Comments on: The Million Dollar Arm http://calpolymbatrip.com/2009/china/the-million-dollar-arm/ The MBA Graduate Program at Cal Poly Tue, 22 May 2012 00:59:10 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Ashley Breneman http://calpolymbatrip.com/2009/china/the-million-dollar-arm/#comment-10145 Ashley Breneman Fri, 20 Mar 2009 06:45:27 +0000 http://calpolymbatrip.com/?p=1610#comment-10145 That was a great clip! I agree with some aspects of what Professor Carr said, and was really annoyed with the way the USC baseball player spoke about the two players. I understand he was trying to show the progress both of them had, but came across very rude and demeaning. I would like to see how that same kid looked the first six months he was throwing a baseball. It is absolutely amazing that both of the men were able to learn the sport so quickly and then get signed. I hope that I will get to witness the first day that both of them pitch on national T.V. I also thought it was very humbling to see how both of the men acted. Instead of making fools out of themselves, both of the players were very respectful with the way they spoke to everyone and seemed to still be in amazement with the opportunity they have received. Both of their families must be very proud! That was a great clip! I agree with some aspects of what Professor Carr said, and was really annoyed with the way the USC baseball player spoke about the two players. I understand he was trying to show the progress both of them had, but came across very rude and demeaning. I would like to see how that same kid looked the first six months he was throwing a baseball. It is absolutely amazing that both of the men were able to learn the sport so quickly and then get signed. I hope that I will get to witness the first day that both of them pitch on national T.V. I also thought it was very humbling to see how both of the men acted. Instead of making fools out of themselves, both of the players were very respectful with the way they spoke to everyone and seemed to still be in amazement with the opportunity they have received. Both of their families must be very proud!

]]> By: Patrick Johansing http://calpolymbatrip.com/2009/china/the-million-dollar-arm/#comment-10082 Patrick Johansing Thu, 19 Mar 2009 19:51:18 +0000 http://calpolymbatrip.com/?p=1610#comment-10082 It's strange that there aren't any Indian born baseball players. Sports seems like one of those areas where your place of birth wouldn't have too much weight, but I guess I'm wrong. This is a pretty cool story, it really makes you root for these guys. It’s strange that there aren’t any Indian born baseball players. Sports seems like one of those areas where your place of birth wouldn’t have too much weight, but I guess I’m wrong. This is a pretty cool story, it really makes you root for these guys.

]]> By: David McKinnon http://calpolymbatrip.com/2009/china/the-million-dollar-arm/#comment-9698 David McKinnon Mon, 09 Mar 2009 20:04:06 +0000 http://calpolymbatrip.com/?p=1610#comment-9698 Wow. Great story. I am very happy for those guys. Hopefully they keep practicing so they get called up to the bigs. It is amazing what they accomplished in the given time. Wow. Great story. I am very happy for those guys. Hopefully they keep practicing so they get called up to the bigs. It is amazing what they accomplished in the given time.

]]> By: James McMillan http://calpolymbatrip.com/2009/china/the-million-dollar-arm/#comment-9683 James McMillan Mon, 09 Mar 2009 04:58:45 +0000 http://calpolymbatrip.com/?p=1610#comment-9683 I really enjoyed watching this clip and I think it was a brilliant idea on the part of MLB to put on a show like this. So many Indian's have dreams of becoming famous and making it big. That in combination with the sheer size of the population was sure to turn out some talent worthy of consideration from scouts. I wonder how these two guys are doing with the Pirates and what kind of contact they got with them. I do find it a little fishy that 1 MLB team picked up both of them. Something tells me they might have been coaxed into saying they would pick them up. I would imagine they are currently being placed in one of the Pirates minor league teams to see how they develop. Either way this is a great story which seems like one you would only see in the movies. If these kids turn out to be something I would not doubt that something does get made. I too agree that they made it seem like their home town was nothing more than a slum and that they would drift back into a meaningless existence if they returned home. But then again that was probably done to make a better story and dramatize it more. I really enjoyed watching this clip and I think it was a brilliant idea on the part of MLB to put on a show like this. So many Indian’s have dreams of becoming famous and making it big. That in combination with the sheer size of the population was sure to turn out some talent worthy of consideration from scouts.
I wonder how these two guys are doing with the Pirates and what kind of contact they got with them. I do find it a little fishy that 1 MLB team picked up both of them. Something tells me they might have been coaxed into saying they would pick them up. I would imagine they are currently being placed in one of the Pirates minor league teams to see how they develop.
Either way this is a great story which seems like one you would only see in the movies. If these kids turn out to be something I would not doubt that something does get made.
I too agree that they made it seem like their home town was nothing more than a slum and that they would drift back into a meaningless existence if they returned home. But then again that was probably done to make a better story and dramatize it more.

]]> By: Andre Ourthiague http://calpolymbatrip.com/2009/china/the-million-dollar-arm/#comment-9658 Andre Ourthiague Sun, 08 Mar 2009 04:35:04 +0000 http://calpolymbatrip.com/?p=1610#comment-9658 ESPN reporting has always had an arrogant American vibe to it. It is fairly common to hear comments about the horrible life athletes have until they discover American sports. The real charm of the story comes from reading over the blog posts of the two players (Rinku and Dinesh.) They give a nice dose of perspective to the American focused thought process of major US media. A few days ago the two men expressed their opposition to being labeled "slumdogs." "We are from a small farming village, we have never seen the slums." ESPN, while not the only offender, has a bad habit of stereotyping and exaggerating to build a story up. From a business standpoint this really is a brilliant move. It gives MLB major positive publicity in a time it desperately needs it. It introduces American baseball to a billion potential consumers, and it also introduces baseball to a huge pool of untapped talent. Anyone who follows the business of professional sports knows the value of discovering the next great star. Latin countries have been mined for talent for years, Japan followed, now India and China are the focus of the MLB talent search. ESPN reporting has always had an arrogant American vibe to it. It is fairly common to hear comments about the horrible life athletes have until they discover American sports. The real charm of the story comes from reading over the blog posts of the two players (Rinku and Dinesh.) They give a nice dose of perspective to the American focused thought process of major US media. A few days ago the two men expressed their opposition to being labeled “slumdogs.” “We are from a small farming village, we have never seen the slums.” ESPN, while not the only offender, has a bad habit of stereotyping and exaggerating to build a story up.

From a business standpoint this really is a brilliant move. It gives MLB major positive publicity in a time it desperately needs it. It introduces American baseball to a billion potential consumers, and it also introduces baseball to a huge pool of untapped talent. Anyone who follows the business of professional sports knows the value of discovering the next great star. Latin countries have been mined for talent for years, Japan followed, now India and China are the focus of the MLB talent search.

]]> By: Chris Carr http://calpolymbatrip.com/2009/china/the-million-dollar-arm/#comment-9648 Chris Carr Sat, 07 Mar 2009 21:21:19 +0000 http://calpolymbatrip.com/?p=1610#comment-9648 Loved the Outside the Lines piece. Good find. The only thing that bothered me about the piece was the not so subtle tone that going back to India was somehow a step down and/or banishment to the underworld for these two young men. It's a beautiful country, people and place with a rich history, and it deserves our respect (not pity). See/refer back to my related Quality of Life assignment and blog post. Some folks, including the producers of this clip, can't ever (or don't wish to) escape from the boxes they build around their life and way of thinking. Also, I understand the reporter had to ask "do you know who Jackie Robinson or Wilie Mays is?" But heck, why would a guy from India know that or give a flip? One nice thing about a trip like this/the one we are doing is that if you are really paying attention and soaking in everything you can while you are there, it may (not automatic) minimize the chance of one making that same blunder if said person were to return to the US and, for example, enter the TV industry and one day make their own journalistic piece like this (hey, you never know where life might take you). That said, that's only a minor beef with the clip. I really enjoyed it and thought it was pretty well done. To balance it out, they needed to show some American's throwing (bowling) the cricket ball with some Indians standing on the sideline howling with laughter at the way the American's, using their own words against them, "throw/bowl like girls." Oh, wait ... no need ... that will happen to us when we go to India. :) On the business side, I was also impressed by Major League Baseball's market entry strategy into India to try to expand the market and fan and even potential crop of player interest deeper into Asia and beyond Korea, China and Japan. Using the TV Millionaire Arm reality TV show is very savvy. Beats the heck out of the usual idea of setting up a store in a major mall in India and selling baseball caps and./or having the Dodgers visit to play a local team they put together. Would appear that MLB's market expansion people are pretty good and much brighter than than their drug testing people. <strong><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namaste" rel="nofollow">Namaste</a></strong>, bro' Prof. Carr Loved the Outside the Lines piece. Good find.

The only thing that bothered me about the piece was the not so subtle tone that going back to India was somehow a step down and/or banishment to the underworld for these two young men. It’s a beautiful country, people and place with a rich history, and it deserves our respect (not pity). See/refer back to my related Quality of Life assignment and blog post. Some folks, including the producers of this clip, can’t ever (or don’t wish to) escape from the boxes they build around their life and way of thinking. Also, I understand the reporter had to ask “do you know who Jackie Robinson or Wilie Mays is?” But heck, why would a guy from India know that or give a flip?

One nice thing about a trip like this/the one we are doing is that if you are really paying attention and soaking in everything you can while you are there, it may (not automatic) minimize the chance of one making that same blunder if said person were to return to the US and, for example, enter the TV industry and one day make their own journalistic piece like this (hey, you never know where life might take you).

That said, that’s only a minor beef with the clip. I really enjoyed it and thought it was pretty well done.

To balance it out, they needed to show some American’s throwing (bowling) the cricket ball with some Indians standing on the sideline howling with laughter at the way the American’s, using their own words against them, “throw/bowl like girls.” Oh, wait … no need … that will happen to us when we go to India. :)

On the business side, I was also impressed by Major League Baseball’s market entry strategy into India to try to expand the market and fan and even potential crop of player interest deeper into Asia and beyond Korea, China and Japan. Using the TV Millionaire Arm reality TV show is very savvy. Beats the heck out of the usual idea of setting up a store in a major mall in India and selling baseball caps and./or having the Dodgers visit to play a local team they put together. Would appear that MLB’s market expansion people are pretty good and much brighter than than their drug testing people.

Namaste, bro’

Prof. Carr

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