Disclaimer

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"Previously on Sports Night..."

Dana, Isaac, Sam, and Donna Kendrick are in Isaac's office.

Dana: What changes?

Donna: We feel it is necessary to ask Casey to no longer visit the set.

Dana: What?

-----

The crew is inside the control room before a broadcast.

Will: Actually, Chris is being taken off the market.

Dave: Chris and Melanie are getting married.

Dana stands as everyone else cheers.

Dana: That's great. When?

Chris: No date has been set. We're just engaged.

-----

Jeremy and Isaac are in Isaac's office.

Isaac: I've been looking over the various assignments and duties for the network, and I do have one position open for the Winter Games. Congratulations, son. You're going to Salt Lake.

Isaac shakes Jeremy's hand.

-----

Dan is standing outside of JoAnne's apartment.

Dan: Hi.

JoAnne: Hi.

Dan holds up a gift bag.

Dan: I've brought you gifts.

Cut to: the door opens. JoAnne stands teary-eyed as she and Dan look at each other.

Dan: May I come in?

JoAnne: sniff   Get in here, you jerk.

As Dan steps inside the apartment, he and JoAnne hug.

Dana is sitting at her desk. She has her sleeves rolled up as she reads her laptop screen. She takes a pencil and with it taps a few keys on the keyboard.

There's a knock on the door. Dana looks up and sees Sally.

Sally: I've got the final copy right here, Dana.

Dana: Great.

Dana is confused as checks the clock. Sally sets the copy on Dana's desk.

Dana: It's nine o'clock.

Sally: Yes, it is.

Dana: It's too early for final copy.

Sally: Are you feeling all right, Dana?

Dana: In fact, the games in Phoenix and Sacramento are just starting.

Sally: Your face looks peaked.

Dana: I'm fine. I'm just a little hot. Why are you giving me this now?

Sally: I've left room for the highlights.

Dana: How?

Sally: We won't have clearance to show highlights since the basketball games probably will not have concluded by the end of your... our broadcast.

Dana: So you just left them open?

Sally: Plus, we will only be able to show the results from today's Winter Games.

Dana: You've given me space- blank spaces.

Sally: It's all planned out. You'll notice I put space in the twenties, forties, and sixties. I'm sure Dan could come up with something.

Dana: This is the final copy?

Sally: Yes.

Dana: Not when there's gaping holes in the show and games to be played. That's what the ten o'clock rundown is for.

Sally: I'm sorry, Dana. I usually have the final copy for my show done well in advance.

Dana: That's the difference between your show and mine. You show airs when all the games have been completed- unless there's a 14-inning baseball game in Anaheim. You don't have to make the mad scramble in the final hour before air time.

Sally: Well, it's good to learn other producer's techniques. I'll give it a shot doing it your way. Dana, I'm going to really enjoy working with you this week, especially when your short-staffed with Bobbi, Natalie, and Jeremy in Salt Lake.

Dana: And Dave and Chris.

Sally: Who?

Dana: Dave and Chris are also in Salt Lake City.

Sally: Right. It's good that we can pull people from other teams to help out with the broadcasts.

Dana throws her arms on her desk.

Dana: I don't even think I know who is working with me tonight.

There is another knock on the door. Elliott enters.

Dana: Elliott? You're working with me tonight, aren't you?

Elliott: I suppose.

Sally: What do you have there, Elliott?

Elliott: I've got the latest times for the men's skeleton.

Dana: Thanks.

Dana snatches the note from Elliott's hand. Dana starts flipping through her final copy. She stops at a page and grabs her stapler. She makes a large motion as she staples the note to the page.

Dana: You're right, Sally. We can just fill in the blanks in this copy.

Elliott: Dana?

Dana: Yes, Elliott?

Elliott: The bottom half of that note lists what everybody wanted to eat during the rundown.

Dana: Oh.

Dana starts to tug at the note. She pulls out a couple of staples and delicately rips the bottom half off and hands it to Elliott.

Elliott: I could have just recopied it, Dana.

Dana: Right. You could have. Well, you still have the original.

Elliott: It's a list of food.

Dana: Right.

Elliott: Are you all right, Dana?

Dana: I'm just a little hot. I'm fine.

Elliott: Did you want anything to eat, Dana?

Dana: Sure.

Dana pulls out a twenty-dollar bill as Elliott grabs a pen. Dana hands the money over to Elliott as he's ready to take her order.

Dana: You can get me a fresh spinach salad with a little bit of Italian dressing on the side. And ask if they have any of those multi-grain rolls. If they do, I'll take two of them.

Elliott: You know, everybody else was getting burgers.

Dana: Ick. All that grease makes me queasy just thinking about it. I want to eat healthy.

Elliott: Okay.

Dana: Oh! And get me some bottled water, too. Not one of those little bottles, either. Get me one of those liter bottles of water.

Elliott taps his pen on the paper as he finishes writing Dana's order.

Elliott: Got it.

-----

JoAnne is walking through the studio. She and Kim cross paths.

Kim: Are you joining us tonight, Jo?

JoAnne: I don't know.

Kim: Are you sick?

JoAnne: No.

Kim: Tired? You look tired.

JoAnne: No.

Kim: Computer problems got you down?

JoAnne: I'm just wondering when the computer system is going to crash again.

Kim: Our computer system?

JoAnne: Yup.

Kim: And our website?

JoAnne: Yes. Twice in the past week, our servers haven't been able to handle the influx or visitors, e-mails, and page requests. So, the servers have been shutting down when they can no longer handle the overflow. Thus, no website.

Kim: Why is this happening now?

JoAnne: The coverage of the Winter Games has something to do with it. With all the stories, video interviews, not to mention the times and scores and everything else- the actual size of the website has increased by twenty percent, while our servers have remained at their same capacity.

Kim: You need a night off.

JoAnne: I need all the web surfers to shut off their computers.

Kim: No. You're talking to me in jargon only Jeremy could understand.

JoAnne: Actually, I simplified it for you.

Kim: Then you really need a night off. Come with us, tonight.

JoAnne: I'm just waiting for the system to go down.

Kim: Do you have a beeper?

JoAnne: Yes.

Kim: Then come with us. They'll beep you when our website freaks out and shuts down.

JoAnne: What did you have planned?

Kim: A show- just for us ladies.

JoAnne: That sounds nice.

Kim: It is. Plus, I want to introduce you to somebody.

JoAnne: Who?

Kim: A new roommate.

JoAnne: I don't need a new roommate.

Kim: Ever since Melanie moved out of your apartment and into Chris' place, all I hear is that your apartment is too big, too quiet, and too empty.

JoAnne: Well, Melanie was going to eventually move out anyway.

Kim: Have you thought about having Dan move in with you?

JoAnne: Dan hasn't thought about Dan moving in with me.

Kim: Run the idea by him.

JoAnne: And then watch him run. He doesn't even keep any of his clothes at my place. He brings his little travel bag with him every time he thinks he's going to spend the night at my apartment.

Kim: Well, move in with Dan.

JoAnne: His apartment is much smaller than mine. Plus, would you want to give up the view I have from the sun room?

Kim: Nope. Then get a roommate.

JoAnne: It's difficult finding someone who can adapt to your living habits and vice versa.

Kim: I know the perfect person. We can meet tonight.

JoAnne: The system is going to crash any minute now.

Kim: It will crash whether you're here moping around or out there having a good time.

JoAnne: True.

Kim: And this roommate is a clean-cut, down-to-earth person with a job and steady income and own form of transportation.

JoAnne: So far that sounds good. Where do I meet this wonderful roommate?

Kim: At the show. We'll all be there tonight.

JoAnne: I'll bring my beeper and my cell phone. I may have to leave if... when... the system crashes.

Kim: Great. We've got to head out in the next ten minutes.

JoAnne: I'm not even ready.

Kim: You look great.

JoAnne: I look a mess.

Kim: Don't worry. Where we are going, nobody will mind.

-----

Dan and Casey are sitting at a bar. Dan is eating sandwich with a soft drink, while Casey is having a beer.

Casey: So, I've really been banished?

Dan: Apparently so.

Casey: Did they find any files missing?

Dan: No.

Casey: We're any alarms tripped?

Dan: No.

Casey: Was the safe cracked and the top-secret documents stolen?

Dan: There isn't a safe on our floor.

Casey: But apparently I did something wrong by just roaming about and minding my own business.

Dan: The corporate executives are uncomfortable about your roaming whenever you feel like it.

Casey: I took the high road.

Dan: Yes, you did.

Casey: First of all, my contract with CSC was expiring and I fulfilled it. I never called out sick, I did my job, and I didn't show any signs of having an uncertain future.

Dan: You mean besides your thinly-veiled threats of cursing on-the-air.

Casey: Well, yeah.

Dan: And mooning the camera.

Casey: That, too.

Dan: And sabotaging-

Casey: Enough with the threats.

Dan: I'm just saying...

Casey: I was joking.

Dan: Did corporate know that you were joking?

Casey: Did they even hear my jokes?

Dan: Probably not.

Dan takes a bite of his sandwich.

Casey: Second, when I came to visit the set, I always waited downstairs with security until someone came down to get me.

Dan: Yes, you did.

Casey: I never forged an I.D. badge, I never tried to sneak through the back entrance, I never even tried shoving the security guard and jumping over that velvet rope.

Dan: Yeah, like that rope could stop somebody from getting past the lobby.

Casey: What I'm saying is that I took the high road.

Dan: Yes, you did.

Casey: And this is how they treat me.

Dan: You worked for CSC, right?

Casey: I can see your investigating skills are still sharp.

Dan: You don't have any animosity toward them?

Casey: Why should I?

Dan: Because they let you go.

Casey: And after they let me go, I published a book and got my own show.

Dan: Granted.

Casey: Why would I have animosity toward them?

Dan: In some circles, you were the highest paid and most recognizable anchor on the network.

Casey: Which circles?

Dan: Some.

Casey: Okay.

Dan: And being let go had to hurt your self-confidence.

Casey: And my paycheck.

Dan: Plus, you're well-respected around the set.

Casey: Yeah?

Dan: So, the network really isn't punishing you.

Casey: As I recall, I'm on the "unwanted" list.

Dan: They're punishing us because they think we might try to help you out by setting you up...

Casey: For the interview.

Dan: Yup.

Dan takes a sip of his soda while Casey fiddles with his glass.

Casey: Why? I know how to do my job. I didn't need any assistance in getting stories or interviewing people.

Dan: But friends help each other out- especially when one of them has been wronged.

Casey: So because I'm still friends with everyone over there and I'm dating Dana, that makes me a suspect when something goes wrong?

Dan: Dana didn't want any interference from the network in trying to get Hank for the interview.

Casey: She didn't tell me what the network was offering.

Dan: What did HBO offer?

Casey: They offered air-fare, hotel, a rental car, and meals.

Dan: And CSC probably offered hardly anything.

Casey: So Hank had the better deal with my show.

Dan: Plus, you don't want to go around and accuse the network of being cheap. CSC thought they had an exclusive and not a bidding war for availability.

Casey: CSC is covering their behinds.

Dan: Look. We're eating dinner right now. For all they know, I could be giving you tips and other information right now.

Casey: What are they going to do? Wire the place for sound?

Dan: Actually, they sent spies.

Dan turns around and waves.

Dan: Hey, guys.

Casey becomes paranoid and starts looking around.

Casey: Where? Back there?

Dan starts laughing.

Dan: No, I'm just playing with you.

Casey: You sure?

Dan: Yes, I'm sure.

Casey: Do you know what I'm going to do?

Dan: It doesn't involve breaking any laws, does it?

Casey: I'm going to bolt by security.

Dan: There you go.

Casey: And I'm going to go up to your floor and chain myself to... to a power pole or something. I'm going to spark a protest.

Dan: You're a madman.

Casey: What are they going to do?

Dan: Arrest you?

Casey: I'm still a shareholder in Quo Vadimus. I'm a part-owner and I have a right to visit my company.

Dan: Didn't you have to diversify your 401K when you left the company?

Casey: Yeah. I rolled it over into a mutual fund, but I'm sure I still own a piece of Quo Vadimus... I think.

Dan: So you'll do a little sit-in protest.

Casey: They haven't filed anything through the courts preventing me from visiting the set.

Dan: And your goal is to accomplish that?

Casey: No. I just want to let them know that they can't push me around and blacklist me like that.

Dan: You know what? I don't think staging a protest will help convince the network executives that you're not a disgruntled, paranoid, nutty former employee.

Casey: Well, there's still a few kinks in the plan.

Dan: Just a few.