The Copycat

INT. JERRY’S APARTMENT – DAY

Steve  bursts into Jerry’s apartment with an air of excitement.

STEVE: (excitedly) Jerry, guess what? The Yankees are copying my idea!

JERRY:  What, they didn’t call Ohtani either?

STEVE (annoyed).  No Jerry, the New York Yankees are  getting rid of the white on their road jerseys!

JERRY: (raising an eyebrow) No white?

STEVE: No White.

JERRY:  Why would the Yankees get rid of the white?

STEVE: (proudly) It’s trendsetting, Jerry. I’m a fashion pioneer in baseball.

JERRY: (teasing) What’s next, invisible pinstripes?

STEVE: (ignoring the sarcasm) This is serious. It’s like the Yankees are following in Uncle Steve’s footsteps.

JERRY: (sarcastically) Oh, I can see it now: ‘Uncle Steve,’ the trendsetter. What are you going to remove next? The numbers?

STEVE: (considering) You know, that’s not a bad idea…

JERRY: (laughing) Yeah, and players can just wear nametags. “Hi, I’m… what’s his name.”

INT.  STEVE’S OFFICE – CITI FIELD

Steve is at his desk when his marketing team, looking thrilled, enters his office.

MARKETING DIRECTOR: (excitedly) Steve, we have a huge opportunity. A major client wants to sponsor the new uniforms!

STEVE: (interested) Great! Bring them in.

A moment later, representatives from White Castle enter. They’re beaming with enthusiasm.

WHITE CASTLE REP: (eagerly) Steve, we’re thrilled about this. With the return of stolen bases, we want to promote our sliders. It’s the perfect baseball tie-in!

STEVE: (nodding) Sliders and stolen bases, I like it!

As the conversation progresses, Steve prepares to show them the new uniforms.

STEVE: (proudly) Before we go further, let me show you our new uniforms.

He reveals the all-black Mets uniforms, and the White Castle team’s smiles fade.

WHITE CASTLE REP: (confused) Where’s the white on the uniforms? Our branding is white and blue.

STEVE: (awkwardly) Well, about that… We recently decided to go with an all-black design. No white.

WHITE CASTLE REP:  No white?

STEVE (proudly):  No white.

The White Castle team exchanges worried glances.

WHITE CASTLE REP 2: (concerned) But our whole campaign is about ‘White Castle Sliders.’ We envisioned our logo in white on the uniforms…

STEVE: (realizing the problem) Oh, I see the issue here.

WHITE CASTLE REP: (disappointed) I’m afraid without the white, our branding just won’t pop.

WHITE CASTLE REP 2: Gotta have pop.

INT. JERRY’S APARTMENT – DAY

Steve walks into Jerry’s apartment, looking defeated. Jerry is sitting on the couch, casually flipping through a magazine.

STEVE: (sighing) Jerry, you won’t believe what happened. The White Castle deal fell through.

JERRY: (curious) What happened? They didn’t want to slide into a partnership?

STEVE: (frustrated) They were all set to sponsor our uniforms for the sliders promotion, but then they saw the all-black jerseys. No white, no deal.

JERRY (softly): No white?

STEVE (sad): No white.

JERRY (softly):  No deal?

STEVE (sad): No deal.

JERRY: (teasing) So, you’re saying they had a beef with your fashion statement?

STEVE: (dejectedly) Exactly. Without the white, their logo wouldn’t stand out. They said it wouldn’t pop. The whole campaign was based on pop.

JERRY: (chuckling) Looks like your ‘no white’ policy turned into a ‘no green’ reality.