Pittsburgh Pirates Need A Dose Of Reality

The Pittsburgh Pirates have been so bad for the last 15 years that they are clearly in desperation mode. The Buccos now have gone to the ends of the earth to find talent including 2 pitchers from India neither of whom had touched a baseball until earlier this year.

The Pirates signed Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel, both 20 years old, whose claim to fame is being the top finishers in a reality TV show called "Million Dollar Arm", which sought athletes who could throw strikes at 85 miles per hour or faster. The show was sponsored by a California sports management company that believed it could find major league talent in India. Apparently, the Pirates were impressed with the pair from India.

"They have potential, but they're very raw," Pirates General Manager Neal Huntington said. "There are a lot of things to cover. They've only had six months of baseball experience. They probably wonder why they have to cover first base on a ground ball hit to the right side, but they love the game."

Singh and Patel even have an agent, Jeff Borris one of the most well known in baseball.

I give the Pirates props for going to such expense to find talent. But a reality show from India makes you wonder "What the heck are they thinking!" Maybe Singh and Patel will amount to something and get a cup of coffee in the Majors. I can't wait to see them when pitchers and catchers report in February.