How do Major Leaguers polish their English? By watching a whole lot of 'Friends,' apparently

For foreign-born players, the transition to the Major Leagues can be difficult. They have to focus on all the demands of being a big leaguer while adjusting to a totally new culture -- and a totally new language -- at the same time.
Luckily, some of them have found a helpful tool: sitcom and endless '90s nostalgia generator "Friends."
According to a story in The New York Times on Monday, several players have turned to the show as a way to help them learn or brush up on their English. Phillies shortstop Freddy Galvis says he's run through all 10 seasons at least five times, while it meant so much to Wilmer Flores that he made the theme song his walkup song.

"The basics you can learn in a classroom," Flores told the Times. "But to speak the language, that comes from here in the clubhouse, on the street or from television."
Flores might be the biggest "Friends" fanatic in baseball -- he even visited the old set of the show in Burbank, Calif. -- but he's far from alone. Everyone from Arizona outfielder David Peralta to Yankees ace Luis Severino credits Ross, Rachel and company with familiarizing them with some of the nuances of the language. Galvis even used Spanish subtitles at first.
"You can compare what's going on that way," he said. "If they say 'happy,' you see he's happy and the subtitle says 'feliz,' then you can learn. You might not learn 100 percent, but you'll learn to associate." 
Alas, the Times neglected to ask any of the players whether Ross was or was not really on a break, so that mystery will remain unsolved for now.