Grays Sports Almanac
From Futurepedia, the Back to the Future Wiki
Grays Sports Almanac: Complete Sports Statistics 1950-2000, also known as Grey's Sports Almanac (novelization), was a compilation of sports statistics and scores that was sold at the Blast from the Past antique store in downtown Hill Valley in 2015. It covered many sports from 1950 to 2000, including football, baseball, hockey, horse racing, boxing, slamball, golf, tennis, track, polo, bowling, surfing, sailing, auto racing, rugby, soccer, ping pong, darts, swimming, diving, ice skating, racquetball, rodeo, and more. Gray's had been making almanacs since 1923.
Marty McFly happened upon the book and fantasized about knowing the scores before they occurred to make money. When Doc Brown found the almanac, he immediately discouraged Marty from using it (or the DeLorean) for financial gain. As Doc was about to place the book in a mobile marked disposal bin, he saw officers Reese and Foley investigating Jennifer, whom he earlier tranquilized. After the policewomen cleared, Doc threw it on another bin and walked off. Unbeknownst to Marty or Doc, Old Biff had been listening to the conversation all along, and he had discovered the existence of the time machine.
Biff followed Doc and Marty to Hilldale in a taxi cab, then stole the DeLorean while they were distracted in trying to rescue Jennifer. Biff made one trip to November 12, 1955, where he handed the book off to his younger self, in the hopes of improving his life. However, when Old Biff returns to 2015 in the DeLorean, he faded from existence.
Marty and Doc didn't realize it as they left 2015, but the receipt for the almanac, as well as the top of Biff's cane, remained in the car. The items were not discovered until they had already traveled to 1985A, an alternate reality to Doc and Marty, but normal for everyone else. Marty went to Biff's Casino and Hotel to ask Biff about the Almanac. Biff was hesitant at first, but eventually revealed that he received the book on November 12, 1955, from "some old codger" (himself). Biff then mentioned that he had been warned, by the old man, that if anyone came asking about the almanac, he should kill them; by then, Biff already had a pistol at the ready. Marty distracted Biff, and ran off, avoiding bullet fire. Marty, ending up on the roof of the casino, was cornered by Biff, until he saw his opportunity to leave, and jumped off... onto the DeLorean. Doc and Marty then traveled back to 1955 to prevent Biff from ever making use of the almanac.
In 1955, Doc made mention of two Docs and two Martys, and that encountering one of the two could create a paradox. Marty, in disguise, tracked Biff down to his house, and then into town. Unknown to Marty, Old Biff was behind a tree on the opposite side of the street. Marty climbed into the back seat and covered himself up. Old Biff then got into Biff's car and, after some heated discussion with his younger self, drove back to the house with the car. There, in the garage, Old Biff revealed the Sports Almanac, which young Biff nearly threw away. Old Biff told his younger self about Doc and Marty as they left the garage, locking Marty inside.
By nightfall, Biff left the house for the Enchantment Under the Sea dance. He took a few looks through the Almanac on the way to the dance. Sometime during the dance, Biff switched the cover of the Almanac with an Oh La La pinup magazine, perhaps to prevent Strickland from taking it (Strickland took the pinup instead). Marty, after coming up empty, realized that Biff was outside harassing Lorraine and that Biff would soon be punched by George. After the event, Marty claimed to give Biff CPR and took back the Almanac, with Lester believing that Marty had stolen Biff's wallet.
After preventing Biff's goons from beating his other self up, Marty ran into Biff outside the school, and the two faced off, but the fight was interrupted when Marty's other self hit him with the door, exposing the Almanac. Biff took it again and kicked Marty in the chest. A chase ensued with Doc and the DeLorean flying in behind Biff's car. Marty, on his hoverboard, snuck up to the passenger door and reached for the Almanac, but Biff reacted and fought for it. Marty grabbed the Almanac but was faced with a long tunnel to escape. Marty was nearly run over by Biff but managed to grab flags from the Lyon Estates sign attached to the DeLorean. Biff looked up in awe, then back down, and then crashed into another manure truck.
Marty and Doc returned to Lyon Estates as storm clouds began to sparkle with lightning. Marty burned the Almanac in a bucket, and everything became normal again. The matchbox cover changed back to Biff's Auto Detailing, and the paper with Doc being committed changed to Doc receiving an award.
Biff's disruptions were foiled at last. Suddenly, lightning struck a tree narrowly missing the DeLorean, but a second bolt sent the malfunctioning DeLorean and Doc with it to January 1, 1885.
After arriving back with his family in 1991, Doc opened the Institute of Future Technology and soon after, went back to 2015 and bought the almanac. Soon after he threw it away (also checking to see if Biff was there).
[edit] Behind the scenes
- Bob Gale has commented that "a book of 50 years of sports statistics, with that many sports in it, would be fifty times thicker... but that's 'movie logic' versus 'real logic'." It was essential to the plot that the book be thin enough to be carried in Biff's pocket, and that it have a dust jacket.
- The almanac contains an incredible amount of detail, including college football games played on November 12, 1955, and the results of horse races on Biff's 21st birthday in 1958.
- In an early draft of the sequel, it was contemplated that the almanac would have 5,000 pages, made out of a very thin (if not dustproof) type of paper available by the year 2000.
- Given that newspapers from the future change as the timeline is altered (due to the ripple effect), it's conceivable that such an almanac would always be accurate.
