- Erik? Fred Roselle. - Uh, hi, sir.
Now, Bing tells me about your Satterfield story.
Honest to God, it floored me. I thought he died 20 years ago.
- No, I see him every day. - There you go.
You see, I read 10 stories a week about fighters in their glory years.
But they never tell you about the price they paid...
taking all those shots to the head.
Well, he definitely paid a price, sir.
Yeah, well, that's a story I'll go along with.
Hell, I'll even get you on the cover of the magazine.
And Metz doesn't want any part of this piece, is that right?
No, he, uh- he called it a dry hole.
That's just amazing.
So, uh, any idea how soon we could see it?
- Well, I don't want to rush it. - Of course not.
Uh, so I guess- I was thinking maybe two weeks?
I have some interviews I'd like to take care of and-
We just dropped a retro piece on Gary Hart. How about Monday?
Yeah, sure. Monday. I could manage that.
Okay, beautiful.
Hey. There he is. Just give me a second, okay?
Hey, Champ!
Hey! Hey, kid! How ya doin'?
- Just about 100%, Champ. - A hundred percent?
Whoo, I ain't been a hundred percent in years.
So, where's the photographer?
He's just across the street. But I just wanted to, um-
I wanted to, uh- I got a friend of yours who wants to talk to you.
- I ain't know I had no friends. - Sure, you do.
Outside of you, that is.
Well, let me prove you wrong.
- Hold on a sec.
- Yeah? - Mr. LaMotta?
Who's this?
This is Erik Kernan of The Denver Times. We spoke earlier.
Yeah. You said you wanted to talk about Bob Satterfield.
Jake-Jake, I'm-I'm-I'm standing right here.
Goddamn, Bob, I thought you were dead!
Well, some days I feel like it, yeah.
- Hey, kid? - Yeah?
Besides Bob Satterfield, the only ones who ever hurt me were my ex-wives.
Is that right?
Yeah. Well, you know, it's really good to- How you say, uh-
Um, uh-uh, talk to you. How you doin'?
I'm good. Real good. Had some trouble, but I'm okay now.
I know. I know. I-I-I seen your movie.
- You like it? - Well, y-yeah.
Except for the part where you knock me out.
Bob, you sure you're okay?
The kid tells me you're out on the street. You're a bum or something?
No. No, no. I ain't no bum, Jake. I'm, I-I'm just homeless.
I-I-Look, I, uh- I have to go, all right?
Okay. Bye, Bob.
- Thanks, Mr. LaMotta. - Is he really okay?
Yeah. I think so.
I thought he was dead. Boy, oh, boy.
There but for the grace of God go I.
Well, thanks a lot for speaking with me.
- Okay. - Bye.
Champ! He just said there was a time...
where you could have been the best boxer in the world.
That's-That's really somethin' comin' from the Raging Bull, huh?
Hey, Chris.! We're ready.!
Denver is now just one of three cities left in the running...
to host the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
New Orleans has dropped out. So, that leaves Denver, New York...
and Minneapolis still in the race.
Hey, Bruce! Bruce! Can I take one of these?
- Yeah, sure. - Thanks a lot, man.
- Mom, it's here.! - Bring it in.!
It should in the middle by the coupons.
Ah, there. You got it. You got it.
Cool! The Champ! That's the guy I was talking to you about, remember?
I know! What does that say?
- Resurrec- - What does that say?
- By Erik Kernan. Cool. - Yeah. Cool.
- Erik, great job on the article. - Hey, thanks, Rob.
Hey, Ralph.
- Nice piece on this guy. - Thanks.
Word is you're moving upstairs.
Yeah. Maybe it's a better fit.
Maybe.
- Answer your phone, Erik.
Kernan.
Hey, Boy Wonder, this is Andrea Flak. How you doing?
This was one holy-moly story you wrote.
My team was on it lickety-split.
You are on your way to a Pulitzer, Erik.
And we want you here.
How you feeling? Fan-damn-tastic?
I'm good. I'm all right. Yeah. Uh-Who are you with?
What? Oh. I'm with Showtime, yeah.
Oh, God. I loved this article. Made me cry.
- Mm-hmm. - And trust me, that is a considerable compliment...
to your literary skills, 'cause I didn't cry when my golden retriever died.
- Be proud. - Thank you. Thanks a lot.
So I'm sure everyone wants a piece of you. You must be swamped with calls.
- Actually, you're my first. - That's a surprise.
Uh, looks like I have some messages though.
Erik, we want to give you a tryout at Showtime Boxing-
get you on the air, in Vegas, interview Kid McCracken after the fight Saturday night.
- Sound good to you? - Yeah, yeah.
That sounds, uh- sounds great.
Beautiful. Get your tux dry-cleaned.
We'll talk.
You know, the syndication on this story is pretty much through the roof.
You made me look good, Erik. You did. Thank you.
- Really. Thank you. - Thank you, Bing. Thank you.
See, Erik, this is the kind of piece that can get you places. You're gonna have offers.
- You think so? - Oh, yeah. You're gonna have offers.
Now, all I ask is for another year from you.
I mean, uh, uh-
- Hey. - Hey. This is Polly. Polly, this is Bing.
- Hi, Polly. - Mr. Whitley, nice to meet you.
- She works at the newspaper as well. - Did I ever hit on you?
- Uh, no. - What was I thinking?
- She's actually- I couldn't have done this story without her. - Really?
- She's the rising star of the newspaper. - Really?
Um, so, look. Well, can the rising star get a dance?
- Yeah, sure. Yeah. Okay- - Okay.
- Go ahead. Have fun. - All right. I'll see you in a second.
- Bye. - Nice meeting you.
- Okay.
- It's a great piece, Erik. - Thank you.
- You're welcome. - Yeah.
Metz, um- Metz got pretty pissed...
when I told him I helped you with it.
Why'd you tell him?
Because it made me proud, being involved in the piece.
So, you gonna be on Showtime now, or what?
Well, they've been calling, which is-
- Not surprising. - Amazing. Pretty amazing.
Pretty amazing.
What a night, right?
What a night.
Hey-Just give me- Give me a minute, okay? I'll be-
- I'll be back, all right? - Yeah.
Okay.
Hey. Joyce, it's me.
Hey, why don't you come out and help me celebrate?
Come on. It's early.
So, um, let me ask you a question.
Yep.
Why didn't they use the picture of me flexing?
I don't know.
Photo editor makes those calls. I-
I tell you what. I would've picked that one. Yeah.
- Yeah, that's the one I would've used too. - Really?
So, we done good, huh?
Yeah, we did great, Champ.
Yeah? Hello?
Is this Erik Kernan?
Yeah. Who's this?
My name's Ike Epstein.
You write that article about Satterfield?
- Yeah. - Nice story.
Mm-Thank you.
But Satterfield's dead. Twenty years.
Bob Satterfield died in, uh...
'82, '83.
I just saw him last night.
Not Satterfield.
Yeah, Satterfield. I-I-
I spoke with his son... on the phone.
His son told you he was alive?
- No, but they don't get along- - Let's get to the bottom of this.
Okay.
Did you talk to, uh...
Satterfield's trainers?
His ringmen? Anybody like that?
Most of them- I couldn't dig 'em up.
Ernie...
Ike Epstein.
I'm good. Ernie, you remember Bob Satterfield...
Chicago boy?
Mm-hmm.
Well, you think he's dead or you know he's dead?
Ah, that's-that's what I think.
Okay.
Thanks. Take care of yourself.
He thinks he's dead.
- It's impossible.
Never use that word anymore.
Freddy? Ike.
Listen. You remember Bob Satterfield?
Yeah. But do you know that for sure?
Okay. Thanks.
No, they're good. Thank you. Thank you.
He thinks he's dead, but he's not sure.
- Who was that? - Freddy Bingham.
Impossible. Freddy Bingham is dead.
I just talked to him on the telephone.
It was Freddy Benjamin you talked to.
Freddy Benjamin is dead.
- Two years ago. - I saw Freddy Benjamin last Christmas.
Freddy Benjamin is a putz.
Plus, he's dead.
Like Satterfield.
[Horn Honks]
- Hey, Champ. - Hey, amigo. Want something to eat?
Uh, nah. How you doin'?
Oh, about 80%. Oh, maybe 90% today.
Yeah. Movin' up in the world, huh?
Fella stopped by, gave me a hundred dollars. Read the article in the paper.
Champ, I got a question for you.
It's important. Um-
Do you have a... I.D.?
Anything with your- Driver's license, maybe?
What do you need that for?
So that I can prove that you are who you say you are.
I mean, this guy- this ex-boxing guy- he-he thinks that you died, and-
- Some mornings I wake up, I think I'm dead too.
Yeah.
No, seriously though. I just- I need something, uh...
that I can prove that you're Bob Satterfield with.
What did you say your name is again?
Erik Kernan.
- Can you prove that? - Well, I have a driver's license with my picture on it.
- Well, who took that picture? - The D.M.V.
And how did they know you was who you said you was?
Well, from my last driver's license with my last picture on it.
Oh! And who took that picture?
You see where I'm going with this?
No, Champ.
I don't- I just-
I need- How about a passport?
Do you have a passport? Um, any-
I don't know. Anything with your picture...
- And your name on it.
Denver Times.! "Resurrection of the Champ," by Erik Kernan.
- That's what I got. - Yeah.
Except for that-that-that video you got.
Where'd you get this?
I have a great research assistant.
Satterfield/Kincaid. I was there.
No shit? You were there?
- Really? - South Bend.
I went to all the Satterfield fights. That boy could punch.
I knew- I mean, he showed me his scar.
His father did it to him when he was nine years old. It's the same guy-
That's the man you interviewed?
- Yeah. - The one with the scar? You're sure about that?
Yeah. Battlin' Bob Satterfield.
That's Kincaid.
- No- - Satterfield's the other one.
You've been had, son.
Who would it hurt?
You, for one.
It wouldn't hurt me if nobody knew about it.
Oh, is that an option, that nobody will know about it?
Joyce, let me ask you a question, okay?
How many newspapers print articles with errors of fact in them every day in the U.S.?
- [Chuckles] - It's already done, Joyce.
It's printed. It's out there.
Then print a retraction.
I can't just do that. People have sent in money to Champ.
- Then give it back. - I can't.
I don't know where half of it comes from.
It's not just the money.
The Showtime job?
Joyce, the point of the article is still true.
Okay, Erik. It's a lie.
I mean, if you profit by a lie, then you're the same as a liar.
If you write a great story but it's a lie...
then you're just a liar who writes great stories...
which is worse than an ordinary liar...
because people who can write ought to be better than your average liar.
So, you're a liar, and you let me down, and you let everyone else...
who works on this paper down because you ought to be better than that.
Is that simple enough?
- No, Joyce, that's not simple enough. - Then let me put it another way.
You need to behave as if Teddy was watching.
And the winner, by a technical knockout...
one minute, six seconds into the second round, Leo McCracken.!
- Hey, Leo! Leo!
Hey. So-
Leo McCracken-
Hey, Leo- Leo McCracken, the new heavyweight champ-
- Oh, look, look, look, look, look! Who's that? Who's that? - That's Daddy.
- It's your Daddy? - He lived up to his nickname tonight.
Say something to your fans.
First- First I want to say "Thank you, Jesus."
I want to say thank you to my trainer, Tommy McCracken...
and my brother and father 'cause they used to beat the living crap right out of me.
And, Erik- Man, you always believed in me, didn't you?
- Hard not to believe in 22-0. - Yeah, you did! Yeah! Whoo!
- I get my mike back. - Take that.
- Thank you. - Number one.
- Looks like about all we're gonna get out of him tonight. - Number one!
It's gonna be a long night for Leo McCracken- one of the best nights of his life.
- I love you, Teddy.
"I love you, Teddy."
Hey. Hey.
Boy Wonder.
- You were terrific.
Sit.
Thanks, Miss Flak. I, uh-
That was fun. That was a lot of fun.
- Do you mind? - No, not at all.
What a city. The only place where you can do harm to yourself...
and others and smile all the way.
- "Fun." That's good.
- Fun is what it's all about. I'm glad you had a good time. - I did. I did. I'm not-
- You want a drink? - Sure, yeah.
- I'll take a scotch on the rocks, please. Thank you. - Yes, sir.
They're all watered down. But they keep 'em coming, God bless.
- Mmm. So- - Yes?
Do you think we can turn this one-night stand of ours into a torrid love affair?
I'd like that. Very much, very much.
Where's the smile, Erik?
Well, I guess it's just that, uh...
I'm not sure what I... actually did.
You were great. Photogenic.
Well, thank you.
That's the beauty of television. You don't have to do anything. Just be.
So they tell me your old man was some sort of boxing hotshot, a real poet.
Yeah, yeah. He was, um-
- One scotch. - Thank you.
So, if we're gonna do this, if we're gonna make a deal...
um-
Of course I need to continue with my journalism.
Um- So I can only work part-time at the most.
Well, this is a full-time gig, Erik, with full-time pay.
Take a good look at me. Are you looking?
Yeah.
Does it look like I know the first thing about boxing?
Does it look like I know the difference between a hook and an uppercut...
or what a standing eight count is or what a holding penalty is?
See, I don't have to know what any of that is...
because Showtime has a parade of boxing experts.
We spend a fortune being the best in the world at this.
But I am the head of casting, Erik...
and I am here to help Showtime do what it does best...
and that is entertain the shit out of its audience.
Because in the end, absolutely everything is about entertaining the audience.
There is no journalism anymore. There's no news.
The people who cling to the hopes that they can inform the world...
are only slightly less naive than the people who think...
they can pray their way out of a tsunami.
And do you know the one thing people don't want?
Is the truth.
This guy who won-
McCracken.
Do you think anybody really wants to know how badly his brains got mangled tonight?
How badly his manager is gonna rip him off...
or how bad his life's gonna be in a few years?
Maybe end up on the street like your bum?
The answer is "no."
It's "no."
Men want to see triumph, and women, well-
Here you are, with just enough credibility...
to make their husbands not resent you.
Oh. That's-
That doesn't sound like much of a job at all.
Well, it never does until it actually is a job.
Who's Teddy, by the way?
- He's my son. He's six. - Mm.
- I bet he's a cutie-pie. - He is.
And proud as hell of you tonight.
So...
would you like to come have a drink in my suite?
No. You know what?
I'm gonna catch the last flight out, but thank you.
Mm.
Monday we'll talk.
Hey.
I took the last flight out. Wanted to see if I could catch Teddy.
All the lights were off.
Well, not unusual at 1:00 in the morning.
- Did you let him watch it? - Are you kidding?
Night of his life, seeing his dad on Showtime.
What'd you think? How'd I do?
You did exactly as I thought you would.
Joyce, I can't get it off my brain.
That's because you're decent.
I'm gonna speak to Whitley tomorrow.
I'm gonna drop the bomb on him.
Good.
I'm so fired.
It's cold.
I can make up the guest room.
You know, it seems like everybody I know...
everybody I meet knows "The Wow Man" except me.
The only image I have of him...
is a bus poster and some audiotapes.
I don't want that to happen to me and Teddy.
I want to move back home, Joyce.
I'll do whatever you want me to do.
I'll... just do-
I just want Teddy to know me.
And you think because you're here, he'll know who you are?
You don't know whether to run away from your dad or to chase after him...
and the minute that you figure that out, you're gonna stop running in circles.
Seeing Whitley...
it's the right thing.
Erik, you kicked ass on Showtime. Congratulations.
- Thanks. - Don't forget the little people.
Erik.
- Mr. Whitley, I wanted to- - Come on in, would you?
... talk about my family. I want everybody to know...
- that everything I've ever done with my life- - Hello, Erik.
- I just want you to let me do the talking. All right? - Erik Kernan, Riley Washburn.
It's a pleasure to meet you.
I was a great fan of your dad's.
I'd like you to meet my client, Robert Satterfield. Erik Kernan.
I traveled all this way, Mr. Kernan...
to look into the eyes of the man who dared to suggest in print...
that I was ashamed of my father.
The man you've been interviewing- Tommy Kincaid-
has been impersonating Bob Satterfield for years...
fraudulently fought under his name for years.
There was even an injunction brought against him way back when.
We've come to sue your ass right off its hinges, Mr. Kernan-
you and this newspaper.
The author of the piece in The Denver Times is Erik Kernan Jr...
the son of the legendary radio sports reporter of the same name.
Kernan, who recently began a broadcasting career, has not returned calls to ESPN News.
Reporters must be held to a higher degree of accountability.
Apologies don't- Apologies can't fix some things.
- You can't go around saying things you did not follow up on.
- Great. Great. - Nursing your wounds with a little whiskey.
- There's a cliche for you. - Well, what would you expect from a writer like me?
- Right, Ralph? - Yeah, perfect.
A little humility. And it's precisely too late-
- Hey, you know what? Could we change this channel? - Yeah, no problem.
Just change it to, like, Golf Channel or something.
So, Showtime, huh?
I saw you. You were good. You're a natural.
You know what bothers me the most?
What's that, Ralph?
I only found out about this piece when it came out.
You deceived me. You set out to deceive me.
That hurts my feelings.
Ah, come on, Ralph. Don't get like a chick on me.
The magazine is gonna have to print a retraction.
How big, I don't know.
And Satterfield Jr. Is going to want money.
- Could I get another one? Thanks. - Yeah, just a sec.
- And S-Are you listening to me? - Yep.
- I'm over here. Look at me. - Yes, sir.
There's gonna be a settlement meeting...
at 3:30 tomorrow afternoon.
You're expected to be there.
Okay.
You know, Whitley's gonna be out on his ass...
on account of this- his watch and all that.
And there's gonna be an internal review.
We're gonna wanna talk to your wife.
What are you talking about?
We want to make sure Joyce didn't have something to do with this.
You know Joyce didn't have anything to do with this. I didn't know about this.
Joyce is a brilliant journalist.
It'd be a damn shame if you somehow sucked her down to your level.
Tell me.
Was it just sloppy journalism, or did-did you know it was a lie?
- What? - Yeah. Whatever it took to be worthy of your last name, right?
Here's- Here. Look.
That's Satterfield's obituary. The Chicago Defender.
A black paper. Misfiled, but it was there.
You ought to resign. Save the paper the hassle of firing you.
That's for the bum.
People have been sending him dough for days.
Ralph, he's not a bum.
He's homeless.
Nah, he's a bum.
- Champ. - Hey, kid, how ya doin'?
- This is for you. - What's that?
Open it.
- People who read your article sent it in. It's for you.
It's for poor Bob Satterfield.
Well, people can be nice.
You're not Bob Satterfield.
Who says?
His son, for one.
Yeah, well, he always telling people I'm dead.
The Chicago Defender. Ike Epstein. You know him?
- Sure, I know Ike! How he doin'? - He saw the tape, Champ.
You're Tommy Kincaid.
Bob Satterfield knocked you out in the second round!
- You made a fool out of me.
I didn't make no fool out of you. Maybe you made a fool out yourself.
Why, because I believed you? You put my reputation on the line!
I didn't know you had one. I ain't never heard of you.
Yeah, well, I never heard of you either.
- I'm Battlin' Bob Satterfield. - Bullshit! Bullshit!
I've been Satterfield longer than you been whoever you say you is.
Now just go on. Ain't nothin' else here for you.
I can't believe I let another loser break my heart.
I ain't no loser. I fought Ezzard Charles.
I-I-I fought Harold Johnson at the Polo Grounds.
Went the distance with Floyd Patterson. I-I-I broke Marciano's nose!
- You're nothing. You're nobody. - What you doin', kid? It's over.
- Just go home, okay? - You're just another stumblebum!
Um, um, hi.
400 block of Curtis-
Yeah. Yeah, there's- He got knocked out, and the guy's down. He's down on the ground.
It's a homeless guy. Tell them-
Uh, yeah, this guy with a cart-
Because I work for The Denver Times, and he's just-
He-He was a- He was a homeless man, and he was an ex-boxer...
and, I don't know, I thought it was a good story.
- Oh, yeah, you're that, uh- that writer guy. - Yeah. I'm that writer guy.
- And I want to press charges, okay, because the man is- - Officer, um, excuse me.
- I'm sorry. My- - He's a threat to the community, is what he is.
- My husband is heavily medicated. - I want him locked up.
He can't be expected to make critical judgments at this time.
- We'll let you know when he starts making sense. - Okay.
Okay. Uh, top one's from Showtime.
What?
Nothing.
Joyce, I don't need this right now, okay?
I don't need a lecture. All right?
I know I screwed up. It's all on me, okay?
I'll take care of it myself.
Oh, well, you certainly demonstrated that you can handle yourself just fine.
I mean, I get drunk and pick fights...
- with professional boxers when I'm upset too.
Yeah.
What do you want? What?
I mean- Okay.
I'm a monumental screw-up.
There. Alert the media.
Oh, that's long done. It's all over the wires.
- Kernan, the great name in journalism, sullied. - [Chuckles]
The Rocky Mountain News and the Post have essays...
on your quote-unquote "colossal blunder" on the front page tomorrow.
Great.
I went to see him.
At the jailhouse.
He wouldn't talk to me.
He wouldn't talk to the other reporters camped out at the jail either.
See, he's protecting your byline.
He still thinks he's helping his friend.
He humiliated me.
He lied to you. That's his fault.
You're a journalist. You believed him. That's your fault.
Not to mention the fact that you're a boxing beat reporter on a major American daily...
and until a few weeks ago, you didn't know who Bob Satterfield was.
Look, Erik. You have a chance to forgive this old man.
Take it.
Okay, I'll take it.
You owe me. Remember that.
I'll remember.
Nice suit.
Yeah, the Salvation Army gives them to the police department.
But I think they're knockoffs, 'cause this say "Omani."
Armani starts with a "A," right?
You have anywhere in particular you want to go?
This, uh-This don't belong to me.
It belongs to Bob Satterfield.
Satterfield's dead.
Well, do what you want to with it.
Might as well keep it.
- I ain't Satterfield now. - I know.
All right. As long as you know.
- That fella in, uh, Sioux City-
He come to me and say I look like him.
- Hey, Tommy. - And if I fought as him I could make some money.
The boys tell me you used to box before you came here.
- 'Cause he had a name. - From Chicago, Illinois...
Battling Bob Satterfield!
So I did it.
Don't nobody know no better.
And-And I was a winner for the first time in my life.
I wasn't me no more.
I was- I was Satterfield, see?
I was somebody better.
Better than my own self.
- Whoo!
I became Champ.
When I got done fighting, I moved down here and, uh...
met Betty, had a son by her.
But you never see where that next punch is comin' from.
What do you mean?
Well, my son, he found out.
Found an old Ring magazine.
"You ain't Satterfield!" That's what he said.
He didn't want nothin' to do with me after that.
Joined a gang, got hisself killed.
I couldn't go back to Betty behind that.
Well, Tommy, I wish you would've told all this to me before.
Yeah. I give you the man you wanted.
You-You said you wanted your shot.
That's what you said to me, remember?
My father left me when I was a little kid. Did I ever tell you that?
- Not that I recall, no. - Yeah, well, he did.
He left me and my mom.
They were never really right for each other.
He was a lot older than she was, and-
He left.
The only thing I really remember is...
it made my mom cry.
He never called. He never wrote.
And I hate him for it.
And I didn't run wild like your boy.
I just...
thought I would try and be a better father to my son.
Try and be a hero to him.
'Cause every kid wants to think his father's the best, right?
Yeah, that's right.
So, what you gonna do now?
Uh-
In about an hour I gotta go over to my kid's school and-
Career Day.
Career Day? What's that?
Well, I'm gonna tell a bunch of six-year-olds what it means to be a journalist.
- Oh, irony! - Yeah. Exactly.
You, uh, think she'll take me back, let me in?
I don't know, Champ, but I think you gotta try.
I gotta think on what to say.
I don't think you have to say anything. Just go in.
Just for the record, that thing about Marciano-
That's the truth. I was his sparring partner.
Busted his nose.
- Not the big bone, but the little one. - Yeah.
My dad's name is Erik Kernan Jr.
He writes for newspapers. And he's also on Showtime.
My dad's been up for the Pu- the "Publitzer."
- Pulitzer. - The Pulitzer.
Meaning that he's one of the best writers in America.
My dad writes about boxing 'cause he can't write about football...
'cause he's, like, best friends with John Elway...
and, uh, Coach Shanahan.
He even plays golf with Muhammad Ali.
And he turned down, like, being a guy on Monday Night Football.
- And also- - Teddy, why don't we ask your dad to come up?
Okay. Dad?
- Hi, kids. - Hi.
Um, I g- I suppose we should just, uh...
ask you if you have any questions.
- Okay. Yeah? - Who's better at golf, you or Muhammad Ali?
Um-
Uh, well, why don't we, uh-
Maybe we'd be better served if we just talked about...
what it means to be a journalist.
How about that? Go ahead. Yeah.
- Are you gonna change your last name? - Change my name?
My dad said you should change your last name because you don't deserve it.
He says your dad was really great and stuff, and you're a faker.
On the TV, they said you made up a story about a boxer.
Uh, kids...
maybe Mr. Kernan can explain to us...
how fast he has to turn in a story after the sporting event has ended.
That's a very good question.
Usually I'll turn in a story about two hours after I see the event, because, um-
I wish I were dead.
He's six. He'll bounce back.
Look, this boy, he loves you.
He knows that you're not a liar. He- He believes in you.
He'll be home in an hour. Why don't you come by and talk to him?
I can't.
I gotta go to that settlement conference.
Round out a perfect day.
But I'll be fine.
I'll be fantastic.
They really broke the mold with me, huh?
Bob Satterfield was not simply a great boxer.
He was an icon- truly an American icon.
And to have his name brought into disrepute-
Okay, but that's not the issue. I mean, you can't libel the dead.
Riley, we're embarrassed by what happened. We'll print a retraction.
Nobody reads retractions. You know that.
They read the lie, the lie sticks.
Look. Mr. Kernan is here to offer his profound apologies...
to you and your family, Mr. Satterfield.
Erik.
I'm responsible, Mr. Satterfield.
I was careless.
And worse than that...
after the story ran, I had reason to believe...
that it was wrong, and I didn't speak up.
I know that I can't undo the damage...
but I'd like to try.
Try in what way?
The only way that I know how. I'd write about it.
And say what?
I'd say that I made a mistake. I'd say why.
That-
I'd talk about your father. I'd talk about who he really was.
Let's talk about damages, Miss Perlmutter.
Bob Satterfield was a great figure in American sports.
Nah, he wasn't none of that.
He a pretty good boxer with a glass jaw.
But he was a very good man.
And a good father, and I'd- I'd like for people to know that.
Would you put that in your story?
I would. I would.
When you called me, I hung up on you.
You said you was Erik Kernan. You didn't say that you was a "Junior."
Your old man hit my dad with some pretty big shots in his time.
I'd like to read your story.
I think it'd go a long way in making me satisfied.
Jesus Christ, I get it already!
Hey. I've been trying to reach you.
I know. I, uh-
Did you hear about the deal? I'm gonna write this-
Yeah, I-I heard.
Is Teddy awake?
He says he's not feeling well...
and, uh, he doesn't want to go to school tomorrow.
Can I speak with him? Could I come in? I really need to talk to him.
Yeah.
Hey, buddy. Hey, man.
Daddy?
Hey.
Are the kids in your class giving you a hard time?
Yeah.
Everybody says you made it up about Champ.
I made some mistakes, Teddy.
I made a lot of mistakes.
But did you make it up?
The truth is...
I wrote what Champ told me.
I believed him.
But I shouldn't have. I-
I was more interested in writing what I wanted the story to be...
than what it actually was.
You know? The truth.
I burned you, buddy. I'm sorry.
It's okay.
Not about all this...
but, in general...
are you pretty proud of me?
Real proud.
And would you be proud of me...
even if I didn't have, like, a lot of celebrity friends and stuff?
Like, if I wasn't a big shot?
Well, not as much, but pretty close.
Teddy, I told you a lot of things that weren't true.
Like being friends with John Elway and stuff?
Yeah.
What about playing golf with Muhammad Ali?
I covered a celebrity golf tournament, and he was playing in it.
But, Dad, I told everybody you were friends with John Elway.
Does that mean I'm a liar too?
No, it doesn't.
It means that you trusted me...
and you told everybody what I told you.
And you should be able to trust your dad.
So I'm sorry.
I think I should go to sleep now.
Hey.
Come here. Give me a hug.
You're such a good kid.
Hey, Champ, that you?
Mr. Marciano?
It's Rocky to you, Champ.
Holy smoke! What the hell you doin' here?
I'm lookin' for you.
- Lookin' for me? - Yeah.
- What for? - I heard you're still workin' out.
- You're still strong. - Oh, no, no. I'm old now. [Chuckles]
Ah.! Champ, you don't look old.
I'm makin' a comeback.
Rocky Marciano, back in the ring.
I'm lookin' for somebody to spar with.
Be an honor for me to spar with you, Rock.
Good. Let's get started then.
- Let's see if you got some of the old moves. - Mm.
- Come on, Champ. - I still got some.
I still got a few.
Well, let's see 'em then.
All right. Let's see.
- Oh, lookin' good, Champ.
Come on, Champ.
I don't need my friends now.
I'm not Bob Satterfield.
- Let's see what you got, Champ! - I don't want to fight! I ain't Satterfield no more!
Okay. All right, all right. You the champ.
You the champ. You the champ-
Get up, Champ.! It's just you and me now.!
All right.
- All right.
I'm gonna kick your ass!
Tommy Kincaid...
California Golden Gloves Champion!
Oh- Oh, God! Oh, God!
Oh, God!
- A writer, like a boxer...
must stand alone.
Having your words published, like entering a ring...
puts your talent on display.
And there's nowhere to hide.
I never intended to write a story about myself... or my son. Or about love.
- Or the lies that can sometimes come from love. - We live in thy fear-
I will tell you this about the man I called Champ...
whom everybody called Champ.
He was, against all reason, my friend.
And he was also a liar.
But was that because he was trying to make himself...
better than who he was?
Or was it because the one force more powerful...
than a son wanting the admiration of his father...
is the father wanting the admiration of his son?
Sometimes we need the help of our imagination to achieve that status.
For it is no easy task being the strongest, wisest...
- most beloved man in all the land. - And wow.!
- Tonight, the Raging Bull- - And what is sadder...
than that moment when our children discover...
that we are not the illusory supermen we've created...
but rather, as Herman Melville once wrote, "men drained of valor"?
...is there more news of Tommy Kincaid.
Erik.
The lies that come from love can devastate...
as much as those that come from malice.
- What do you think about guys like- - Champ's legacy, I suppose...
is the inspiration for truth.
- And the beauty that can emerge from it.
I'll tell you how to make real strong muscles.
You get your thumb, you roll up your sleeves...
- and you blow.
A beauty that lets our children admire us unconditionally.
- In fact, he may have- - Love us unconditionally...
as I love my son-
- mucho grande. - But...
he had a pure heart.
This wonderful ability to-
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