Million Dollar Arm & Golf

We saw Million Dollar Arm mainly because there was nothing else we wanted to see, and it was okay but not very good. Disney fluff about an agent’s search for pitchers in India. Jon Hamm, as J. B. Bernstein, is trying to rescue his failing sports agency by conducting a talent contest in India, the two winners of which would be brought to the United States for a major league tryout. And the contest was based entirely on how fast the contestants could throw the ball and still hit the strike zone. This film was based on a true story but anyone who knows baseball would spot the fallacy in the contest: Pitching is a bunch more than just how fast one can throw the ball, and yet none of that is seen in the film. Alan Arkin plays a snoozing scout who goes with Bernstein to India to see how the contestants were doing. Not doing well enough to get him to open his eyes. But finally, two winners emerge: Dinesh Patel (played by Madhur Mittal, whom we remember from Life of Pi) and Rinku Singh (played by Suraj Sharma, whom we remember from Slumdog Millionaire). They are brought to the U.S. to work out with the unorthodox baseball coach at USC, Tom House, who tried to get the two Indian boys ready in less than a year. It was a somewhat pleasant two hours that didn’t have any nudity or sexual scenes and a language that avoided all the F-bombs that are so pervasive in most films today. Pretty much Disney fluff with a too obvious conclusion that even included the requisite romance between Bernstein and his doctor friend who was renting Bernstein’s guest house. A nice unassuming two hours, but two completely forgettable hours.

A few words about professional golf. Tiger news suggests that he may not play any for the rest of this season. How sad. At my age, I don’t have many years left to watch his wizardry. Without Tiger, I find myself ho-humming through the weekly tournaments, not really caring who wins or loses. I watch the LPGA more than the PGA. Lexi Thompson and Michelle Wie are fun to watch, and eleven-year-old Lucy Li, who qualified for the women’s Open at Pinehurst, should spike ratings for that event. I and nearly all other fans of golf can’t wait to see what this tiny phenom can do.