I’m baa-aack

For the moment, anyway. Going back on vacation as of tomorrow, but I’ll post the occasional blog.

The annual SABR meeting was quite interesting, kind of like a Star Trek convention with pinstripes instead of pointy ears.

One presentation that will be of particular interest the readers of the Korner was Jacob Baska’s paper on Hank Greenberg’s enlistments into the military in 1941. For a change, that’s not a typo on “enlistments.” Look for a further explanation later in the week.

So in an attempt to play catch-up:

Has there ever been so much movement of Jewish ballplayers around the trade deadline? Pitchers John Grabow, Aaron Poreda, and Jason Hirsh were traded and even Kevin Youkilis was affected as the Red Sox seemed to develop a fetish for acquiring first basemen.

Grabow probably comes out the best, moving from perennial losers — the Pirates have finished under .500 for 17 consecutive years — to the Chicago Cubs, who are battling for first in the NL Central. Poreda might get that chance to move into the starting rotation with the San Diego Padres. Like they have anybody much better? For now, he’s with their AAA affiliate, the Portland Beavers. And Hirsh, whose injuries have cut deeply into his potential, joins the Yankees’ revolving door.

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So what’s with the Red Sox? On July 22, they acquired first baseman Adam LaRoche from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Then, at the trading deadline, they traded him to the Braves for first baseman Casey Kotchman. Then they scoop up Victor Martinez from the Indians. Martinez’s primary position is catching, but the Sox said he would also play first and DH.

So what does Youkilis do? After expressing some confusion about the moves to the Boston media, he goes into “I’ll show you” mode, and has a monster week (as of Aug. 2), going 16-29 with two homers, two doubles, and seven RBI. In the weekend series against the Orioles, he had 10 hits in 12 at bats, plus three walks.

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Under any other circumstance, Sage Rosenfels, would be considered as having a leg up (pardon the  phrase) over Tarvaris Jackson for the starting quarterback job on the Minnesota Vikings. Jackson suffered a sprained left MCL during a practice session late last week. But future Hall of Famer Brett Favre just happens to be on the periphery. Favre , whose decision on retirement are notoriously indecisive, has been courted by the Vikings for several months. His latest answer was “no,” but that was before Jackson got hurt.

Igor Olshansky is also on a new team this year, joining the Dallas Cowboys.  The San Antonio News-Express ran this profile on the defensive end.

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Kaplan’s Korner on Jews and Sports © 2009 New Jersey Jewish News

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