Before we get into the nitty-gritty of the new movie Million Dollar Arm, I think it's important that I first step back, and answer the most important question you may have about it.
That answer is: No, Million Dollar Arm is not the cheesy, over-the-top, sports-movie-that-isn't-really-about-sports flick, that you might be expecting.
Instead, Million Dollar Arm is basically the exact opposite of everything youâre likely expecting: Itâs a broad-ranging film, that can be appreciated by non-sports fans, while also embraced by those of us who love sports, and love everything they stand for. If you appreciate a good old-fashioned underdog tale, one of overcoming difficult beginnings, embracing challenges most of us will never understand, and persevering through a million big bumps along the way, then Million Dollar Arm is definitely worth checking out.
The movie is a true story, with the simple premise of a sports agent down on his luck and looking for a big break. And one night, that agent, J.P. Bernstein (played by Jon Hamm) realizes that his big break will come in the most unlikely of places: In India. While every other part of the globe has been essentially tapped for all its athletic potential, itâs India that remained (and still remains) the one truly untapped last frontier of sports talent on the planet.
Sounds easy enough, right?
Obviously not, but from that simple concept, became the vision which eventually evolved into the real-life Million Dollar Arm competition. In it, Bernstein would tap the sub-continent, hoping to find an athlete with the potential to eventually evolve into a big league pitcher. As Bernstein saw it, the similarities between the throwing motion commonly used in India's most popular sport (cricket) had an eerie resemblance to that of a baseball pitcherâ¦.so in theory, there must be a way to transition a cricket player to the diamond.
Again, that was in theory, and even after Bernstein got funding and arrived in India, he had trouble actually finding that star (turns out finding a baseball player in a country full of people whoâve never even seen the sport, let alone played it, wasnât nearly as easy as it seemed). After an exhaustive search, Bernstein did find enough quality arms to stage the competition, which was eventually won by two young guys by the names of Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel. Ironically, neither had ever played cricket (they were both threw javelin in school), but picked up the intricacies of throwing a baseball hard enough and accurate enough to win the competition and earn a ticket to America.
Winning the competition (if I havenât already made it clear) didnât actually earn the boys anything other than a trip to the United States. It also didn't guarantee any type of on-the-diamond success. Even after winning the competition they still hadnât actually played baseball yet. They had simply show a bit of proclivity for the sport.
That's also why the most fascinating part of the movie was actually seeing their arrival in America: Beyond just having to adjust to American culture (and simple tasks like ordering takeout food) the boys also had to actually adjusting to the game itself. Understand that rules most Little Leaguer's know were foreign to Singh and Patel, as were concepts like fielding the position and backing up bases.
It's also what makes Singh and Patel's development that much more special, and why a lot of credit goes to two people I havenât mentioned yet. The two were a pitching coach named Tom House and Bernstein's neighbor-turned-love-interest (who in real life eventually became his wife), Brenda.
That's because while Bernstein was trying to re-build his sports agency it was those two who nurtured the guys as they adjusted to life in America. Brenda became a surrogate mother to the boys, while House (who in real life played in the big leagues and was a coaching coach for USC) took them from raw athletes and turned them into actual, legitimate pitching prospects in a few short months.
And it's at that point the boys faced their final major hurdle, after falling flat on their first tryout in front of pro scouts. It was only several months later (with much more training) that the boys got a second tryout, and were able to finally then secure themselves a contract. The movie ends with actual home video, of the real-life House telling the Singh and Patel that the Pittsburgh Pirates have offered them a contract.
No, this wasn't some souped-up, melo-dramatic, made-for-the-silver-screen story, but instead one about real people, with real lives, and real consequences if they failed. It also showed that regardless of whether either makes it to the big leagues (Singh is currently out with an elbow injury, Patel is no longer in pro baseball), it's incredible to think just how much they had to overcome to actually get the opportunity just to get as far as they did.
Think about it: Not only did these kids not play baseball until their late teens, they had never even seen it on TV! Yet in a short time they not only learned the game, but learned to play it at a level well enough to earn a professional contract. How incredible is that?
As Singh told me when I interviewed him a few weeks back, this is a baseball story that really isnât about baseball at all. Instead itâs about believing in yourself, and believing in your dreams no matter how unrealistic they may seem to others.
In the end, the Million Dollar Arm turned into much more than a baseball competition. And this story turned into much more than a baseball movie.
