Good news Monday

By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Mondays can be tough on the soul. So have some smiles on us: Washington Nationals prospect Danny Rosenbaum is off to another good start this season. A starting pitcher with the Harrisburg Senators (AA), the 24-year-old lefty is 2-0 with a 1.25 ERA. Not bad, even for a player whose…

Jason Marquis set to make Twins debut Wednesday against Yanks

By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Jason Marquis, left off the Minnesota Twins’ opening-day roster so he could take care of his injured daughter in New York, is set to make his MLB season debut Wednesday (4/18/2012) against the New York Yankees. Wednesday’s start also will mark his first start as a Twin. Minnesota acquired the…

Just 7 Jews on Opening Day rosters, but more to come

By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News In 2010, the year Jewish Baseball News debuted, MLB’s Opening Day rosters included 10 Jewish players. In 2011 there were nine. This season? Only seven. It’s enough to make an M.O.T. cry in his $9 ballpark beer. Thanks to injuries (Sam Fuld, Ryan Kalish), flips of a coin (Ryan Lavarnway, Michael…

In other sports: Three boxers triumph

By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Two Jewish boxers appeared on the same card last week (3/31/2012) at the Paramount Theater in Huntington, N.Y., and both won their bouts. Two days later (4/2/2012), another Jewish fighter reigned in Woodland Hills, Calif. Cletus Seldin, a 25-year-old welterweight fighting at 143 pounds, raised his record to 7-0 with…

Sam Fuld will miss most of 2012 season with wrist injury

By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Sam Fuld will miss most if not all of the 2012 season due to an injured right wrist. According to MLB.com, the Tampa Bay Rays OF is schedule to undergo surgery this morning in Cleveland. Fuld, 30, first injured the wrist in September against the Baltimore Orioles. He reinjured it March…

Today’s news scraps (3/29/2012)

By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Here’s what’s happening in the world of baseball today (Thursday, Mar. 29, 2012): INJURY: Sam Fuld told the Tampa Tribune he’s going to get a second medical opinion on his injured right wrist and may end up facing surgery and/or rehab. The Tampa Bay Rays outfielder injured his wrist last September…

Despite scoreless Spring, Grabow is free agent

By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News John Grabow couldn’t have done much more to win a spot in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ bullpen. In six appearances this Spring, the 33-year-old hurler gave up no runs, one walk, and only four hits across six innings while striking out seven. But yesterday the Men in Blue chose to keep fellow…

Want to see Israel compete in World Baseball Classic? Come to Florida

By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Israel’s qualifying round for the 2013 World Baseball Classic will take place on friendly turf this November: Florida. The Association of Israel Baseball announced today that teams from Israel, South Africa, France, and Spain will compete at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, the spring training home of the Miami Marlins and St….

Eric Berger, Cleveland Indians prospect

By Zev Ben Avigdor/Jewish Baseball News Like most professional athletes, Cleveland Indians prospect Eric Berger can be described as the sum of his stats. In four minor-league seasons, the 25-year-old reliever has amassed a 19-16 record, a trim 3.49 ERA, and two stints with the Tribe’s AAA team. His 1.22-per-inning strikeout ratio last year was a…

Allison Hellman, on Birthright Israel’s first baseball-themed trip

By Zev Ben Avigdor/Jewish Baseball News In January, a group of college students traveled to Israel on a special Birthright Israel trip designed for baseball players and fans. Allison Hellman, a 20-year-old baseball fan and communications major at Cornell University, shared some of her thoughts about the trip with Jewish Baseball News. Her interview is the…

In other sports: Orthodox H.S.’s dream of a state basketball title is back on track after Sabbath dispute

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — An Orthodox high school’s dream of competing for a state basketball title seemed over when the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools refused to reschedule a semi-final game that was slated to occur during the Jewish Sabbath. But thanks to a threatened lawsuit from several players and parents at Houston’s Robert M….

Ryan Braun wins drug-test appeal, won’t be suspended

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — When word leaked out in December that 2011 N.L. MVP Ryan Braun had failed a drug test, some wrote him off as just another cheater. Not so fast. Major League Baseball announced today that the positive drug-test ruling, and 50-game suspension, had been overruled by a 3-man arbitration panel. It reportedly was the first successful…

The Art of Fielding: A Novel

Author: Chad Harbach (Blog; Twitter; Facebook) Published: 2011 Pages: 528 Price: $15.30 at Amazon.com Our rating: 5 stars (out of 5) Reviewed by Stuart M. Katz for Jewish Baseball News Overview Widely touted as a “must read” of 2011, The Art of Fielding is about baseball players and the people who love them. Set at the fictitious Midwestern,…

Koufax was strikeout king at the plate, too

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Sandy Koufax was among the most masterful pitchers in baseball history, and statistics proving it are plentiful. In 1965 the “Left Arm of God” struck out 382 batters and walked just 71, second only to Nolan Ryan’s 383/162 in 1973. The Brooklyn native’s career shutouts-to-innings ratio is the 6th highest on…

Twins sign Jason Marquis to one-year, $3-million deal

Buying something on Amazon.com? Please use our link JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Jason Marquis signed a one-year, $3-million deal with the Minnesota Twins last week. The Twins will be his 7th team over a 12-year major-league career but first in the American League. A left-hander with a career 4.55 ERA and 104-98 record, Marquis split last…

Sports camp for kids with diabetes? Sam Fuld has that

Buying something on Amazon.com? Please use our link   JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Sam Fuld, the Tampa Bay Rays outfielder who was diagnosed with Type-1 diabetes at age 10, is the lead attraction at a two-day diabetes sports camp to be held in Tampa, Fla., in February 2012. Kids ages 8 to 18 can choose to…

Pittsburgh Pirates plunder two Jewish minor-leaguers

Buying something on Amazon.com? Please use our link JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — True to their name, the Pittsburgh Pirates plundered two Jewish minor-leaguers on the cheap in the recent Rule 5 draft. One target was St. Louis Cardinals prospect Charlie Cutler. In 2011, the 25-year-old catcher hit a team-high .333 with the Springfield Cardinals (AA)…

Say it ain’t so: did Ryan Braun knowingly juice?

Jewish Baseball News gets better when you use our Amazon.com link JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — ESPN reported today that 2011 N.L. MVP Ryan Braun tested positive for excessive testosterone in October and may face a 50-game suspension. If ESPN’s unnamed sources are correct, it won’t matter whether the Milwaukee Brewers star knowingly violated baseball’s ban…