Jewps, neat (no Jice)

To more games, two more losses for Omri Casspi and the Sacramento Kings. The Israeli rookie scored 17 points in the 114-102 Feb. 5 loss to the Phoenix Suns and just three in 19 minutes in yesterday’s 115-104 international defeat to the Toronto Raptors.

Jordan Farmar scored six points in the Lakers’ 126-133 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Feb. 5, but rebounded (pardon the pun) with 12 in a 99-82 win over the Portland Trailblazers the next game.

But let’s talk “Old School” for a minute: National Public Radio conducted this interview with David Vyorst writer, director, and producer of the documentary, The First Basket, which I wrote about while it was still in its nascent stages. The NPR story links to the audio of the interview.

Over on the slippery stuff, no new to report other than Steve, our senior graphics deisgner and sytems manager, broke a tooth on a pretzel at a recent NJ Devils game. Say a mishabreach.

All the Veingrad news that’s fit to print

My clever (?) way of referring to this story about former NFL player Alan Veingrad in The New York Times‘ “On Religion” column.

I’ve written a few pieces on Veingrad, who appeared in the 1992 Super Bowl as a member of the Dallas Cowboys, but once you’ve tasted fame in the Times, there’s no turning back.

What’s the Super Bowl without a nosh?

Kosher Sports Inc. (KSI), a New York-based kosher concessions provider geared to the sports industry, provided kosher food to this year’s Pro Bowl and Super Bowl games at Dolphin Stadium, the first time kosher fare was made available at the events.

On the menu for this year’s football finals: Abeles & Heymann frankfurters, Italian sausages, and knoblewurst, as well as grilled salami sliders.

Yum.

Marquis mark-up

The Washington Jewish Week’s Eric Fingerhut published this profile on the Nats’ new pitcher. It’s refreshing to see such sentiments about religion on display.

Before coming to DC, Marquis pitched in Atlanta, St. Louis, and Colorado.

“They’ve invited me to synagogue to talk, invited me to synagogue on the High Holidays,” even invited him to their houses for dinner on Jewish holidays, recalls Marquis. And the first Jewish National says he’s looking forward to getting to know the D.C.-area Jewish community as well.

“I don’t shy away from that,” Marquis said in an interview Sunday at the Nationals’ annual NatsFest for fans. “I have such a demanding schedule during the season, but whenever I get a free moment where I’m able to do something, I try to do it.”

Brooklyn, N.Y., native Marquis, who signed a two-year, $15 million contract with the Nats this off season, comes from a family of Conservative Jews.

“Judaism was stressed in my household growing up” in Staten Island, N.Y., said Marquis, noting that his mother’s parents were Holocaust survivors.

A top pitcher in Little League at the time, Marquis recalls that his bar mitzvah party had a baseball theme, and “I remember studying hard and practicing hard trying to learn the words to the Torah.”

And he said that Judaism has “played an important part in what I am today.”

Unaccustomed as I am to public speaking

I nevertheless gave a talk to a local men’s club about the November trip to Yankees Fantasy Camp.

For all the prepping I do, it never seems to come off the way I envision it. I guess I’m more comfortable in a Q&A situation rather than a straight “lecture.”

I screened the DVD from the session (A portion of which is available on this blog, over to the top/right. Thanks again, Phil!), which expressed my thoughts to such a degree that extra speechifying seemed superfluous.

Watching the video put me back into the situation. The main feature, as far as I’m concerned, is the section of individual interviews with my teammates. Although they were done separately, a common theme was repeated: we came together as strangers, no one (especially our coaches) expected us to do well, but we gelled and exceeded those expectations.

The part about friendship, however, I’ll attributed to the dewy-eyed moment. Sure we all got along great, which was a bonus and no doubt helped in a loose atmosphere, but I guess I’m still thinking like a kid when it comes to the belief that we’ll keep in touch. (Part of the camp package is a reunion at Yankee Stadium during Old-Timers Weekend. Most of the guys live in the NY-NJ area, so I expect they’ll be there. Not sure if wearing the uniform is part of the deal. I hope not. It’s one thing to do it at camp, but I would feel a bit silly, as an adult, in dressing up like that.) On the other hand, that’s part of the pro experience, too. A lot of fans have the notion that teammates are always hanging out together. It ain’t necessarily so. And during the off-season, I wonder if holiday cards are even exchanged. It’s almost like a war mentality: you don’t want to get too close to anyone because they can be gone in an instant, traded, injured, retired, etc. And if traded, tour former teammate is your current “enemy.”

But I digress…

After the DVD came, I jotted off a few quick emails to my teammates to say hi and bust chops over how we came off on screen. Looking forward to their responses, but I’m not holding my breath.

Jewps & Jice

Omri Casspi scored eight points in 32 minutes in another Kings loss last night, this time 115-113 to the San Antonio Spurs.

Jordan Farmar had nine points in 25 minutes as the Lakers edged the Charlotte Bobcats 99-97.

Meanwhile, Eric Nystrom had an assist in the Flames’ 4-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes last night.

Matthieu Schneider, now with the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League, is still eying a comeback to the NHL. In eight games with Manitobia, the defenseman has three goals and two assists.

The Canadiens’ Michael Cammalleri is still on the mend from a bad knee injury.

“Faster than a speeding…”

Before you complete that phrase, read Dan Steinberg’s “D.C. Sports Bog” from The Washington Post.

Steinberg does an in-depth parsing of remarks made over the years by the late Abe Pollin, owner of the NBA’s Washington franchise, formerly known as the Bullets (a name they had since their origins in Baltimore) but changed to the Wizards in 1998.

The situation is even more timely thanks to the Wizards’ poster boy for the NRA, Gilbert Arenas, who was suspended by the league for brandishing an unloaded handgun in the team’s locker room last December. He also faces criminal charges for unlicensed gun possession, loaded or not.  (More about Arenas and his recent op-ed apology in the Post here.)

Why the name change? Was it because of the violent connotations of the “Bullets,” made all the more prominent by the assassination of Pollin’s friend and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin? Or was it a crass maneuver for more merchandise money? Opinions vary.

Pollin died last November at the age of 86.

That was then...

this is now.

Super queries

Remember when your teachers would tell you, “There are no dumb questions?”

They were wrong.

Mayo on dearth of Jewish candidates for Baseball Hall

I always look forward to Jonathan Mayo’s sports items in the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle, such as this column on the paucity of consideration-worthy MOTs for the HoF.

FYI, Shawn Green will be on the ballot for the first time in 2012. Great, another Jew finally gets elected and the world comes to an end.

But seriously: Green belongs in the Hall of Very Good, but there’s no way he’s Cooperstown-worthy, to be honest.

FYI, part deux: Mayo, author of Facing Clemens: Hitters on Hitting Against Baseball’s Most Intimidating Pitchers (which was released just before the steroids allegations came to light), is the go-to guy for minor league prospect news. You can follow him here.

I asked him in an email if there are any promising Jewish prospects to keep an eye on. His reply: “Ike Davis, the Mets’ first-round pick from 2008. {Former Yankees pitcher] Ron’s kid (mom is Jewish). He told me he’s not religious at all, but that’s ok. He’s not running from it, either.”

Jewps & Jice

Omri Casspi scored 14 points in the Kings’ 112-109 loss to the Denver Nuggets last night. Sacramento has lost three in a row following their 99-96 win over the Golden State Warriors on Jan. 26. Since the beginning of the year, the Kings have a record of 2-14. Although they are just one win away from tying last years win total of 17, their losing ways have been a real setback.

Meanwhile, Casspi was selected for the annual rookie-sophomore on Feb. 12 in Dallas ahead of the NBA All-Star game. As of this writing, he ranks in the top 10 among rookies player efficiency rating, a complex statistic akin to quarterback ratings in football.

Jordan Farmar scored five points in 20 minutes in the Lakers’ 95-93 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. Teammate Kobe Bryant set a record for most points in franchise history during the game.

* * *

Michael Cammalleri had an assist in the Canadiens’ 3-2 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators on Jan. 30.

Kaplan’s Korner on Jews and Sports © 2010 New Jersey Jewish News

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