Professional Baseball Comes to Israel
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Last summer, I started to see occassional articles about a new pro baseball league to be formed in Israel.
A Boston financial consultant, Larry Baras had a passion — to bring a strong brand of professional baseball to Israel and to spur aliyah by encouraging some of the best Jewish baseball talent to come to Israel to live and to play baseball. Baras is now the Managing Director of the Israel Baseball League (IBL).
When some of the names were bandied around in the media last year, talent like Boston infielder Kevin Youkilis or New York Mets rightfielder Shawn Green, many dismissed the IBL as a dream that would never happen.
But here it is near the end of May, 2007. The league has held it’s first player draft and opening day for the 6 team league is set for June 24, 2007 as the Modi’in Miracle faces the Petach Tikva Pioneers at Yarkon Field in Petach Tikva to kick off the innaugural season..
Among the league executives with Baras are Commissioner Daniel C. Kurtzer — former US Ambassador to Israel, former general manager of the Montreal Expos and Boston Red Sox — Director of Baseball Operations Dan Duquette and Martin I. Berger — the IBL’s President and Chief Operating Officer.
Team managers include former MLB players Ron Blomberg — manager of the Beit Shemesh Blue Sox, Art Shamsky manager of the Modi’in Miracle and former pitcher Ken Holtzman — manager of the Petach Tikva Pioneers.
No they didn’t manage to draft Youkilis or Green, but they did draft 120 players to fill 6 teams.
AP recently reported on the Haaretz website;
The league begins play June 24 with the six teams playing a 45-game schedule.
Players from nine nations were drafted, and about a dozen of the 120 players in the league are expected to be Israeli citizens.
The last player chosen in the draft may have actually been an honorary choice.
The AP report states;
Sandy Koufax was the final player chosen in the draft to stock the six teams for the inaugural season of the Israel Baseball League.
Koufax, 71, was picked by the Modi’in Miracle in the draft conducted Thursday night by former major league general manager Dan Duquette, who heads baseball operations for the league.
“His selection is a tribute to the esteem with which he is held by everyone associated with this league,” said former big leaguer Art Shamsky, who will manage the Miracle. “It’s been 41 years between starts for him. If he’s rested and ready to take the mound again, we want him on our team.”
Whether or not Koufax actually dons a Miracle uniform and cleats and plays, a number of great promotions are being planned throughout the season to boost attendance at games.
Opening Day for the IBL is eagerly awaited by Israel’s Baseball fans.
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