Million Dollar Arm
Page 17
I’m thankful that, however long it may have taken me to get my act together, the movie ends faithful to real life, with my character’s life headed in the right direction.
MLB relief pitcher Brian Wilson in Shivaji Park in Mumbai on November 18, 2007, with would-be contestants the day before the kickoff of Million Dollar Arm
Dinesh Kumar Patel, Vaibhav Bassi, and Rinku Singh in Delhi
The handsome gang of Million Dollar Arm’s finals in March 2008
Rinku wins the finals and India’s first Gatorade bath
Ambassador David C. Mulford throws some pitches with Rinku, Dinesh, and their translator, Deepesh Solanki, in Delhi right before they left for the United States
Dinesh, Deepesh, and Rinku in their licensed merchandise gear from my closet in front of our house in LA
Doing drills with Coach Tom House
Just part of the team: in the dugout during a practice with USC’s baseball players
Rinku throwing batting practice at USC
“Mr. Perfect Pitching Mechanics” Dinesh displaying good form at USC
Randy Johnson paying the guys and Coach House a visit at Dedeaux Field
Dinesh, Barry Bonds, and Rinku at a D.C. United soccer game
Rinku pitching for the Pirates against the Yankees in the minors (July 4, 2009)
Dinesh in his Pirates uniform at the kickoff for season two of The Million Dollar Arm in Delhi in 2011
A heroes’ return to Dinesh’s village of Khanpur on October 31, 2008
President Obama gives Dinesh his seal of approval at the White House on May 24, 2010
On set at USC, August 2013. From left to right: Pitobash Tripathy (actor playing Deepesh), producer Gordon Gray, Madhur Mittal (actor playing Dinesh), Jon Hamm (me!), director Craig Gillespie, producer Mark Ciardi, me, Suraj Sharma (actor playing Rinku), and producer Kevin Halloran
On set in Atlanta, May 2013. From left to right: Aasif Mandvi (actor playing Ash), me, Mark, Madhur, Jon, Rinku, and Suraj
Fake Ash and Real Ash
Dinesh, Lisa LaFon, and Rinku at dinner during the movie shoot in Atlanta
Will Chang, me, Jon, and Ash on set in Mumbai in May 2013
Brenda, me, and Jon on set in Beverly Hills in August 2013
Me, Delphine, and Brenda
My two sons . . .
Dinesh, Rinku, and Deepesh get some wisdom from Korea’s first MLB player, Chan Ho Park
Rinku, Will Chang, and Dinesh at the Beverly Wilshire in Los Angeles, CA, January 2008
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Although this book is told from my point of view, it is not only my story . . .
Will Chang, without your vision and partnership, Million Dollar Arm would not have been possible. Ash Vasudevan, you were always and continue to be the glue that holds this whole thing together. Deepesh Solanki, your selfless dedication to baseball in India is truly amazing. Tom House, at this point, who can argue the fact that you are the most successful pitching coach on the planet? Vivek Daglur and Vaibhav Bassi, thank you for helping me circumnavigate the unimaginable.
Jen Bergstrom and Jeremie Ruby Strauss at Gallery, thank you for your belief in this book and helping me bring the story to life.
Thanks to Alan Horn, Sean Bailey, Brigham Taylor, Tonia Davis, and everyone else at Disney who fought to turn Million Dollar Arm into a movie and then fought again to make it great. Thank you to Jon Hamm, Suraj Sharma, Madhur Mittal, Pitobash Tripathy, Lake Bell, Bill Paxton, Alan Arkin, Aasif Mandvi, Tzi Ma, and the rest of the cast and crew for helping us tell this amazing story and honoring us with your performances. Tom McCarthy, Craig Gillespie, Mark Ciardi, Gordon Gray, Joe Roth, Palak Patel, Neil Mandt, and Michael Mandt understood the potential power of this story when I could understand only the business.
Lisa LaFon, you and I have shared so many milestones in our careers. I can’t believe you can still put up with me after so many years.
Tony Phills, I don’t know what to thank you more for, introducing me to Brenda or for all the tireless hours you spent helping me make Bonds’s and Million Dollar Arm’s creative stuff look awesome.
Rebecca Paley, you did such an amazing job on this book. My company and my family can never thank you enough.
Superagent Steve Fisher and APA, amazing job selling this book twice in less than thirty days!
MLB and MLB International, I am indebted to you for helping us continue to grow the contest and bring baseball to India.
Thanks to Ambassador Mulford, Joel Ehrenreich, and the staff at the US embassy in Delhi for all their support.
Mike Tully, for all your hard work on this project, we owe you a great deal of gratitude.
Barry Sanders, Barry Bonds, Emmitt Smith, and Curtis Martin, thanks for believing in me and supporting this dream.
Brenda and Delphine, Million Dollar Arm led me to you, and I will do my best to live up to being the man you need.
PHOTO BY BRENDA BERNSTEIN
J. B. BERNSTEIN has represented some of the greatest athletes of all time, including Barry Bonds, Barry Sanders, Curtis Martin, and Emmitt Smith. He lives in Las Vegas with his family.
FOR MORE ON THIS AUTHOR: authors.simonandschuster.com/J-B-Bernstein
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Copyright © 2014 by J. B. Bernstein
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First Gallery Books trade paperback edition April 2014
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Interior design by Julie Schroeder
Cover photograph © 2014 Disney
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
ISBN 978-1-4767-6588-4
ISBN 978-1-4767-6620-1 (ebook)
Insert photograph credits: pages 1–4: Seven Figures Management, LLC; page 5: top and middle by Seven Figures Management, LLC, bottom by Lisa LaFon/Seven Figures Management, LLC; page 6: top and middle © 2014 Disney, bottom by Seven Figures Management, LLC; page 7, from top to bottom: Seven Figures Management, LLC, Mark Ciardi/Seven Figures Management, LLC, © 2014 Disney, the Bernstein family; page 8: top by Seven Figures Management, LLC, middle and bottom by J. B. Bernstein/Seven Figures Management, LLC