Each went an inning in relief for the Bradenton Pirates. Rinku gave up one run and two hits, while Dinesh pitched a 1-2-3 inning with a K.

Update: apparently, I think all Indian people are brothers. Apologies.

Pirates' Indian-born pitchers make pro debuts [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

On Tuesday, Rinku and Dinesh reported on their blog that they had been fleeced by a Topps baseball card representative, who convinced them to sign a contract under false pretenses. Not so said Bernstein, the "JB Sir" referenced so often in the Indian teenagers' blog, Our Baseball Yatra.

"They misunderstood that Topps guy and have since amended their blog; Topps did nothing wrong," Bernstein told me by phone. "They mistook his saying that he knew me, as me saying it was OK to sign. Very harmless, and they are sorry to have caused any trouble. I've been working with Topps for many years, and they are far above this."

Bernstein is a little concerned, however, that Rinku and Dinesh are signing any piece of paper that's shoved in front of them. "I thought I had them trained better than that," he said. "I'm actually kind of worried that I'm going to find out that Rinku signed a contract to appear naked in a circus act somewhere. Or that they gave money to someone from Nigeria who promised to pay them a million dollars from a frozen bank account. It's an ongoing process with these guys. But it's all good; they are two of the best kids you could ever want."

Rinku and Dinesh are currently playing at Pirate City in Bradenton, Fla., where they will enter extended spring training as soon as the major league roster is set. They will start out with the Rookie League's Gulf Coast Pirates.

"The goal is to get them into as many game situations as possible," Bernstein said. "They will be used in short bursts, just to give them game experience. Hopefully they can make it to high A or double A by the end of the year. They will also probably play winter ball."

Bernstein says that the two love it in Florida, get along well with their teammates and have even learned to play pool. But that's where the similarities with American teenagers pretty much ends.

"There's a big difference between an 18-year-old kid with their background and an 18-year-old from the U.S.," Bernstein said. "Rinku and Dinesh weren't slumdogs in India, but they grew up in a world where you worked from sunrise to sunset farming food. They didn't play video games or go out and get a fake ID. When they were working out for scouts last year, they're probably the only kids to have spent three weeks at USC on sorority row and never seen a girl. They aren't here to drink beer, they're trying to save their families, change everything in their village at home.

"And it's not like they criticize American teenagers for the way they live, but they realize that they're a decade behind everyone here, baseball-wise, and they have to catch up. So they work out, and then it's back to the dorm studying baseball."

Million Dollar Arm the Indian reality show where the two were discovered, begins its second season in November. That will produce at least two more Indian pitchers, who will come to the U.S. and try and catch on with a pro franchise.

"And it could be more than two," Bernstein said. "We've already got hundreds of thousands of requests to be on the show. It's really become popular."

And now we leave you with a word from their blog.

Coach Bonilla very good teaching us. We both feeling we inproving pitching here Pirate City. We very thankful for Pirate City, players and coaches. All peoples there very nice me and Rinku. Some players wanting take us to the saloon but we not doing this thing.

I would also recommend staying at least 200 yards from Jeff Reed at all times.

Our Baseball Yatra
The Million Dollar Arm

Apparently a Topps executive got hold of the two recently and demonstrated how we play hardball here in the states, getting them to sign a baseball card contract under false pretenses. And for, if I'm reading their blog correctly, the princely sum of $5. Rinku and Dinesh relate the experience on their blog, The $1,000,000 Arm, under the headline A Very Bad Thing Happen To Us.

Yesterday locker room man coming to us from company Topps. He saying we sign contract. We telling him we not reading this english. we say he have talking JB sir. He saying he talking JB sir and JB sir say OK signing.

So we signing this thing and he give me and Dinesh $5.00. Then we finding out JB sir not knowing this. Man from company Topps lying to us. he very bad man. This very bad company. We having good deals with upper Deck and Playoff. We not liking Topps. We never be Topps if they ask us signing again. They bad man and say lying to us.

We hoping no people buying Topps cards. Peoples who liking us only buying Upper Deck and Playoff.

The JB Sir in the post, by the way, is Rinku and Dinesh's marketing agent, Jeff Bernstein, who has been with them every step of the way since they won a reality show competition in India last year.

If they quash the deal through litigation we won't be able to see Rinku and Dinesh in 3D relief, but that's OK, because in the works as we speak is Rinku and Dinesh, The Movie. Mark Ciardi of Mayhem Pictures, which produced Miracle, Invincible and The Rookie, is shopping their story to Disney, Miramax and some other studios. Working title: Slumdog Millionaire Arms.

And yes, I know that Babu Bhatt from Seinfeld is actually from Pakistan.

UPDATE: John Greenberg, executive editor of Team Marketing Report, checks in with this: Funny post on the Indian Pirates. Not sure if one of your vaunted commentators noted this, but Topps gives every minor leaguer $5 for the rights for their cards if they make the majors. Few cash the check (though matt mccarthy, the odd man out author you panned, wrote about how he and some teammates cashed theirs) as its supposed to be a keepsake. Once they're in the union, they get a much bigger check from the card companies.

UPDATE: Rinku and Dinesh have amended their blog to show that the Topps representative apparently did nothing wrong. It was all a misunderstanding, according to Bernstein. From the amended post by Rinku:

Topps man sir. We sorry. JB explaining that he knowing this man and he not believe man doing these things. he say we not understanding right. Dinesh and i all things new being to us. we wishing many time we just being pitcher, but we also knowing all other things too needed.

Very Bad Thing Happen To Us [The $1,000,000 Arm]
Rinku And Dinesh Vs. Topps [Walkoff Walk]
Movie In The Works For Indian Pitchers [CNBC]

From his blog:

One very, very bad thing about the news is that they say I on the BABEWATCH. this not true. i not watching girls. i only pitching, training, eat, watch baseball/Movies and sleep. American women very dangerous and very crazy. I like only Indian woman. Dinesh and JB, Sir have been harrassing me about this BABEWATCH. I do not like the BABEWATCH.

The site he's referring to, Disgrasian, is edited by a pair of chicks who are, evidently, the Babewatchers, not the Babewatchees. So Rinku may be misinterpreting things. Or it's quite possible that I am. At any rate, he ends with this:

I also learn how to play darts from Neil, sir. First time, I thinking I throw darts too hard and they no sticking. Neil, sir also claim to be real person they make Snakes in a Plane movie about. Dinesh and I not believe him anymore. He is a tricky one.

Babewatch: Rinku Singh [Disgrasian]
The Good The Bad And The Ugly [Our Baseball Yatra]

Writes Dinesh:

We have been spending free time meeting with many movies and TV peoples. it is unreal to believe someday our friends could see film about me and Rinku.

Today we meet movie giant Mark Sir. He make many good American movies — but most important — he knows The ROCK… ROCK my favorite actor so I took a picture with him. Mark sir is holding a photo with him and the ROCK. As they say in US… “Awesome”

Mark would be Mark Ciardi, producer of The Game Plan, which would explain how the two met The Rock. Meanwhile, production is set to resume on The Million Dollar Arm, the pitching contest which Rinku won earlier this year that earned the pair the trip to the U.S. in the first place.

But that movie, that should be something. Who will play the two leads? Deadspin tipster Adam: "I am counting down the days until tickets go on sale at Fandango."

International House Of Prospects? [Our Baseball Yatra]