Subscribe“He’s true to his religion…”
The line comes from a poem by Edgar Guest which is included in this in-depth piece about Hank Greenberg from the Red Sox-centric Sox vs. Stripes blog.
I’m just about old enough to remember Sandy Koufax’s decision to forgo pitching the first game of the 1965 World Series which fell on Yom Kippur (I didn’t really start following baseball until ’67), but as a student of the game, I learned about Hank Greenberg and the commotion that befell him for the same reason.
Of course, Greenberg’s situation was different than Koufax’s. Those of Hank’s generation grew up, as a rule, in more observant households, where synagogue attendance was routine and not to go on the High Holy Days was considered a shande — a shame. Greenberg’s contemporaries had to wrestle with the same decisions, but since they were not of his magnitude, no one paid them that much attention.
As a marquee player, Kevin Youkilis would have faced the same scrutiny among his Jewish fans, who would ponder if he would or wouldn’t play when the Yankees-Red Sox game was rescheduled from its original one o’clock start to make it the Sept. 27 ESPN Sunday Night Game of the Week. Thanks to some swift action by MLB Commissioner Bud selig, it became a moot point. I wonder if Youkilis will still be pressed for what he would have done…
Anyway, kudos for SoxvsStripes for reminding us of Hammering Hank and his influence on a generation of Jewish baseball fans.
Hey Ron,
Thanks for the great review.
Not to nitpick, but Sox Vs. Stripes is not a Red Sox-centric blog, rather a blog focused on the rivalry between the Red sox and Yankees. We have as much, if not more, on the Yankees as we do on the Red Sox.
Thanks again,
Aviv Blasbalg
I stand corrected.