Jewish Baseball News

Michael Schwimer (ESPN.com)

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Boston Red Sox rookie Ryan Lavarnway collected his first MLB hit in a 7-1 drubbing of the Kansas City Royals on Friday, going 1/4 in the DH slot.

The rookie catcher hit an opposite-field single off Royals P Jeff Francis in the 5th inning (see video) and drew a walk off of P Nathan Adcock in the 9th.

He wasn’t the only Jewish newbie to reach a personal milestone Friday. Philadelphia Phillies reliever Michael Schwimer has yet to make his MLB pitching debut, but that didn’t stop him from earning the #3 spot on ESPN’s Not Top 10 Plays feature. Video footage of the 6’8″, 240-pound Schwimer (see screen grab, above) showed him walking onto the field wearing a pink feather boa, pink purse, and Tweeted.

Philly fans may wish Schwimer had taken the mound Friday. The team’s 4-2 lead vanished when reliever Ryan Madson gave up 6 runs in the bottom of the 9th inning, including a walk-off grand slam HR by 3B Ryan Zimmerman.

(That’s three players named “Ryan” in the game, if you’re counting.)

Lavarnway’s single and walk came after frustrating earlier at-bats, including two in which he ended two-out, bases-loaded rallies.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — The Boston Red Sox didn’t waste any time getting C Ryan Lavarnway into the lineup.

Playing DH, the 24-year-old Lavarnway went 0/4 in Thursday’s 4-3 win over the Kansas City Royals, just hours after being called-up from the Pawtucket Red Sox (AAA).

He was nothing if not consistent, flying out 3 times to Royals CF Melky Cabrera and striking out once.

Meanwhile, recent Philadelphia Phillies call-up Michael Schwimer has yet to get into a game. The ace reliever stayed on the bullpen bench during Thursday’s 4-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks, despite it being Jewish Heritage night at Philly’s Citizens Bank Park.

But according to a Philadelphia Sports Daily article helpfully provided by Jewish Baseball News reader Bill R., Schwimer had other team duties to fulfill.

He was wearing a pink Hello Kitty backpack with a matching pink boa on his back as he strolled across the field at Citizens Bank Park toward the Phillies bullpen. And Michael Schwimer was wearing it with pride.

In fact, carrying that backpack may have been the proudest moment of Schwimer’s life. It meant that he had arrived in the big leagues.

“I’m going to have to lengthen the straps on it,” the 6-foot-8 inch Schwimer joked…

…(The backpack is) used to house the sunflower seeds and other snacks that the relief pitchers munch on during every game. The lowest tenured rookie pitcher is made to endure the embarrassment of carrying the Hello Kitty backpack to and from the bullpen.

The Red Sox play the Royals again tonight at 8:10pm ET, while the Phillies take on the Washington Nationals at 7:05pm ET.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — The Boston Red Sox called-up catcher Ryan Lavarnway today (8/18/2011) from the minors, where he has pounded a total of 30 HRs for the franchise’s AA and AAA squads.

The 24-year-old backstop is the second Jewish player to be promoted this week. Philadelphia Phillies reliever Michael Schwimer was promoted Tuesday (8/16/2011). Once they take the field, the pair will be the 11th and 12th Jews to play in the Majors this season.

By coincidence, Lavarnway is filling a roster spot left open by 3B (and fellow Jew) Kevin Youkilis, who went on the 15-day disabled list with a sore back.

A Yale University alum who was selected in the 6th round of the 2008 amateur draft, the 6’4″, 225-pound Lavarnway led all Red Sox prospects with 102 RBIs last year. This season he has driven in 85 runs while boosting his HR output from 22 to 30 (see stats). His combined batting average is .293 — even after a 2-for-26 slump the last 7 games — and his on-base percentage is a strong .372.

Some have questioned Lavarnway’s catching prowess, but the Burbank, Calif., native’s hard work appears to be paying off. He has made only one error this year and has erased 35 percent of all base-stealing attempts. (This article has some good quotes from Lavarnway and Red Sox scouts about his catching.)

According to the Boston Herald, Lavarnway will make his MLB debut as a designated hitter when the Red Sox face the Kansas City Royals at 8:10pm ET. He is scheduled to bat 7th in the order.

As for Schwimer, the Phillies will take on the Arizona Diamondbacks tonight at 7:05pm ET.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — The Philadelphia Phillies called-up reliever Michael Schwimer on Tuesday (8/16/2011) from the club’s AAA team, where the towering right-hander amassed a 9-1 record, 10 saves, and a 1.88 ERA.

“The first part of my life dream has come true,” he Tweeted yesterday. “I cant wait!!!!”

Many MLB teams would have called-up the 25-year-old University of Virginia alum much earlier. The Phillies, however, were in no great hurry. They boast baseball’s best record (78-42), its lowest team (3.09), and a top-shelf relief squad that includes Antonio Bastardo (5-0, 8 saves in 8 chances, 1.41 ERA), Ryan Madison (3-1, 22 saves in 23 chances, 2.16 ERA), and middle-reliever Michael Stutes (5-1, 3.27 ERA).

But the 6’8″, 240-pound Schwimer made an irrefutable case for promotion. A 14th-round pick in the 2008 amateur draft, he had struck out 86 batters in 67 innings this season with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (1.3 per inning), walking just 22.

Schwimer’s promotion filled the roster spot left open when All-Star 3B Placido Polanco went on the 15-day disabled list. His first opportunity to play will come at 7:05pm EST tonight (8/17/2011) when the Phils take on the Arizona Diamond backs at home. The game is expected to be broadcast on ESPN.

Whenever Schwimer does take the mound, he will be the 11th Jew to play Major-League ball this season. More Jewish minor leaguers are likely to be called-up when MLB rosters expand from 25 players to 40 in September.

For more on Schwimer, see his Twitter feed, his blog, this funny interview about his Jewfro (he calls it a “terrible salad”), and a “Phear the Phro” t-shirt that his fan club created.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — We’re not publicity hounds by any means. But for a Jewish-oriented publication like Jewish Baseball News, getting a mention in the New York Times like we did today (8/16/2011) is a milestone of sorts (see article).

Times sports reporter Richard Sandomir had interviewed people such as lawyer Alan Dershowitz and JBN editor Scott Barancik for their reaction to Monday’s news (8/15/2011) that former Brooklyn Dodger P Ralph Branca’s mother was Jewish — and that Branca himself, a devout Catholic best known for serving up Bobby Thomson’s pennant-winning home run in 1951 claimed he didn’t know it until author Joshua Prager told him.

A key question for Sandomir was whether entities that track Jewish athletes would add Branca to their all-time lists of Jewish major leaguers. For most, the answer was ‘No.’ Such lists typically are limited to players who had Jewish parentage and did not practice another religion.

Would Branca even want to be included on such a list? If he were, his 88 career wins would land him within the top 10 among Jewish pitchers.

Read Prager’s heartwarming article here.

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Ralph Branca and his parents (New York Times)

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — As far as he knew, Ralph Branca was 100% Catholic.

A three-time All-Star with the Brooklyn Dodgers perhaps best known for giving up New York Giants 3B Bobby Thomson’s pennant-winning home run in 1951 (see video and box score), Ralph Theodore Joseph Branca was confirmed and baptized. He often attended Mass with his Hungarian-born mother, Katherine.

But according to an article in today’s New York Times, reporter Joshua Prager recently threw Branca, now 85, a life-changing curveball, informing him that Katherine, formerly known as Kati Berger, was raised Jewish and had a number of close relatives perish in the Holocaust.

Prager’s beautifully-written and carefully-researched article will almost certainly inspire debate among Jewish baseball fans and historians about whether to include Branca in the all-time list of Jewish ballplayers. Though Branca and his 16 siblings (yes, 16) would undoubtedly be considered Jewish under religious law, the fact that he is a lifelong Catholic would disqualify him from the more secularized player lists maintained by groups like Jewish Baseball News.

Former New York Mets C/1B Greg Goossen, for example, had a Jewish mother but doesn’t appear on most lists of Jewish ballplayers because he was raised Catholic and continued in the faith through his death earlier this year.

Even more intriguing (and vexing) for Jewish baseball fans is the larger question raised by Prager’s discovery: how many of the roughly 17,000 men who have played in the MLB never revealed their Jewish parentage, or never knew about it?

Prager, who wrote about Branca in his 2008 book The Echoing Green: The Untold Story of Bobby Thomson, Ralph Branca and the Shot Heard Round the World, says the Mount Vernon, N.Y., native had just penned his autobiography (A Moment in Time: An American Story of Baseball, Heartbreak, and Grace) when he learned about Katherine Branca’s heritage.

According to Prager, Branca reopened the draft, inserting two sentences about his Jewish lineage.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — A comebacker off the bat of New York Mets CF Angel Pagan on Sunday (8/14/2011) may have ended the regular season of Arizona Diamondbacks P Jason Marquis, by fracturing his right fibula.

Marquis, recently acquired by the N.L. West-leading Diamondbacks from the Washington Nationals, continued pitching after the 3rd-inning incident but left during the 4th inning after feeling the bone pop (see video). Arizona went on to win the game 5-3.

Marquis said he hopes to be back in time for post-season play. The fracture is his second major injury in two years. He missed a chunk of the 2010 season after having surgery on bone chips in his elbow.

The 32-year-old was 0-1 in Arizona after going 8-5 for the Nationals.

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Sam Fuld" src="http://www.jewishbaseballnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Sam-Fuld-Icon-photo-4-16-2011-e1303217829492-118x150.jpg" alt="" width="118" height="150" />JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Sam Fuld hasn’t had many chances to be a hero since rookie phenom Desmond Jennings assumed left-field duties for the Tampa Bay Rays.

But the diminutive 29-year-old made the most of a rare start Wednesday (8/10/2011), reaching base all 5 times he came to the plate and delivering a two-out, game-winning triple in the 9th inning (see video) to give the Rays an 8-7 victory over the Kansas City Royals.

Things looked bleak for the Rays when they opened the bottom frame of the 9th inning down 7-3, but five hits sealed the win. Fuld droving in the tying run with his triple, and when Royals 2B Johnny Giavotella’s throw to third base went wide, Fuld completed the circuit home. His teammates responded by leaping on top of him in what the disheveled Stanford alum later called a “dogpile.”

“It was the craziest 360 feet I’ve ever run,” Fuld told MLB.com.”The most exciting two minutes of my life.”

Despite going 2-for-2 with three walks, Fuld almost ended up one of the game’s goats. With the Rays down 4-2 in the 8th inning, Fuld singled, and then, in an aggressive bit of baserunning, safely reached third base on Desmond Jennings’ single. Moments later, with Rays SS Sean Rodriguez at the plate, Royals catcher Salvador Perez picked off Fuld with a quick toss to 3B Mike Moustakas.

So far this season, Fuld is hitting .244 with 16 doubles, 5 triples, and 3 HRs in 279 at-bats, along with 20 stolen bases.

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Jason Marquis" src="http://www.jewishbaseballnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/marquis-mug-150x150.jpg" alt="http://www.jewishbaseballnews.com/players/jason-marquis/" width="150" height="150" />

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Newly-acquired P Jason Marquis will make his Arizona Diamondbacks debut today at 3:45pm EST, just days after the Washington Nationals traded the veteran right-hander for a minor-league prospect.

The first-place D’backs hope Marquis, 32, can strengthen their pitching rotation as the N.L. West pennant race tightens. The Manhasset, N.Y., native is 8-5 with a 3.95 ERA this season but has lost 3 of his last four decisions. The last-place Nats obtained single-A switch-hitter Zachary Walters in exchange. The trade also saved the Nats $2.3-million, the estimated remaining amount of Marquis’ 2011 salary.

“It’s an exciting time to know a team has enough confidence in you to be a part of a postseason run,” Marquis told the Washington Post.

Marquis will have a chance to earn that confidence in today’s game against the San Francisco Giants, who are tied with the D’backs for first place.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Middle East politics got you down? Strike out again at the company softball game?

Cheer up! Life is good for Jewish baseball fans these days. Here are 12 reasons to smile:

1. So far this season, MLB Jews are out-hitting their peers .266 to .257, and out-slugging them .460 to .400.
2. At least 59 Jews currently play major- or minor-league ball, with many more playing in independent leagues or overseas. And the list is growing.
3. The topic of Judaism probably didn’t come up last week when sports radio celeb Jim Rome interviewed former outfielder Shawn Green about his new book, The Way of Baseball: Finding Stillness at 95 mph. And while some listeners may have known Green is Jewish, few would have guessed that Rome is, too.
4. For the first time, Israel is being given a chance to compete in the World Baseball Classic. At least half a dozen current or former American pros have publicly expressed interest in playing for or coaching Team Israel in the 2012 competition, including Jewish home-run king Shawn Green, Texas Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler, Milwaukee Brewers LF Ryan Braun (whose father was born in Israel), and St. Louis Cardinals prospect Charlie Cutler.
5. Speaking of Israel, last week the country hosted a qualifying tournament for the 2012 European Championship — and narrowly missed winning the tourney itself. Team Israel made it to the finals against Great Britain but lost the series 2 games to 1. Particularly impressive was 32-year-old Shlomo Lipetz, an Israeli native and New York resident who gave up just one earned run in 16.33 innings during the tournament while striking out 18 batters and walking three.
6. Coming off an injury-laden season in which he missed a third of his team’s games, Boston Red Sox 3B Kevin Youkilis (.275/16 hr/76 rbi) is once again among A.L. leaders in multiple categories. Youk is ranked 5th in on-base percentage (.389), 7th in RBIs (76/tie), 8th in doubles (28/tie), and 10th in wins above replacement (4.1 wins/tie), a measure of a player’s total offensive and defensive contributions to his team. Youkilis has been typically fearless (or perhaps nuts) at the plate, where he ranks 2nd in times hit by pitch, with 12. And despite having to switch back from first base to third this season, he’s 2nd among A.L. third basemen in putouts (73) and 3rd in fielding percentage (.968).
7. The St. Louis Jewish Light published an article last week about 3 of the 4 Jews who play on the Springfield Cardinals, the St. Louis Cardinals’ “AA” team: C Charlie Cutler (see above), P David Kopp, and P Scott Schneider. (The fourth Jewish player for Springfield, CF James Rapoport, arrived after the article was written.) Cutler, who told the Light he’d “love to play for Israel” in the World Baseball Classic, has made the most of an injury-shortened season. In just 143 at-bats he’s hitting .364 with 4 HRs, 27 RBIs, a .423 on-base percentage, and a .503 slugging percentage.
8. Milwaukee Brewers LF Ryan Braun (.322/21 hr/73 rbi) is enjoying one of the best seasons of his 5-year career. He has yet to make an error in the field for the first-place Brewers; ranks 2nd among N.L. players in batting average (.322) and power-speed combination; 3rd in wins above replacement (5.1), slugging percentage (.585), total bases (213), and extra-base hits (50); 5th in RBIs (72); 6th in runs scored (68) and on-base percentage (.394); 7th in HRs (21); and 10th in doubles (26). Braun’s 19 stolen bases are one shy of a career best, and he’s one of few players this season with a legitimate shot at joining the “30-30” club — players with 30-plus HRs and stolen bases in a single year.
9. Most minor-leaguers see their performance dip after being promoted to a higher league, but not C Ryan Lavarnway. The Boston Red Sox prospect and Yale philosophy alum has been on fire since moving up from “AA” Portland to “AAA” Pawtucket mid-season, where he is batting .343 (versus .284 in Portland) with 13 HRs, 16 doubles, and 42 RBIs in just 169 at-bats, along with a .425 on-base percentage and .669 slugging percentage.
10. ESPN Boston recently published a terrific article on Lavarnway and fellow Red Sox prospect Matt Kramer, a former catcher and Ivy League rival (Harvard) who was released by the Atlanta Braves franchise last year and is trying to reinvent himself as a pitcher. Viewing the statistics on Kramer’s growing pains is a curious joy. In 6 games and 5 total innings with Boston’s rookie-league team, the St. Louis native has faced 28 batters without giving up a single hit. However, he has walked 11 opponents, hit 3 more, struck out none, and recorded a 5.40 ERA. Who wouldn’t want to go watch this kid pitch?
11. Just to prove you never know who’s Jewish: the most recent Jewish player to be signed by a major-league club, Tampa Bay Rays recruit Dave Laufer, attended Jesuit-founded Boston College. And he did so after graduating from Christian Brothers Academy. (Thanks to Jewish Baseball News contributor Bill Ressler for the tip on Laufer’s hiring.)
12. Can you imagine an MLB team composed entirely of Jewish players? A fiction writer named Ross Ufberg can. The Jewish Daily Forward is now publishing weekly installments of his story about the Lions of Zion, an N.L. team playing in 1933. Here are links to chapters one and two.

— Scott Barancik, Editor

Jewish Baseball News

August 3, 2011

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Jason Kipnis

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — In March 2008, the editors of a bi-monthly publication called Jewish Sports Review contacted Arizona State University sophomore Jason Kipnis with a question: was the star outfielder willing to be listed as a Jewish athlete?

Kipnis, who was raised in no religion but whose father was Jewish, gave his okay. Fan sites like Jewish Baseball News have proudly claimed Kipnis ever since.

But just as Jewish fans were kvelling over his MLB debut with the Cleveland Indians last week, a number of astute observers swore they saw Kipnis sporting a crucifix.

The same Jewish Sports Review editors who contacted Kipnis in 2008 swiftly reached out to him again. And today (7/29/2011), Indians spokesman Bart Swain confirmed it: Jason Kipnis is now a practicing Roman Catholic.

Though we will miss covering Kipnis in these pages, we wish him the best both in his career and his faith.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Team Israel defeated Georgia 11-1 on Tuesday (7/26/2011) in a qualifying tournament for the 2012 European Championship.

Israeli hurler Shlomo Lipetz, 32, was dominant, giving up just three hits and one unearned run over 7 innings while chalking up 9 strikeouts and no walks (see box score). Three teammates drove in 2 runs apiece to seal the victory.

Surprisingly, Team Israel managed only 5 hits in the game. But they also drew 16 walks and stole 11 bases in twelve attempts.

Tuesday’s games marked the opening of a four-day qualifying tournament in Israel, the first one ever held in that country and one of five such tournaments taking place simultaneously around the globe. The Israel-Georgia game drew 857 fans.

Israel’s game today (7/27/2011) against Great Britain begins at 12:30pm EST and will be broadcast in English via the Internet. To listen in, visit the Israel Association of Baseball website and click on “Audio Web Cast Live” under European Qualifiers

Israel will play Lithuania on Thursday (7/28/2011). Playoff games take place Friday.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Israel is one of five countries hosting a four-day qualifying tournament for the 2012 European Championship starting today (7/26/2011), and thanks to the miracle that is the Internet, you can listen to the play-by-play in English.

Israel’s first game, against Georgia, began at 12:30pm EST today. To listen in, visit the Israel Association of Baseball website and click on “Audio Web Cast Live” under European Qualifiers.

Israel takes on Great Britain on Wednesday (7/27/2011) and Lithuania on Thursday (7/28/2011). Playoff games will be held Friday. The tournament’s full schedule is available here.

Note: As of 1:35pm EST, Israel was leading Georgia by a score of 3-1.

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Jason Kipnis

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Cleveland Indians 2B Jason Kipnis made his first MLB hit count.

Coming to bat for just the 7th time since being called up from the “AAA” Columbus Clippers last week, Kipnis hit a walk-off RBI single with two outs in the 9th inning to give the Tribe a come-from-behind, 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Monday (7/25/2011).

The 24-year-old rookie’s teammates swarmed him after the dramatic hit. Until then he had only reached base once, after being hit by a pitch in his debut game.

“He’s not going to be intimidated,” Indians manager Manny Act told MLB.com. “He is going to contribute, and he has already done it today. … Jason Kipnis couldn’t pick a better spot to get his first hit in the big leagues.”

Check out our “Jewish Box Score” every day for the latest player stats.

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Jason Kipnis

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Cleveland Indians 2B Jason Kipnis made his MLB debut Friday (7/22/2011), and while he didn’t get a hit in the team’s 3-0 loss to the Chicago White Sox, he did manage to get hit.

The 24-year-old Illinois native grounded out and flied out in his first two at-bats against before getting drilled by starter Gavin Floyd with an 86-mph cutter in the 8th inning. Kipnis batted eighth for the Tribe and played second base, though he soon may get some playing time in the outfield.

Kipnis also earned a video clip on MLB.com for an athletic play he made in the 6th inning to narrowly toss out White Sox 3B Mark Teahen at first base.

Kipnis is the 11th Jewish ballplayer to play in the MLB in 2011. Texas Rangers P Scott Feldman had a debut of his own today: after spending the entire season so far on the disabled list, he pitched one shutout inning in the Rangers’ 12-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.

The last Jewish player to make his major-league debut was CF Ryan Kalish, who went 2/4 and had an RBI with the Boston Red Sox on 7/31/2010 (see box score).

Check out our “Jewish Box Score” every day for the latest Kipnis stats.

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Jason Kipnis

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Highly-touted Cleveland Indians prospect Jason Kipnis will be the newest Jewish major-leaguer.

Shortly after today’s announcement of his impending promotion from the “AAA” Columbus Clippers (7/21/2011), MLB.com reported that Kipnis could make his MLB debut as early as Friday (7/22/2011).

“It’s time!” the 24-year-old wrote on his Twitter feed earlier today. “I’m coming Cleveland!”

The promotion did not come as a surprise. Drafted in 2009, Kipnis has quickly risen through the minor-league ranks. Through Wednesday’s games, the Illinois native led the “AAA” International League in triples (9) while ranking 2nd in runs scored (64), 7th in total bases (164), 10th in walks (44/tied), 12th in RBIs (55), and 17th in stolen bases (12).

Among the honors Kipnis already has received this season: a Player of the Week award, a starting slot in the AAA all-star game, and selection to the prestigious XM Futures Game, in which he homered.

Where Kipnis will play for the first-place Indians is an intriguing question. An outfielder through 2009, the franchise switched him to second base last year. But MLB.com says the Tribe’s greater need at present is in the outfield.

Friday’s home game against the Chicago White Sox will begin at 7:05pm EST.

Three  Jews made their ML B debuts last season: Minnesota Twins 3B Danny Valencia, who finished 3rd in voting for the A.L. Rookie of the Year; New York Mets 1B Ike Davis, who finished 7th in the N.L. Rookie of the Year vote; and Boston Red Sox CF Ryan Kalish.

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Click to order

Author: Aaron Pribble (Twitter; Facebook)

Published: 2011 (website)

Pages: 280

Price: $16.47 ($24.95) at Amazon.com

Our rating: 4 stars (out of 5)

Reviewed by Stuart M. Katz for Jewish Baseball News

Overview

The Israel Baseball League (“IBL”) played its inaugural season in the summer of 2007.  During an eight-week, 45 game season, six teams – including the champion Bet Shemesh Blue Sox – played at three makeshift ballparks in the Holy Land.  Team managers included former major-leaguers Art Shamsky, Ken Holtzman and Ron Blomberg. Israel’s foray into professional baseball unfortunately was short-lived, and 2007 was its only season due to financial difficulties.

Aaron Pribble, a California high-school teacher in the off-season, with years of minor league and international baseball experience, led the Tel Aviv Lightning to a 26-14 second place finish with his league best 1.94 ERA.  Pribble also kept a journal during the season, forming the basis for this book, subtitled “A Story of the First and Only Season in the Israel Baseball League.”

Pitching in the Promised Land provides a first-hand account of the fits and starts that accompanied the improbable venture of bringing high-level professional baseball to a country much more interested in soccer and basketball.  Players from nine countries appeared on IBL rosters in 2007.  These included former minor leaguers, college standouts, and experienced international professional players, each with colorful traits and personal stories.

Pribble mixes play-by-play commentary of games with observations about the near-absurdity of playing conditions and creative rule modifications – like 7-inning games with tie-breakers – to illustrate the ups and downs of the IBL.  He also delves into the politics of the region, both with personal observations throughout the book, and with excerpts from New York Times reports on events simultaneously occurring in Israel.

What’s Jewish about it

Pribble describes himself as “a sort of redneck Jew-boy.”  With a Jewish mother and a Christian father, he considers himself Jewish, even if he “couldn’t recite the Hanukkah prayer from memory and didn’t go to temple for Yom Kippur.”  Pribble’s strong Jewish identity resonates, as he recalls a prior Birthright trip to Israel, and realizes that playing in the inaugural IBL season “was going to be as much about discovering who I was as a Jew as it was about exploring who I was as a baseball player.”  Throughout the book, Pribble provides a great deal of local flavor, describing the relationships between the Israeli and non-Israeli players and the influence of Israeli culture on the league.  His story includes road trips to politically sensitive areas of the country and a summer romance with a Yemenite sabra.  Pribble has strong feelings about Arab-Israeli relations, as evidenced by his decision to wear “a small pin with an Israeli and Palestinian flag joined at the staff” to the IBL’s post-season celebratory dinner – The Schnitzel Awards.

My take

Pitching in the Promised Land reminded me that I am long overdue for a visit to Israel. I have not been there since 1984 and can only imagine how much has changed.  Pribble’s account of the 2007 season provides a stark contrast to the daily major-league baseball drama that we read about.  He cleverly intersperses references to films like Bull Durham and The Rookie with his descriptions of Israeli breakfast fare and playing baseball in the shadows of King Solomon’s tomb.  While his political observations and opinions may seem a tad misplaced in a story about ballplayers playing under less than ideal conditions for pittance salaries, there is no denying that nearly everything that happens in Israel is influenced by the nation’s unique location, small size and complex history.  Pribble doesn’t necessarily tell us whether or not any of those influences contributed to the quick demise of the IBL, but knowing that I won’t be able to take my kids to see an IBL game on my next visit to Israel makes me a little sad.

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Stuart M. Katz is a die-hard Yankees fan. An attorney at Cohen and Wolf in Bridgeport, Conn., he chairs the firm’s Employment & Labor Group and represents employers as well as executives.
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Ian Kinsler" width="135" height="150" class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-629" />JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — For the second time in 3 weeks, Texas Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler has had a multi-homer game.

Batting leadoff on Saturday (7/16/2011), Kinsler smacked 2 solo HRs in a 5-1 win over the Seattle Mariners. He accomplished the same feat June 29 in the Rangers’ 3-2 victory over the Houston Astros. Saturday’s barrage leaves the 29-year-old Arizona State University product with 15 HRs.

According to a Jewish Baseball News analysis, American League players have recorded 50 multi-homer in non-extra-inning games this year, and Kinsler is one of just 14 who have done so at least twice. Toronto Blue Jays RF Jose Bautista leads the league with three multi-homer games, including a 3-HR performance on May 15.

Kinsler’s 15 HRs are all the more remarkable when you consider that at one point this season he went 30 straight games without a round-tripper.

Though hitting just .255, or 22 points below his career average, Kinsler is among A.L. leaders in several offensive categories. He is ranked 3rd in runs scored (67), 4th in power-speed combination, 6th in walks (57), 8th in extra-base hits (41), and 9th in stolen bases (19).

In fact, a detailed statistical analysis of Texas Rangers players by LoneStarBall.com concluded that Kinsler was the team’s most valuable player during the first half of the 2011 season.
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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — So much to tell, so little time to tell it. Here are a few items worth noting:

• The 2011 AAA All-Star Game, which pits the International League against the Pacific Coast League, will be broadcast tonight at 9:00pm EST on ESPN. Cleveland Indians prospect Jason Kipnis will start at 2B for the International team. Joining him from the bullpen will be Philadelphia Phillies prospect Michael Schwimer. Schwimer, a 6’8″ reliever from Fairfax, Va., is enjoying a breakout season with the “AAA” Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, where he is 5-0 with 6 saves, a 1.78 ERA, 64 strikeouts, and 17 walks over 50-and-2/3 innings.
• Speaking of Kipnis, the 24-year-old standout’s 1st-inning HR helped the USA squad defeat the World team 6-4 in Sunday’s (7/9/2011) Futures Game (see box score), which is considered a showcase for minor-league baseball’s top prospects. As recently reported, Kipnis’ promotion to the Majors is expected to come soon.
• Jews batted 1.000 in last night’s MLB All-Star Game (7/12/2011), though that figure is a bit misleading. The only MOT who played was Boston Redsox 3B Kevin Youkilis, who singled in his only plate appearance. Milwaukee Brewers LF Ryan Braun was supposed to start for the National League but sat out due to a leg injury that has kept him idle since July 2. Braun not only was the top vote-getter in the National League this year but set the all-time N.L. record with 5.9-million votes — which MLB.com points out is nearly 10 times the population of Milwaukee, Wisc.
• Garrett Wittels, a Florida International University infielder who hit in 56 straight games in 2010, was signed as a free agent earlier this month by the St. Louis Cardinals and assigned to Batavia Muckdogs, the club’s “A-short season” team. Through 5 games, Wittels is batting .118 with 1 RBI. He joins Muckdogs P Corey Baker, who was picked in the 49th round of last month’s MLB amateur draft.
• Also signed as a free agent recently was C Jacob Meskin. Since joining the “rookie-league” GCL Astros (Houston Astros), Meskin has gone 0/13 with 5 strikeouts yet somehow managed to drive in 3 runs. Thanks to Jewish Baseball News reader Bill R. for the tip on Jacob.

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Sam Fuld

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — No Jews will be competing in tonight’s Home Run Derby in Phoenix (7/11/2011), but there will be a Jewish player in the broadcast booth: Tampa Bay Rays LF Sam Fuld.

“It’s kind of funny they chose me to do it for the derby,” Fuld told TBO.com. “I don’t know anything about hitting home runs.”

Indeed, Fuld has hit just 3 HRs so far in 2011. In six minor-league seasons, he hit 24 HRs over 2,651 at-bats, or fewer than one in every 100.

But the 29-year-old Stanford alum does have a special status on ESPN’s Web Gems site, where his highlight-reel catches have been among fan favorites.

And Fuld does know a thing or two about round-trippers — if only from watching them fly overhead as a left fielder. “Yeah, I can say, ‘That one looked familiar,’ or ‘I saw that one before.'”

Tonight’s Home Run Derby will be broadcast at 8:00pm EST on ESPN.

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