A Pair Of Pitchers… And Some Welcome Changes
Craig Breslow and Jason Marquis will be wearing different uniforms this season.
The two pitchers also share a unique trait among those labeled “Jewish players” by the media: Breslow and Marquis both have two Jewish parents.
Play Ball!
Gone are the days of the big games between the Yankees and the Boston Red Sox as the BoSox are more in a rebuilding phase and have their best pitcher, Chris Sale, out for the season because of surgery.
In Loving Memory Of My Life’s Partner
You put the little fork at third base, she said, the big fork at shortstop, the knife at second base, and the spoon at first base. That was my guide every time I set the table.
Baseball 50 Years Ago
Jewish baseball fans were still missing Sandy Koufax, who retired after the 1966 season at the age of 30 because of risk of permanent damage to his arthritic arm.
Congrats To The Cubs
Ed Mierkowicz, 92, is the last surviving player from the 1945 World Series between the Cubs and the Detroit Tigers.
Two Strikes For Rob Manfred
Come on Mr. Commissioner, do what you have to do to get the station carried on cable again, at an affordable price. You'll make the oldsters happy again and will gain some youngsters as lifelong fans.
2014 Preview
The snow has melted in most parts of the country and here in Florida, where I have my winter dugout in the Orthodox enclave of Century Village in West Palm Beach, I had the opportunity to take in several spring training games.
New Season New Rules
This season, when a pitcher begins his motion, all four infielders must be stationed on the infield dirt and two must be on both sides of second base.
The Jews Of 1968
The 1968 baseball season was especially memorable because it was the last time a pitcher won 30 games and because it saw the end of Mickey Mantle's playing career.
A Look Back At ’08
The year is passing quickly. The balls and bats, the lulavim and esrogim, the Phillies World Series memorabilia - all have been put away, and it's time to look back on the 2008 baseball season.
Spring Training Musings
The big news this spring is that the Houston Astros and Washington Nationals will be leaving their old spring homes north of Port St. Lucie and moving south to a beautiful new complex scheduled to open in two years in West Palm Beach.
Remembering The ‘Yiddish Infielder’
It was the 20th yahrzeit of Andy Cohen (no relation) recently, and he was remembered by some of the fans in my favorite shul.
Baseball Shakes Off Its Winter Slumber
Baseball is back. And for the first time, half the 30 major league clubs are holding spring training in the Phoenix area.
Jews And Baseball A Hundred Years Ago
Jake Pitler was a caring Jew who agonized over the plight of his fellow Jews on the other side of the ocean as he continued his baseball career.
The Origins Of My Baseball Career (Part III)
The next day, I opened the paper to the first page of the sports section where Falls' column appeared several days a week. I was surprised to see my picture below his usual masthead.
Talking Philadelphia Baseball With Allen Rothenberg
I spoke twice during Pesach. The first topic was the Holocaust and Jewish ballplayers and the second was how I, a frum-from-birth Jew, ended up in major league baseball.
The Greatest World Series Finish Ever
It was a half-century ago but I still have vivid memories of 1960.
Television was still considered kosher and my favorite shows were mostly westerns.
Random Thoughts On The 2015 Season
Perhaps the biggest shock for Tigers fans was the firing of president and general manager Dave Dombrowski after the trades of Price and Cespedes.
Off-Season Musings
Shawn Green didn't provide the power the Mets were hoping for last season as he hit only 10 home runs in 446 at bats.
Victor Zalta’s Unforgettable Encounter
If you're visiting spring training sites, Arizona has two advantages – fewer games are rained out and the facilities are much closer to each other than is the case in Florida.
The Baseball Men We Lost – 1979
Baseball keeps the older people younger and gives the younger people something to look forward to.
Si Rosenthal: American Hero
By 1943 both Rosenthals were serving in the armed forces. Both used chutzpah and bluffed about their age.
Postseason Picks
A huge Mets fan from Brooklyn moved to my town (Oak Park, Michigan.) and settled in a few houses from me. Walking home from shul the other day, he took issue with my picking, in last month's column, the Mets to finish fourth in the National League East.
Just One Pitch
Adam Greenberg holds a major league record.
He was hit in the head by the very first and only pitch he ever saw - or almost saw - in his big league career.
Remembering New York’s Old Stadiums
Last month I predicted the Yankees, Indians and Angels would top their divisions in the American League, while the Mets, Cubs and Diamondbacks would do the same in the National League.
Great Young Talent
The very first All-Star Game I ever saw was in 1950, a few weeks after our family got its first television. That was the year I started following baseball and collecting baseball cards.
Two Great Baseball Movies
You see me hittin' the ball and they cut the scene and you see Tab Hunter runnin' the bases. Every time I watched it with the family I say, 'Yeah, that's ol' dad hittin, in that movie there. Sievers said of his part in the movie.
Baseball Season Recap
On the other side of New York, the Mets, unlike the Yankees, don't have the young bats to excite the fans. However, a Mets farmhand led the minor leagues in home runs in 2018.
Lipman Pike: First Jewish Baseball Hero
Brooklyn native Lipman Pike was one of baseball's earliest paid players.
The Origins Of My Baseball Career (Part II)
The host never mentioned that when Aaron would pass Ruth's mark, he would have many more at-bats than Ruth had. I decided to call in and state the facts.