Sorry, Visalia, but the man who brought us "Bull Durham" 20 years ago apparently isn't a fan of your town.

Ron Shelton, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the film some say is the best sports movie ever made, was commenting recently on the notion of a sequel to the original hit, in which journeyman catcher Crash Davis (played by Kevin Costner) and superfan/groupie/New Age babe Annie Savoy (Susan Sarandon) help fireballing pitcher Nuke LaLoosh (Tim Robbins) get to the major leagues with the help of baseball cliches and women's lingerie.

“It was such a completed fable that it was hard to go back,” Shelton told the Associated Press on Wednesday. “I couldn’t figure out in the few years right after it came out, what do you do? Nuke’s in the big leagues, Crash is managing in Visalia. Is Annie going to go to Visalia? I’ve been to Visalia. That will test a relationship.”

There go the DVD sales of "Bull Durham" in Visalia.

But maybe there's hope. Kevin Costner, after all, briefly practiced his baseball moves as a skinny shortstop on the junior varsity team at Visalia's Mount Whitney High School back in the spring of 1972.

Maybe a sequel could work: Nuke's an aging veteran, trying to come back from Tommy John surgery. He's sent for a rehab assignment to Visalia, where in old buddy Crash is still managing. Annie's working as a waitress at Mearle's (what a great excuse to revive that institution). They all meet over an order of fries...

Academy. Pure Academy.