Jon Hamm is set to star in Million Dollar Arm, a true story about two Indian kids who win a contest in their native country to earn a shot at a big league contract.

In the film, Hamm plays real life agent J.B. Bernstein who came up with the idea to stage the contest.

The Mad Men star sat down with The Sporting News to discuss the film:

SPORTING NEWS: This movie is based on a pretty cool story, isn’t it?

HAMM: It’s a great story, and it’s a true story. The reason I was attracted to doing the story is it’s a good old-fashioned coming of age father/son type of story, even though there are no fathers and no sons, really. It’s just a nice story, about hard work, and coming up with a big idea and seeing it through. The fact that it worked out for these guys is a testament to not only the guy with the big idea, but also the work ethic of these two. They were just willing to apply themselves and commit to the program and maximize the opportunity.

Hamm is a die-hard St. Louis Cardinals fan and says he is “text-friends” with Cardinals’ third baseman David Freese.