Budding Indian baseball champs win US talent hunt
2 May 2008, 1755 Hrs

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New Delhi, May 2 (ANI): US Ambassador to India David C. Mulford on Friday honoured two young Indians at the US Embassy after they won the 'Million Dollar Arm Hunt', a nationwide competition to find the fastest baseball pitchers in India.

'Million Dollar Arm Hunt', the countrywide contest to test the fastest baseball pitcher began in year 2007 in India as a part of American sport's global search for talented athletes.

Rinku Bhrahmdeen Singh, was adjudged as the fastest baseball pitcher. He along with runner up Dinesh Kumar Patel will be heading to the San Francisco for a yearlong professional training programme and they will get a chance to try out for a Major League Baseball team for the 2009 season.

"If I can fare well sans training, I will surely do better when I will receive professional training. I can form a good baseball team after coming back to India," said Singh, the prize winner.

Singh has won a contract for 100,000 dollars to train for one of America's leading sports leagues.

JB Bernstein, the organiser of the contest, aims to expand the competition worldwide to popularize the sports.

"We saw a lot of kids in this country who have very strong arms and we'll be expanding the contest next year. This year we'll be doing 30 cities, next year we'll be doing 1500- 2000 cities. And we hope that in the next five to ten years, we can really grow this, find some great talent and once they get off to the US. Hopefully, people will follow them and learn about baseball," said Bernstein.

Baseball was developed in mid-19th century in America, with the first professional baseball club being formed in 1869. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, two American leagues - the national league and the American league were formed.

Baseball is enormously popular throughout North America, Central America, the Caribbean and some parts of East Asia. (ANI)