http://0rz.tw/fLtvL Sun Apr 19, 2009 2:33 pm EDT Rays wonder if soccer-mad Brazil can produce MLB talent By 'Duk What if Pele and Ronaldinho had been handed a bat and ball as kids instead of pointed to the nearest soccer match? That's the question the Rays are attempting to answer by becoming the first MLB team to open a training center in Brazil. It'll be located in Marilia and will aim to tap the athletic potential of at least part of the country's 190 million people. From the Associated Press: The Rays will invest $6.5 million in the next five years in the academy, which will train future players and promote the game locally. Up to 4,000 young people will have a chance to learn the sport at a free after-school program. "Brazil has been good at producing athletes," said Andres Reiner, special director of development for the Rays. "Brazil has a lot of people, millions of young people and not everyone can play soccer. If they aren't good soccer players they can be good baseball players." The AP article states that 11 Brazilian players are already under contract with MLB teams and that most of the country's baseball-loving crowd is derived from its large Japanese population. Still, baseball's popularity in Brazil doesn't come close to the levels it's received in neighboring Venezuela, so there's still plenty of room to grow. And if MLB can try to make strides in China and the Pirates can start mining India for pitching talent, why shouldn't the Rays be giving this a shot? ====== 巴西貨 --

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