Some have thrown multiple no-hitters, and one has gone undercover in Nazi Germany for the OSS, a precursor to the CIA. From Arnold “Red” Auerbach to Max Zaslofsky, many Jews have made their way into the “Big 4” sports. Some have been instrumental in NBA championships. I’m Jewish so I thought I would honor my religion with an article about Jews in sports. Our focus will be on baseball, basketball, hockey, football, and(believe it or not) the CIA.
Born in raised Harlem to a pharmacist and a homemaker, Morris “Moe” Berg was always interested in languages and baseball. Considering the fact that his parents were Jews from Europe and that he lived in a predominantly non-Jewish community, he picked up Yiddish and English rather quickly. Soon, he’d be off to Princeton University to play baseball, though his dad wanted him to follow in his profession, or at least study for a high-paying job like a lawyer. 331 home runs and 3 years in the military; Hank Greenberg is one of the greatest Jewish athletes of all-time. He was a great athlete who also remained close to his religion. While hitting like crazy, he did manage to observe the high holy days, something that many big names refrain from. A lot of times they make the excuse that it’s too high intensity at that time in the season, but usually it’s that it doesn’t look great, professionally speaking, to be so religious, and non-Christian. Doesn’t the ideal American man look like a white Christian guy? Greenberg defied all the prejudice against Jews and when Jackie Robinson singled against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the team Greenberg played his last year for, something special happened. It was Robinson’s first year and while he expected to be hated at every turn, Hammerin’ Hank Greenberg stuck out his hand for the man. In that year, 1947, only a few men would welcome Robinson to the ballfield; Greenberg throughout his career showed his skill at the plate, his devotion to his religion, and his humanity and his way as a gentleman. Though he converted to Judaism, the New England Patriots great, Andre Tippett, is still one of the most notable Jews in sports history. Tippett, a Hall of Famer, lives in my hometown of Sharon, Massachusetts, though I’ve never met him. Despite the having not met him, it’s hard not to admire him. I mean he had 100 career sacks! Andre Tippett is one the NFL’s greatest and one of Judaism’s greatest(sports category, of course). “He could speak 12 languages, but he couldn’t hit in any of ‘em,” is one of the most notable quotes about the Princeton graduate. Moe Berg is remembered in New Jersey as the greatest baseball player in Princeton history. Though he was a shortstop, then, he’d soon be converted to a catcher after the catcher the White Sox had signed turned out to be too fat. He couldn’t maneuver well enough behind the plate to stop all the pitches, so Moe Berg volunteered. There was only one issue, Moe Berg had never even put on the shin guards in his life and the man on the mound, Ted Lyons, was tossing a mean knuckleball which would cause Berg to be in a dangerous position to miss the ball and catch with an unprotected area. One more thing, they were facing the 1920’s New York Yankees Murderer’s Row lineup. In his 10 years coaching the Boston Celtics, Arnold “Red” Auerbach, would win 9 NBA Championships. Immortalized with his #2(the #2 is to imply that he’s the second Celtics coach immortalized with his number retired, after Walter Brown, #1) up in Boston’s TD Garden rafters, Red Auerbach may be the greatest Jewish man associated with the sport of basketball. He played on Thursday night, wearing an NFL Color Rush uniform, and he rushed for 38 yards; the New England Patriots Wide Receiver, Julian Edelman not only aided in the first career wins for Jacoby Brissett and Jimmy Garoppolo, but he also played a major role in helping Tom Brady win 2015’s Super Bowl XLIX. Like Tippett, Edelman is Jewish player for the New England Patriots(as is their safety, Nate Ebner, who also played in the Rio Olympics for the US rugby team) who has been very successful. Every week Edelman “Does His Job” and it’s mainly gone for the win, considering how the Pats have made the playoffs every year of his career. Granted, his mother is not Jewish, Edelman considers himself a Jew and practices the religion, in fact he was one of the first on the first El-Al flight that goes directly from Boston to Jerusalem. Against the Bronx’s Ruth and Gehrig, Moe Berg would be outstanding, thus beginning his career behind the plate. The majority of Berg’s career would be spent with the Chicago White Sox, Washington Senators, and Boston Red Sox. On a major league tour of Japan, Moe Berg, who may have played well in 1926 for a couple games, but was never that good again, was taken along and many thought it quite odd. Turns out, he spoke Japanese, just by coincidence, and, just by coincidence, he had some business with some government officials shortly beforehand. After his baseball career and during World War II, the Office of Strategic Services would make him a spy for the United States. What was his mission, you ask? Well, I’ll give you a little important info on it: it’d be a Jewish man from Harlem, New York, heading straight into Nazi Germany. With 4 no-nos, one of which being a perfect game, it’s not surprising that Sandy Koufax is considered the second-greatest pitcher of all time(first being Nolan Ryan with 7 no-hitters), but he is arguably the greatest Jewish athlete in history. He had a career 2.76 ERA and only played until he was 30. Of course he did play 12 years, but he had to stop at 30 due to horrible arm pains from pitching. There’s always the wondering of ‘what if there was Tommy John surgery?’ but we’ll never know how many more no-hitters he might’ve thrown. All that aside, Sandy Koufax is one of the greatest players in baseball history. He’s a Jew, in Nazi Germany, during World War II, and his mission is to listen to a physics lecture in German, decipher whether or not the Nazis were close to inventing the atomic bomb, and if so, kill Werner Heisenberg, the man leading their research, all while avoiding being caught because if he was caught, he’d be killed. Odds are kind of stacked against him, huh? Thanks to Moe Berg’s undercover research, the US was able to uncover the fact that Germans were nowhere close to creating the bomb. Berg, fortunately, was able to return safely to the states without having to kill Heisenberg. He didn’t have a glamorous baseball career, but his service to this country is a great achievement. I know I began with Jews being in the Big 4, but I didn’t mention any NHL players, so if there’s anyone you want to hear about it, post it in the comments and I’ll do some research. And other than the 6 men I’ve mentioned, there are plenty of famous Jewish athletes, just post your favorite in the comments, and if I didn’t write about them I’ll try to do some research and post an article. In other good news for Jews, the Israeli baseball team(mainly made up of Jewish major leaguers, not actual Israeli people) is one win away from actually making it to the World Baseball Classic. These men represent some of the greatest minds, attitudes, and skills in sports history. Jesse A. Cook The Cincinnati Skyline "Oy Veih! A Perfect Game And The CIA: Jews In Sports" September 23, 2016
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Why are they holding back? What are they saving up for? Why haven’t Brandon Phillips and Joey Votto been traded? They’d definitely get some good prospects, young players, or good vets for them.
BP and Vottomatic are good players, Votto may even end up in the Hall of Fame, so why trade them? Well, that’s a great question; it’s because the Reds don’t really have a use for them except that they could get good prospects for them, that’s what they did with Jay Bruce and it’s going fine. So why not trade them? Still a good question; it’s the same reason other teams would want them. They’re good vets to build your team around. There are two problems with Cincinnati’s philosophy, though; it’s teams that are gunning for the postseason that want those players, that’s why the Mets wanted Jay Bruce, and it’s that they already have Billy Hamilton and Adam Duvall. That’s who you rebuild around, I mean, you’ve got the gold glove candidate in Hamilton and the power hitter in Duvall. Jesse Winker will be in the majors soon enough, but you need more prospects to make a team. Look at the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs. The Cubs brought up and trained Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant and three of the Red Sox 6 all-stars came all the way up through their farm system, Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, and jackie Bradley Jr. They’re like the Silicon Valleys of the MLB. They were lookin’ like nothing for a couple years, but with some good trades and drafts, they’re two of the hottest teams in baseball. The Reds could be the next Silicon Valley of the MLB if they just trade Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips for prospects. Votto’s 33 years old and BP’s 35, so they’re aging players that are probably only good for one year contracts with championship contenders who need a DH, first or second baseman. Joey Votto has batted over .300 this year and the last few years with more than 20 home runs; clear trade bait! Phillips is guy who you put in the deal with Votto. He’s hit about .290 the last couple years and he’s hit about 10 homers. You say “We don’t trade Joey Votto without Brandon Phillips.” I may be pretty hard on Brandon Phillips here, but he’s an okay player who teams would probably take in that type of deal. They don’t want to give up an minor leaguers for him, but they’d want to sign him for a small contract or they’d take him in a deal where they get Joey Votto, as well. There are definitely teams that would want Joey Votto as a starter and BP as a backup or maybe a starter as well. Though you may not believe it, the Boston Red Sox might be a team that would take that deal. They’ve got prospects coming out the wazoo, and once David Ortiz retires and Hanley Ramirez moves to DH, they might want Joey Votto to play first. It’s also possible that Ramirez would stay at first and Votto would play as the designated hitter, but the Boston ball club would be a team that’d like that deal. The New York Yankees, as well, Mark Texeira is retiring, Joey Votto is a guy that they’d want at first base. Many, many teams all around the majors want to trade for these two, but in the last few years the Cincinnati Reds have passed on all of those opportunities to acquire young talent. Votto and BP are good players, but they’re aging, Cincy needs to think about the future and trade them. They’ll be remembered for their time in red, but it’s time for Brandon Phillips and Joey Votto to go. Jesse A. Cook The Cincinnati Skyline "Why Are The Reds Holding Back?" September 15, 2016 June 2, 2010, October 26, 2013, and now September 8, 2016; Jim Joyce has blown it again. After yet another blunder by the man in blue, we’ll take a look at the 4 seemingly defining moments of the umpiring career of Jim Joyce:
THE IMPERFECT GAME June 2, 2010, Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan: After an amazing Austin Jackson over-the-shoulder grab in the top of the 9th inning to preserve the perfe-nobody say it! The game’s not over, yet, it’s bad luck! Okay, let’s call it preserving the streak of not allowing a baserunner that was being pitched by a general nobody, Armando Galarraga. Oh wait a minute, that first sentence got cut off and went nowhe-. Okay, well would you say that those sentences were imperfect or unfinished? Well, in short, after Austin Jackson of the Detroit Tigers made an amazing grab, batter Jason Donald stepped up to the plate. Donald hit a ground ball that made first baseman Miguel Cabrera run to his right to make the play. Since the first baseman had run off for the ball, the pitcher, Armando Galarraga, had to cover the bag. As Galarraga covers the first base bag Jason Donald races to be safe. Cabrera throws the ball and Galarraga catches it, foot on the bag, as Donald runs by. At this point in the game, Galarraga has retired all 26 batters he’s faced, making Donald the 27th batter, if he’s out, the last batter. Oh, how Galarraga wishes that challenging a call had been a rule back then! The first base umpire, Jim Joyce, calls Donald safe at first base, however replays show clearly that Donald was out by a mile. I’m not talking about slo-mo replays, no, I’m talking about real-time, just watching what was being broadcast to the world live. Galarraga got another out that inning, to win the game, but people only remember it as the 28th out, for because of that call, that game will always be remembered as “Imperfect.” OBSTRUCTION October 26, 2013, Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri Game 3 of the 2013 World Series between the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals; 4-4, 2nd and 3rd, 1 out, bottom of the 9th inning, Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri, there’s a ground ball to Boston second baseman Dustin Pedroia. As the runner on third races to home plate to try and win the game, he is thrown out, after which the catcher, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, throws to third to try and nab Allen Craig. The ball is wild and goes past Boston third baseman Will Middlebrooks and heads into left field. The left fielder throws the ball back home to Saltalamacchia as Craig tries for the plate, but he’s tagged out for the final out of the inning, pushing the game to extra innings. That’s what I thought until home plate umpire Jim Joyce starts shouting “Safe!” and pointing to Will Middlebrooks. Joyce called obstruction on the play, meaning that Will Middlebrooks got in the way Allen Craig running home, and so by getting around Middlebrooks, Craig was not able to get home in the same amount of time he would have if Middlebrooks weren’t there, so to summize, he would’ve been safe if not for Middlebrooks being in the way. But, Middlebrooks is not in the basepath between third base and home plate, he’s in fact to the right of the third base, in the basepath between second base and third base! Craig did trip over Middlebrooks, but what does that mean if Middlebrooks was out of the way between third base and home plate? Well, isn’t it obvious?! Craig went the wrong way, so Middlebrooks was not blocking the space between home and third, so the obstruction rule does not apply! In conclusion, Allen Craig should have been out and the game should have gone to extra innings, but due to another Joyce blunder, the wrong call was once again made. DAVE ROBERTS October 17, 2004, Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts Let’s take a break from the misses and at least give the man this; this play is one of the most important moments in baseball history, for without this play the Boston Red Sox don’t break the curse. I live in New England and I can tell you how much this play means to all of Red Sox Nation. Kevin Millar, life of the party, is walked by New York Yankees future hall of fame closer Mariano Rivera in the bottom of the final inning at Fenway, after midnight. Millar is not a speedy man, so the BoSox bring in a pinch runner, one Mr. Dave Roberts. Seeing the man’s big lead, Rivera throws to pickoff Roberts. It’s a close play, but Roberts is alive, though surprised by the almost out, he takes a deep breathe while standing back up. What happens next is one of those moments where you’re so caught up in the excitement that time seems to move a little slower. “When I was with the Dodgers,” Roberts said, “Maury Wills once told me that there will come a point in my career when everyone in the ballpark will know that I have to steal a base, and I will steal that base. When I got out there, I knew that was what Maury Wills was talking about.” This was that moment for him, and every person in America knew that Dave Roberts was going to try to steal second base. He would have to outrun a pitch by Mariano Rivera, a throw by Jorge Posada, and a tag by Derek Jeter. Yeah, odds are kind of stacked against him. Nevertheless, Rivera went into the windup and Roberts took off. It was a cold night in the Fens of Boston, but like their pinstripes and fingertips, the Yankees would leave the stadium with their spirits blue. Posada caught the ball and whipped it down to second base, Jeter put down the tag, and Roberts dove into the base. Every replay from every angle throughout time will show that the second base umpire, Jim Joyce, was correct when he yelled out to the Fenway Faithful, “Safe!” Despite all the terrible calls he’s made, this one will forever be remembered as one of the greatest calls of all-time, for this was the first sign that the 86 years were over, and Jim Joyce got it right. THE PASSED BALL IN CLEVELAND September 8, 2016, Arena Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio It’s the bottom of the third inning in the Indians Astros game, bases loaded and two out. David Paulino of the Astros throws a pitch that gets by catcher Jason Castro and to the backstop. But did the ball really get by Cleveland Indians batter Lonnie Chisenhall? Castro didn’t seem to think so, but Joyce didn’t make a motion, signifying that Chisenhall must have checked his swing and not touched the ball, making it a passed ball. While Castro looks to Joyce wondering why he didn’t make the foul call, the runners on second and third come around to score! The Houston Astros would’ve challenged the call but it was a matter of strike vs. ball, something that can’t be argued. The replays show it to be a foul ball, but once again, Jim Joyce has denied, no, he has DEFIED! fact and made another horribly obvious wrong call. While fans in Massachusetts love the Dave Roberts call, Jim Joyce will be remembered as almost always WRONG. Jesse A. Cook The Cincinnati Skyline "Imperfection, Obstruction, And Now A Passed Ball; Jim Joyce Is Wrong Again!" September 8, 2016 On June 5, 2015 history was made. I remember excitedly watching the television screen. Eyes glued to the action, I began to remember the past few years, every day or so checking MiLB.com to see the latest on the young pitcher. "Oh my, he struck out the side in the seventh, and he pitched from two sides!" The glove with two pockets and six fingers glistening in the video with poor quality posted above something about Xander Bogaerts or Billy Hamilton hammering bombs in Portland or Pensacola, sometimes even off of Venditte. Of course, on June 5, 2015 it was a sunny day in Oakland, 3,000 miles west of my home. In my home, all eyes were pointed at the Oakland Athletics vs. Boston Red Sox game as Pat Venditte took the mound. Venditte looked in for the catcher's as Brock Holt stepped up to the plate and he threw the first pitch of the seventh inning to the lower inside corner of the left-hand side for strike one. “He made it!” I thought to myself. It was a funny occurrence that the first appearance of the switch-pitcher’s major league career would be against a switch-hitter!
From his first game in 2008 in Staten Island to his last game in Nashville of 2015, Pat Venditte had a pretty average minor league career. Going 21-23 with 2.51 Earned Run Average, the relief pitcher got more press than some top prospects get, simply because of his peculiar glove and ability. His major league career has been a little subpar; only with a career record of 2-2 and a 5.32 ERA he’s drifted from Oakland to Toronto to Seattle. This year, the ambidextrous reliever has been traded from Toronto, Ontario to Seattle, Washington, and he’s had a 8.10 ERA since the deal. Before each at-bat, due to the Pat Venditte Rule, Venditte has to tell the batter which hand he’ll be throwing with, for purposes of switch-hitters. There are definitely rules in baseball that only apply to him, but there some that don’t apply, for example; at Fenway Park one night the opposing manager comes to mound to put in place a pitching change with a righty and a lefty in the pen. Meaning to bring in the righty, he accidentally taps his left arm, but immediately rectifies the mistake by slapping across to his right. As the right-hander came out of the bullpen, the umpire sends him back and decrees that since the manager originally hit his left arm, the southpaw must come in. With a switch-pitcher like Pat Venditte, you don’t have that problem. Despite the wins and the earned runs, Venditte always has hope. I don’t think there’s any question in the fact that he’ll always have a team ready and eager to sign him. Teams are always looking for lefty… or a righty. Jesse A. Cook The Cincinnati Skyline "V For Venditte" September 8, 2016 |
AuthorJesse Cook: High school junior. Does play-by-play for the Sharon Varsity Eagles softball, soccer, volleyball, basketball, and football teams. Fanatic of the Boston and Cincinnati teams in the Big Four sports. Designs graphics of athletes, politicians, and musicians at Picsart.com. Archives
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