Sport

The Original Article Published On The Jerusalem Post

When Adam Bizonwaty visited Israel at age 8, he was afraid of everything.

“When my family went camel riding I stayed in the taxi cab crying. And I was terrified of the Dead Sea mud.”

Bitznowaty spoke with The Jerusalem Post by phone about his connection to Israel.

“I want to go back to Israel and take in more, and see everything.”

A future trip to the Holy Land would also allow Bitzonwaty to visit his grandmother and aunt, who still live in Israel. But his next trip may just have to wait.

While Biznowaty admits that he doesn’t know any Hebrew, he was able to figure out the correct spelling of the biblical verse from the Book of Exodus which appears on his left forearm.

“I looked it up, found how to write it, stenciled it, and found a tattoo artist to create it on me.”

Bizonwaty is likely to pick up Hebrew quickly when he has the time to learn it. He has an impressive college academic record and he is quick to learn complicated Giants plays. He graduated Pitt in only three years with a bachelor’s degree in communications, and he then completed a master’s degree in health and fitness.

As for his favorite Jewish experiences, Bisnowaty notes that “all of the Jewish holidays are great. The big thing is to be with the family!”

Despite his size and strength the new Giant admits he has never had Hagba (lifting the Torah after reading).

“Maybe I’ll do it one day,” he laughs.

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The Original Article Published On The Jerusalem Post

Jews seem to be fascinated by the topic of Jews in sports – regardless of the sport, team, country or time period in history

If you present a program entitled, “Jews in Sports: Beyond Sandy Koufax,” they will come.

When the event is free, in New York City and features legendary baseball player Art Shamsky of the 1969 Miracle Mets World Series Championship team, the people will definitely come out in great numbers. Jews seem to be fascinated by the topic of Jews in sports – regardless of the sport, team, country or time period in history.

The evening program last week at the Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center on Manhattan’s Upper East Side also included such sports personalities as Bruce Beck, lead sports anchor at WNBC-TV in New York, host of NBC’s Sports Final and sideline reporter for New York Giants preseason football, Gerald Eskenazi, former New York Times sportswriter of 44 years and author of sixteen books, and Dr. Jane Katz, member of the 1964 United States Olympics Synchronized Swimming Team in Tokyo, Japan.

The event set out to address the question, “Why does the myth of the Jewish athlete still fascinate us?” and noted in the program’s description, “From the Book of Judge’s Samson to the NBA’s Omri Casspi, Semitic strongmen have always had an air of the improbable about them.”

Moderator Eskenazi, referenced the famous decision of Brooklyn Dodger pitcher Koufax to sit out Game 1 of the October 7, 1965 World Series versus the Minnesota Twins when it fell on Yom Kippur.

Eskenazi raised the question, “Would not pitching on Yom Kippur matter in 2017?” He noted that Jews are now quite active and prominent across the professional sports world.

“Ten-and-a-half out of 32 owners in the NFL are Jewish! (Why the half? The New York Giants are owned by the Tisches and the Maras). Eskenazi also pointed out that two out of four commissioners in professional sports – the NBA and NHL (plus Major League Soccer) – are Jewish.

The panelists spent 90 minutes sharing anecdotes, not-so-well known addenda to well-known stories and sports trivia. They brought smiles, chills and even tears to the eyes of members of the packed auditorium, whose insightful questions reflected an incredible collective knowledge of Jewish sports.

The audience learned that Katz, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York, in the Department of Physical Education and Athletics, was born on the Lower East Side, teaches fitness and swimming to New York City police officers and fire fighters, hung out with legendary swimmer, Johnny Weissmuller, and has been a competitor or official at every Maccabiah Game since 1957.

A serious distance swimmer, she joked about what she calls “the Jewish triathlon – the steam, shower and sauna!” Beck reminded the audience that Sandy Koufax’s last name at birth was Braun until he took on Koufax, his stepfather’s name – and that Don Drysdale started in his place in the 1965 World Series when he didn’t pitch on Yom Kippur.

“Drysdale gave up seven runs in under three innings. When manager Walter Alston took him out, Drysdale said ‘You know, skip, I bet you wish I was Jewish too!’” Beck spoke personally of his mother’s arriving in the United States from Poland in 1937 – and becoming the first woman mayor of Livingston, New Jersey.

And he referenced the time when three of eight US Open men’s tennis quarterfinalists were Jewish (1951 US Nationals: Vic Seixas, Herbie Flam and Dick Savitt, who won the Australia Open and Wimbledon earlier that year).

Beck also shared a very moving story of how singing the first three lines of his bar mitzva haftarah convinced Israeli security guards at the 2004 Athens Olympics that he was “legit,” and he became the only broadcaster to land an interview with windsurfer Gal Fridman, Israel’s first Olympic gold medalist.

Shamsky, who grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, attended Hebrew school (“I snuck out many times to play baseball!”), celebrated his bar mitzvah and attended the same high school as Jewish major league pitcher Ken Holtzman.

“I had always thought of myself as a baseball player who happened to be Jewish,” noted Shamsky. “All that changed in 1969.”

Shamsky approached manager Gil Hodges during a tough pennant race and explained that September 21 was Yom Kippur.

Hodges said, “do what you think is best.”

Shamsky did not play.

He shared a less well known addendum to the story: “The next day, I was back in Pittsburgh at the old Forbes Field – no one said anything to me. There was a sign on my locker – “why don’t you stay out the rest of the season!” Shamsky knew they were joking.

While he did recall “some catcalls one summer in Macon, Georgia, while playing on a team with Pete Rose, I had no problems because of my Jewish faith.”

In reflecting on his decision to sit out the Yom Kippur double- header and considering Koufax’s similar decision four years earlier, Shamsky said “Koufax was an icon – but they could just switch pitchers and he could pitch another night. For me, it was a double-header against the Pittsburgh Pirates!”

Shamsky still gets comments about that famous decision. “I get letters to this day, people who weren’t even born then telling me they were proud!” He playfully notes that the story has gotten embellished over the years. For example, one person wrote, “I remember about that week you took off…”

Shamsky, who also managed in Israel in 2007 and is proud of Israel’s recent success in the World Baseball Classic, has been living in New York for more than 45 years and still sports his 1969 World Series ring – and regularly gets comments about the 1969 Mets team.

“I played baseball for 13 years – no one ever asks me about the other 12!” And, he notes proudly, “I get the Jewish thing all the time – it gives me a chance to talk about my past, to reminisce.”

The evening concluded with questions from the audience about Israel’s success in the World Baseball Classic, the Jewishness of pro wrestler Bill Goldberg, the names of the two Mets pitchers who defeated the Pirates in the Yom Kippur double header in 1969 (Jerry Koosman and Don Cardwell) and questions about who the panelists see as current Jewish sports ambassadors.

All fans left pleased, including some with a personally inscribed and signed $30 copy of Shamsky’s book, “The Magnificent Seasons: How the Jets, Mets and Knicks Made Sports History and Uplifted and City and the Country.”

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Original Article Published On The Yale Alumni Magazine

Two players’ journeys from Yale to the Red Sox to Team Israel

Like many Yale baseball fans, head Bulldogs coach John Stuper recalls watching in August 2012 as one of his former stars, Craig Breslow ’02, pitched to another, catcher Ryan Lavarnway ’09. This wasn’t some Yale baseball reunion; they were in the Bronx, on national TV. The pair were the only two Yale alumni in the major league at the time, and it was the first time a Yalie pitcher had worked with a Yalie catcher in a big-league game since 1883. Breslow got the third out in the eighth inning for the Boston Red Sox, who beat the Yankees.

This past September, the duo worked together again at MCU Park in Coney Island, New York. This time, instead of Boston B’s, they were wearing bright blue caps embroidered with a Star of David, part of the uniform of the Israeli national baseball team. They played against Great Britain in two of their three qualifying games for the 2017 World Baseball Classic.

“I am extremely proud of my guys,” says Stuper. “It is quite an honor for them and for Yale baseball.”

The World Baseball Classic is a 16-team international tournament played every four years—baseball’s nascent version of soccer’s World Cup. Although neither Breslow nor Lavarnway are Israeli citizens, they are eligible for the team because they are Jewish. Eight other current and former major leaguers from the United States (among them New Haven native Josh Zeid) are also playing for Israel this year, part of the first Israeli team to qualify for the 16-team tournament since it was established in 2006.

Breslow, who is competing for a spot on the Minnesota Twins during spring training this year, is a journeyman left-hander who has pitched for eight major league teams. (A molecular biophysics and biochemistry major at Yale, he was also once declared the smartest man in baseball by the Sporting News.) The father of 22-month-old twins says he was thrilled to play for Israel in the qualifiers; he appeared twice as a relief pitcher. “I am proud of my Jewish heritage,” he says. “I enjoyed playing alongside the most notable Jewish players of my generation. This tournament impacts two things very near to me.”

Margo Sugarman, secretary general of the Israel Association of Baseball, calls Breslow “a highly intelligent player and a real asset to Team Israel,” adding that Lavarnway, for his part, cemented Israel’s lead in the final game with a home run.

Lavarnway, who is interrupting spring training with the Oakland A’s to play in the Classic, started all three qualifying games as catcher for Team Israel. He says he is looking for “any way we can grow the game in Israel and show Israel in a positive light. I just want to spread positivity as much as possible.”

After sweeping Great Britain and Brazil in the qualifiers, the team is off to Seoul in early March for the first round against Korea, Chinese Taipei, and the Netherlands. They hope to advance to the second round in Japan and to the championship in
Los Angeles.

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Original Article at The Jerusalem Post

Mental coach Justine Siegal and IAB exec Margo Sugarman help blue-and-white contend in the World Baseball Classic.

BROOKLYN – When Team Israel lines up along first-base side at the start of each World Baseball Classic Qualifier game, fans tend to notice the long hair of the player with the No. 15 jersey.

While pitcher Shlomo Lipetz (No. 12) has long black hair, it is the long blonde hair which gets the most attention.

On closer inspection, No. 15 is actually a woman! Coach Justine Siegal is one of two women helping lead Team Israel to victory in the WBC Qualifier tournament in Brooklyn which saw Israel play Great Britain in Sunday night’s final for a spot in the main draw of the World Baseball Classic next year in South Korea.

Siegal, invited by Manager Jerry Weinstein to serve as mental coach for Team Israel, has a very impressive sports resume as a player, coach, academic and champion for female participation in baseball.

Siegal has a PhD in sports psychology, and she is the founder of Baseball for All,an organization which provides opportunities for girls to participate in baseball In 2009, Siegal also became the first woman to be hired as a coach at any professional level when she served as firstbase coach for the independent baseball team, the Brockton Rox. Siegal is the first woman to throw batting practice for a Major League Baseball team, a feat she accomplished first in 2015 with the Oakland Athletics, and with several teams since including the Tampa Bay Rays, St.

Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros, and New York Mets.

The road to baseball coaching was not always smooth. Siegal grew up in the suburbs of Cleveland playing baseball, attending Cleveland Indians baseball games with her season ticket-holding grandfather and discussing baseball around the dinner table. Siegal loved the sport and imagined she’d be involved in baseball forever.

At age 13, around the time she celebrated her bat mitzva in Israel, Siegal encountered her first obstacle. A coach told her she couldn’t play baseball, as girls play softball.

“That’s when I decided that I’d play baseball forever,” wrote Siegal in an essay on The Player’s Tribune website “When I was 16,” wrote Siegal, “I told one of my baseball coaches that I wanted to be a college coach. He laughed at me and said, ‘A man would never listen to a woman on the baseball field.’ That one was pretty devastating. But then I thought, who is he? Who is he to say what men would do? Who is he to say that I couldn’t pursue this dream? And that’s when I decided I needed to get that PhD because I wasn’t going to get the same playing opportunities as men. But I could at least out-degree most of them.”

Siegal noted that “I got my PhD to make me a better coach.”

Manager Jerry Weinstein took notice and invited her to help Team Israel.

“I am a safe resource for all to come to,” Siegal observed to The Jerusalem Post, before returning to her additional duties on the field pitching batting practice and helping coach Weinstein hit fungos to outfielders. “It is so special to come together for these ten days here with players who all have a common bond.”

Siegal is among the members of Team Israel who strongly identifies as a Jew, and who has visited the Holy Land.

“I am Jewish, I had my bat mitzva in Israel, my daughter had her bat mitzva in Israel, and four generations of my family has visited Israel,” she said. “I am so proud when I wear ‘Israel’ on my chest.”

Siegal is proud of her accomplishments in baseball but acknowledges that her goals is to not be the only woman in baseball.

Margo Sugarman is another important female member of Team Israel, who can also be seen on the field during pre-game warm ups.

Sugarman, Secretary-General of the Israel Association of Baseball (IAB), moves quickly on the field with her camera in tow photographing players and meeting with members of the media and MLB personnel. The South African-born, 27 year resident of Israel has her own unique “woman in baseball” story.

“I got involved when my son started playing baseball at age eight,” said Sugarman to the Post.

Sugarman expected to be “just a baseball mom,” but she was soon recruited to be a coach. “Luckily, the coach coached me to be a coach. Next thing I knew, I was doing an umpire course!” Before she knew it, Sugarman was managing Israeli teams as they played in Italy and other European countries.

She served as a board member for The Israel Association of Baseball and was recently elected the organization’s secretary- general.

Sugarman is proud of Team Israel and of the growth of baseball in Israel.

“Nearly 1,000 people play baseball in Israel,” she said. “We have many leagues, send about five teams a year to play overseas, and we offer Baseball Le’Kulam (Baseball for All), a program that aims to bring Jewish Israeli and Arab Israeli children together to play baseball and learn about one another.”

This week, Sugarman is focusing her attention on Team Israel. And, naturally, she feels a sense of pride.

“They only came together last Saturday,” she said. “They are all happy they are playing for Israel, they talk like a team and relate to each other as a team. It is such an incredible atmosphere!” And, while Sugarman is excited about the team’s prospects to advance to the 2017 World Baseball Classic, she has more modest goals. “I hope they will increase awareness of baseball in Israel – and have fun!” Peter Kurz, CEO of the Israel Association of Baseball, is proud of Siegal and Sugarman.

“Justine and Margo have been very important elements for this WBC team,” he said. “Justine, as the mental coach of the team, has helped keep the guys on an even keel, and Margo, as the head of PR and communications, has helped keep us in the news on a continuous basis in all different types of media. Both women are ground-breakers and they have both contributed significantly to our success.”




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