Baseball is sweet in the Dominican Republic, according to 'Sugar'

The Orlando Sentinel (MCT) - Baseball, or "beisbol," says Algenis Perez Soto, is more than a sport in his native country, the Dominican Republic. It's more than a religion, too.

"Baseball has become a business, almost, there, not a sport," says Soto, young star of the new baseball/immigrant drama "Sugar." "Everyone sees it as a way out. Everyone who has a kid, the first thing they give them is a ball. Then a bat. Every single father, pretty much, wants his son to become a major league star like Pedro Martinez."

Or Sammy Sosa or Alex Rodriguez, he might add _ some 10 percent of American major leaguers come from the Dominican Republic. Baseball and the creation of big leaguers is a major industry there, something captured in "Sugar," which was written and filmed by the team that made "Half Nelson." The film depicts baseball "academies" set up by major league clubs, academies recently scandalized by the practice of "bonus skimming" (taking a cut from the signing bonuses earned by players).

"I tried out for baseball academies," says Soto, who was a middle infielder but plays a pitcher named Miguel "Sugar" Santos in the movie. "I never got good enough. Thousands and thousands try, but not many of us make it. I knew guys like Miguel. You don't know what you're getting into when you sign that contract and come to the United States."

"Sugar" centers on the culture shock facing Miguel, who doesn't know the language (despite "baseball English" classes at the academy). He is taken from his corner of the developing world to small town Iowa to sink or swim, making his mark on the game in the minor leagues.

"When I came here to shoot the movie I was just as new to the United States as Miguel," Soto says. "I went to Iowa, just like my character. We both saw this new country for the first time and had to adjust. Iowa was cool, but very different from the rest of this country.

"I remember when I got to Iowa, my friends working on the movie who live in New York were sure we were going to the most boring place in the country. 'It's not New York.' Life is more accelerated in New York. In Iowa, things move slower. But maybe that's why they put minor league teams there. You really want to get better. Your motivation is to get good enough to get out of there."

The same is true of Soto, who is living in Boston, practicing his English and hoping that "Sugar," a Sundance Film Festival award-winner, leads to bigger things. "With his heavy-lidded, almost brooding presence, he is one of those amateurs whose naturalness allows him to cut to the heart of his character," The Hollywood Reporter said of his performance.

"I was a shortstop who had to learn to pitch," says Soto. "Maybe I can be a ball player who learns how to act."

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© 2009, The Orlando Sentinel (Fla.).