Ari Alexenberg

Israel Baseball League players pitching well in the States

2007-09-15T23:54:00.000-05:00

Rafael Bergstrom pitching for the Bridgeport Bluefish

Blue Sox pitchers Rafael Bergstrom and Jason Benson were both signed by teams in the Atlantic League after the IBL season ended. Between the two of them they have started four games so far and have done well in each one. Not only is it great to see old league mates do well but it is also validation of the high caliber of baseball that was played in the IBL.

The Atlantic League is a premiere Independent League. Ex major league All Stars Rubin Sierra and Jose Offerman both played in the Atlantic League and they equate the level of play there to be between AA and AAA.

I am a bit ashamed to say I did not think they would do all that well. I can’t say I am shocked but I have been pleasantly surprised. I have followed the games live on radio and studied the stats on the Web, it has been fun.

So here is some basic analysis. The sample size of Rafi and Jason's Atlantic League and even the IBL stats are too small to give serious credence to any deductions derived from the analysis. But it is fun (at least for me) to run some numbers and try to put Rafi and Jason’s work in a broader context.

Rafi plays for the Bridgeport Bluefish and Jason plays for the Lancaster Barnstormers

Jason pitched beautifully in his first start a couple of nights ago. He did not give up a hit until the fifth inning. The only flaw in his performance was his five walks in five and a third innings. Jason does not throw hard (mid 80’s) but has excellent command of multiple pitches and rarely walks batters, so the five walks is atypical for him.

Interesting to note is that neither Rafi nor Jason was the ace of the Blue Sox staff. Juan Feliciano, winner of the best IBL pitcher award, was their ace. Rafi was the number two pitcher and Jason number three. In the IBL Rafi had a 2.44 ERA and Jason had a 4.11 ERA.

Before Rafi pitched a shut out against Modiin in the championship game, I did some analysis that led me to believe that Rafi would not cruise through the game. This is what I saw…

He seemed to become less dominating as the season progressed.
But he proved me wrong, reversed course and pitched a gem to win the IBL championship.

Inaugural season slide show

2007-09-07T12:49:00.000-05:00

To view a slide show of the inagural season click here The slide show is best viewed in Internet Explorer.

To download a Power Point version click here. The Power Point version allows the viewer to scroll forward and backwards. Soon I will add comments to the slides. Warning it is over 6 megabytes.

The Inaugural Season

2007-09-07T12:45:00.000-05:00

This summer I lived a multi-layered dream. I played professional baseball in Israel, I signed autographs for smiling children and excited adults, I helped to introduce a sport I love to a country I love, and I made friends with ball players from around the world who share my passion for baseball.

I had daily conversations with World Series winning major leaguers, I read about the games daily in both Hebrew and English newspapers, I spent this summer doing what millions fantasize about doing but only a very select few get the chance to do. I lived a dream this summer and while doing so thousands of baseball fans were entertained. It doesn't get much better than that.

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a perfect summer. Most of the players were housed and fed at Hakfar Hayarok, a youth village where about 1000 students live and go to school. The facilities were modest at best. The first weeks were rough. There was no place to work out, there was no physiotherapy on campus, the food was inappropriate for the players, the laundry situation was a mess, games were postponed due to fields not being ready, there was no ice for the players, my teammate got hit in the head by a line drive that ended his season, paychecks were postponed for a few days and I played for the Petah Tikva Pioneers which means I felt the pain of losing far too often.

Like I said it wasn't a perfect summer. The players were frustrated. But it did not remain that way. The players and league officials started meeting on a regular basis and changes were made. One by one, things came together and by mid season it was all about playing ball. The frustrations of growing pains were a small price to pay to be part of bringing high caliber baseball to Israel.

I am grateful to have been chosen to be member of a select fraternity that shared this summer breathing life into the dream of bringing professional baseball to Israel.

Judging by the attendance and fan enthusiasm at many of the games there are thousands of grateful fans too and next year there will be more. Wether you hail from or play for Petah Tikva doesn't matter, this summer we were all pioneers.

Now that I am back stateside I keep thinking back on a glorious summer. I see 6'7" Dominican Maximo Nelson in the dugout before the game fooling around with a giggling seven year old bat boy with tzitit hanging from his sides. On the far side of the dugout sits 'Miracle Met' Art Shamsky looking at his lineup card.

I hear a teammate ask if I am finished stretching and ready to have a catch, I see the sun setting at magical Gezer Field while the fans are cheering their beloved Blue Sox. I hear Australian, Dominican, Israeli, American, Japanese and Canadian accents in the dugout, I feel the excitement and tension of being on the mound in a tight game, I see long home runs, diving catches, head first slides and nasty curve balls.

I hear American Israelis explaining to native Israelis the rules and joys of baseball, I see fans davening Mincha (afternoon prayer) by the concession stand, I hear the guys sitting around at night playing cards and talking baseball.

I miss the sound of 'Hatikvah' being played everyday while the Israeli flags waved on the outfield fences. Maybe it was a perfect summer.

The Championship Game

2007-08-23T01:59:00.000-05:00

The Championship Game

Championship game starting pitcher, 6'7" Maximo Nelson holding the batboy's hand before the game.

Johnny Lopez (.379 BA, 14 HR's) fooled by a Maximo offering. Maximo can bring his fastball at 97mph and then has the chutzpah to snap off a slider that can make a good hitter look helpless.

Bet Shemesh starting pitcher 6'5" Rafael Bergstrom (Rafi) pitched a magnificent game. He went all nine innings giving up only five hits and no walks in his shut out. Behind Rafi is third baseman Jim Peirce, focused and ready in case a ball is hit his way.

Jim Pierce delivers a peice of a broken bat to the batboy. The bat broke and flew into the infield.

Miracle Manager Art Shamsky before the game. Art was always generous with his stories about his playing days.

Blue Sox manager Ron Blomberg relaxing before the game. Ron is a great guy. He is positive and freindly to everyone that crosses his path. His favorite saying, "how is it going big guy"

Blue Sox have great fans, loyal and enthusiastic.

Raanana pitcher Esequier Pie (on the left) and Netanya Shortstop Hector De Los Santos enjoying the game with the crowd. Hector shared the best defensive infielder award with Tel Aviv third baseman Nate Fish. In my opinion, Esequier Pie has the best "stuff" in the IBL. He needs more time to mature. Not sure if he will but if he does he can go a long way.

IBL co-MVP (Hank Greenberg Award winner), Gregg Raymundo sliding into second in hopes of disrupting a double play.

Blue Sox celebrate

Pribble deserves it too

2007-08-20T06:11:00.000-05:00

Juan Feliciano

After the championship game last night the league handed out awards to the top performers in the league. The award for best pitcher in the IBL in 2007 went to Juan Feliciano (JF). JF is a great pitcher. He throws a variety of pitches, has good movement on his pitches, hits his spots, changes speeds and hits 93 on the radar gun. He also played in the major leagues of Japan, he is an elite pitcher. Now that I have given JF his deserved respect I can say with a clean conscious that I believe that Aaron Pribble (AP) should have received the award or at least shared it with JF. The best batter award was shared between Gregg Raymundo and Eladio Rodriguez, so the idea of sharing an award is not unprecedented.

AP is a pitcher on the Tel Aviv Lightning. He is a 6’5” lefty who pitched for the division one University of Hawaii and went on to pitch successfully in the pros. He throws a fastball in the 80’s (tops out at around 87), has a great changeup, superb command of his pitches and he is smart. He is Glavine Lite.

Here is a why I believe he was the best pitcher in the IBL this season. First, every statistic has its shortcomings. They are all flawed in isolation. They gain value when viewed in context and support of other stats. But some stats are more valuable than others and often the baseball community attaches high value to weak stats and low value on more meaningful stats. For example a pitchers win loss record is pretty meaningless to me. A weak pitcher on a great hitting team can end up with a good record and a strong pitcher on a weak team can end up with a losing record (Andrew Morales had a 4.47 ERA, eleventh best in the IBL and had a 1-6 record). Wins and losses are the ultimate statistic in evaluating a team, not a pitcher. The good news is that JF and AP both won 7 games and though AP lost 2 and JF lost 1 there won lost records should not differentiate there performances.

ERA is not perfect stat by any means but generally speaking it is a valuable measure of pitcher effectiveness. AP led the league with a 1.94ERA and JF had a 1.97ERA. Both great and very similar so again not a differentiator.

My guess is that JF was given the award because he gave up only 28 hits in 50 innings while striking out and impressive 73. AP gave up 44 hits in 60 innings and struck out 57. Opposing hitters batted a mere 160 versus JF. Against AP batters batted a meager 203 which is extremely low but JF’s 160 is absurdly low. This is a differentiator. The 73 strike outs in 50 innings is also incredible and though AP had 57 strikeouts in his 60 innings it is simply not as sexy as 73.

Strikeouts and even more so strikeout to walk ratio can be a valuable scouting tool for determining if a pitcher will succeed. But once a pitcher has proven he can succeed without the gaudy strikeout numbers (in which case walks must be low) it becomes an exciting stat but not one that should be given much weight. Interestingly, AP’s k/bb ratio is slightly better than JF’s.

So why am I on a “give it to Pribble” campaign? Because AP faced significantly stiffer competition than JF and emerged with a slightly better ERA. Over 45% of the at bats against AP were facing Bet Shemesh a team with a 294 batting average and an extra base hit every 9 at bats. In the 28 innings against Bet Shemesh Aaron yielded only 3 earned runs (0.96ERA) gave up only 19 hits and beat them all four times he faced them. JF never had to face Bet Shemesh, the next best hitting team he had to face was the Tel Aviv Lightning. Tel Aviv batted 282 and hit an extra base hit every 15 at bats. 36.6% of the at bats that JF faced were against Tel Aviv. In contrast to AP’s domination of Bet Shemesh, JF gave up 15 hits in the 16 innings against Tel Aviv and yielded a very good but not dominating 7 earned runs (3.93 ERA).

Furthermore, only 17% of the at bats against AP were from the two weakest hitting teams (Raanana and Petah Tikva) as opposed to JF who faced them on 28% of the at bats against him. JF never gave up a run to either Petah Tikvah or Raanana, AP gave up one run to Petah Tikvah, none to Raanana.

Lastly, Leaguewide AP faced a 277 batting average while JF faced a 270 batting average.

So, who was the most effective pitcher in the IBL this season? I say Aaron Pribble, though I could make a good argument for both Juan Feliciano and Aaron Pribble to share the honor.

The Pioneers are breaking new ground

2007-08-15T04:53:00.000-05:00

Under our new manager we are 4-4 and have won 4 of our last 7. We are playing like a reborn team under a positive manager, Tony Ferrara. He is a knowledgable, confidence building, unifying presence in the dugout. So take our low batting averages, High ERA's and weak fielding past and chuck them in the trash. The Pioneers are breaking new ground and ready to win the championship.

A couple of things. Ken Holztamn has gone home. He had some issues with the league and players and it was decided that it was best for all if he were to step away from the league.

Also, our 4-4 record under Tony does not include an unfortunate forfeit loss. The forfeit came after a player of ours, in the first inning of a scorless game could not accept a mind numbingly bad call by the umps. He was so upset that after being tossed from the game he decided to protest by not leaving the batters box. This is old news and for another blog entry.

Celebrating a win over the Miracle

Arrow (Aaron Rosdal), on the right and Seth Binder getting ready to bat. Arrow has incredible speed and a good glove, Seth is a great athlete.

Chopper (Dustin Melanson) get out of the way of an inside pitch

Big Daddy (Ryan Crotin) ready to pounce on a pitch during HR derby

Michael Olsen, our 18 year old catcher has excellent physical tools

From L to R - Butts (Ryan Butkowsky), Amo (Andrew Morales), Al (Alper Ulutas) and Schwartzy (Adam Goldman)

Feeling good after a win

Update on my pitching

2007-08-13T04:37:00.000-05:00

Here are some interesting stats on my pitching. It is hard to say I have pitched well with an ERA above 7.00. But, it might not be as grim as it looks and here is why.

I have appeared in 15 games thus far (incidentally this is the most in the IBL.) Of those 15 appearances I have started 4 games and relieved in 11.

Batting average against me in those 11 relief appearances is .172
Batting average against me in my last 5 relief appearance .074
Batting average against me in my 4 starts is .355

Below is a chart demonstrating the gap between my relief and starting appearances as well as the improvement over the season.

Also interesting is my success against the mighty Blue Sox line up. I have pitched six innings against the Blue Sox and have given up only one hit and no runs. On the other hand, my pitching against Raanana, not a strong hitting team, has been terrible.

So what does it all mean? Well it demonstrates that so much of pitching is psychological. I never know when I am coming in to relieve. I am told to go warm up and I come in when I get the call. The second half of the season I have literally been lights out relieving no matter who I have faced. Starting is a whole different animal. I know a few days ahead of time that I will be starting and I do a lot of research on the hitters and develop a plan for the batters. I spend the days before a start thinking pretty much incessantly about the upcoming game. It turns out that this doesn’t work for me. Perhaps I over think and get to fine with my plan for each batter, perhaps the buildup gets me too tense. I am not sure, but I am starting Wednesday’s game and will be taking a different tact. I will only pitch the first three innings so I can be available for the playoffs. By the way, don’t count the Pioneers out, we might go all the way.

I also spent most of the season reworking my whole approach (mechanical as well as philosophical) to pitching. In the process I walked too many hitters and before I knew it I could not find my way back. Finally, with the exception of one bad outing where my arm muscles kept cramping up (deltoid and bicep of throwing arm, weird)I have solved that problem during second half of the season.

So I have shown lately that I have the “stuff” to be successful in this league, I just have to learn how to manage my approach to starting and leave the first half of the season walkathon in the past.

Winding Down

2007-08-13T03:14:00.000-05:00

The season is winding down. By this time next week the first IBL season will be in the books and most of the players will be on planes heading home. Yesterday at the game I was trying to take in as much as I can knowing that soon it will just be a memory. Tomorrow is our last scheduled game at Gezer. I love that place. I say this as a romantic, a lover of baseball and of Israel.

As a pitcher…it has to be one of the least friendly parks ever created. A rough field where bounces take balls in many unpredictable directions, a non uniform slope upwards towards the outfield fences that are 280 feet down right field line and 316 to left. Gezer is the land where many routine fly balls have become homeruns. There is more but I think you get the picture.

But I will miss baseball here. The fans are enthusiastic, the field is situated among sunflower fields and rolling hills. I was talking to Ron Blomberg before a game at Gezer and he looked at the hills in the outfield and said “these are the hills of King Solomon.” Games usually end around twilight to beautiful sunsets. Some of my favorite moments this summer are going into the seats after a game to sign autographs for excited kids while watching the sun set. It is the field of dreams, it is perfect.

Twilight at Gezer

Homerun Derby at Gezer

Autographs at Gezer

You can see many great IBL pictures here

IBL Observations

2007-08-02T07:25:00.000-05:00

Errors

The first two weeks of the season (June 24th – July 6th) there was an average of 1.98 errors per team per game. The second two weeks there was an average of 1.16 errors per team per game. This is staggering improvement in a very short time. The reason? We had no spring training, never played with our teammates and had some jitters. I looked up what the average errors per game are for an A level minor league team in the states and found that the average Southern Atlantic League team commits 1.33 errors per game (nine innings) this year. Considering that the field conditions are superior in the states the error rate in the IBL is in range for what was expected for the caliber of play. Why did I do this bit of analysis? Well I noticed that the sloppy play both in terms of physical errors and mental errors has diminished greatly and I wanted to confirm and quantify my hunch.

The next step would be to check the error rates at each venue and see if playing at the various fields, which are vastly different in quality, effects the error rates. Analysis for another day.

Diverse Talent

Coming into the season I assumed the Dominican players would dominate the IBL. There were approximately 170 players, all with professional experience invited to the tryouts in the Dominican Republic. Over a two day period 16-18 of the players trying out were signed. Some of the players were top prospects in the US pro leagues and had there careers stymied because of visa issues not performance issues. These include Maximo Nelson of the Yankees clocked at the IBL All Star game throwing 96MPH and my teammate Abel Moreno who was the number 3 prospect in the Angels organization and whose change up was considered tops in the Angels system. He also throws in the low 90’s. Juan Feliciano another Dominican pitcher played last year in the Japanese Major League and has an impressive repertoire of pitches including a 93 mph fastball. Then there is Julio Guerrero, Vladimir’s brother, whose pedigree alone can make a pitcher shutter. I could go on but I hope you see why most assumed the Dominicans would lead the league in just about everything.

This is not what happened. Looking at the league leaders what jumps out at me is diversity. Below is a list of the top 10 batting and pitching leaders with there associated nationalities.

I am impressed with the Australians. I did not realize that there is high quality baseball coming from there. Currently there are over 80 players in the USA minor leagues hailing from Australia and at least three major leaguers.

As expected, the group that is struggling are the Israeli’s. Approximately 12% of the players came from the amateur Israeli league and the goal is to expose them to a higher caliber of baseball in order to elevate the knowledge and play in Israel.

BB’s and K’s

One thing I find puzzling is the high rate of walks being issued. The league is averaging 5.9 walks per 9 innings. The pitchers in the IBL could not have survived in their previous playing experiences with such an astronomical walk rate. So what happened to them?

Some can be attributed to the Israeli pitchers who lack the experience of their league mates. But even without the Israeli pitching, the rate is still far more than I would have expected. Take for example Abel Moreno, he issued just 54 bases on balls in 272 innings in the minor leagues for the Anaheim Angels. In the IBL he has issued 21 walks in the 27 innings he has pitched. A couple weeks ago we were sitting in the dugout together and he started venting about his struggles. He did not understand why his command has suffered.

I too have had severe issues with control. For me though, it is clear why. First I had a lack of confidence in my stuff so was scared to put anything over the plate. Then my approach to pitching was completely altered through some discussion with my manager and pitching coach. The reworking of my pitching was a flop that cost my team and myself a high price paid in bases on balls. After the All Star break I changed back to my original pitching style but with some added insights and so far it has worked beautifully. I imagine my experience is not unique and that other pitchers have struggled with confidence and reworking of mechanics.

There is another possible reason. The hitters are not that comfortable. A couple weeks ago an umpire told me he has never seen so many pitches being taken. When batters are taking marginal pitches there will be more walks issued. On the flip side, if this is true there should be an abnormally high rate of strikeouts as well. Turns out there are, there are 8 strikeouts per 9 innings pitched in the IBL. So why are batters taking so many pitches?

Update

2007-07-17T01:26:00.000-05:00

Desperatley Needed Win
The Friday game ended in a 1-1 tie. Games that end in a tie in the IBL are determined via home run derby. This idea is hard for me to accept but it is exciting for the fans and I was pretty tense myself. During the game we had five hits, three came from Ryan Crotin. Then he helped us win in Home Run derby to earn our second victory. It was great to get another desperately needed win. The picture below show’s our elation.

Painful Loss
Sunday’s game was brutal. It impacted me more than any game thus far, it was devastating. It was a seesaw battle throughout the game. The game only went six innings because the umps called the game due to darkness. There are no lights at this new field and games start at five pm. So if play is prolonged there is a chance for a game to be called on account of darkness.

In the bottom of the sixth and final inning we were down 8-7 and we proceeded to load the bases with no outs. Now I am almost positive we have at least a tie game as it is very rare to get out of that type of situation unscathed…but it gets worse. They switch pitchers and the new pitcher proceeds to throw three consecutive balls. So now we have bases loaded, no outs and a 3-0 count. At this point I am willing to wager a substantial sum that we will win this game. It is too painful for me to recount the specifics that follow. It is enough to say that we joined the very rare company of teams that were not able to score a run in the situation.

The loss was extra tough on me because I was the losing pitcher. I am trying to adapt to a revamped style of pitching that Kenny is encouraging me to employ. I don’t trust the approach and ended up walking four guys in just over three innings and as often happens the walks came back to haunt the team. Without going into the details of how my style is being changed the essence is that I threw nothing but fastballs and my groundball to flyball ratio was 7-1. Batters went 2-12 off me which is good, I just have to trust the style of pitching and not try to be so fine, the walks are a killer.

It is hard to lose game by one run but when you lose the game due to errors, bonehead plays and walks it really hurts. As an example, the fourth inning Netanya run comes to mind. With runners on first and second a ground ball is hit to the second baseman. He picks it up and throws to the shortstop covering second base. The runner who was on second notices the short stop not paying attention and runs home. Kenny was not happy and the Short Stop was benched on the next game. The run should never have scored but I am equally to blame as the runner initially got on base via a walk that I issued.

Pitching on Sunday

Big Win
Last nights game was beautiful! For some reason it all came together for us. Our hitters that usually struggle hit well. Alper pitched a shut out and it felt good to cruise through a game for a change. Baseball is a crazy game! Ryan Crotin and Ben Dashevsky our two consistant hitter go 0-6 while the rest of our line up, who combined is batting around 150, goes 10-21, go figure. So we have won two of our last three games and tonight we have Abel on the mound against the hot hitting Miracle.

Israeli National Anthem

Fans at Gezer

Out at Home

Discussion with Kenny

Status update

2007-07-04T23:22:00.000-05:00

Pioneer update
We are eight games into the season and have only one victory. I don’t like losing. We are a below average hitting team. For us to win consistently we will need to stay away from mistakes and pitch well. We have made too many physical and mental errors and it has cost us. Ken Holtzman hit a breaking point this week, kicking the fence, throwing his hat down and cussing up a storm. Losing when we play well is tough but giving games away by playing poorly is unbearable. The good news is things are getting better.

Personal update
As for my personal performance thus far, it too is getting better. I have pitched in three games. My first outing was a disaster. Adrenaline and nerves got the best of me and I ended up walking five guys in two innings resulting in three runs. The good news from that outing was that I hurt myself, the opposing hitters did not hurt me. I came in doubting I had the stuff to compete with the hitters but it turns out that I do. I just have to pitch and not throw. Yesterday I came in to the game in the sixth inning to face a lefty. There was a man on third and two outs. I struck the batter out with a nasty slider. Today I faced the undefeated Blue Sox. I pitched two innings and went through there line up effortlessly, they did not get a hit. Thanks to some tips from Kenny and me executing on pitches they did not hit the ball out of the infield.

Today's Schedule
Today will be a busy day. It is 7:00 AM and after writing this blog entry I will stretch and do a mild workout. Then I will eat breakfast and get some physiotherapy on my arm by our trainer at Kfar Hayarok, the compound housing the players. I would love to get a massage today but will not have time. I have a meeting with one of our players who has some team issues he needs wants to discuss with me. Then I am driving to downtown Tel Aviv to pick up Kenny Holtzman at his hotel and bring him to Kfar Hayorok to work with some of our pitchers. By the time I get back from driving Kenny back to his hotel I will have to start preparing for tonight’s game. Tonight we play Raanana, like the Pioneers they are struggling; we have to win this game.

Victory

2007-06-30T23:16:00.001-05:00

We won our first game on Friday 5-0. Abel Moreno threw a gem. It was a much needed boost after losing our first three games. We made some changes that I believe will help us win consistantly going forward.

Our top hitter Ryan Crotin about to hit a double down the line

Out at the plate

Our second baseman Willis Bumphus

Kenny and I

Celebrating our first victory

Play Ball!

2007-06-26T02:07:00.000-05:00

So much has happened since I have arrived in Israel one week ago. I have been busy and preoccupied so have not posted any blog entries. Hopefully, I will post what has been happening soon.

Tonight is our second game and I am slated to pitch. Below are some pictures from opening night with comments.

Opening Day pregame ceremonies

The Hebrew on the sign includes the Israeli version of "If there is a will there is a way"

Fans down the first base line

My nephew Yishai, Mom, My sister Iyrit, My neice Renana with her fiance and my brother Hudi

Concession stand, the t shirt says "WOW! Baseball comes to Israel!"

Ex Yankee and manager of the Blue Sox, Ron Blomberg, being interviewed

Abel Moreno on the mound. Abel was the number three prospect in the Angels organization until visa problems kept him out of the USA. He struggled in his first outing for the Pioneers but will no doubt be a force on the mound for us throughout the season.

The Pioneers watching the first inning of pro ball ever played in Israel

Kenny Holtzman and I watching the game and discussing strategy

Kenny, dealing with our opening day loss

In Israel Paralell Worlds Converge

2007-06-13T21:22:00.000-05:00

In 1972 I was 11 years old and lived in Israel. There was no baseball in Israel back then but I would take my glove and a tennis ball and throw endlessly against a stone wall in front of our house. I would pretend to be a Major Leaguer pitcher and the erratic bounces off the uneven wall were hits that I fielded. In those days the Jerusalem Post would publish the Major League standings once a week, delayed a couple days of course. I would go out early in the morning to beat my Dad to the newspaper which was delivered to our front stairs. I would glance at the standings outside and then bring him the paper. I loved baseball.

In 1972 Ken Holtzman was an elite Major League pitcher. He won nineteen games for the Oakland A’s that year and helped his team win the World Series by pitching them to victories in game one and four against the Cincinnati Reds. Kenny did not know me then but we were connected. I was a southpaw like Kenny, Jewish like Kenny and loved baseball like Kenny.

In 1972 the Olympics were held in Munich Germany. It was a big event in Israel, it was on TV and in my youthful naiveté I thought the Israeli athletes were sure to bring home some gold. When the Palestinian terror faction, Black September, shot dead two members of Israel’s Olympic team and took nine other team members hostage, I was heart-broken. Watching the masked terrorists on TV hour after hour and feeling the tension the adults around me were enduring, was disconcerting and haunting. Somehow I just felt that the athletes would be OK, they would survive. I was on the couch about 10 feet away from my mother when she answered the phone, suddenly she burst into tears, my world stood still, she sobbed, "they murdered all of the athletes." That moment sucked the naiveté of my youth from my core and replaced it with a gut punch whose impact will stick with me the rest of my life.

Back in the USA, upon hearing the news of the massacre Kenny and his Jewish teammate Mike Epstein walked around town for hours in shock. That day Kenny was scheduled to pitch against the second place White Sox. In an act that Kenny described as “the appropriate thing to do” he walked to the mound that day wearing a black arm band to honor and mourn the murdered Israeli’s. He wore it for all nine innings that he pitched and he beat the White Sox 9-1.

Kenny and I lived in parallel worlds. Worlds that were deeply connected yet were never to connect. In an unlikely twist the creation of the IBL altered the paths of our lives. On Monday Kenny will be leaving Missouri and I New Hampshire. We will journey thousands of miles away from our homes and converge at a another home that we share. Home plate in the Jewish Home land.

Pitching Wisdom from the Masters

2007-06-06T17:24:00.000-05:00

My only day off is the day I pitch.
--- 7 time Cy Young Award Winner Roger Clemens

The wildest pitch is not necessarily the one that goes back to the screen. It can also be the one that goes right down the middle.
--- Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax

I became a good pitcher when I stopped trying to make them miss the ball and started trying to make them hit it.
--- Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax

I can be successful pitching away because I keep the ball down and keep them honest inside.
--- 2 time Cy Young Award Winner Tom Glavine

Hit the catchers target with 2 or 3 different speeds and the rest will take care of itself.
--- Hall of Famer Robin Roberts advice to Ken Holtzman

If I tried to throw harder than I could, the ball went slower than it normally would.
--- 3 time Cy Young Award Winner Tom Seaver

If you make a mistake inside it’s a single if you make a mistake inside it’s a homerun.
---- Hall of Famer Bob Gibson

Our idea is simple: command the fastball and change speeds
--- Leo Mazzone, Major League Pitching Coach and in my opinion, one of the best.

If my curveball is breaking and I’m throwing it where I want, the batter is irrelevant.
--- Cy Young Award Winner Steve Stone

Once I am on the mound pitching becomes all about confidence.
--- 7 time Cy Young Award Winner Roger Clemens

Everybody talks about Schilling’s arm and great control, but nobody prepares for a start like he does. He studies the opposition’s hitters like he is preparing for a test.
--- Red Sox Manager Terry Francona

Only three or four outs directly affect the outcome of the game.
--- 3 time Cy Young Award Winner Tom Seaver

Your supposed to win when you have all your pitches working for you. You haven’t become a good pitcher until you can win when you don’t have anything.
--- Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax

Never the same pitch twice, never the same place twice, never the same speed twice.
--- 1951 All Star, 1953 ERA leader and winner of 5 world Series Eddie Lopat

Show me a guy who can't pitch inside and I'll show you a loser.
--- Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax

When they're in a jam, a lot of pitchers...try to throw harder. Me, I try to locate better.
--- 4 time Cy young Award Winner Greg Maddux

The fastball is the best pitch in baseball. It's like having five pitches, if you move it around.
--- 3 time All Star Luis Tiant

“Keep the ball down and your hopes up!”
--- 2 no hitters, 2 All Star Games and 5 World Series rings, Pioneer Manager Ken Holtzman

Major League Confession

2007-06-04T18:20:00.000-05:00

I have something to tell you that you probably can’t relate to. I hope you don’t judge me too harshly.

I guess I have what people would call a mistress. We get together often during the summer months and then she leaves. Oddly, there is no prohibition against this in Jewish law. In my defense Julie knows about it. She is not always happy about our relationship but generally speaking she understands the love I have for my mistress. It is a passion that is hard to describe but it is so sensual, complete and magical. I am telling you this as a warning. She will be leaving shortly as the weather gets cool. She hates the cold. When she leaves I often get depressed for a while.

I am sure you have met her. Her name is baseball. My depression usually leaves when football arrives. I love football too. I guess I am a hopeless romantic philanderer.

Be well, Ari

I wrote the above paragraphs as an email to my manager and friend in 1999. I was the creative director in a technology consulting firm and had a large workload and felt he needed to be warned of my impending dip in spirits. I also knew he would get a chuckle. My wife, Julie, saved this email unbeknownst to me and presented it to me a few days ago.

The Rookie and the Legend

2007-05-29T12:43:00.001-05:00

September 24th, 1966 was Yom Kippur. On that day the two most winning Jewish pitchers in the history of baseball were not at the ball field because they chose to honor their heritage. The pitchers were Sandy Koufax and Ken Holtzman. Sandy is a legend, one of the greatest pitchers the game has ever seen. In 1966 he won the Cy Young Award which is given to the best pitcher in the major leagues. He had also won the honor the previous year and two years before that, he was simply dominating. Today I can say that Ken Holtzman is the winningest Jewish pitcher of all time, he won 174 games, Koufax won 165. I can also say that he owns 5 world series rings, played in two all star games and pitched two no hitters. But in 1966 Kenny, as he is called, was a rookie. I can only wonder what he was thinking and feeling in Synagogue on September 24th, knowing that the next day he was to take the mound against a living legend, Sandy Koufax.

On that Yom Kippur day in 1966 Koufax owned a 25-8 record, he was still on top of his game but his arm was ravaged. He would retire only a few weeks later. The two Jewish southpaws would face each other only this once, the rookie versus the legend.

Kenny was a Chicago Cub and the game was played at Wrigley field so the visiting Dodgers were up first. Kenny took the mound and quickly laid down the Dodgers one two three. In retrospect Kenny seems to thrive under pressure, he has a 4-1 record and a 2.55 ERA in World Series play. The Cubs scored the only two runs they were to get that day in their first try at bat. So Kenny had a 2-0 lead but with Koufax on the mound you had to know that the lead would not grow. In the second inning Kenny was to face the heart of their lineup, the number 3-4-5 hitters. Not a problem, he struck out number 3 and 5 and the cleanup hitter grounded to short. This went on all game. Koufax pitched a complete game giving up only four hits and one earned run. But that day the rookie out dueled the master. After eight full innings, Kenny had not given up a hit let alone a run. If it wasn’t for a third inning walk to Dick Schofield he would have had a perfect game going into the ninth and final inning. As it turns out Schofield was the first batter he had to face in the final inning and he hit a single up the middle. Kenny ended the game with a two hitter and the win. …And that’s the story of the greatest game two Jews ever pitched against each other.

I get to pitch and coach for Kenny this summer. I will get the inside scoop on that game and many others and report back.

Long Live The Changeup

2007-05-17T16:41:00.000-05:00

I just watched the Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels throw a gem. He pitched eight innings giving up two hits while striking out eleven and walking only one. He is the National League version of John Santana, a southpaw with an above average fastball and a devastating changeup.

I recently spoke to a group of High School pitchers and said that the changeup is a better pitch than a curve. As I said it I realized it is not really accurate in the absolute sense but I let the statement stand in order to emphasize its value in light of its underappreciated status in the amateur ranks.

Some of the greatest pitchers currently playing have staked the claim of greatness on their changeup. I classify the splitter in the same category as the other traditional changeups such as the circle, palm, fosh etc. The bottom line is that the change of speed is the key deceptive element of those pitches, its movement, though integral to its effectiveness, is secondary to its change of pace. Some of the currently playing greats who rely heavily on their changeups are Cy Young winners Johan Santana, Tom Glavine, Gregg Maddux, Pedro Martinez, Roger Clemens (splitter), and on the relief side, Future Hall of Famer, Trevor Hoffman. This of course is an abbreviated list but just looking at those names is impressive. Interestingly, Barry Zito, known for having among the best curveballs in the game, threw more changeups than curves last year.

With the changeup being responsible for so much pitching success, I have been thinking about why the changeup is so undervalued outside the professional leagues. This is what I came up with. Kids (think 12 and under) love to make balls curve, it is magical and hence irresistible. Additionally, making the ball curve will almost always leave a batter who, is uninitiated to the wily ways of the breaking ball, look utterly hapless. Changeups, on the other hand, are not magical on the surface. The magic is unveiled when you are facing a hitter that can crush your best fastball and swings with futility ahead of a pitch that plods through the strike zone at the pace of tractor on the autobahn.

There are other reason little leaguers put the changeup on the back burner. For the changeup to be effective a pitcher needs to establish a fastball. Often little leaguers simply don’t have enough velocity on their fastball to make the change of pace on their changeup effective. Changeups are also counter intuitive for young pitchers. Pitchers learn early that most often the harder they throw the better the results. So asking them to throw a change up, which is essentially a batting practice pitch, is scary. This leap of faith comes with experience and maturity.

The above reasons make sense, but I still believe coaches should teach kids the changeup before the curve. One reason to teach kids to throw a changeup before a breaking ball is health. The American Sports Medicine Institute recommends that kids should be 14 years old (give or take two years) before they start throwing curveballs. Aside from health reasons, the changeup expedites the process of teaching kids to be pitchers rather than throwers. Hall of Fame pitcher, Warren Spahn, said that “Hitting is timing. Pitching is upsetting timing.” the change up brings that point home. So first learn to throw the fastball with proper mechanics and control, and then learn the changeup.

Documentary

2007-05-11T09:35:00.000-05:00

A movie maker heard my baseball story, gave my wife his business card and told her that I should give him a call. About a month later I did, we had a couple meetings. The producer thought that not only was the story interesting but I could tell it well. So now they are filming a documentary about it.

The story braids a few interesting paths, each rare unto itself, but the fact that they all come together in one life is unique. The reactions I get from people who hear it, the press and now from the movie makers, have been quite remarkable.

Briefly, this is the deal. I loved baseball and had talent but could not play organized ball because I grew up as an observant Jew and also spent key childhood years in Israel. The first time I played organized baseball I was almost 24 years old. I was a lefty armed with a 90mph fastball and the experience level of a tee ball player. By the time I could harness my talent I had a family and was too old to pursue a baseball career. Along comes the IBL. Thinking it is absurd to start playing pro ball at 45, I skip the first tryout being held a couple hour drive from my house. Next tryout is being held in Petach Tikvah, Israel, the same town where my parents and siblings live. I can resist no longer and fly over for the tryout. Dan Duquette, ex general manager of my beloved Red Sox, watches the tryout and bingo I am offered a contract to play pro ball. There’s quite a bit more but that is it in a nutshell.

They started shooting a couple weeks ago. The plan is to do a lot of filming over the next few weeks and then they will follow to Israel. The first filming was at opening day for the Eagles, a team I play for in Manchester, NH. It was a little nerve racking for a few reasons. First, it was opening day. But I had also been working out over the winter and was eager to test some of the stuff I have been working on against live batters. And of course, I had no idea what to expect with the filming. I also did not know how the team would react with a camera not only following me around but them too.

Everything turned out fine. Warming up with a camera in my face was not what I was used to but I was very focused on the job at hand, and did not really let it effect me. The team also operated as if nothing was happening. As for the game itself, we won 7-0. I pitched the first three innings, gave up no runs, striking out seven but walking three. I could feel I needed to work on some mechanical issues. My goal the next game was to iron out some mechanics and not to issue any walks. The next game I pitched the first five innings giving up no walks or earned runs, unfortunately we lost the game in the bottom of the ninth inning. It was a sloppy game by both teams. I am in a strange spot. I view my Eagles season as my pre season for the IBL. I want to try and test new things. On the other hand, this is not pre season for the Eagles, so I need to pitch optimally for their sake. I try to balance the two. The one mistake I made was throwing three consecutive splitters and leaving the third one up and in. It was hit for a long double. Luckily, I got out of the inning unscathed.

This is where the filming got a little weird. On Sunday night the film guys came to my house to start interviewing. Though I have no problem talking to the camera, I found myself saying things that if taken out of context can make me sound more than a little wacky.
In a couple weeks filming will be done in Teaneck, New Jersey. My best friend Yitzie and I will go around to the old neighborhood where we grew up playing stickball.

Poetry in Motion

2007-05-04T10:26:00.000-05:00

A lefty named Sandy Koufax

The clip is from pitchingclips.com
They have numerous clips of great pitchers.

The Draft

2007-05-03T22:13:00.000-05:00

After doing a cursory study of the Israel Baseball League draft results I am a bit perplexed. Admittedly, I do not have complete data to review. I don’t have Dan Duquette’s scouting report. But even so, how do guys like Abel Moreno and Efrain Ramos not get drafted in the first ten rounds and how does a guy like Raul Franco get drafted behind 33 other players?

I noticed that I have a Pioneer teammate named Abel Moreno who had no IBL profile. So I googled his name along with the keyword baseball and this is what I found. A pitcher with three years of pro experience in the Angels organization compiling the following stats:

Like I said I don’t have the full story. It might be a different Dominican pitcher named Abel Moreno. His last year with the Angels was 2004, maybe he blew out his arm and never recovered completely. On the other hand, there were over 160 players trying out in the Dominican Republic and most if not all had pro experience and Dan signed him, so he must have some pretty good stuff. So why were there so many college ball players picked before him?

I did not venture much further into this issue but my brief scan led me to check out two more players. One is Efrain Ramos. Efrain played pro ball in the Dominican Summer League (an MLB affiliated minor league) for the Mets last year and had the following stats:

Again, it might be a different Efrain Ramos. If it is the same Efrain, I realize I don’t have the full story which might include information that detracts from his stats in the Dominican League.

With the information I have, I find it curious that certain players were not drafted in the early rounds. My guess is that further research would reveal additional players with professional experience that were not drafted and I don’t understand why.

As a Pioneer I am glad we have the benefit of an overlooked player named Moreno who appears on paper to be quite Abel.

From Nine Corners of the Earth

2007-04-30T14:42:00.000-05:00

One of the aspects of sports that I love is once a team walks between the lines of the field all players are equal. It matters not whether the person is rich or poor, black or white, Christian or Jew. They become one unit with a common cause, they work together to achieve the same goal. As a coach or player, I don’t know anything about the socio economic background of my players or teammates, it is irrelevant. Ties to the world all melt away on the ball field. During games the only world that exists is the world contained by the chalk lines and the nine innings (or seven in the case of the IBL). The world beyond the game is temporarily suspended.

Today I learned who my Pioneer teammates are. They hail from the Dominican Republic, Australia, Israel, Canada and the USA. That’s five of the nine countries from which the IBL signed players. The Pioneers include African American, Spanish and Caucasian players. They include Christians and Jews. They include the two oldest players in the league who will be pitching to their teenage catcher.

They were gathered from around the world for two months to share a home in Israel and a field in Petah Tikva. They were gathered to introduce the grand sport of baseball to the uninitiated and entertain the initiated.

…and I get to be one of the players. I must be one of the luckiest guys on earth.

Lets Play Ball!

To the right are the flags of the nine nations that the IBL players come from. They are in the order shown, Australia, Israel, Belgium, Canada, Dominican Republic, Ukraine, USA, Venzuela and Japan.

Yarkon Rivalry?

2007-04-19T10:42:00.000-05:00

While I was looking at the satellite images of Israel I noticed that Petah Tikvah's Baptist Field and Tel Aviv's Sportek Field are both located on the Yarkon River. Actually, Baptist Field is about 200 yards from the Yarkon and Sportek Field seems to be right next to it.

For those who don't know, the Yarkon River is Israel's largest coastal river. It originates in northern Petah Tikvah and flows into the Mediterranean sea in Tel Aviv 16.7 miles later.

Is this the foundation of a rivalry in the Israel Baseball League? Maybe the Pioneers vs. Lightning games should be referred to as the Yarkon series. With that said, I propose that the team that loses the season series or the first game they play against each other must row from their home field to their rivals field. I am not sure if this is logistically possible, but worth checking out.

Click on the image below to view a larger version

Photos of the Yarkon River photos are fron here and here.

Israel Baseball League Field Work

2007-04-18T17:15:00.000-05:00

Using Google Earth and Emap I tracked down pre-renovation satellite photos of the baseball fields at Gezer, Tel Aviv and Petah Tikvah.

While doing the research I noticed that the altitude above sea level of the fields are as follows, Gezer - 395ft, Baptist Field (Petah Tikvah) - 78ft and Sportek (Tel Aviv) - 24ft. It got me wondering, how much more will the ball carry at the Gezer field as opposed to the Sportek Field which is right on the Mediterranean Sea?

I found this information from the book titled the Physics of Baseball. A ball that would travel 400 feet in "normal" conditions goes:

6 feet farther if the altitude is 1,000 feet higher

4 feet farther if the air is 10 degrees warmer

4 feet farther if the ball is 10 degrees warmer

4 feet farther if the barometer drops 1 inch of mercury

Using the information above, with all other relevant criteria being equal, a ball hit 400 feet in Tel Aviv will travel approximately an additional 2.5 feet at Gezer. So if you see a home run clear the fence at Gezer field by a foot or two you know there was a reasonable chance it would have been caught at the Sportek
Field.

Click the images to view a larger photograph

See the map below to view the field locations in the context of the country.

Exposing the Israel Baseball League Player

2007-04-07T20:43:00.000-05:00

Using the 64 player profiles currently listed on the IBL website I organized the information and below are the results.

Favorite Foods

Some of the foods mentioned could be added to the categories. For example, Eggplant Parmesan could have been added to the Italian category, Nachos and Tacos could have been added to Mexican and Humus, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Israeli food could have been combined with Falafel. Also, Pasta and Pizza could clearly be combined with Italian. But I decided to be a purist and only tally the exact words used.

Favorite Movies

Rocky III got one vote so I guess the Rocky series wins with five votes. Major League received two votes and Major League II received one vote so the Major League series totaled three votes which could have made the list. Others receiving two voters were The Big Lebowski, Borat, Pulp Fiction, The Natural, Batman, Field of Dreams, Braveheart, Bull Durham.

Below are player averages broken down by position

Pitchers
The Average Pitcher is:
Height - 6 feet 1 inch
Weight - 192 lbs
Age - 26.5 years

Throwing
18 Righties
9 Lefties

Outfielders
The Average Outfielder is:
Height - Almost 6 feet
Weight - 186 lbs
Age - 26.3 years

Infielders (including catchers)
The Average infielder is:
Height - 5 feet 11 inches
Weight - 183 lbs
Age - 23.8 years

Should the Israel Baseball League's Home Run Derby Rule affect how team's drafts players?

2007-04-07T10:41:00.000-05:00

First let me define what I understand to be the Home Run Derby rule. When a game is tied after seven complete innings of play (games in the IBL will be seven rather than nine innings) the winner will be decided by a Home Run Derby. I do not know the specific rules of the Derby, but assume it will be some abridged version of the Major League pre All Star game Home Run Derby.

To calculate whether a team should alter their drafting strategy with this new rule in place a variety of issues must be considered. Here are a few key ones that came to mind.

1) How often is Home Run Derby expected to occur during a season?
2) What attributes does a master of Home Run Derby possess?
3) Can these attributes be summoned reliably when needed?
4) Do these Home Run Derby attributes coincide with the standard desired attributes that are sought after in valuable baseball players?

How Often?
In the Major Leagues approximately 8% of games go into extra innings. Being that games in the IBL will be shortened to seven innings the 8% should rise a bit but for the arguments presented the rise is negligible. If we apply the Major League data to the IBL’s 45 game season then Home Run Derby will happen on average between 4-5 times in a season for each team. On the one hand this might seem like a small number, on the other hand, the team that does not reach the playoffs by a game or two might look back at a Home Run Derby loss as a pivotal opportunity lost.

What Constitutes a Derbymeister?
What attributes does a Home Run Derby master possess? It might not be as obvious as you think. The IBL drafters making the choices do not have past Home Run Derby data to rely upon. I am not convinced that having such data would serve the purpose anyway. Understandably, the drafters will most probably place past power numbers as the prime quality a top notch derbymeister must possess. This is reasonable, but a couple things need to be considered.

Home Runs in real games do not correlate as consistently as one might think to Home Run Derby home runs. Take the MLB’s 2005 Home Run Derby as an example. It was won by Bobby Abreu who had 24 home runs during the season while Mark Teixeira came in next to last while having 43 home runs to his credit during the season. Last year, Ryan Howard won both the Home Run Derby as well as the regular season home run title. But digging a little deeper reveals that David Wright came in second last year while having 27 home runs on the season. Troy Glaus came in dead last and had 37 home runs in the regular season.

Does Size Matter?
Another option one might consider in order to sniff out a potential derbymeister might be size. Without much data on IBL players one might form a conjecture that player size plays a substantial part in Home Run Derby success. Not true, though there is some correlation it is weak. 2005 Derby champion Bobby Abreu weighs 210lbs, David Wright weighs 200lbs, Miguel Tejada won in 2004 weighing 213lbs and Garrett Anderson won in 2003 weighing 190lbs. Not small guys, but not in the same category as Troy Glaus - 240lbs, David Ortiz - 230lbs.or Albert Pujols – 230lbs.

Consistentcy
Can the power that hitters demonstrate during regular season games be summoned consistently when needed for Home Run Derby? The answer is, not really. Looking at past Major League Home Run Derby’s one can see that players that do great one year might not perform well the next year. As mentioned earlier, Miguel Tejada won the Derby in 2004 and came in next to last in 2006.

Raw Power vs. Consistent Power
Another interesting point to ponder is the difference between raw power and consistent power. For example, Willy Mo Pena is known to put on an incredible show in batting practice by hitting monster home runs. Additionally, two years ago he hit both the longest and second longest recorded home runs in the National League. Last year he hit two of the top eight longest home runs in the American League. Clearly, Pena has tremendous power but it does not translate perfectly to real game consistent power. Though Pena can hit long home runs he does not challenge his teammate David Ortiz’s consistency (a home run every 10.3 at bats last year). In other words, raw power is not the same as consistent power. Consistent power is crucial to being a derbymeister. For the draft there is not much to go on to evaluate consistent power as opposed to raw power. Available player stats are weak and the tryouts too small a sample size. This point is really only worthy once the team’s hitters have been viewed in batting practice.

Overlap of Skills
Lastly, how much overlap is there between desirable player attributes and derbymeister attributes? If they possess the same desired qualities then there is not much reason to consider a player for his Derby prowess potential. I believe, for the most part, this is the case. Power is desirable whether extra innings or the Derby rule is in play. Differences in skill sets might be speed, glove and arm. One can move like a turtle, have a little league glove and no arm to speak of and still be a phenomenal derbymesiter. But chances are if a player is in the draft to begin with, he must have reasonable skills beyond a powerful bat.

Don't Do It
In conclusion, drafting a player for his Derby potential will probably disappoint if other skills are being sacrificed to get the player. Considering that a team will probably play in approximately five Derby games coupled with the inconsistency demonstrated by Major League Derby participants, drafting a player because he might be a potential derbymeister is an unwise gamble. Draft the best balanced team and when Derby time rears its head at the end of seven innings, roll the dice with the teams best batting practice power hitters.

Velocity Shlemocity

2007-04-05T19:56:00.000-05:00

Often, when people hear that I am a pitcher, their first question is “how fast do you throw?” As a pitcher, coach and avid student of the art and science of pitching for well over a couple decades it pains me to answer the question. Answering with a quick two digit number makes me an accomplice to stripping the craft of pitching to the point of being naked in a New Hampshire snowstorm. It is unfair and cruel.

It is actually a reasonable question. It is just that it forces me into an answer that over simplifies what comprises an effective pitcher. I believe people ranging from baseball laymen to major league scouts over value velocity. Don’t get me wrong, velocity is a key to effective pitching, but it is given too much weight.

The most important element to effective pitching is command of the fastball. Just like in real estate, location is critical. Hitters would rather see a fastball at 90 mph waist high over the middle of the plate than an 85 mph on the black low and away. I just saw Tom Glavine of the Mets open this MLB season on Sunday against the Cardinals. He threw his fastball between 82-84 mph (he hit 86 twice) and the Cardinals scored only one run in six innings. Let me put that in perspective, the average MLB fastball is 90 mph, 83 mph is a good high school fastball.

To bring my point home take a look at these stats from last year. The pitcher with the slowest average fastball in the National League last year was 21 year veteran Jamie Moyer (he started the year in the American League), second slowest was four time Cy Young award winner Gregg Maddux, fourth was two time Cy Young award winner Tom Glavine. In the American League it goes as follows, the second slowest pitcher was last years All Star game starter and World Series game winner Kenny Rogers, fourth slowest was Cy Young award winner Barry Zito and sixth was the perennially formidable Mike Mussina. These "slow" throwing guys are some of the top pitchers in the world. All the while, the minor leagues are loaded with guys who can throw well into the 90’s and will never throw a pitch in the Major Leagues.

So, why are people obsessed with velocity? The same reason they love fast cars, the dunk, the knock out punch and the home run. It is exciting and macho. It speaks to the testosterone part of the love affair people have with sports. And yes, I am guilty of loving it too. I enjoy throwing a splitter in the dirt that the batter chases. I enjoy throwing a curve that freezes the batter like a deer staring into headlights. But there is nothing like rearing back throwing the high hard one and watching the batter swing through it while the ball pops loudly in the catchers glove, dust fly’s from the mitt and the ump signals strike three!!! God, I love that!

In reality it is very rare to have the kind of fastball that a pitcher can blow by a good hitter at will. Typically, a pitcher that throws hard will have success until they enter a level in which it no longer works, then they are lost. A pitcher who throws 90mph probably breezed through every league they played in through high school and even many colleges. Then suddenly throwing 90mph over the heart of the plate doesn’t work any more. Instantly, they need to make adjustments or they fail. Unfortunately, this type of pitcher has had so much success with their fastball that often their instinct is to try and throw harder to work their way out of trouble. That approach does not work. When pitchers try to muscle the ball they will most often either lose velocity or incrementally increase the velocity at the expense of movement and location, this is a terrible trade off. Another reason it is not a good idea to muscle up is that it increases the probability of getting injured. When the experienced pitcher gets into trouble, ala Glavine, he will take something off a pitch or throw within his usual velocity range but make sure to throw a good pitch. A good pitch means it is located well, moves well and has good deception or any combination of the three. The pitch will have reasons behind it. Every pitch is sensitive to context; this is how a good pitcher can make a batter look silly on a 72 mph pitch.

Now that I have exhorted my views on how velocity is overrated, let me sing its praises. No pitcher in his right mind would ever turn down MPH on his fastball. Velocity allows a pitcher to make mistakes and get away with it more often than a soft tosser. A pitcher with command and great velocity has the potential to be superstar. Pedro Martinez and Roger Clemens had command (of more than one pitch) and great velocity, which is a horrifying combination to batters. I would also like to clarify that guys like Glavine, Maddux, Zito, Rogers and Moyer excel at the Major League level not only with great command of their “slow” fastballs but they have splendid secondary pitches. Glavine has a great changeup, Maddux has devastating movement on his sinker and a excellent changeup, Zito has an incredible curve ball and a good changeup, and Moyer has a superb change, good curve and an uncanny ability to mix his pitches so that batters are constantly off balance. Lastly, there is a limit to how slow a fastball can be while still maintaining its place as the foundation of every pitchers repertoire. I don’t believe a pitcher can survive in the Major Leagues without a fast ball that is at least in the low 80’s, and that is a rare breed.

So at the risk of sounding like a wise guy, next time someone asks me how fast I throw I might tell them fast enough to make hitters swing ahead of my changeup.

Why is playing baseball in Israel meaningful to me?

2007-04-03T17:42:00.002-05:00

Why is playing baseball in Israel meaningful to me?

Let me explain...

Grandpa and Baseball
My grandfather, Abraham Alexenberg, was a pitcher and his big brother Ben was a catcher. When I was twelve years old I asked Grandpa if he ever hit a guy with a pitch, and if the batter charged the mound. He said it happened once but Ben, who was strong as an ox, was the catcher and grabbed the batter before he could get very far. Grandpa told me that Ben always took care of him. I wondered how amazing it must have been for the brothers to share a ball field and the game they love.

Grandpa was born in Woodbine New Jersey in 1906 and lived there until he was an adult. He was six foot three and had a large frame. His father, my great grandfather, immigrated to the USA from Odessa in the Ukraine to escape the pogroms. I never met my great grandfather, but I am told he was taller than my grandfather. I saw him in a few pictures standing very proud, looking strong and handsome. Woodbine was a small agricultural village of Jewish immigrants. Grandpa was one of eight children. He had four brothers and three sisters. He was the second to youngest. The brothers all played baseball.

My grandfather played semi pro ball and was offered a pro contract with the Brooklyn Robins but bursitis in his shoulder, the low pay for pro ball players and the tough life the minor leagues presented for a Jew in the 1920’s made his decision to pursue dentistry the more practical choice. As it turned out, the great depression came and he was forced to abandon ambitions of an education to make an immediate living. Around 1980, I went with grandpa to visit Burke, one of his older brothers. Burke must have been around 80 years old and was blind. As we left, I hugged Burke goodbye and he held my arm and told me that back in the day Grandpa was one hell of a ballplayer. My grandfather overheard and declined the compliment saying it was Burke that was the best of the brothers. I still love imagining what it must have been like, a bunch of brothers playing baseball in a small Jewish immigrant farming town.

Grandpa was a quiet man and extremely modest. I would ask him about his baseball playing days and he would typically respond with one sentence. I could never get a conversation going. But he loved to play catch with me and regularly showed me how to throw a knuckleball. He also enjoyed watching baseball on TV and took me to many Met and Yankee games. I have fragmented memories of games. I remember Grandpa pointing out Harmon Killebrew when the Twins were at Yankee stadium. I also remember Roy White scoring a run in that game. Another time, after a post game subway ride we took a long walk through the city streets of New York. It was late in the afternoon on a warm summer day we were on our way to a deli. Just Grandpa and me, I had a Pastrami sandwich.

Israel and Holland
When I was almost eight years old my family moved to Israel and shortly thereafter my grandparents moved to Florida. On our way to Israel in the summer of 1969 we stopped in Holland for a few days. My mother’s family is Dutch and my aunt, uncle and cousins lived in Amsterdam. My great great grandfather, Rabbi Yosef Tzvi Dunner , was the chief rabbi of Holland. Most of my mother’s side of the family were murdered in the Holocaust. It was in those few days that I was first exposed to the horrors of the Holocaust. My uncle’s parents gave him to a gentile family so that he would survive the Holocaust. He was four years old and spent most of his time in silence in an attic living on left over foods like potato peels. I asked my father why Mom’s family didn’t just leave Holland before the Nazi’s got them. He explained that they believed Hilter was a madman contained in Germany, and that his insane ideas would never come to fruition.

As the plane approached Israel the passengers began to sing joyous Hebrew songs. This did not happen when we landed in Holland. When the wheels touched the ground my mother burst into tears. It was scary and I asked my father why mom was crying. With an intense look and a few words he conveyed to me that we just completed a journey, not of a few hours ride from Europe but of a couple thousand years from the four corners of the earth back to our homeland.

During that week I experienced a Jewish history lesson that permanently instilled in me the depth of value that Israel has to the Jewish people. Anyone who reads the ancient Jewish texts will repeatedly be reminded that Israel has always been the Jewish homeland. But it became real and practical the second we landed. Most European Jews had no place to escape the Nazi's. Many of the surviving members of my mothers family now lived in Israel. Israel is the hope realized; a strong nation with a growing economy, bustling with innovations founded on a deep functioning democracy. Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Kahn, my great great grandfather (on my fathers side), left the Telz Yeshiva in Lithuania to attend the Fourth Zionist Congress in 1900 in London. He never returned, after his studies in London and Paris he moved to Boston and eventually opened a Hebrew book store on Coney Island Ave in Brooklyn. My family has a letter in Yiddish written by him telling of his experience at the zionist congress. To him Israel was a dream for me it is a dream come true.

Baseball, Israel and Grandpa
During my “Little League years” between the ages of eight and twelve I lived in Israel. Though there was no baseball in Israel back then, I would often throw a tennis ball against stone walls and field the erratic bounces pretending I was making great plays. When I was almost twelve years old we moved back to the states for four years. I spent every opportunity playing stickball with my best friend Yitzie. We were observant Jews and because Yeshiva ended late and we could not play on the Sabbath we did not have the opportunity to play in organized leagues.

My love of the game never waned and the summer I turned 24 years old I decided to tryout for an amateur league in Boston. I could fill a book with the trials and tribulations I endured learning how to pitch as an adult in competitive leagues. Eventually, I learned that it took more than throwing a good fastball somewhere around the plate to succeed at a high level. Unfortunately, by the time I figured out how to harness my talent, I had a family to support and was “too old” to pursue a pro career. I continued coaching and playing over the years. I played ball and coached from little league through division one college ball at San Diego State University, one of the best programs in the country.

When I was told that a pro baseball league was starting in Israel I felt excited but then the cruel irony gripped me. I had missed the opportunity to play pro ball because I grew up in Israel before baseball was being played there and when I returned to the states I could not play because games were played on the Sabbath. Now there was a pro league in Israel that does not play games on the Sabbath and I seemed too old to play. In a further irony, the first tryouts were being held in Massachusetts, a mere couple hour drive from my home. My wife, as she did as my girlfriend over 20 years earlier, encouraged me to tryout. Though I knew I could still pitch at a high level I told her it was ridiculous, that they would never consider a 45 year old. The tryouts came and went. When I heard that the next tryouts were being held in Petah Tikvah, ten minutes from where my parents and two siblings live, I started feeling like the universe was giving me signs. I was being given a second chance to play the game I love, in a country I love. If I did not at least go to a tryout, I would regret it the rest of my life. My father understood what was happening and called to tell me he was booking a flight to Israel for me. On a beautiful day on a ball field in the center of the country I pitched my heart out. Dan Duquette, the past general manager of the Boston Red Sox was watching and it was he who would decide if I was worthy of a contract. After completing my tryout Dan sat next me in the dugout and asked me a few questions. A few days later I received an email congratulating me on making the cut! If anyone told me a year ago I would be playing professional baseball in Israel and would be signed by Dan Duquette I would have laughed at the adsurdity. Life truly is stranger than fiction.

I possess both an Israeli and American passport. I was told I would need to play under my Israeli passport for tax reasons. I had not seen my Israeli passport in many years, finding it would require a major search. After looking in the attic for quite a while I finally found it resting in a folder with an old relic from my childhood. The relic was a printed roster from a spring training game that my grandfather took me to in Florida in 1974. Though I was only 13 years old, I remember that day like it was yesterday. Jim Mason, a no power, light hitting shortstop for the Yankees hit a 400 foot homerun and Walt “No Neck” Williams made a spectacular catch in the outfield. I kept that roster because on the back I had received the autographs of two old time greats, Roger Peckinpaugh, the American League MVP in 1925 and Hall of Fame member Phil “The Scooter” Rizzuto. I turned the roster over to see who played that day and the first name that caught my eye was Ron Blomberg. I will be sure to bring the roster to Israel this summer for Ron Blomberg to autograph. Ron will be a manager in the Israel Baseball League, he might be my manager. I wish my grandfather was still alive. I can only wonder how he would have enjoyed seeing me share a ball field and the game I love with Ron Blomberg.