Inside Israeli Basketball focuses on the Maccabi Haifa basketball team, which is currently 11-5 and tied for second place in the Israeli Basketball Super League.  The episode includes a segment on last season’s MVP of the Puerto Rican League, Jesse Pellot-Rosa, who takes his teammates out for a paintballing session in Haifa.

The program airs Wednesday, March 10, at 5 p.m. ET on Comcast Versus; Thursday, March 11, at 8 p.m. ET on JLTV; Sunday, March 14, at noon ET (re-airs at 10 p.m. ) on the YES Network; and Tuesday, March 16, at 6:30 pm ET on SUN Sports, with repeat episodes throughout the month.

Maccabi Haifa, owned by Jeffrey Rosen of Aventura, FL , through his Triangle Financial Services firm, was the surprise runner-up in the Israeli Basketball Super League last season.  This year’s team features a number of American players, including Davon Jefferson of Southern California; Todd Golden, a former St. Mary’s College of California product; Jason Rich, a Florida State University standout; Jesse Pellot-Rosa of Virginia Commonwealth; Richard Roby of the University of Colorado; and former San Diego High phenom Jeremy Tyler.

The program is hosted by Israeli actress and model Becky Griffin, and produced on location by Joseph Marc Sports (which produces shows including Yankees Magazine, Nets Magazine, and Inside Rutgers Football).

Abner Doubleday: NOT the inventor of baseball

For a limited time only, MLB.com features a one-hour on-line documentary that takes “a look at baseball’s ancestors, the various theories behind the game’s origin and an unexpected historical discovery made along the way.”

You can see the video here.

The question was “why the ever-litigious Salinger didn’t sue Bill Kinsella over being included in ‘Shoeless Joe.’  And if he was okay with it why did they change it for the movie?”

From today’s Des Moines Register:

The reclusive Salinger, who died Wednesday, was a character in author W.P. Kinsella’s novel “Shoeless Joe,” the 1982 book that became the movie “Field of Dreams,” both set in Iowa.

“When I was writing the novel I was a fan of Salinger,” said Kinsella, who lives in Canada but earned a master’s degree at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop in 1978. ” ‘Catcher in the Rye’ was the quintessential book of growing up male in North America.”

In Kinsella’s book, the main character – Ray Kinsella – takes Salinger to a baseball game to discover why he was called to build the field of his dreams.

…

Kinsella said the working title of the book was “The Kidnapping of J.D. Salinger.”

After a name change and publication of “Shoeless Joe,” Salinger’s lawyers wrote Kinsella, outraged about the portrayal of the world-wary author.

“Salinger made a career out of being publicized for not seeking publicity,” Kinsella said. “It was controlled and planned, and it kept his name in the media for 50 years.”

But the lawyers had a warning: “In a legalese way, they basically said we don’t have enough money to sue you but we will (expletive) on your wish to use it in a movie,” Kinsella said.That’s why, in the “Field of Dreams” movie, Ray Kinsella seeks out fictional author Terence Mann.

By the way, not only was the name of the author changed for the movie, but so was his race. James Earl Jones played the role of the reclusive writer to near perfection.

He also delivered one of the best baseball movie speeches since Garry Cooper in The Pride of the Yankees.

The new program features profiles of Maccabi Haifa forward, Davon Jefferson, a native of Southern California, and former San Diego High phenom Jeremy Tyler as they continue their acclimation to Israeli culture off the court as they are given cooking lessons on how to make Israeli delicacies, as well as a segment on American businessman and Maccabi Haifa team owner, Jeffrey Rosen, who has transformed the team into an elite squad since he took over the team three years ago. Additional featured segments include an inside look on how Maccabi Haifa’s international charity program, “Haifa Hoops for Kids,” benefits underprivileged and special needs children living in Israel.

The Maccabi Haifa basketball team is currently 7-2, ranked 29th in Europe, according to the “Top 100” ranking on Eurobasket.com. They were the surprise runner-up in the Israeli Basketball Super League last season.  This year’s team features a number of U.S. players, including Jefferson and Tyler, as well as Todd Golden, a former St. Mary’s College of California product; Jason Rich, a Florida State University standout; Jesse Pellot-Rosa of Virginia Commonwealth; and Richard Roby of the University of Colorado.

The program is hosted by Israeli actress and model Becky Griffin, and produced on location by Joseph Marc Sports (which produces shows including Yankees Magazine, Nets Magazine, and Inside Rutgers Football).

From National Public radio:

No gelt, no glory

Phil Celli, left, and Collin Kelly

Starting from Day One, these guys are schlepping their heavy cameras from one field to another — often putting themselves in harm’s way — to get every camper on tape. The idea is to catch the fantasy Yankees in all manner of play: at bat, in the field, chatting with their coaches and teammates, being “interviewed.” That’s just the first step. The more difficult and artistic component comes after everyone has gone home. Then Celli and Kelly — who have been working together since the late 1980s — get down to business, editing the raw footage, adding appropriate music, text, etc., until the finished product shines.

Celli — whose sports videos have appeared on such outlets as the YES Network, Fox News Channel, NBC Sports, NBC News, HBO, CNN, Discovery Channel, ESPN, as well as on the big screen at Yankee Stadium — clearly enjoys the creative process. After one of our games, he took us to a practice field where he asked each of us to pick his particular fantasy sequence. For some of the more adventurous, this meant sliding into second base; for others, it was simply swinging a bat. I chose to scale the outfield fence to make home run-robbing catch. Took three takes; dropped the ball the second time. What can I tell you; outfield was never my position. That’s why this was my fantasy.

John Moroni, one of my Bombers teammates, suggested having us walk through the dark tunnel into the sunlight of the main field. Nice. Celli was quite open to suggestions. “Hey, it’s your fantasy,” is his response to each one.

The highlight will undoubtedly be the game against the Yankee legends, held on the last day of camp. Nothing can beat the thrill of playing against these former big leaguers, even though it’s all play acting.

These things aren’t cheap; the videos go for about $200 a pop, but like John said on several occasions, “You can’t put a price on this.”

It will take several weeks to produce the individually-tailored DVDs, but I know everyone who ordered one can’t wait until it arrives. Like I said, photos have their place; they are conversation starters as the subject tells the story behind each shot. But videos tell their own stories.

Thanks to Dan Schlossberg for passing along this link for a unique video on the Yankees World Series victory from nytimes.com, as well as an explanation of the process.

In a telephone message, Ira Berkow, author of the 2009 release The Corporal Was a Pitcher: The Courage of Lou Brissie, was kind enough to answer a list of questions sent via email while traveling cross-country as part of the Jewish Book Network to give a talk about his latest project.

He said he got the idea from reading about Brissie in a column from the late Red Smith (who would later become Berkow’s mentor at The New York Times) while still a student at Miami University in 1960.

Brissie, a standout prospect who was planning on a career with the Philadelphia Athletics, was severely wounded in December 1944. For awhile it looked like he might lose his left foot, but he implored doctors to save it.

After 23 operations, Brissie was able to live his dream, signing with the As in 1946. He had a few good years, going 14-10 in 1948 and 16-11 the following year, when he also made the All-Star team. He was traded to the Indians in the middle of the ‘51 season and used mostly as a reliever, to his disappointment. Brissie wound up his career at the age of 29 with a record of 44-48 and a 4.07 ERA. He was also no slouch at the plate, finishing with a .227 batting average. And while opponents did try to take advantage of his condition by bunting their way on base, (See The Monty Stratton Story with Jimmy Stewart), Brissie was able to field his position well enough so the tactic stopped.

After Brissie retired, he became director of American Legion Baseball, and also served as a scout. These days, he makes regular visits to Veteran’s hospitals where he spends time with wounded veterans from the latest wars. The closing chapter is very touching with its intimate dialogue between Brissie and his new friends.

Like many veterans, Brissie was reluctant to talk about his war experiences, but Berkow, who received a Pulitzer Prize in 2001 for his article, “The Minority Quarterback,” in the Times, was obviously a good sounding board and was able to relay the story in his usual muted but effective style. Brissie comes across as representative of his generation: men and women who served their country when called and returned home to pick up their lives as best they could.

What surprised Berkow the most in the research and preparation of his newest book? “That all wars are alike,” he said. “And the post-traumatic syndrome that [Brissie] had — that wasn’t identified at that time, exists to a tremendous agree.

“The war never leaves anybody.”

Brissie’s story fairly cries out for a movie treatment.

“So far we’ve had mild interest,” Berkow said. “Nothing special. Not yet anyway,” Berkow said. “Sometimes things take awhile.”

Here’s an interview with Brissie:

* * *

In addition to Berkow’s book, several titles released since 2006 note the sacrifices made by baseball players, including:

When Baseball Went to War, edited by Todd Anton and Bill Nowlin (Triumph). Features a bonus DVD with player interviews.

Playing with the Enemy: A Baseball Prodigy, World War II, and the Long Journey Home, by Garry W. Moore (Savas Beatie)

An American Journey: My Life on the Field, in the Air, and on the Air, by Jerry Coleman and Richard Goldstein. Like Ted Williams, Coleman, an all-star second baseman with the New York Yankees, served in both Wold War II and Korea. After his playing career ended in 1957, he went on to a colorful career as a broadcaster, most notably for the San Diego Padres.

And a couple of good websites cover the baseball/war theme:

• Garry Bedingfield’s Baseball in Wartime
• The military publication Stars and Stripes hosts Baseball and the Military.

The transition of San Diego high school phenom Jeremy Tyler to pro basketball in Israel will be a featured segment in the premiere episode of Inside Israeli Basketball, a 30-minute magazine show to be seen monthly in the U.S. on Comcast Versus, the YES Network, SUN Sports, and Jewish Life Television.

The program debuts Thursday, Nov. 12 at 4 p.m. ET on Versus, with additional airings on Sunday, Nov. 15 at 2 pm (re-airs at 10 p.m.) on YES; Thursday, Nov.17 at 6:30 p.m. on SUN Sports, and Thursday, Nov. 12, at 7:30 p.m. on JLTV, with repeat episodes throughout the month. There will be six more episodes, aiting monthly, running through the spring conclusion of the season.

Inside Israeli Basketball focuses on the Maccabi Haifa team, which received international attention when it signed Tyler to a pro contract after he chose to skip his senior year of high school and improve his game before eligibility for the NBA draft.

Maccabi Haifa, owned by Jeffrey Rosen of Aventura, FL, was the surprise runner-up in the Israeli Premier Basketball league last season, and features a number of U.S. players, including Davon Jefferson of Southern California, Todd Golden, a former St. Mary’s of California product, and Jesse Pellot-Rosa of Virginia Commonwealth.

Check here for weekly television times.  A promo for the show can seen at here.

and this classic Bugs Bunny cartoon?

This reminds me of the time I received a call from FOX News regarding the brilliant marketing strategy of putting advertisements for the first Spiderman movie on the bases of major league games some years back. They were looking for someone to comment on the issue and wanted me, as a long time member of the Society for American Baseball Research, to suggest someone. After a lengthy conversation they asked me if I’d be that someone and I agreed. A few hours later a car arrived to whisk me to their mid-town studio.

To make a long story short, I was not as eloquent on-screen as I was on the phone. I didn’t exactly freeze (older person’s reference here), but I forgot to repeat some of the pithy comments I had mentioned earlier, to the frustration and disappointment of the show’s host, who tried to coach me in that direction.

Anyway, this new project might be a bit rough, but it’s a work in progress.

The team, owned by Miami businessman and former NJ native Jeffrey Rosen, plays a 22-game regular season schedule out of Israel’s third largest city.

Haifa enjoyed a resurgence last season, moving up from the Second Division to the Premier League first for the first time in 10 years and earning an appearance in both the State Cup Finals and Championship game.

This year’s signing of the 6’11, 260-pound center Jeremy Tyler, who left his San Diego High School after his junior year to turn pro, has further turned attention to Maccabi Haifa. Tyler is the first American player to forgo his senior year and play internationally while awaiting his NBA eligibility. He joins  forward Davon Jefferson out of Southern Cal., and team captain Ido Kozikaro who also plays for the Israeli National team. The Heat also signed Jason Rich, former Florida State standout, as well as Jesse Pellot-Rosa, former MVP of the Puerto Rican League, who played for the New York Jets football team in 2007.

The Haifa Heat has entered into a U.S. television deal under which highlights of its games and features about the team.  Inside Israeli Basketball will be shown monthly on a network of stations including the YES Network (Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network), Comcast Versus (TV home for National Hockey League) and JLTV (Jewish Life TV, available in over 25 million homes in the U.S.). The games will also be available online through a partnership with TV.com.

Maccabi Haifa streams all of its games live, as well as on-demand on the Internet, as well as on Jewish Life Television each Thursday at 8  p.m. ET. Select games will also be broadcast on SUN Sports throughout Florida.  The monthly Inside Israeli Basketball show will run through the season’s conclusion in May.

The season gets under way Oct. 25 as the Heat takes on perennial powerhouse Maccabi Tel Aviv at Romema Arena. Tel Aviv played  the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 18, a game in which their coach refused to exit the game after being called for two technical fouls

The league is comprised of 12 teams, which includes five-time European champion Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Jerusalem, which compete against elite teams in the Euroleague.

In related basketball news, Tel Aviv’s coach Gershon learned his lesson from the Knicks’ game. He managed to stay on the court for the full contest as the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Israeli squad 108-96 on Oct. 20. And Sacramento Kings rookie Omri Casspia gets a nice write-up on the basketball blog in the Sacramento Bee. he scored 22 points, including four of five from three-point land in a 143-127 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night.

The 2008 movie, part of the Y’s Reel Jewish Sports Film Series, was directed by Emmy-nominated filmmaker Judd Ehrlich.

Credited as the mastermind behind the New York City Marathon, this film chronicles how Lebow fled his orthodox home in war-torn Europe and found his calling when he brought together a group of runners for the first NYC Marathon in Central Park which led to his revolutionary creation of the New York City Marathon.

The film includes archival footage and interviews with elite runners Grete Waitz, Bill Rodgers, and Alberto Salazar, among others.

Ehrlich and Rodgers will be at the screening for a question and answer session, which also includes Allan Steinfeld, former president and CEO of the NY Road Runners Club and director of the NYC Marathon, and Bernie Cooper, former chair of the NYRRC.

Admission is $7.50, $5 for Suffolk Y JCC members. For more information, or to register, call 631-462-9800, ext. 125.

Little of that gloom, however, is evidenced in Holy Land Hardball, a documentary about the IBL’s origins and the baby steps leading up to opening day, by veteran filmmakers Brett Rapkin and Erik Kesten.

Hardball — which was among several baseball-themed movies at last week’s film festival hosted by the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown — begins with Larry Baras, a Boston bagel magnate, discussing his dream to bring America’s national pastime to Israel as a professional enterprise. He enlists a brain trust of top-notch baseball minds and businesspeople, including Dan Duquette, a former general manager of the Boston Red Sox, to serve as director of player development; Daniel C. Kurtzer, a former ambassador to Israel, the league’s commissioner; Marty Appel, former public relations director for the New York Yankees; and Marvin Goldklang of Florham Park, who owns or operates several minor and independent league teams in the United States. Former Major Leaguers Art Shamsky, Ron Blomberg, and Ken Holtzman (who quit before the season was over) were hired as managers to give the league added cache.

The film — which won the Audience Award for best documentary at the 2008 Boston Jewish Film Festival — concentrates on a handful of athletes, including Nate Fish, the first player selected in the IBL draft held in Manhattan (Sandy Koufax was chosen last as a symbolic gesture); Eric Holtz, a middle-aged family man whose wife isn’t all that crazy about his taking off to play ball; and Willis Bumphus, a 22-year-old African-American who is fulfilling the prophecy of his pastor who foretold that he would reach his goal of playing professional baseball in front of “God’s people.”

The drama follows the process of assembling the league from the ground up — starting with the tryout camps, which, to Duquette’s dismay, featured all levels of athletic skill — and builds as opening day approaches. Many problems remain unresolved until the last minute, including the less than five-star accommodations and panic over the inability to get bats, balls, and uniforms through customs.

Hardball was produced as a “little engine that could” story and works well as such; the myriad woes and hard feelings that grew during the season and beyond are not included here. For those who know the whole sad story, the film feels incomplete in retrospect, and Rapkin admits the shortcomings. In the press release that accompanies the DVD, he says, “This is a story of putting the league together, for better or worse. Well-intentioned people put their hearts into this. Players gave up their real lives for a summer in Israel, for the love of the game. And then came reality.”

The bonus material on the DVD includes audio commentary from Rapkin, Kesten, Fish, Holtz, and other players; deleted scenes; and extended interviews with Shamsky, Holtzman, and current Red Sox star Kevin Youkilis.

To order the documentary, visit holylandhardball.com.

(This article appears in the Oct. 8 issue of New Jersey Jewish News.)

Bruce Pearl, Tennessee’s basketball coach, had some extra apologizing to do on Yom Kippur.

From the Kansas City Star of Sept. 25:

Pearl, fifth-year coach of the Volunteers, was caught on camera Thursday during a charity fund-raising event describing the challenge of shaping a team of players from different backgrounds.

“I’ve got a tough job,” Pearl said. “I’ve got to put these guys from different worlds together, right? I’ve got guys from Chicago, Detroit. I’m talking about the ’hood! And I’ve got guys from Grainger County, where they wear the hood!”

In a statement released Friday, Pearl said, “Unfortunately while I was trying to excite the crowd and encourage employees to give, I made an inappropriate joke.”

Pardon the Interruption took up the poor choice of words and quickly dismissed it, throwing support behind the popular coach for apologizing so quickly. By the way, Tony Kornheiser took Monday off for the holiday. A haimeshe guy.

I was trying to find a way to put a Jewish spin on it. Here it is, courtesy of Dov Moshe Lipman at AISH.com.

The day of atonement and a rare good start for both of New York’s professional football teams will conspire to force the city’s sports fans to make a choice this weekend. The Jets’ and Giants’ games both start at 1 p.m.

This is the first time the two National Football League teams in the U.S.’s largest media market will play their games at the same time since 1984. They are usually staggered to help draw more television viewers.

What’s the big deal? Jets fans (and fans of their opponents) will watch the Jets game and Giants fans (ditto) will watch the Giants game. Just like the Mets-Yanks.

You can’t serve two masters.

If necessity is the mother of invention, it has done a pretty good job in developing a pretty good pitcher for the Texas Rangers. The pitcher’s name is Scott Feldman, and he entered the weekend with the best record in the American League, 16 victories and only 4 losses as a leader on the league’s most surprising team.

In the same column, Chass also gives a shout-out to Holy Land Hardball, the documentary about the creation of the defunct Israel Baseball League. The film is one of the “entries” at the upcoming Baseball Hall of Fame Film Festival.

See him here.