Novice Pitchers From India Sign With Pirates

[franknkeene]

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/nl...hers-sign_N.htm

Dinesh Patel and Rinku Singh, cricket players who had not picked up a baseball until April, on Monday became the first athletes from India to sign professional baseball contracts, agreeing to deals with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

DETAILS: Pitchers were chosen based on reality show

"This is very intriguing for us," Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said. "We are trying to broaden our horizons internationally and to get into some non-traditional markets. I've always been curious about India, knowing they have a cultural passion for cricket, which involves throwing, hitting and running. We want to see how that translates to baseball.

"This organization benefited in Latin America when we signed Roberto Clemente, and hopefully with their success, we'll see more athletes coming from India."

Patel, 19, and Singh, 20, said Monday they never heard of Clemente, let alone Pittsburgh, when the Pirates called last week. They went to the Internet, found the city on the map, and then spent hours exploring the Pirates' website.

"It's a dream come true," said Patel, whose fastball was clocked at 93 mph in a second workout last week, according to Huntington.

Jeff Bernstein, a promoter who discovered the pitchers in a Million Dollar Arm contest in India, said he took Patel and Singh to a nearby sporting goods store where they bought Pirates hats and shirts. They even went to a jeweler and purchased black and yellow watches, colors of the Pirates.

"We're very happy that we get to stay together," Singh said. "This will make it easier for both of us."

Their agent, Jeff Borris, said he told teams it wasn't a requirement that the pitchers be signed by the same team.

"Pittsburgh showed the most vision of any club I spoke with," said Borris, who declined to divulge their signing bonus. "These guys are raw. Who knows where they'll be when they're 23.

"But ultimately, what I would like to see happen is they pave the way for other athletes to come from India to the United States."

Huntington said Patel and Singh are scheduled to report in mid-January to Bradenton, Fla., where they will work out with the Pirates' instructional league team. They realize they are years away from contending for a big-league job but refuse to let their lack of baseball acumen deter them.

"We will work every hard to make this happen," Patel said. "We want to make our country proud."

[Guest jazz-man]

I never saw this story before. I'm not sure whether the 'bowling' motion of cricket will translate to pitching. It's a very intricate art. Speed isn't enough, you need location and motion and a change of speeds, etc. It'll be interesting to see if they pan out. Maybe the Pirates will sign Apu (from the Simpson's)?

[HelpSlip]

only the Bucs would do something like this...

[Guest crazy digits]

only the Bucs would do something like this...

...being a Pirate fan forever, enduring 16 consecutive losing seasons, this move is just another that doesn't surprise me. The Pirates are a lousy franchise and continue to get worse.