Candle Lighting Time Is 7:50 Sabbath Services Start at 9:30
Candle lighting time is 7:50 Sabbath services start at 9:30 What do Danny Kravitz, Hank Greenberg, John Grabow, and Ike Davis have in common? They are all Jews who played for the Pirates There is a long standing stereotype that says that Jews can’t play sports, that they have brains, but no brawn. In 1907, Harvard president Charles Elliot said, “Jews are definitely inferior in stature and physical development.” A 1998 New York Times article referred to, “that reputedly rare species – the Jewish athlete.” Well, last week I was watching the Bucs play the Tigers at PNC Park, and there, on the Tigers bench, sat Manager Brad Ausmus, a Jew, and out at second base was an All Star by the name of Ian Kinsler, another Jew. And one of the greatest sluggers of all time, a former Tiger, and later in his career a Pittsburgh Pirate, Hank Greenberg, was also a Jew. Current Jewish players in MLB also include Ryan Braun of the Brewers, Ike Davis of the A’s, Scott Feldman of the Astros, Jason Marquis of the Reds, Craig Breslow of the Red Sox, Jason Kipnis of the Indians, Danny Valencia of the Blue Jays, Sam Fuld of the A’s, Ryan Lavarnway of the Orioles, and Joc Pederson of the Dodgers. So who were the best Jewish players ever? Let’s start with Sandy Koufax, perhaps the best left handed pitcher of all time. How good was Koufax? Well, the fans who voted in Baseball’s balloting for the All Century Team picked Koufax as the top lefthander of the century, trailing only Nolan Ryan in the overall voting for pitchers.
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