The girls basketball team at Northwest Yeshiva in Mercer Island, Washington, made it to the Class 1B tournament, but was ultimately unable to play because their game was scheduled for Feb. 24 — the Fast of Esther. As such, they would not be able to hydrate before, during and after the contest, which would put them at risk. As Scott Sandsberry reported in the Yakima Herald-Republic,

Short of being able to move the game time — an accommodation the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association wasn’t willing to make — Northwest Yeshiva school leaders opted to forfeit today’s game.

Sandsberry goes on to report

Northwest Yeshiva school leaders had appealed to the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association board to adjust the tournament schedule so the team could avoid playing during the fast. The school indicated it would be willing to play at a non-SunDome site, even on the home court of its Eastern Washington opponent, if that would resolve the issue.

WIAA bylaws allow for tournament schedule adjustments for teams that recognize the Saturday Sabbath. But making game-time changes in this case, WIAA executive director Mike Colbrese said, would be unfair for the other teams whose schedule would be affected.

It would force championship-bracket teams to play early games on less rest, for example, and possibly without the morning shoot-around practice typically held at available high school or middle school gyms by teams playing in the evening bracket.

The girls took the decision very well:

“It’s really cool to be here, first of all. We worked really hard to get here, to qualify for state,” said sophomore Julia Owen, one of the team’s top players. “But we’re also very happy to be able to show that our religion is very important to us. Although it’s hard because it would be great to get the chance to continue, we’re not wishing we could ignore the fast and play, because observing the fast is important.”

The Genius of Jewish Celebrities: What Their Handwriting Reveals, by Dr. Robert Yaronne (High Publishing) has this to say about Sandy Koufax (with my editorial comments in parenthesis):

1. The “n” looks like a thread, indicating diplomatic skills and avoidance of confrontation. (Like this?)
2. The “S” upper loop is full indicating a mind that works overtime and absorbs information like a sponge. (What did that left arm soak up?)
3. The “d” has a full stem, meaning the writer can be very emotional and sensitive. (Sensitive enough to consider the feelings of his co-religionists when he decided not to play that 1965 World Series game on Yom Kippur.)
4. The “K” is divided into two, indicating that the writer is an individualist, and can be nonconformist: he doesn’t always go along with the crowd. (Which explains his reluctance for solitude.)
5. The “f” has a narrow upper loop, suggesting he is not always able to connect openly with his emotions.
6. The upper part of the “x” is closed and elongated, suggesting an intellectual mind that loves to read. (Even though he was not considered a great student at the University of Cincinnati, where he studied engineering.)
7. The “f” has a full-blown lower zone: a practical, self-reliant personality with the ability to enjoy good food. (Or drink?)
8. The “y” has a short stem meaning a very agile mind.

Uh-huh.

Aside from Koufax, the book also features broadcasting legend Howard Cossell and Olympic champion Mark Spitz.

Coming up next: Jewish horoscopes and Jewish numerology.

Avram Grant breathed a sigh of relief after leading Portsmouth to their first victory since he took over as manager following the 2-0 Premier League home win over Burnley.

Beaten 4-0 by defending champions Manchester United last weekend and 4-2 by Aston Villa in the Carling Cup quarter-finals in midweek, the Israeli steered Portsmouth home in a relegation six-pointer with goals from Hermann Hreidarsson and Aruna Dindane temporarily lifting them off the foot of the table.

Read the rest of the story here.

Thanks to Ari Eden for the heads up.

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.

Killing some time before my flight, so thought I’d give a preview (again) for entries in the near future:

• Interviews with the Jewish players
• Photos from camp
• The Shabbat Experience
• The fantasy of youthful endeavors

Like “regular” camps, we leave with new friendships, some souvenirs, and promises to keep in touch. I will go into more detail in the days to come, but just wanted to make a couple of quick points:

• My team, the Bombers, finished in second place. The early conceptions my teammates and coaches had at the beginning about our prospects were pleasantly surprisingly turned on their heads by the end of the session.
• The Kosher experience was outstanding. Ira Jaskoll and Julie Kremer truly did a great job coordinating everything from the food, to the game against the Yankee Legends played Friday afternoon instead of Saturday, to the arrangement for services and “kashering” the hotel.
• Kudos to Richard Kellner, one of our number, who received the first Catfish Hunter award. Bryan Hoch, who is down here covering the camp as the beat writer/camper for Yankees.com, wrote 

“Upon returning to our lockers this morning, there was a ballot for the Catfish Hunter Award, which is presented to the camper who best represents the spirit of the camp. I have no idea who everyone else voted for, but I scribbled in Richard Kellner’s name and it was an easy call.

“In the early innings of Game 1 on Tuesday, Kellner — playing shortstop for the Clippers — ranged back on a popup at the Himes Avenue complex and got under it before losing it in the blinding sun. The ball hit him directly on the nose and the result wasn’t pretty, requiring eight stitches to close up. Sure enough, when we took the field on Tuesday, he was back with us. That’s a gamer.”

Rich Kellner, a lawyer from the Los Angeles area, is down here with his brother, Steve, a pediatrician from Cedarhurts, NY. I first met Hoch more than a decade ago in the press box at Shea Stadium when he was a precocious 19-year-old with a Mets website. It was fun comparing notes, as it were, with him about our takes on the experience.

• As always, chatting with Ron Blomberg was a hoot. He dropped by the Shabbat dinner last night, though he declined to eat with us. Not a big fan of Jewish food, he said.

Anyway, it’s getting a little late here and I still have to pack. Look for photos, audio interviews, and more here on the blog and in the pages of the New Jersey Jewish News.

The Sheraton Suites has given us a room for our services and meals, which begin in about 10 minutes. Following tonight’s serv ice, Ron Blomberg, Marty Appel, and Irwin Cohen will speak about their Jewish live in baseball. More of the same tomorrow. After Havdalah, we’ll rejopin our teammates for a closing Banquet.

Good Shabbos, everybody!

There are two major purchases available here, aside from the gift shop: Still photos and videos.

Micheal Cerone and Tom Izor have been shooting campers — in a good way — since the first Fantasy Camp. They said their outfit, Sports Twin Photo, takes between 10,000 and 15,000 photos per weekly session: action, posed, with Yankee legends, special request: anything you can think up, they can give you.

Each day the campers can sit down at a computer set up especially for their team and look through the shots for possible purchase. All different sizes, with special effects, are available.

Tom Izor, left, and Michael Cerone operate Sports Twins Photos.

It’s not work to be taken lightly. In order to get the best shot, the photographers often put themselves in the line of fire, on the field and  along the foul lines, while the action is going on. “The players are always getting in the way,” Cerone said, smiling.

Back in the day, photographers were allowed to stand on major league fields, albeit it in foul  territory. But the Lords of baseball decided it was too dangerous — for the players. After that, the lensmen were practically herded up and put in “pens,” which are often too small to accommodate everyone. “Baseball is a game of inches,” Cerone, 72, said, “for photographers, too.”

When Cerrone started his Fantasy Camp gigs, he used film, with all the expense it entailed, including developing and processing. Now, with digital technology, his life is much easier, if not more lucrative because of the recession. ”God bless Photoshop,” he said.

Earlier this year, the national pastime celebrated its international popularity by holding the World Baseball Classic (which you can blame, in part, for the World Series getting its latest start ever). A sort of baseball Olympics (which is fine since there no longer is any baseball in the real Olympics), it divides major league players into their countries of origin along with members of the national teams for a face-off during spring training. Japan was the overall winner this year.

As usual, the Jews have been dissed.

Neuman believes we should have our own team: the Hebrew Nation. Here’s his lineup (with my comments):

P: Scott Feldman (It was either him or Jason Marquis.)

C: Brad Ausmus (Oy, a 40-year-old starting catcher? He barely played ocne a week!)

1B: Joshua Whitesell (Maybe the comfort of playing with landsmen will get him back on track. His major league stats were way off his minor league accomplishments.)

2B: Ian Kinsler (Who else?)

SS: Jason Kipnis (Let’s see what the kid can do.)

3B: Kevin Youklis (See Kinsler.)

OF: Ryan Braun (See Youkilis.)

OF: Gabe Kapler (Still has some pop in his bat and is a good team leader.)

OF: Isaac Davis (See Kipnis.)

Kipnis

Isaac Davis

Neuman does it right. You can’t stick reliever John Grabow at short just to fill out a Jewish starting nine. For those unfamiliar with the choices for  shortstop and the third outfielder:  Kipnis, 22, signed with the Cleveland Indians as the #63 overall draft pick in 2009. Davis, also 22, is in the NY Mets system. Both played for Arizona State University.

So, according to his “us vs. them” breakdowns, Neuman concludes the Jewish squad would have the edge over Venezuela and Puerto Rico, fall even with Korea, and come up short against Japan, the Dominican Republic, and Team  USA.

Neuman concludes his entry

Of course, the Hebrew Nation, a loose and informal confederacy of individuals who share only a heritage and a loose feeling of nationhood will never get to compete as a team in international play (unless they move to Israel, I guess). But it’s sort of fun to think about, because if they did, they could certainly compete with the all-star team of any other nation on the planet.

Typical within the story were comments like this:

“It’s a joke to run a marathon by walking every other mile or by finishing in six, seven, eight hours,” said Adrienne Wald, 54, the women’s cross-country coach at the College of New Rochelle, who ran her first marathon in 1984. “It used to be that running a marathon was worth something — there used to be a pride saying that you ran a marathon, but not anymore. Now it’s, ‘How low is the bar?’ ”

Sure, slow runners can cause problems, but it’s more a practical headache for the race organizers than one of aesthetics. How long must the streets be closed off? How long should there be police and health workers on the scene? Things of that nature.

I don’t think these complaints come from the elite runners; they’re back at their hotels while these guys aren’t even in sight of the halfway point. And it’s not like the joggers are getting in their way; they begin the race at the back of the pack. No, these knocks seem to come from the average marathoner.

Purists believe that running a marathon should be just that — running the entire course at a relatively fast clip. They point out that a six-hour marathoner is simply participating in the event, not racing in it. Slow runners have disrespected the distance, they say, and have ruined the marathon’s mystique.

They might have a point. If someone enters the race with no intention of running, but just to walk the course for the sake of saying the complete a marathon, they are technically correct, but not  within the spirit of the event. Maybe that’s the difference between “doing a marathon” and “running a marathon.”

See here for more comments from Times‘ readers on the article.

(Full disclosure: I “ran” the NYC race in 1985, finishing in about 5:25. I realized right away I did not train seriously enough, figuring I could get away with a couple of 20-mile runs and that the adrenaline and excitement would carry me the extra six-plus miles. I did not account for stepping in a camouflaged pothole at the four mile mark which ruined my footwear and caused a fair deal of discomfort. Bet yes, I was pleased with the accomplishment, regardless of my time. My intentions were pure. The mind was willing, but the foot was weak.)

In related NYC Marathon News:

For the 27th consecutive year, the NYC Marathon will feature an organized international “morning minyan.”

The service will take place at 8 a.m. in the Marathon staging area at Fort Wadsworth, Staten Island.

Check in at information booths and site maps for the precise location. Minyan participants are request to being their own prayer books, tefillin and tatllesim.

For more information, contact Peter Berkowsky daytime at 212-340-0504; evenings, 973-992-5775, or at fud42@comcast.net.

He hails in particular Jack Pfefer, an alternately respected and despised manager. who “commanded one of the fiercest gangs of professional grapplers in the industry and was a major player in the wrestling world for nearly fifty years.”

Pfefer was most responsible for upping the spectacle quotient in the American wrestling ring. “I’ve never seen an honest wrestling bout in my twenty years in the game,” he said in a 1938 interview. “Maybe there was one, but I wasn’t there.” When Pfefer’s competitors tried to shut him out, he began to provide sportswriters with the results of wrestling matches before they took place. For this, the press loved him, but within his own industry he was regarded as the ultimate double-crosser.

Then there were those colorful monickers: Blimp Levy, a 625-pound sideshow “freak”;  Abe “Hebrew Hercules” Coleman, who died in 2007 at the age of 101; Hymie “Ivan Rasputin” Fishman: Herby “Jewish Sensation” Freeman; and Rafael “The Rasslin’ Rabbi” Halperin. “Working-class heroes all,” Portnoy writes, “their Jewish fans would have preferred a couple of teeth knocked out to a noggin full of Bashevis Singer any day.

Thanks goes to A.J. Jacobs, supergenius, for alerting the Korner to this story.

Abe Coleman

Like many regional Halls, the JSHoFNC highlights sports personalities, both professional and amateur, who have a connection to the area, whether by birth or via their activity.

Since its debut in 2006, the Hall’s inductees include:

Inductees

Abe Attell – 2009
Monte Attel – 2009
Harris Barton – 2006
Sam Bercovich – 2006
Robert Corrigan, Mensch Award winner – 2009
Al Emmick-Cohn – 2009
Mike Epstein – 2009
John Frank – 2008
Aerial Gilbert – 2006
Richard Goldman – 2009
Benny Lom – 2008
Wendy Paskin-Jordan – 2008
Al Rosen – 2008
Art Rosenbaum – 2006
Gary Shemano – 2006
Leigh Steinberg – 2009
Tad Taube – 2008

* * *

The Great Rabbino blog recently re-launched with this interview with legendary basketball player Nancy Lieberman, who discussed, among other things, what her Judaism means to her.

“I am proud of my heritage and family. I am proud of religion and it is deeply proud of what I do. There is a closeness and protective state amongst family. It is like being a part of a wonderful team. It is an honor to be a Jewish athlete. Playing against Amy Schneider when I was young was amazing. People used to say why was I a tomboy, but I think that has come full circle. I am always around great athletes and I get a lot of respect and love from people for my Judaism.”

The site also offers soem cool merchandise for sale including T-shirts bearing phrases such as “There’s no kvecthing in baseball,” “You throw like a shiksa,” and “Baseball is 99% mental. The other 1/2 is Judaism.”

* * *

The New York Times reported that Avram Grant, a former coach for the Israeli national and Chelsea soccer teams, decided to accept an offer from the Portsmouth club in the English Premier League rather than wait on a decision from the New York Red Bulls of the Major Soccer League.

“Grant would make history in New York based on the demographics of the area,” Don Barnett, his  American representative told the media. “With all the Jewish residents and expat Israelis in the area, coupled with his profile at Chelsea, he would have raised the profile of Red Bull to a higher level on and off the field — and helped to sell tickets and attract players. He wants the job, but I guess he couldn’t wait on them any longer.”

As Jews around the world gather tonight to mark the holiest day on the calendar, George Vecsey offered this column in today’s Sunday Times.

Instead of putting the game at 8 p.m. — prime time, as the networks call it — ESPN and Major League Baseball are accommodating thousands of fans who at sundown will be observing Yom Kippur, the most solemn day in the Jewish calendar.

What Vecsey leaves out is that according to the schedule in the Red Sox media guide issued at the beginning of the season, the games was originally scheduled for one o’clock. But that’s just the cynic in me talking.

He notes,

Baseball cannot avoid conflicts. Games are played on Good Friday, the most solemn day on the Christian calendar. On Oct. 2, 1978, they played on Rosh Hashana, and Bucky Dent hit one into the screen at Fenway Park. Supply your own moral.

One year, baseball did get a message from on high. In 1986, the geniuses scheduled two Mets-Astros postseason games, for the night and next afternoon of Yom Kippur. Yours truly predicted a downpour of Biblical proportions, which in fact occurred, postponing the afternoon game. They got what they deserved.

Vecsey also pointed out that last year’s world Series featured a team led by Jewish ownership.

Last year, the Tampa Bay Rays made it into the postseason for the first time, but a potential fifth and deciding game was scheduled for Yom Kippur.

“The way I run my life, there was no decision to be made,” the team owner, Stuart Sternberg, said the other day. He was prepared to attend services, but the Rays won in four games, on their sweet run to the World Series.

“We’re not going to be able to do this all the time,” Sternberg said the other day, acknowledging that baseball may accommodate Jewish fans in the Northeast but not Jewish fans in Chicago or Los Angeles.

For fans who may have to miss a game because of religious conflicts, Sternberg offered some advice, “It’s not the end of the world.”

There is only one word to add to that: Amen.

Have an easy fast.

The film will be shown as  part of a session that begins at 9 a.m. on Sunday, Oct 4.

From the press release:

When Boston bagel maker Larry Baras wanted to create a professional baseball league in Israel, his idea was met with incredulity, dismissal, and even hostility. He attempted it anyway. Among the ballplayers swept up in his unlikely quest: a 41-year-old father of three with a Peter Pan complex; a 27-year-old Brooklyn artist/DJ still finding himself after the disappointment of not being drafted out of college; a 34-year-old father-to-be whose own father, now deceased, fought for Israel’s independence in 1948; and a 22-year-old African-American who was told by a preacher at a young age he would one day “play in front of God’s people.” Also along for the ride are former Jewish major leaguers Art Shamsky, Ken Holtzman, and Ron Blomberg — as team managers in the Israel Baseball League.

Tickets for the Film Festival are free of charge but limited and must be reserved. Members of the museum may reserve their tickets immediately, and any remaining seats will made available to the general public beginning Monday, Sept. 28, by calling the Membership department at 607-547-0397 or visiting the Membership desk in the Museum. The Awards Ceremony will be held on Sunday, Oct. 4, at 3 p.m. in the Grandstand Theater and is open to the public. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Tennis star Venus Williams received an award from the Anti-Defamation League for opposing the exclusion from play of an Israeli tennis player. Williams was presented with ADL’s Americanism Award on Sept. 1 for speaking out against a move in February to exclude Israeli tennis player Shahar Pe’er from a tournament in Dubai. The United Arab Emirates had refused to issue a visa to Pe’er, Israel’s top female tennis player, preventing her from taking part in the Dubai Tennis Championship. Williams publicly decried the move and called for fair treatment of players. What Venus Williams did in Dubai must be acknowledged and celebrated, Abraham Foxman, ADL’s national director, said at the award presentation in New York. When Shahar Peer was denied a visa to compete in the tournament, Venus knew that it was wrong and she knew that someone had to say so. And she did. After receiving the award, Williams said she strongly believes in equality among tennis players and that she did not think UAE officials would deny Pe’er a visa next time..”I feel like I did the minimum, just to speak and to say something,” Williams said. “It shows that whatever little things you can do to make a difference really will help. I want to thank Shahar for her courage, and I share this award with her.”

Dying Aussie sportsman says farewell his way

SYDNEY, Australia (JTA) — Prominent Australian sportsman Michael Wrublewski threw himself a farewell party after being told he has just months to live.

Wrublewski, the 63-year-old son of Holocaust survivors, is best known as the man who resuscitated basketball in Sydney.

He was diagnosed in June with an advanced stage of pancreatic cancer and told he had three to six months to live.

On Aug. 8, more than 500 people gathered to say goodbye to the former Australian Maccabi organization president and former owner of the Sydney Kings basketball team. They included Leon Trimmingham and Dwayne McClain, former Kings players who flew in from America.

“Even today I still don’t believe them and I still won’t accept that the prognosis they’ve given me is the prognosis that I’ve got,” an emotional Wrublewski told the audience. “I’ll do everything to fight it, and if we can have another bloody reunion next year, it’ll be worth it. And if we can’t, well, I want you to know I’ve got absolutely no regrets.”

Born in Germany in 1946, Wrublewski’s parents survived Nazi concentration camps before moving to Israel, back to Germany and then, in 1955, to Sydney.

In an interview last week with the Daily Telegraph, Wrublewski recalled that in his early years in Australia, “I used to come home from school every day bloodied and beaten. Kids used to make fun of my name and what I was wearing.”

Wrublewski was appointed an officer of the Order of Australia in 1988 for his service to sport and he received the Australian Sports Medal in 2000. He also chaired the wheelchair basketball Gold Cup tournament in 1998 and was involved in helping Sydney to win the Olympic bid for the 2000 Games.

Here’s more from the Sydney Daily Telegraph and J-Wire, an Australian Jewish news service.

• From DailyBreeze.com, a Los Angeles site, a profile of former U.S. gold medal gymnast Mitch Gaylord. Can it really be 25 years since he competed in the L.A. Olympics? Dang! Anyway, Gaylord is now executive vice president of  Jewish Life Television, the world’s first and only 24-hour network devoted to Jewish programming.
• Continuing on the Olympic theme, here’s a column from the TriCities.com, a Virginia-based oufit, a column about Jesse Owens, Marty Glickman, and Sam Stoller in the 1936 Munich games.
• New York Press, one of those “alternate publications,” published this Q&A with Douglas Century, author of a biography on boxer Barney Ross. The intro says “We caught up with Century to chat about his book, Ross and why people think Jews can’t fight.” Obviously them must be refrring to people under their demographic age, since any true fight fan knows the contributions Jews have made to the sweet science.
• And give it up for Frank Levine, a 95-year-old from East Norriton, Pa., who is competing in the 800-, 1,500- and 5,000-meter races, in the 2009  Senior Games in California. And to think he “just” took up running 30 years ago.