff:  Roger that, Centennial Tower.

 

(about twenty minutes later)

 

Jeff:  Centennial Tower this is Denver-Carrington One.  We are down.

Centennial Tower:  Roger that, Denver-Carrington One we copy you down.

 

(about an hour later)

Patrick:  Home sweet home.

Leslie:  Thank goodness.

Jeff:  I am beat.

Fallon:  Let’s go inside.

Dex:  Colin gave us a good flight.

Krystle:  Patrick.  That was an experience I’ll never forget.

Terry:  That goes double for me.

Patrick:  Kid, I’m going to need you to report to SECNAV’s office about what went on.

Patrick, Jr.:  You got it, Dad.

 

 

Special Guest Star:  Baseball Hall of Famer Tom Seaver as himself.