Jews in Sports: STAR-STRUCK

Ever wonder what it’s like to be the superstar on a sports team? I have no idea, honestly, what it’s akin to or what it takes to attain such a plateau, but the answers aren’t too far away from my grasp.

That’s right.

The manicures, massages and all-inclusive pampering have come and gone; wig explorations and hair transplants are so yesterday’s news.

The 2011 Crown Heights Softball League season is nary a month old and with it has come the opportunity to lay eyes upon the star players promulgating their prowess on the playing field.

The local softball marathon already featured sparkling performances such as the 1-1 draw on Opening Day, kept together in the latter innings by a zoned-in pitching performance from The Tribe’s Chezky Herz, to go along with the dazzling shutout victory a couple nights later by The Kloppers and hurler Moshe Vail.

I know Cohen, Katz and Goldberg aren’t exactly Rodriguez, Finch and Halladay.

But it’s a start.

To be big, you first have to dream big. Or at least sign up to play organized sport.

We’ve all heard that softball is for the old(er), lazy and obese.

If that’s your belief, fine. But know then you’ve never witnessed the hysteria that supplements a CH Softball League match.

There will be – and has been – egregious errors, careless base-running mishaps and other mind-numbing miscues. But, if you fail to attend a match, you will also miss the camaraderie displayed by players and coaches alike.

Choose what you wish when it comes to spending your time on Sunday mornings, Tuesday and Thursday evenings.

But with familiar names sporting Jewish-themed jersey’s accompanying heart-stopping, pulse racing, and, the occasional, gut-wrenching games as we’re sure to behold from here through September, one certainty is that gallant player watching will never be as readily observable!

EXTRA POINTS:

Chicagoans pour some L’chaim and spread the lox and cream cheese; when the weather turns cold, pass a tissue to rookie offensive tackle Gabe Carimi for his sneeze.

Expected by many NFL pundits to be chosen early in last month’s NFL Draft, the Wisconsin native, Carimi, was selected late in the first round by the Windy City Bears.

And if you‘re wondering what the Jewish Jackhammer will do when Yom Kippur next falls on a Sunday, consider his response to scouts at the NFL Combine a few months back: “I’ve already checked the calendar. Yom Kippur doesn’t fall on a Sunday for the next 15 years.”

EXTRA BASES:

Just how bad are New York Mets owners at making financial decisions not limited to investing with Bernard Madoff?

The franchise will – come July 1 – be paying former player Bobby Bonilla roughly $30 million spread out over the next 25 years.

In order for the Metropolitans to buy out Bonilla’s contract after the 1999 season, the team deferred his $5.9 million salary owed to him the following year for more than a decade, plus 8% interest on the owed contract. Talk about mismanagement!

CONDOLENCES:

RIP New York Rangers forward Derek Boogaard. You were a good man and one of the most-feared NHL heavyweights.

I enjoyed the time we spent talking before and after Rangers home games. Along with your Rangers teammates and many fans, I will miss your physical presence and compassion you had towards others off the ice. You were a gentle giant with a giving nature and infectious personality.

Despite logging just over 100 minutes in 22 games of his injury-shortened season, Derek became a valued member of the New York community by hosting members of the military and their families at home games through his “Boogaard Boogaardians” program.