Eight Men Out (1988)

Michael Mantell: Abe Attell - The Gamblers

Quotes 

• [Atell and Rothstein are discussing the plan to fix the series] 

  Abe Atell : They got six guys, maybe seven.

  Arnold Rothstein : It doesn't surprise me.

  Abe Atell : But they're the champs!

  Arnold Rothstein : You were the champ once, Abe. You went down for the bucks.

  Abe Atell : This is different.

  Arnold Rothstein : Look, champ. I know who these guys are. I grew up with guys like that. I was the fat kid they wouldn't let play. "Sit down, fat boy'. That's what they'd tell me, "Sit down, maybe you'll learn something." Well, I learned something alright. Pretty soon, I owned the game, and those guys I come up with come to me now with their hats in their hands. Tell me, champ, all those years of puggin', how much you make?

  Abe Atell : The honest fights or the ones I tanked?

  Arnold Rothstein : Altogether, I must've made ten times more betting on you and I did sluggin' it out. I never took a punch.

  Abe Atell : Yeah, but I was champ. Featherweight champeen of the world!

  Arnold Rothstein : Yesterday. That was yesterday.

  Abe Atell : No A.R., you're wrong. I was champ, and can nothin' take that away.

• [Burns and Maharg approach Abe Attell at the racetrack] 

  Abe Atell : They don't take nickle bets down here, fellas.

  [to Burns] 

  Abe Atell : You, you were a ball player.

  Bill Burns : Bill Burns.

  Abe Atell : 'Sleepy' Bill Burns! Strictly bench material.

  Bill Burns : I won a few games.

  Abe Atell : You lost a few more.

  [to Maharg] 

  Abe Atell : And you my friend did not get that nose bobbing for apples.

  Billy Maharg : I was a fighter; sort of.

  Abe Atell : Sort of. Let's see... Philly? Billy Maharg!

  Billy Maharg : You seen me fight?

  Abe Atell : Yeah, I seen you. You're a bum!

• Abe Atell : [When the players meet with him to accept the money before the first game]  It's all out on bets.

  Chick Gandil : [Shoves him]  That's not good enough!

  Abe Atell : Hey! Don't worry, you'll get the money soon enough.

  Chick Gandil : When?

  Swede Risberg : And how much?

  Abe Atell : 100 grand, like I said. 20 after each game.

  Hap Felsch : Wait a minute, that's 5 games. I thought we were just dumping a few.

  Abe Atell : No, you lose the first 3.

  Eddie Cicotte : Kerr's pitching the third, he's not with us.

  Swede Risberg : So what? We don't hit for him, he'll fold. He's a busher!

  Abe Atell : After that, we got to play it by the ear. We gotta make this look good, fellas!

  Eddie Cicotte : [Aside to Chick]  Hey, Chick. Where's the money you promised me?

  Chick Gandil : Look under your pillow.

  Eddie Cicotte : What?

  Chick Gandil : Compliments of Sports Sullivan.

• Abe Atell : Both are young and stupid, tryin' to make it the hard way.

• Abe Atell : Listen, A.R. This series thing, those ham-and-eggers pitched?

  Arnold Rothstein : Not interested.

  Abe Atell : We could see a good hunk of change on it. If it's Burns and Maharg you're worried about, we could just cut them out and do it ourselves.

• Abe Atell : A couple of Boy Scouts here, they made a deal. The players are in now. Get it? We got 'em by the short ones. What are they gonna do, call a cop?

• Abe Atell : Tell them bums to make it look good tomorrow.