testkumah

Sunday, July 15, 2007

OK. Real Baseball in Israel


Perhaps as an offshoot of this IBL fever, or because of my long held desire to shout at kids to "stop picking the daisies," I have started a Baseball Club here in Bet El for 8-11 year-olds.

We had our first practice on Sunday Morning. Yishai came by to take some pictures.

It was great fun for all, but we could definitely use some equipment.

Here is an email I am currently circulating:

Shalom,

I have started a Baseball club for 8-11 year olds in Bet El for the first time in nearly a decade. I have a dozen kids to start. They don't know a stitch about baseball, but they are eager to learn and play. We had our first practice Sunday morning. We started with instruction on how to put on the mitt, and I proceeded to show them the four bases (concrete slabs). We are hitting off of a makeshift tee I created after rummaging through a nearby construction area.

Our primary need right now is mitts. I have seven gloves to work with including my own, and three of them are adult size (too big). I would really like for each boy to have a glove. We could also use 2-3 little league size bats. I would even like to get the kids each a tee shirt, and take them to a baseball game of the new professional IBL. We definitely do not have any helmets or catchers' gear.

We have decided to call our "team" the Bet El Bears, as two bears are involved in a story with the prophet Elisha in Bet El in the second book of Melachim.

We would greatly appreciate if an individual, group of individuals, or business could help in one of the following ways:

1) Send a check for $1500 / 6000NIS, and I will purchase the necessary equipment.

2) Purchase us new equipment, and send it.

3) Take a collection of used (but decent) equipment, and send it over.

4) Any combination of the above. I am willing to accept a few gloves here, and bat from there.

Our total equipment needs in order of priority:
1) 12-15 gloves (including 2-3 lefty mitts)
2) 2-4 little league bats
3) 12 balls
4) tee shirts
5) batting helmets
6) bases
7) catchers' gear (including mitt)

I really do appreciate your consideration into this matter. I can assure you our town, and our kids will really appreciate it. For more information, please feel free to email me at alex@israelnationalnews.com - re:Baseball.

With Blessings,
Alex



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5 Comments:

  • At July 15, 2007 at 7:36 PM , Anonymous גיל רונן said...

    You think Yishai came to take pictures. He is scanning your operation so he can raid your evil baseball headquarters!

     
  • At July 15, 2007 at 11:40 PM , Anonymous Yishai said...

    Gil - you couldn't be more wrong! I support, back, and take great pride in Alex's endeavor. A few lucky Beit El kids will get the chance to do something productive in the summer, learn motor skills, teamwork, and have fun. The point is that this is real and active and in that way it is the quintessential opposite of being a fan. There is no money here; there are no warped societal values either. I was so excited by what Alex was doing that I made him a booklet with English-Hebrew baseball terms and a logo – The Beit-El Bears! (Bears have a Tanachik tie-in as the famous story of the two bears that ate the 42 kids happened in Beit El.) In short: Jewish playing is good, watching goyish athletes is bad. Down with the IBL, long live the Beit El Bears!!!

     
  • At July 16, 2007 at 1:02 AM , Anonymous Dan in Jerusalem said...

    לא דובים ולא יער
    רעי אלו םיבוד אל

     
  • At July 16, 2007 at 3:47 AM , Anonymous Pinchas said...

    BTW - Kol HaKavod Alex!!!

     
  • At July 16, 2007 at 2:00 PM , Anonymous Yechiel (Jonny) said...

    Kol HaKavod Alex! You should talk to the Israel Association of Baseball also - they run all the little leagues. I was an assistant coach for the Jerusalem T-Ball team this year. http://www.iab.org.il/

     

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