FIC: the curve you thought was there
Title: the curve you thought was there
Author: irisgirl12000
Movie prompt: Bull Durham
Characters/Pairings: most of the CW, Jensen/various
Rating: Adult
Word count: ~11k
Disclaimer: Any dialogue you recognize is the property of MGM Entertainment. The folks described here own themselves, and everything described is fiction.
Notes:
This was inspired by Bull Durham, but doesn't follow the movie's plot religiously. Many thanks are owed to angela_snape and why_my_why_not for their willingness to read and edit my warped idea of a CW/Bull Durham AU.
The Salt Lake Bees are the AAA team affiliated with the L.A. (Anaheim) Angels. They play in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). Their home stadium is Franklin Covey Field in Salt Lake City. This may have changed, but when I lived there (2000-2003) the home dugout was on the first base side.
Salt Lake City is home to the Church of the Latter Day Saints (Mormons). I don't mean to denigrate the religion in any way. Variations on some of the things (with names and specific details modified) I mention in the story really did happen to people I know, though.
The U is at higher altitude than most of the city; it looks out over the valley to the Great Salt Lake. Upper campus is where the hospital, some dorms, the Huntsman Cancer Institute, etc. are located. Most of the undergraduate and humanities buildings are on lower campus. Literally, the campus is built up the canyon.
Approximately 90% of Tommy John surgeries are successful. For some reason, Jensen tore his UCL (ulnar collateral ligament) so badly, or the bone was so damaged, that the ligament could not be repaired well enough for him to return to professional baseball. He went through the early stages of rehab, but he was unable to regain the speed required for major league pitching. Instead, he took an early retirement (with the contract he'd signed, plus insurance settlement from his parents' death, he wasn't hurt for money) to do what he always figured he'd do when his playing days were over: go back to business school, and then rejoin MLB in the front office.
Team players:
Jensen - grad student in the MBA/Economics program at the University of Utah; former pitcher for the Salt Lake Bees/L.A. Angels; the Angels drafted him out of high school, but he declined to sign, and went to Rice University instead, majoring in Economics; a member of the Owls' NCAA championship team; his promising pro ball career was cut short by a serious injury to his UCL
Jared - fresh young pitcher, only a few years out of high school; his staunch LDS family was disappointed when he decided not to go to BYU, go on a mission, and settle down
Chris - catcher, formerly of the L.A. Dodgers, now with the Salt Lake Bees; plays guitar and acts; best friends with Steve Carlson since they were kids
Steve - musician; Chris's best friend; he and Jensen had a casual thing going a couple years back when Jensen was in L.A.; he and Jensen are still friends, and they keep in touch
Sophia - post-doc at Huntsman Cancer Institute (at Univ. of Utah); met Jensen while dropping off a snowboard at the outdoor rec facility, and they're best friends with benefits
Sandy - a hometown SLC girl; she's bucking her family's wants by going to school part time and trying to gain entry into professional sports business - they want her to study early childhood development so she'll be a good mom and productive member of society
Chad - bike mechanic; Sophia's housemate
Jeffrey Dean Morgan - formerly SLC Bees' pitching coach (he was three years ago, when Jensen was there), now the team's manager
Frederic Lehne - new pitching coach
Scene/POV changes are marked by baseball poetry or quotes:
1. End of Winter by Eve Merriam, 1964
2. Walt Whitman
3. Baseball, James J. Metcalfe
4. A Swing and A Miss, J. Patrick Lewis, 1954
5. You Can't Kill An Oriole, Ogden Nash, 1953
6. October, Hester Jewell Dawson, 1986
7. Winner, Gene Fehler, 1991
8. Warren Spahn
9. George Brett
10. George Bernard Shaw
Part 1/ Part 2
Author: irisgirl12000
Movie prompt: Bull Durham
Characters/Pairings: most of the CW, Jensen/various
Rating: Adult
Word count: ~11k
Disclaimer: Any dialogue you recognize is the property of MGM Entertainment. The folks described here own themselves, and everything described is fiction.
Notes:
This was inspired by Bull Durham, but doesn't follow the movie's plot religiously. Many thanks are owed to angela_snape and why_my_why_not for their willingness to read and edit my warped idea of a CW/Bull Durham AU.
The Salt Lake Bees are the AAA team affiliated with the L.A. (Anaheim) Angels. They play in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). Their home stadium is Franklin Covey Field in Salt Lake City. This may have changed, but when I lived there (2000-2003) the home dugout was on the first base side.
Salt Lake City is home to the Church of the Latter Day Saints (Mormons). I don't mean to denigrate the religion in any way. Variations on some of the things (with names and specific details modified) I mention in the story really did happen to people I know, though.
The U is at higher altitude than most of the city; it looks out over the valley to the Great Salt Lake. Upper campus is where the hospital, some dorms, the Huntsman Cancer Institute, etc. are located. Most of the undergraduate and humanities buildings are on lower campus. Literally, the campus is built up the canyon.
Approximately 90% of Tommy John surgeries are successful. For some reason, Jensen tore his UCL (ulnar collateral ligament) so badly, or the bone was so damaged, that the ligament could not be repaired well enough for him to return to professional baseball. He went through the early stages of rehab, but he was unable to regain the speed required for major league pitching. Instead, he took an early retirement (with the contract he'd signed, plus insurance settlement from his parents' death, he wasn't hurt for money) to do what he always figured he'd do when his playing days were over: go back to business school, and then rejoin MLB in the front office.
Team players:
Jensen - grad student in the MBA/Economics program at the University of Utah; former pitcher for the Salt Lake Bees/L.A. Angels; the Angels drafted him out of high school, but he declined to sign, and went to Rice University instead, majoring in Economics; a member of the Owls' NCAA championship team; his promising pro ball career was cut short by a serious injury to his UCL
Jared - fresh young pitcher, only a few years out of high school; his staunch LDS family was disappointed when he decided not to go to BYU, go on a mission, and settle down
Chris - catcher, formerly of the L.A. Dodgers, now with the Salt Lake Bees; plays guitar and acts; best friends with Steve Carlson since they were kids
Steve - musician; Chris's best friend; he and Jensen had a casual thing going a couple years back when Jensen was in L.A.; he and Jensen are still friends, and they keep in touch
Sophia - post-doc at Huntsman Cancer Institute (at Univ. of Utah); met Jensen while dropping off a snowboard at the outdoor rec facility, and they're best friends with benefits
Sandy - a hometown SLC girl; she's bucking her family's wants by going to school part time and trying to gain entry into professional sports business - they want her to study early childhood development so she'll be a good mom and productive member of society
Chad - bike mechanic; Sophia's housemate
Jeffrey Dean Morgan - formerly SLC Bees' pitching coach (he was three years ago, when Jensen was there), now the team's manager
Frederic Lehne - new pitching coach
Scene/POV changes are marked by baseball poetry or quotes:
1. End of Winter by Eve Merriam, 1964
2. Walt Whitman
3. Baseball, James J. Metcalfe
4. A Swing and A Miss, J. Patrick Lewis, 1954
5. You Can't Kill An Oriole, Ogden Nash, 1953
6. October, Hester Jewell Dawson, 1986
7. Winner, Gene Fehler, 1991
8. Warren Spahn
9. George Brett
10. George Bernard Shaw
Part 1/ Part 2