Parents of (mostly) high school-aged students know that these offers come in the mail occasionally, playing to the emotions of those who want to give their children every opportunity to succeed (hidden motto: If you don’t spend oodles of money on these programs, you don’t love your kids and they will get into inferior colleges).

As the author of this piece in The Jerusalem Post notes, not every Jewish parent can afford to send their sons and daughters to these programs or, in this case, to the Maccabiah/Maccabi events. And that’s a shame. I’m sure there are lots of talented kids to would do well at the games, perhaps even those who have the benefits of private lessons and top-of-the-line gear, but can’t participate because they can’t cobble together the two or three grand necessary to attend. Some synagogues/JCCs/communities will hold a fundraiser here or there, but I think that’s the exception rather than the rule.

(Sorry for the JP format, it’s a bit hard to read through).

Duke won the ACC title by beating Georgia Tech, 65-61 on Sunday with Scheyer hitting the game-clinching shot. He was the 2009 ACC tournament MVP and runner-up in the 2010 ACC Player of the Year voting.

Other Jewish college players whose teams have made it to the tournament include:

• Brandon Reese, Syracuse
• Ethan Chemerinski, Cornell
• Carmel Couchman, Temple
• Steve Pearl, Tennessee (little nepotism here?)
• Nimrod Tishman, Florida
• Jordan Weiner, UC Santa Barabar

(Thanks to The Great Rabbino for the list, who covers the NCAAs so well that I don’t have to.)

Meanwhile, back in the pros…

Omri Casspi continues to struggle. His minutes are down over his last three games (16, 19, 18), as are his points (2, 9, 10).

Jordan Farmar has played a combined 19 minutes in his last three games, for a total of two points. He’s playing with a sprained pinky, but reports say he “has seen his playing time cut recently in favor of fellow guard Sasha Vujacic. Coach Phil Jackson is trying to get Vujacic in playoff shape….”

His bar mitzvah: “I don’t think at the time I really understood what it meant. Now, looking back on it, I feel like I have come a long way in regards to maturity and becoming an adult. I think it helped me do that.”

Let’s hope that maturity shows up after his poor showing at the annual Combine, a (faux) event where college players strut their stuff for NFL scouts. Evidently, Mays didn’t do too well.

Thanks to Korner friend Ari for the heads-up.

I think it’s time for it to make a comeback.

In today’s Chicago Sun-Times column, sportswriter Rick Telander discusses Tim Tebow, the Christian college football hero who will supposedly be featured (with his mother) in an anti-abortion commercial show during the Super Bowl.

Aside from the free speech issues (the writer suggests just flipping the channel when it comes on rather than censor it), Telander has some more basic issues with the incursion of sports and religion.

Some excerpts:

Studies have shown that we transform our God, whatever religion we espouse, into a deity with philosophical and moral teachings much like the ones we already hold.

God’s like me, in other words.

* * *

But what if Tebow’s procession of biblical verse numbers on his eye patches — guaranteed instant and massive Google hits, by the way — were verses from the Koran instead?

What if they said, ”Believe in Morman”? ”Scientology Saves”? ”There Is No God”?

Or think of this: ”Death to Infidels.”

That is certainly not what people who love Tebow’s endless God-praising had in mind. Yet this is an open and multifaith society, and if one religion is allowed, others will be, must always be.

* * *

How did Tebow’s college slogans get out there anyway? The NCAA rule book states that nothing but ”a player’s number; a player’s name; NCAA Football logo; memorial recognition; the American flag; or institution, conference or game identification … are permitted on a player’s person or tape.”

Is it possible Tebow was cut some slack because people like him and nobody wanted to offend the Christian right? Or that the ”powers that be” agreed with him?

A quarter of the world’s population is Muslim, and if our global terrorism battle against zealots is seen solely as Christians vs. Islam, we would do well to remember that there are Jews, atheists, Buddhists, Hindus and yes, Muslims in the American armed forces, and that as All-American a town as Dearborn, Mich., has 10 mosques, and its public schools close for Muslim holidays.

Somehow we’ve gotten to the point where big-time sport is overwhelmed by Baseball Chapel, Athletes in Action, Christian ministries, God squads and Bible-thumpers everywhere.

I wonder if that bothers Tebow at all. No, of course it doesn’t.

But I wonder how he’d feel if he scored a touchdown before a huge crowd, under the beckoning arms of ”Touchdown Muhammad”?

Think of that when you watch his ad.

You can read Telander’s column here.

Scottsdale girl wins national tennis tournament

Jeffrey Letzt has an old photograph of his then-4-year-old granddaughter, Alexandra Letzt, parading around outdoors with a tennis racket. Although she’d never played a competitive match in her life, she looks strangely comfortable with a racket in hand.

Eight years later, Jeffrey’s Scottsdale, Ariz., home is teeming with tennis trophies; they’re in almost every room in the house. Some are stowed away in closets, Jeffrey says, because he doesn’t know what to do with them at the rate Alexandra keeps on winning.

It’s a family of achievers, and at age 12, Alexandra has already carved herself a niche. Her mother, Barbara, is an accomplished marathon runner and soccer player. Jeffrey, at one point in his career, was the number-one Cadillac salesman in the world. And Alexandra’s father, an ex-boyfriend of Barbara’s whom neither Jeffrey nor Alexandra has ever met, is a former NFL player. Barbara has raised Alexandra with the help of Jeffrey and his wife, Ellie; Jeffrey calls himself “Alexandra’s father and grandfather, all rolled into one.” In typical grandfather form, he adds later on, “The only thing this (ex-boyfriend) ever did right was to make a nice, smart, pretty, athletic, Jewish girl.”

Alexandra’s most recent feat is also her most impressive; she won the 12-and-under girls’ Winter Nationals tournament in Tucson on New Year’s Day, and with it the Golden Ball trophy (similar to the Golden Gloves trophy in amateur boxing), vaulting her to number two in the country in her age bracket, according to the United States Tennis Association (USTA). Her coaches and family say they expect her to continue climbing to the top.

“(Winning a tournament) doesn’t always hit me right away,” says Alexandra. “Sometimes it takes me the night or a couple of days. But this one means a lot more to me than a lot of the others.”

She says that she had planned on falling to her knees and kissing the court “like the professionals do” if she won, “but then I got embarrassed and just kissed my racket. And I yelled really loud.”

Alexandra’s first real tennis competition came at age 9, when Barbara took her to Tucson to play in a recreational tournament.

“I had no intention of her pursuing tennis,” says Barbara. “I was trying to expose her to a bunch of different sports.” The idea, she says, was to find a sport Alexandra was good at, with the hope that she’d be able to earn a college scholarship.

“It was just a fun tournament,” Alexandra remembers. “I didn’t expect to win all of my matches.”

But coach Forrest Pascal noticed Alexandra on the court almost immediately.

“What I saw, honestly, is that there aren’t a lot of girls of color playing tennis, so she caught my eye,” says Pascal, who, like Alexandra, is black and Jewish. “I saw she was fast and I saw she didn’t know how to play the game. She had a lot of talent. I didn’t see the skill. (I wanted) to help her get the skill.”

Pascal worked with Alexandra up until about a year ago, when he turned her over to friend and colleague James Jack for fine-tuning. “It’s like I built the race car, and (Jack) is putting the decals on,” says Pascal, who still plays a role in managing Alexandra’s “career.”

Jack agrees with Pascal, saying that at the point Pascal jumped on board, Alexandra was like a Ferrari — with no driver’s license and no gas.

Alexandra, who is home-schooled, trains under Jack at the Rasta-TPA Tennis Academy at the Scottsdale Athletic Club for about 20 hours per week; Jack says that many of the other players on her level spend eight hours a day on tennis, five or six days per week.

The next step, Jack says, is to try to get Alexandra ready to play in some professional events when she turns 15; he says she will not lose eligibility for a college scholarship as long as she doesn’t accept any earnings.

“We’re not chasing any money,” says Jack. “We’re chasing the experience of playing professional tennis.” But, he adds, if she wins a six-figure purse, she’s not going to turn it down.

And, he acknowledges, success at the professional level – and by extension that big payday – won’t come right away, if at all. “You can’t say, ‘Hey, you’re going to win matches, you’re going to win tournaments,’” says Jack. “It’s like you’re starting out all over again.”

Alexandra, despite the quiet confidence she exudes, appears to be aware that even with all her talent, the odds are still stacked against her. If professional tennis doesn’t work out for her, she says, she wants to attend Stanford University on a tennis scholarship and become a lawyer.

Jeffrey Letzt has no regrets about supporting Alexandra and her tennis dream, but he has spent a significant chunk of his retirement money doing it. “I raised her as my own, which is what she is,” he says. “If you had a kid, and your kid has a talent … what am I supposed to do? How could you not do it if you think you can afford it?”

Even so, the Letztes are searching for a corporate sponsor for Alexandra; they acknowledge that the money could run out before she has a legitimate shot at the big time.

In addition to Alexandra, Jeffrey financially supports Barbara, whose full-time job is shuttling Alexandra around. He also pays for coaching, as well as travel expenses when Alexandra competes nationally (soon to be internationally, he says).

Either Barbara or Jack accompanies Alexandra on the road; Jeffrey won’t attend any of her tournaments. “I don’t want her to feel the pressure of having her grandfather in the stands,” he says.

“It’s tough for a 12-year-old kid to understand the sacrifices you make,” says Pascal. “But some day, when I’m old and gray, (Alexandra) will look back and understand what (we all) sacrificed.”

The Lakers’ Jordan Farmar scored six points in 15 minutes in last night’s 97-86 win over the Bulls in Chicago. He also had three assist, two steals, and two rebounds.

Omri Casspi and the Sacramento Kings dropped their game against the Portland Trail Blazers, 95-88. Casspi contributed nine points in just under 19 minutes, to go along with three offensive rebounds.

Meanwhile Duke’s Jon Scheyer outclassed both of the pros, tossing in a career high 36 points to crush Gardner-Webb (Boiling Springs, NC), 113-68.

Scheyer rhymes with “fire,” which is how hot he was.

From the Charlotte Observer:

Scheyer made it an easier night for everybody except Gardner-Webb with his most dominating performance as a Blue Devil. He had been in a slump, shooting 18-for-52 from the field over four games before last week’s final exams.

He said farewell to the first semester of his senior year in style, though. He made his first seven field-goal attempts and shot 11-for-13 from the field as seventh-ranked Duke improved to 8-1.

His seven 3-pointers were a career high. By halftime he had 24 points, just six shy of the career high he set against Wake Forest last season.

“I’ve been working really hard on my shot,” Scheyer said. “The last 10 days, since we haven’t had a game, it’s given us a lot of time to work on our individual games and some shooting and getting in better shape.”

Scheyer’s all-around game was just as impressive as his shooting. He grabbed eight rebounds and handed out a career-high nine assists. He delivered a no-look, around-the-head flip pass to Mason Plumlee for an early dunk.

A left-handed, behind-the-back Scheyer pass to Kyle Singler for a three-point play in the second half punctuated the performance.

“He shot it, he controlled the team, he doesn’t turn it over,” said Gardner-Webb coach Rick Scruggs, whose team fell to 3-5. “He does everything you would ask of him at that position.”

Thanks to Ari Eden for the heads-up on the Scheyer story.

But more recently, questions have come about about his squeaky clean image. Not that there’s anything wrong with that or that he’s a hypocrite, seen out dancing and drinking with the wrong crowd. No, it’s more that he’s too good, too religious in his comments.

This column by Tony Krattenmaker in USA Today (Oct. 12)  brings up a sensitive point: When athletes praise their particular deity, what does that mean for the rest of their fans who do not happen to follow the same beliefs?

He offers nothing but praise for Tebow as an outstanding role model, but wonders about the message of tolerance imparted by those who believe their way is the only way.

Tebow does his missionary trips to the Philippines under the auspices of his father’s Bob Tebow Evangelistic Association. The Tebow organization espouses a far-right theology. Its bottom line: Only those who assent to its version of Christianity will avoid eternal punishment. The ministry boldly declares, “We reject the modern ecumenical movement.”

* * *

In making and acting on rigid claims about who is or isn’t in good standing with God, the Bob Tebow organization is working at cross purposes with the majority of Americans — indeed, the majority of American Christians — and their more generous conception of salvation.

Certainly, Tim Tebow must be applauded for the good he does working on his father’s missions, but he should be seen, too, as one who promotes a form of belief that makes unwelcome judgments about everyone else’s religion. Let’s not forget the twinge that is felt by sports-loving Jewish kids and parents, for example, or by champions for interfaith cooperation, when adored sports figures like Tebow use their fame to push a Jesus-or-else message. [emphasis added]

Is sports-world evangelicalism really “good for everything”? Certainly a lot, but not everything. Not if you’re Jewish, Muslim, Catholic, non-evangelical Protestant, agnostic or anything else outside the conservative evangelical camp.

I’ve spoken with several sports figures — Jewish and gentile — who have mentioned their discomfort with the clubhouse chapel and feelings of helplessness about being in the minority. In 2005, Ryan Church, then with the Washington Nationals, made front page news in 2005 when he had to apologize for saying that those who didn’t believe in Jesus — Jews specifically — were doomed to hell.

An article in Sunday’s paper about Baseball Chapel quoted Church as saying that he had turned to Moeller for advice about his former girlfriend, who was Jewish. “I said, like, Jewish people, they don’t believe in Jesus. Does that mean they’re doomed? Jon nodded, like, that’s what it meant. My ex-girlfriend! I was like, man, if they only knew. Other religions don’t know any better. It’s up to us to spread the word,” Church said.

I would guess that most of these evangelical athletes are well-meaning and believe in their mission. But they should heed the proverb, “The road to hell is paved weith good inettnions.”

The website features weekly rankings of the Top 25 teams nationally, daily updates of scores and records, scoring leaders, previews of big games, coverage of Jewish tournaments and a forum where you can sound off about your team and others.

Perhaps of labeling some star “the Jewish Michael Jordan, ” they call him (or her) “the next Tamir Goodman.”

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.

The Jewish Coaches Association was founded in 2006. The not for profit organization supports Jewish-American college, high school and youth basketball coaches around the United States.  The association is an advocacy group for coaches to represent coaches to the NCAA and the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

I’m actually surprised tehre are enough Jewish coaches to set up such a group.

The this point, this members-only organization, which is led by Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl as its president, is just for hoops coaches, but I think it would be great to expand that to all sports.

Faith places first

The Newton North girls who chose to be in synagogue Saturday rather than at a track meet in Franklin Park can consider themselves winners on a much higher field.

They put observing a nearly 4,000-year old tradition ahead of a day of sports. They put Judaism first.

That is part of what it means to belong to a religion. You make sacrifices for what you believe in. The track meet forced the girls to think about the importance of Rosh Hashanah. And, because of the publicity their story generated, they prompted a lot of other people to think about the holiday as well.

The Newton North athletes put themselves in good company. You don’t have to be a sports fan to remember Sandy Koufax. For a five-year stretch in the mid-1960s, Koufax was perhaps the most dominating pitcher in the history of baseball. But it was not his blazing fastball and mystifying curve that many Jews remember most, but rather a decision he made on Oct. 6, 1965. That day the Los Angeles Dodgers wanted him to pitch the first game in the World Series against the Minnesota Twins. But as it was Yom Kippur, Koufax refused to take the mound. As it would turn out, Koufax won two games in that series, including the seventh and deciding one, despite having had just two days rest.

The Massachusetts Coaches Association came under fire last week for scheduling a track meet on Rosh Hashanah — unfairly so. As the association notes, finding a place and time when thousands of students can gather is a logistical nightmare. For example, some students will miss another meet because PSATs are held the same day.

We give the association director credit for acknowledging that he should have taken Rosh Hashanah more seriously. “Personally, I’ve become a lot more aware of how holy a day it is,” Frank Mooney said. We believe him, but we can’t expect that he will always be able to avoid such conflicts in the future.

It’s interesting that so many Jews get upset when secular events are scheduled on the High Holidays. Where are they on the only holiday specified in the Ten Commandments?

In case you forgot, it’s the one noted in Commandment No. 4: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.”

It brings to mind an episode of the old Bill Cosby series in which he played a public school gym teacher. In this one, he was coaching a youth baseball team and the best player was Jewish and could not play in the big game on Saturday. His teammates didn’t understand and initially resented him because he was their big pitcher (if memory serves), but they eventually “learned a valuable lesson” about priorities.

That kind of stuff only happens on TV — in the 1970s. Nowadays, all sports are big businesses. Each years the age level drops more and more;  just look at how ESPN and ABC broadcast the Little League World Series. So don’t look for any empathy from those in charge to change the rules any time soon, especially in those sports where Jewish representation is minuscule.

According to the linked article, “Football is generally considered a Friday night activity,” he said. “Traditionally, high school football takes place then, and we’re not going to reschedule for (a religious holiday) because there’s no provision for it from the FHSAA.”

But let’s be honest, for an administrator to say that an athlete wouldn’t be penalized for missing a game because of an issue of faith, that’s kind of disingenuous:

Again from the article:

“We’ve had this conversation before about being sensitive to any student who has a religious holiday they want to observe,” he said. “All the athletic directors and principals are aware that if a student-athlete chooses to observe a religious holiday, they would be excused with no penalty or consequences. Usually, if you’re on a sports team and you skip a game, there are consequences.” (emphasis added)

You never know how a coach or your teammates will treat you, especially at that age when that maturity level might not be quite up there yet.

7. S Taylor Mays, USC (Sr.)
The second coming of Ronnie Lott, perhaps? Mays surprised many be deciding to listen to Pete Carroll and stay in L.A. rather than bolt for the NFL millions. Mays is a lights out hitter and has highlight upon highlight of taking dudes’ heads off. Phillips, an unabashed USC homer, informs me he thinks Mays is Jewish. As another in an epically long line of failed Jewish athletes, I root way too hard for fellow Tribesmen. But I’m skeptical. We hear these half-Jew stories all the time. It’s really sad how deprived and obsessed we are when it comes to The Chosen All-Stars. And Mays’ case is an intriguing one. I mean, he can’t be Jewish. If he was, wouldn’t he have taken the NFL cash? I kid, I kid. Plus, we’re not known for kicking ass. That’s what made “Munich” so badass. And why do you think I’m so damn excited about “Inglorious Basterds?” But Phillips swears it’s true, and Mays got an 8 out of 10 from JewOrNotJew.com. So, it must be true. [Emphasis added]

• He has to be Jewish
• He has to be a lefty pitcher
• He has to be good, although he can be mediocre at the start of his career
• He has to take the day off if his team plays a World Series game on Yom Kippur

Danny Rosenbaum, a 21-year-old junior at Xavier University in Cincinnati, was selected by the Washington Nationals (so much for the World Series issue) in the 22nd round of Major League Baseball’s first-year player draft, the 652nd pick overall.

His record this year wasn’t earth-shattering: on a team that finished 39-21, he was just 5-5 with a 5.28 earned run average.  But he’s a workhorse, leading the team with 88 2/3 innings pitched,  while allowing an uncomfortable 103 hits and 48 walks with 77 strikeouts.

Hey, stranger things have happened; Keith Hernandez was taken in the 42nd round (776th pick), while Mike Piazza was drafted in the 62nd round (1,390th pick!) and they turned out pretty well.

Also bear in mind that Koufax struggled at the outset: 36-40 with an ERA close to 4.00 from 1955-1960 before he turned things around and became the dominant pitcher in the Majors until injury forced his retirement.

Here’s a nice profile of Rosenbaum by Leah Zipperstein that appears in the current edition of David’s Voice (motto: “Let my people know”), a Jewish e-zine for Cincinnati’s Jewish community. Thanks to editor Jeff Elkus for the heads-up on Rosenbaum.

With one minute left to play in regulation and the BU Terriers trailing Miami University (Ohio) 3-1,  Zach Cohen, a junior forward, fired a shot to bring his team to within one. Forward Nick Bonino tied the score at 3-3 with just 18 seconds to go.

According to HockeyEastOnline.com, Colby Cohen,  a 6′3″, 230 pound  sophomore defenseman from Villanova, PA,

then capped off the rally and ended the first overtime game in the NCAA title contest since 2002 at the 11:47 mark of the extra session. The Terriers cycled the puck in their own offensive end and Cohen let go of a blast from the blue line. The puck was deflected by a sliding RedHawk defender into the net …, setting off a wild BU celebration.

Colby Cohen played in 43 games for the Terriers this season, scoring eight  goals with 24 assists. Zach  Cohen — a 6′3″, 215 pounder from Schaumburg, Ill.  — was good for 13 goals with five assists in 41 contests, helping BU enjoy its best season with a 35-6-4 record.

Thanks to loyal reader Jeff Flaum for the heads-up on this one.