President and CEO of the Arizona Diamondbacks Derrick Hall enjoying the match at the stadium where his team will be playing the LA Dodgers on the 22nd of March. Source: Tim Hunter / News Limited
WITH a chequebook worth $90 million, Derrick Hall isn't the type of bloke who baulks at SCG beer prices.
In fact, when it comes to beers, burgers, even batsman of an Australian Test variety, the Arizona Diamondbacks president speaks enthusiastically about splurging on it all.
"Oh, absolutely,'' the American baseball suit grins.
"Having already met Steve Smith and heard plenty about David Warner, I have no doubt your elite cricketers could make the transition to Major League Baseball".
Currently in Sydney to promote his side's MLB season opener against the LA Dodgers - which, in March, will see the SCG undergo a multi-million dollar transformation - Hall insists he would happily allow swashbuckling cricketers Warner and Smith to trial with his American franchise.
"We could definitely teach baseball to those guys,'' he says.
"In terms of a pathway, Australian cricket is certainly a realistic scouting ground for us.
"With the hitting, the power arms, the hand-eye coordination, there is so much crossover there. I'm just not sure how many Australians who make it to the elite level would want to give that up."
Ah, wouldn't that depend on how many zeroes you offered them?
"I guess our salaries are well above yours, yes,'' Hall grins.
Allan Border talks Ashes Cricket at Manly Beach. Pictured with Major League Baseball stars Patrick Corbin(L) of the Arizona Diamond Backs, and AJ Ellis of the LA Dodgers. Source: News Limited
"But that's another story altogether.
"What I do hope is that we can help build the game of cricket in America. Maybe even have a swap where US baseballers come down here and play.
"But in terms of our season opener, it's about promoting baseball in Australia. This isn't about finances for us. We simply want to break square, grow the game and ... whoa, he just got hit."
Indeed, out in the middle of the SCG, Aussie paceman Mitchell Johnson has just sent a thundering blow into Englishman Ben Stokes. Or maybe it was Jonny Bairstow. Regardless, the Diamondbacks boss is impressed.
"Remarkable sport isn't it?'' he continues.
"My father-in-law, he's from India and has been urging me to watch this sport forever.
"Then about five years back, I actually stumbled across it by accident. I was flicking through the sports channels and when it came on, I stayed with it. Love it."
But do you get it?
"Taking a break to have 'tea' -- that's different,'' the leading US sports suit laughs.
"So is stuff like the absence of leather mitts, fielders being so close to the batsmen, a match taking five days.
"Back home, we're actually trying to speed up our games, which average about three hours. We're playing 162 games a year, so for 81 home games, we don't want our fans sitting around for hours."
No, because as Hall will discover come close, that encourages men wearing watermelons for hats to do some strange things indeed.
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