Author: Wajiha Shah
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: February 2, 2010
URL: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/baseball-star-rinku-singh-hits-a-home-run-in-up-village/574344/
He knew his life was about to change when
he won the "Million Dollar Arm" contest in Mumbai two years ago.
But he still can't believe just how much it has changed.
Rinku Singh, the 22-year-old javelin thrower
from Holpur village in Bhadohi, had won the baseball reality show aimed at
identifying raw talent to turn into a successful pitcher, and was last year
signed up by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the American League alongside the runner-up
in that contest, Dinesh Patel. He now plays for one of their Minor League
affiliates.
Rinku, then a shy 20-year-old who hardly knew
what had hit him, now speaks English confidently, says he is one of the more
popular boys in his university thanks to the fact that he's a sportsman, and
adds that he was recently honoured on the college annual day.
But the changes that really make him smile
are the ones that have taken place back home. Rinku's 55-year-old father,
Brahmadin Singh, no longer has to drive a truck to earn a living for the family.
"Now my father only supervises the farming of the four or five bighas
of land we have at Holpur. We're also constructing a new American-style seven-room
house about 60 metres from where we live now with the money I have earned.
I also help out with the finances to train my elder brother, Rajan Singh,
who is an athlete."
Back home from Florida on holiday, Rinku says
the thing he is enjoying most is home-cooked food. "I had a lot of difficulty
in getting used to the food there because it tasted completely different from
Indian food. Now I have become quite used to it because if you want to be
a good athlete, you have to eat well."
At the contest in 2008, in which 37,000 hopefuls
participated, Rinku's winning 'pitch' was measured at 87mph. But he is quick
to admit he had no idea what he was doing back then.
"We had received a few tips on how to
throw the ball, but I had no idea what baseball was all about. Today, I can
talk at length about who Randy Johnson is," he says, before rattling
off the career statistics of the legendary left-handed pitcher known for a
dominant fastball and a biting slider, and who retired from Major League Baseball
earlier this year.
Rinku says it would have been impossible for
him to adjust to life in Florida but for the help and understanding of his
team management. "Everyone is very understanding, Dinesh and I have been
given the same room by the team management and the other players are very
friendly. They explain things to us very politely."
Asked if he has been taking lessons in English,
Rinku shakes his head and smiles. "I never attended classes, I've picked
up the language mainly through conversations with coach Tom House and my teammates."
The journey has been incredible, and Rinku
says he's motivated to do better all the time. "I feel really great when
supporters in Florida refer to me as 'that baseball star from India'. I want
to groom my talent further, until people start considering India to be a serious
talent base."
