Pitch Your Way to $1M

I’ve seen Disney’s upcoming baseball film, Million Dollar Arm, twice now and will write more on it’s spiritual/religious themes closer to the release date. For now, I thought I’d share the latest news around the film. Check out details on Disney’s/Subway’s $1M pitching competition after the jump.

Burbank, Calif. (April 11, 2014) –Disney is giving amateur baseball pitchers in the nation a chance to compete for a $1 million prize in the Million Dollar Arm Pitching Contest. The Million Dollar Arm Pitching Contest is being held to celebrate the opening of Disney’s  “Million Dollar Arm,”  an incredible true story about two young men who went from never throwing a baseball to getting a Major League tryout.

Amateur baseball pitchers—male or female, who are legal United States residents at least 18 years of age or older—are invited to qualify to compete in the preliminary rounds of the Million Dollar Arm Pitching Contest at either Walt Disney World® Resort in Florida, Disneyland® Resort in California or at the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Day at the Tribeca Family Festival in New York City. The three contestants from each location who throw the fastest pitches will advance to the finals and have a chance to compete for a $1 million prize at the world premiere of Disney’s   “Million   Dollar   Arm” in   Hollywood,   California.   Official   rules   are   available   on   Disney.com’s   “Million  Dollar  Arm” homepage at http://disney.com/PitchingContest.

Presented by SUBWAY® restaurants, the three qualifying events will take place on April 25 and 26, from 7 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., at both Downtown Disney District in Anaheim, Calif. and ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World® and on April 26 only, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., at the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Day during the Tribeca Family Festival in New York City. Contestants will throw three pitches, each tracked by a radar gun, in an attempt to throw the fastest pitch. All participants will receive tickets for themselves and a guest to see an advance screening  of  Disney’s  “Million  Dollar  Arm” at an AMC Theatres location later that evening.

Nine finalists chosen during these qualifying events will have a chance to compete for the $1 million   prize   at   the   world   premiere   of   Disney’s   “Million   Dollar   Arm.”   The   top   three   eligible   pitchers with the fastest pitches from each qualifying round location will be flown with his or her guest  to  the  final  contest,  which  will  take  place  at  the  world  premiere  of  Disney’s  “Million  Dollar   Arm”   in   Hollywood, Calif., on May 6. Each of these finalists will throw three pitches on Hollywood Boulevard. Any eligible finalist who throws one 100 mph strike (out of three pitches) will become a potential winner of the $1 million grand prize.

The nine finalists and their   guests   will   be   VIPs   at   the   film’s   premiere along with stars, filmmakers, major league players, coaches, scouts and celebrities.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Subject to Official Rules available at event or at http://disney.com/PitchingContest.

ABOUT THE MOVIE

Based on a true story, sports agent JB Bernstein (Jon Hamm) finds that business has changed and  things  aren’t  going  well  for  his  career.  In  a  last  ditch  effort  to  save  his  livelihood  he  concocts   a scheme to  find  baseball’s  next  great  pitching  ace.  Hoping  to  find  a  young  cricket  pitcher  he  can   turn into a major league baseball star, JB travels to India to produce a reality show competition called  “The  Million  Dollar  Arm.”  With  the  help  of  cantankerous  but  eagle-eyed retired baseball scout   Ray   Poitevint   (Alan   Arkin),   he   discovers   Dinesh   (played   by   Madhur   Mittal   from   “Slumdog   Millionaire”)  and  Rinku  (played  by  Suraj  Sharma  from  “Life  of  Pi”),  two  18-year-old boys who have no idea about playing baseball, yet have a knack for throwing a fastball. Hoping to sign them to major league contracts and make a quick buck, JB brings the boys home to America to train. While the Americans are definitely out of their element in India, the boys, who have never left their rural villages, are equally challenged when they come to the States. As the boys learn the finer points of baseball, JB, with the help of his charming friend Brenda (Lake Bell), learns valuable life lessons about teamwork, commitment and what it means to be a family.