Submitted by: Andre Ourthiague

Our cricket match is upon us, and there most of us will soon realize that we don’t exactly have a future as professional bowlers.  We are faced with a sport many of us have never even seen played, so I figured it would be nice to share a story about this very topic.

Major League Baseball is America’s national pastime, but a very large number (30%) of professional baseball players were born outside the United States. However, there has never been an Indian born player signed to a contract by an MLB team. Recently, a reality TV show called “The Million Dollar Arm” focused on this very topic. The show went to India to find the best baseball pitcher in a country that has almost zero exposure to American baseball. The winner would receive a cash prize and a tryout in front of big league scouts.  (See below link.)

sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?videoId=3785319

The stars of the show are currently working towards becoming Major League Baseball players. They have kept a very detailed blog (see below link) since the show aired where they discuss what they have experienced. Outside of baseball and training they talk about movies ranging from “Bad Boys 2” to “Slumdog Millionaire,” they discuss attending an American wedding ceremony, and they describe in detail what it’s like trying to adapt to the United States. In the business of major league sports it’s always nice to have a few people you really enjoy rooting for.

Million Dollar Arm