I asked around about the Yard Yak account that posted Dr. P's mugshot,
but apparently it's new.
Someone specifically set up this account just to attack my aunt?
And how the hell did they get this?
I can't believe she got arrested her sophomore year of college.
And still refusing to say what for.
Jordan, thank God you're here.
How did you get through security?
Damon was on his way up. He just buzzed me in.
How about Kee and I go ahead and we'll catch up with you guys later.
- Okay. - Excuse us.
- Where are we going? - It's a long story, but first...
- I missed you. - I missed you.
I'm sorry. I know this wasn't the visit that you envisioned.
But between my aunt being humiliated and now the suspension,
I just feel like I need to be there for her.
I'm good. I get to finally experience
the famous "Patterson Family Dinner."
Or brunch, in this case. Who'll be at the brunch?
You know, just the usual people.
- Does that include Damon? - No.
I don't think so. He has a baseball showcase or something.
I don't think we'll see much of him this weekend at all.
Y'all could flash mob the board meeting.
Worked at Crenshaw.
We can turn this whole place out in protest if they even try
to push Auntie out.
Before you all go lighting up the torches,
you should know I've spoken with the board and agreed
to submit my resignation on Monday.
What? Dr. P, you can't resign.
I don't care what you did, fifteen years ago. This school needs you.
The decision has already been made, baby girl.
This is not a funeral, people. So fix your faces.
And pass the pancakes. Thank you.
ALL AMERICAN HOMECOMING
Can't wait to get out here and buss' some heads at this showcase.
Especially Santiago. 'Cause he's getting way
too comfortable in my catcher spot.
- We need to talk, bro. - Ain't that what we do?
I'm being serious right now. And when I went back to Chicago
to talk to my dad about my adoption, I was showing him
some photos of Bringston alums to see if he recognized anyone.
Bro, he picked your mom out of a picture.
Your dad also has Alzheimer's. Just 'cause he says
he recognizes her doesn't mean he do.
Can you just talk to your mom and see how she knows my dad?
Maybe she knows my birth parents too or something.
Besides, last time I got mixed up in all my family drama,
I damn near burned my whole life down. I can't risk that again.
I promise I'mma help you figure out the answer.
It's just right now with the whole divorce thing,
my momma's fragile.
Can we just give her a minute and focus on the showcase?
That's fair. But you gonna need the focus, anyway.
Santiago ain't going down without a fight.
Bro, stop playing with me. We'll see about that.
Look, he ain't mad.
All right, everybody!
I want to thank you all for turnin' up
for the First Annual "HBCU Baseball Highlight.
"Let's give it up for these fine examples of HBCU baseball excellence.
Oh, we got, Hawkins Georgia, South Carolina Central,
and Bringston University! Just so you know,
today is combine-style workouts and the only chance to be chosen
for one of the exhibition teams competing on day two.
Now, let me introduce you to two distinguished gentlemen
who will serve as guest coaches for this event.
First up, we got Hawkins Alumni and ten-year player for the Detroit Tigers,
including the Eighty-four World Series team, John "Buzz" Lattimore!
Now, next up, we have two-time MVP
for the World Series San Francisco Giants, and three-time Silver Slugger
honoree and future Baseball Hall of Famer, Terry "TNT" Tucker!
Now, let's play some ball!
Looking good out there. Doing everything you can
to keep this program afloat, ain't you? It's impressive.
Look, don't start, Shaw. It's too early.
No, I'm just pointing out the growth. Come on.
Must be tough, when you're having your old teammate
from the minors make it to the big time, become a household name,
then come back here and get all of this praise.
While you sittin' on the sidelines with me.
No, you're sitting on the sidelines with me 'cause I allowed you to.
I'm trying to save this program
you ran into the ground, Shaw. Yeah.
- Who's that? - Orlando Johnson. Goes by Lando.
Hawkins Georgia's star pitcher. Heard he's no joke.
I'll be right back.
Of course, I'm excited to be here. I plan to make a statement.
How exactly do you plan to do that?
Excuse me. I just wanna introduce myself. Pitcher to pitcher.
Damon Sims.
Damon, you've brought a lot of notoriety
to Bringston in a short amount of time, so what are your hopes
for this showcase?
Bring more attention to these athletes,
help players like Lando get the shine they deserve.
Now, Lando, you're obviously the standout on Hawkins Georgia.
But what does it mean for you to be here playing and competing
with an MLB prospect?
I try not to focus on all of that, just focus on the game.
Can we get a photo of the top two pitchers together?
Yeah.
Welcome to Bringston.
I'm really looking forward to all of this.
Yeah, me too. Now, I know y'all thought this gonna be
a friendly showcase, but it's not.
I finally get the chance to embarrass the hell out of you on your own field.
I wanna do a petition. Or hold a rally.
If we can just get enough students and faculty to just speak up,
then the board will have to take notice, right?
Can I just point out that your aunt was very clear about not wanting
to fighting this?
Maybe. Show your aunt you love her by respecting her wishes.
And then what? We just leave it at, "Okay, bye.
Thanks for the years of devotion to the school.
You can just drop off your badge and go?"
- No. It's not right. - What if it wasn't a protest?
What if it was more of a going away party?
A celebration, that could be very nice.
Let me pull up my list of vendors.
'Cause one thing I'mma do is plan a function.
- You do. Okay... - I'll be right back. Excuse me.
That is what we need.
I need to talk to you.
Girl, I'm in party-planning mode. Can I hit you back later?
- I need some dating advice. - And I'm always here for you.
So, it's Kevin. The guy Granny Mays set me up with.
We've been out on a couple of dates
and he wants to go out again tonight.
And I'm not sure if I wanna go.
Thea, don't potentially miss out on a good thing over a fear.
So where's this date?
He wants to go to some party the Exquisite Eight
are co-hosting, tonight.
That's a low pressure function, it's right here on campus.
It sounds perfect.
If you want, Nate and I can go with you.
We can be like your wing-women.
- You'd do that? - Girl, I do love a party.
It'll be fun. We can grill this Kevin, see if he's on your level.
That could be fun. I guess, I'll see you guys tonight. Thanks.
Did she just say thanks? Well, that can't be right.
Go! No glove! Grab the ball with your hand!
Yes, sir.
Go! No! No!
You stepped off the wrong foot. Santiago, can you show him again?
No. I know how to do it. I just...
Clearly, you don't. Watch again. Go!
Exactly! Great job.
Sims, you're up!
Damon. Hold up. You dropped something. Your cape.
Super-Negro, sir.
Not fast enough! Ninety-seven? Come on, big dawg,
we falling asleep over here! Where them triple digits at?
All right. Ninety-eight. We getting warmer. Okay.
Shut the hell up, man.
One-oh-one. About time.
Better get the MLB back on the phone while that arm hot.
Yeah, at least I was up for the draft.
That don't mean nothing. You here with the rest of us now.
Yeah, that's by choice, though.
A dumb choice. Me, I would a left these fools in the dust.
- Everybody ain't you, is they? - Yeah. You right about that.
The Evite is sent out now. All I need you to do is get the sparkling water
and the cups, then I'll be able to...
- I should go. - Sit.
Why did I just run into a colleague,
eager to let me know he was a "yes" for my party?
I thought I made myself clear about not wanting you to make
a fuss about this.
No, you said you didn't want us to protest against the board's decision.
Let me be clearer, then. I don't want a big to-do
around me leaving. Just let it rest.
You are fighting against this party more than you are keeping your job.
I don't get it. I've never known you to just give up like this.
I'm still fighting. Just in a different way.
If the board is committed to getting rid of me,
is it really worth the emotional toll to fight to stay?
Why am I forcing myself into a space where I'm clearly not wanted?
That's just not my nature. It's time I go somewhere
I'll be encouraged, even embraced.
I guess, I never thought about it like that.
Hey, you're a Patterson.
And we're fierce in defense of those we love.
- So I should just cancel the party? - Please. And thank you.
Her nature.
Marcus. I was trying to catch up with you, man.
But you damn near ran off the field.
- What's going on? - Let me buy you a beer?
My way of saying thank you for letting me in on this.
You're doing me a favor. Having you here puts major eyes
on HBCU baseball.
Then you can buy me a beer. No, seriously, let's catch up.
I wanna hear about everything you been up to since the minors.
I gotta get prepped for this big game tomorrow.
I got it. Yeah, do your thing, man.
- I'll see you, man. - Okay.
Should I bother disappoint myself?
Pretty sure I bombed my chances of making anybody's team.
Never count yourself out prematurely.
Centerfielder? Why would they put me out there?
I'm sure they have their reasons.
It sounds like somebody trying to set me up to fail.
I agree. Surprised to see you back on the team.
Didn't listen to my advice, but sometimes you gotta learn
the hard way, I guess.
Go ahead and hit the showers. You got a big game tomorrow.
Whatever "advice" you call yourself giving my players,
don't. Matter of fact, stay the hell away from 'em.
Relax. You're acting kinda testy. You a'ight?
- Been taking your vitamins? - Let me tell you something.
You worry about your own damn players.
Me and Bringston ain't none of your damn business
anymore. You understand me?
Say you don't wanna be here without saying it.
No, actually, I'm having a really good time.
Everyone knows, looks like you ready to fight.
- What is that? - Yak.
Cognac. Just a lil' splash. You won't taste the difference.
Why?
It'll help knock back that layer of anxiety, but I don't want you
doing anything you don't wanna do.
I'm down to stand here like two bodyguards
all night if that works for you.
Whatever. Just a splash.
Okay. That's good.
- Hey, y'all! - Hi, Kevin. This is my friend, Nate.
How's it going?
Good. Do you mind if I borrow her for a second?
Just stop. You can stand down.
Surprisingly, things are going pretty well.
You can go enjoy yourself.
I'm glad to hear that 'cause this is my song.
So if you need me, I'm just a call or text away.
- Okay. - Get it, girl. Hey.
You're funny.
- Shall we? - We shall.
I've noticed Damon isn't helping out much
with Operation Celebrate tomorrow.
He has a showcase so...
You said that he's one of your best friends and he's part
of the family dinners and I don't know. I guess I just figured he'd want
to help out in some way.
What do you wanna ask me, Jordan?
It's just that you called me last week, hysterical...
I wasn't hysterical.
You were hysterical. And now Damon isn't around. I don't know.
I'm just wondering if you had a fight. That's all.
We didn't. Last week,
Damon flew home to visit his dad to talk about his adoption
and his birth parents. I knew it would be emotional
for him. So I went to support him as a friend
and I realized that we were emotionally entangled
and no way that wasn't respectful to you.
Emotionally entangled. Right. Okay.
Where are things now?
- Well, I put boundaries up. - Okay.
What are you thinking?
I can't begrudge you for being a good friend, Simone.
That's one of the reasons why I'm so in love with you.
And I appreciate you for being respectful enough to put boundaries.
I could be super pissed off if it'll make you feel better.
No, it's fine. I got enough going on with my aunt anyway.
I know that you really want her to stay.
But honestly, I, kind of, get her side of things.
If something isn't working and sometimes it hurts more
to hold on than to let go.
I know, this is gonna sound selfish, but a big part of the reason
why I'm here at Bringston is because of her.
And now everything's just changing.
You know what? Why don't we just call it?
I think I know a place that we can go that will take both
of our minds off of everything.
That is of course, if you're okay with bailing on the party.
Where to?
Yo, Lando.
Party, kind of lit?
Whatever your beef is with me, I'm just trying to change
the image of HBCU Sports.
- So are we. - So we are on the same page.
Not really. You're just using this as an opportunity to boost your brand.
Come on, man. That's Cap. And even if I was,
ain't you all trying to do same thing with me?
"Embarrass the MLB prodigy" so you can boost your own image?
I'm just returning the favor.
What are you even talking about?
I was preparing to come to Bringston this fall.
Shaw scouted me and everything.
And then here you come,
with your big press conference announcement.
Suddenly, you're interested in coming to HBCU and Shaw's out.
And of course, Bringston wasn't checking for me no more,
because now, they had the great Damon Sims.
You know my whole fam graduated from here?
There's a whole legacy out the window just 'cause you wanted
to come and prove a point.
Now, you tell me how that helps us?
I've literally passed by this place a dozen times and I never even
knew that all of this was back here.
It's a nice well-kept little f secret.
My dad knows the owner so I've been wanting
to check this place out for a while.
Okay. Billy Baker got the hookup.
What do we have here?
Our seasonal bites of minced beef cheek and oxtail
with a blend of Za'atar and fennel, and toasted brioche topped
with Camembert cheese cornichons and, grilled frisae. Enjoy.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
Is it just me or do these look like sliders?
- It's just tiny little burgers. - Tiny little burgers?
These burgers are pretty damn good. What was the word?
- You can really taste the cornichons. - The cornichons.
You know what? Come on. Let's dance.
- There is no dance floor here. - Then I guess we're making one.
- I'm glad you agreed to come. - Yeah, me too.
- You're ready to go? - No. I just started having fun.
This is just supposed to be a pit stop
because I got one more thing I wanna show you.
- Where are we going? - Let me show you something...
- Wait. - What?
- I think we should go back. - Chill. Come on.
- No, stop. Just stop. - What?
- Why you tripping? What's up? - Get the hell off her, bro.
Have you lost your damn mind? What?
Please give me a reason not to beat your ass right now.
Damon, stop. I don't wanna cause a scene. I just wanna leave.
Sims. Hey.
Figured since you're too busy to go for drinks, I'd bring the drinks to you.
See, Terry. I really don't have time, man.
One beer. You invited me to this.
- Fine, man. One beer now. - Nice set up you got here.
Think about going into coaching now that you're retire?
- You never know. - This retirement is a real thing?
You got at least five years left in you, Terry.
The Terry Tucker I knew loved the money, the celebrity,
and the women, far too much to ever quit now.
Well, it turns out there's this, article coming out next week.
What kind of article?
Retrospective on my baseball career, they say.
But it's really a hit job.
They reached out to ask about credible allegations that I took PEDs
from the minors up until maybe five years ago.
So is this article gonna be naming any other names, bro?
You've got nothing to worry about. They're focused on me.
My reps think I should give an interview, try to get ahead of it.
I agree. Look, the people love you, Terry.
They're way more likely to be forgiving hearing
the truth coming straight from you.
An allegation is one thing, but for me to just come out
and admit that I cheated for years?
Means no Hall of Fame. It'll destroy my legacy.
- Which was built on a lie, Terry. - Come on, Marcus!
You remember how it was. Juicing was the difference between
a seven million dollar contract and three years in the league
or a hundred million dollars and superstardom.
- There was no choice. - There's always a choice.
Since when you become so self-righteous, Marcus?
Or is this just jealousy, 'cause I made to the show and you didn't?
I'm the healthiest and happiest I've ever been and I don't have
to cheat with drugs to feel this way.
You know what, tell me this. If you hadn't had
the reaction you did to the PEDs, would you have kept taking it?
Thea, here you go.
I don't understand what happened.
I can't believe he was, try to take advantage of me
knowing I was drunk.
Do you want me to like, like call somebody for you or something?
No, I'm good. Seriously, nothing even happened. Thanks to you.
At least, I'll walk you to your home.
No. I think I'm just gonna hang out here for a bit and watch TV.
I'm just down the hall if you need anything.
Thanks.
Actually, I know I said I'm okay
and even though nothing even happened,
I'd rather not be alone right now, if you're not busy.
That depends on what you're watching,
because I'm kind of picky with my shows.
No, you're fine. I meant it.
Anytime. No. Yeah.
I got to go. All right.
- Is everything okay with Liv? - No. Actually, that was Layla.
- Is she okay? - She's getting there.
She's had a rough couple of weeks so I just, kind of,
been checking on her.
Was that Layla earlier talking on the phone too?
Yeah, yeah. It was.
I think she's going to see her friend Carrie.
- I know that's not easy for her. - No.
You're a good friend.
I'm here, baby.
- There you go. - Strike!
It's all right.
Strike!
Ready? Come on!
Strike!
This what you wanna do on National TV?
No... I know my players, man. They got it.
I'm not gonna put a hand on him because right now,
with all these eyes watching us,
it's supposed to be HBCU versus everybody.
When I came here I wasn't trying to take your spot
or anybody's spot.
This ain't about no clout. This isn't how I envisioned my career,
but now I see that it's part of my journey.
I made a conscious decision about where I wanted to share my resources.
Now, there's room for each and every one of us to shine.
Now, we can either make each other look like a bunch
of damn fools out here fighting, or we can play ball the right way.
And show the world the unmatched, unrecognized talent that's
been overlooked at our institutions for far too long.
Now, the choice is up to you.
Go... Let's go!
- I got it! - Come on, J. That's it!
- Out! - Yeah!
Hey, now! Proud of you, son.
Not only did you prove yourself wrong, you proved me right.
Centerfielder was my suggestion.
Because you knew I wouldn't earn my spot back from Santiago?
When you were trying to regain your old spot back and I needed you
to have a fresh start, to rediscover that excitement
for the game that you once had, instead of you competing with Santiago.
- Thanks, Coach. - I appreciate you.
I'm proud of you. Now, go ahead and celebrate.
Go, get out of here, little super star.
You see, Shaw? JR is a star.
You just didn't know how to use him.
- I literally just turned it on. - Reset then.
- What'd y'all do? - Nothing. Have a seat.
These are for you. But maybe don't drink it all at once.
Okay, seriously, y'all are starting to freak me out.
- What is going on? - Hey, everybody. Am I late?
- You're right on time. - On time for what?
Okay, so I heard you about the whole party thing,
but I needed to show you that you were wrong.
That not only are you wanted, but you are revered here.
So I took a page out of Damon's nature versus nurture videos and,
I'll just let the presentation speak for itself.
We just wanna pay tribute to a professor, a scholar,
a committed journalist, and a phenomenal woman.
Call me biased, but as far as I'm concerned,
you are nothing but a blessing to this campus and community.
So as you say your goodbyes to the school you've called home
for over a decade, a few students wanna pay tribute to you,
Professor Patterson, and just share a small taste of the impact
you've made on their lives.
I was an engineering student right up until the day
I took Professor Patterson's Intro to Journalism class.
Last year, my politics blog won its first journalism award.
Thank you, Professor Patterson. Your class changed my life.
She raised my awareness of the power structures against me,
but also of the power within me to challenge those structures.
She pushed me to be a better teacher, a moreactive listener
and a more rigorous thinker.
I'm not a journalism major,
never taken any of her classes.
But Dr. P, she reached out to me
and my friends our first week on campus, and made us feel at home.
There have been times over these last few months
from my home life that's been kind of confusing.
But Dr. P, she's always made me feel like family.
I'll always appreciate her for that.
They say you should give people the flowers while they're here.
So here are yours.
There's no way, to truly express
the depth of how I feel right now.
Amara, talk to me. What's wrong?
I made a mess of things, didn't I?
Not at all. Look, sometimes you got to let it all out.
I just wanna make sure that our personal situation isn't part
of why you're leaving.
No, Marcus. It's just time.
Timing has always been our problem.
But maybe one day we'll get it right.
Maybe one day we will.
You should tell them, Amara.
Auntie, we're really sorry. We weren't trying to upset you.
Simone, I know. It's just I don't deserve any of this.
All of these accolades, none of it.
What are you talking about?
Sophomore year my classmate, Jada, came to me.
She was pre-med and working at a medical facility.
She'd noticed they were charging their patients,
most of them Black and poor, huge amounts for unnecessary procedures.
So I decided to write an article and expose them.
But I needed evidence. So Jada and I broke into
the lab after hours to get access to the billing records.
But before we could publish, the break-in was uncovered.
Jada and I were arrested and charged with multiple felonies.
I was so scared I'd go to prison.
But the Bringston President at the time and the lab worked out a deal.
We bury the story and each take a semester off in exchange
for them dropping the charges.
We took the deal. That next semester, I came back,
but Jada never finished school.
She had a rough go of it afterwards.
What happened to the lab? The racist charges?
They eventually stopped the illegal billing,
but all the people who had been preyed on up until then,
they never found out or got any sort of reparations.
So you see, on the video I'm being lauded as this pillar of honesty,
and ethics, and social justice, when what I really am is a coward
who sacrificed her principles to save her own ass.
Hell, no. Professor Patterson. I mean, just to go after a story
like that at that young age, that's badass.
You broke the law so people wouldn't get hurt.
Most of us would have been too scared to risk it all like that.
Your entire career has been about helping people
with their lives and making them better.
You're more than a mug shot, Professor Patterson.
I believe that you should be able to let go of the past and stand tall.
I'm really sorry that you're going through this.
But in all honestly, this is all the more reason
why we need you at Bringston.
You kids are truly special. Thank you for hearing me
and for giving me back my pride and my peace.
Does that mean you'll reconsider submitting your resignation?
No. I stand by my belief that it's time to move on.
This will be my last semester at Bringston.
- How was the game? - It was dope.
We lost, but J.R. and them won.
Love the support.
Thanks again, for last night.
Not that I plan on letting that happen again, if I was around.
Anyways, I should probably go do some homework.
I know we got that Lit paper due tomorrow.
I'm working on mine right now. We could work together.
I thought you hated group projects.
Or we could just watch another episode of A Different World.
It's tempting but I don't know, as an upperclassmen and an athlete,
like shouldn't you be encouraging me to do my homework
and like being a role model or something?
Role models have their bad days, too.
Did Jordan have a good visit?
Yeah. We had a really great time.
But?
You remember how Jordan got upset about Damon
the last time he was here?
I told him about flying to Chicago with Damon and he shrugged it off.
You get mad when he gets jealous and you get mad when he doesn't?
Girl, Jordan can't win.
I'd be pissed if he went on an overnight trip with another girl.
And I know its double standard, but I'm human.
He didn't even seem to care.
And he's also been having these secretive calls with our friend, Layla.
I don't know, he says it's nothing...
Are you sure you're not projecting your own guilt onto Jordan?
Maybe, but I just can't seem to shake that things are just
off between us, Keish, it's just different.
Of course it is. You're different people now.
The real question is, do the people you're becoming
still make sense in this relationship?
Hosted by noted HBCU,
Bringston University, the showcase brought star power
in MLB legends TNT Tucker and Buzz Latimore.
But it was the players who truly showed out this weekend,
setting the stage for what should be
an exciting regular season of baseball.
What is it mean for you to be here playing...
I'm the healthiest and happiest I've ever been,
and I don't have to cheat with drugs to feel this way.
- Auntie. - Did you get our text?
I did. So what's the big news you two had to rush over to tell me?
You didn't submit your resignation, yet, right?
I've been looking for that posted your mugshot on Yard Yak.
- Nate found the student. - Who is it?
Some girl that works in the President's office.
She said a trustee, this Veronica Skinner,
came up to her after a board meeting
and offered her five hundred dollars to circulate the photo anonymously.
Veronica Skinner? I don't know any board member by that name.
She's this new appointee. This is her.
Wait, do you know her?
Jada, my classmate who broke into the medical facility with me.
Veronica is her sister. This has never been about baseball.
This is personal.