In Million Dollar Arm: Sometimes to Win, You Have to Change the Game, J.B. Bernstein tells the story of how a baseball agent changed the lives of two talented young men in a pitching contest in India.
More from St Louis Cardinals News
- Cardinals Rumors: 3 pros and cons of signing Carlos Rodon
- Cardinals: Here is Willson Contreras’ first message for St. Louis fans
- How do the St. Louis Cardinals stack up with Willson Contreras?
- Cardinals: The insane asking price the Athletics had for Sean Murphy
- St. Louis Cardinals: Ask me anything with Josh Jacobs – 12/8
Shortly after the book came out this past April, St. Louis Cardinals fan Jon Hamm starred in the movie released by Walt Disney Pictures.
Nobody thinks of India when they think of baseball. For a country with north of one million people, they are obsessed with their cricket. One night while flipping over to a cricket game and seeing the similarities to baseball, Bernstein gets this crazy idea: find somebody with a strong arm and the raw talent to pitch at the Major League level.
Bernstein had heard from baseball coaches that if somebody can throw a hundred miles per hour, teaching them how to properly pitch the ball could be accomplished. In 2007, he finally takes the trip to Mumbai and tours all over India with a radar gun and the hopes of finding this Yao Ming of baseball.
The Million Dollar Arm becomes a reality television competition with not just a huge cash prize but the chance to be the first professional baseball player from India.
This is a humorous and inspiring story that shows how the lives of three people were transformed. At the time, Bernstein was a bachelor and shrewd businessman. Dinesh and Rinku were the two India natives that he brought back home with him to California. They trained with Tom House.
A timeless reflection on both baseball and the American dream, Million Dollar Arm is really a tale of victory over the incredible odds of success. It’s about the limitless possibilities inside each and every one.