We’re talkin’ baseball!
Kluszewski, Campanella.
Talkin’ baseball!
The Man and Bobby Feller.
The Scooter, the Barber, and the Newc,
They knew ’em all from Boston to Dubuque.
Especially Willie, Mickey, and the Duke.
Terry Cashman
Yes, it is that time of year once again. Spring training is here and for those of us who practice the religion of baseball, our New Year is looming (Opening day, March 21). Spring training is a kind of an Elul for baseball. Elul is the month of personal introspection one does before Rosh Hashanah. We try to find ways to improve ourselves. Spring training is the same thing for baseball. Every team looks to improve itself before Opening Day. I have been struck by the many connections between baseball and Judaism. I thought I would share my top ten.
10) Yom Kippur is part of the folklore of both baseball and Judaism. Most famous case is Sandy Koufax. His decision not to pitch game 1 of the 1965 World Series is part of baseball lore and Jewish lore. His status is heightened in both worlds. Don Drysdale, who pitched in Koufax’s stead, gave up 7 runs in less than 3 innings and told Walter Alston when he came to take him out, “I bet you wish I was Jewish now too.” Koufax not the only one to face this dilemma. In 1934 Hank Greenberg, the star slugger for the Tigers, decided to play in a key game against the Yankees in thick of pennant race on Rosh Hashanah. Detroit headlines read, “Talmud Clears Greenberg for Holiday Play.” He did not play on Yom Kippur and when he entered the shul for services that day, the congregation gave him a standing ovation. Other Jewish players also refused to play on the HH – notably Al Rosen of the Cleveland Indians in the 1950’s and in 2001 Shawn Green sat out on the HH as well.
9) Judaism and baseball have stories about release from slavery. Jews from Egypt, ballplayers from the reserve clause. Moses led the Israelites out of slavery, and never made it to the Promised Land. Curt Flood, after a great 13 year career with the St. Louis Cardinals, was traded to the Phillies in 1969. He refused to abide by the trade and sued for the right to be a free agent. Baseball, up to that time, had the reserve clause. This was a clause inserted into all contracts that after the contract had expired, the team still owned the player’s rights. This meant the player was never free to negotiate with another team, but could only negotiate with the team that owned his rights, or ask to be traded. Flood asserted that he was not property to be bought and sold. The Supreme Court ruled against him but his suit forever changed baseball and by the mid 1970’s free agency was well established and greatly increased player’s salaries and freedom. Flood never saw the benefit. He sat out 1970, played a few games in 1971 and then retired. Like Moses, he led the way but never got to the Promised Land.
8) There are 613 commandments. Of them, 365 are negative commandments and 248 are positive commandments. If you begin with the start of spring training games, and if the World Series lasts until 7 games, you will reach 248 days of baseball thus showing that following baseball is a positive commandment.
7) For Jewish prayer you need 10 Jews for a minyan. The starting lineup for a baseball team would qualify as a minyan (assuming they are all Jews). OK, you say, there are only 9 men who start for a team in a ball game and 10 are needed for the minyan, so how can I say that 9 equals 10? Easy, a sefer Torah can be used for the 10th person. So a ball team plus a Torah equals a minyan. Who would argue that a Torah plus 9 Jews is not a winning team?
6) The iconic figures in baseball and Judaism are heroic despite their flaws. Babe Ruth liked to drink and party with women. Ty Cobb was a dirty, nasty player. Mickey Mantle once told a young autograph seeker, “Take a hike, son, take a hike.” Reggie Jackson was an ego maniac, once referring to himself as “the straw that stirs the drink.” In Judaism, Moses had a speech impediment and constantly complained to God about what a burden the people were. In his final speech to the Israelites he blames them for not being allowed into the Promised Land. King David plotted to send a key general off to the battle front, where he was killed, thus allowing David to take the general’s wife for himself. And this is the father of the messianic line? Abraham tried to pass off his wife Sarah as his sister while living in Egypt because he was afraid the Egyptians might kill him. Solomon had a penchant for women and horses. The mythologies of both baseball and Judaism allow room for greatness as well as failings. In fact, for both, the failings make the greatness all that much more interesting.
5) Judaism and baseball are both dependent on details. Baseball has its statistics – ERA, BA, RBI, WHIP, – the list of statistics seems endless. Players are evaluated by how they perform statistically. Statistic are really just a measure of the details of the game. Judaism also demands attention to the details of life. Our lives are judged by the details of our deeds – and our saber metrics are the mitzvoth. This is true whether we are talking about ritual mitzvoth or ethical mitzvoth. One is elevated in baseball because of statistical details. Judaism gives us a means to elevate the details of life to a level of holiness.
4) Sacrifices are valued. In baseball, one often is called to sacrifice their at bat (and therefore some measure of personal statistics and personal gain). One has to control the ego when laying down a bunt instead of swinging for the fences. The result, hopefully, is for the good of the team. In Judaism, sacrifice also plays a role. Our Torah readings are now in the book of Leviticus, where we learn about the system of sacrifices. One is sacrificing a piece of their personal wealth (a cow, sheep or goat) for the good of the community – this system was based on the idea that sacrificial giving invited God’s presence into the community. While it is true that for the last 2000 years prayer replaces sacrifice in terms of daily and weekly observance, we are still, as Jews, called upon to sacrifice something of our individual gain for the benefit of the community. When we subjugate our ego needs and moderate our “personal entitlement,” the community benefits – the team wins.
3) Both inspire a deep respect for their history and ritual. One is not a true baseball fan if you are not familiar with its history. That is the source of great discussions. Is the pitching today as good as the 1960’s? Who was the greatest hitter of all time? You cannot appreciate the Red Sox winning the World Series in 2004 unless you know about the “curse of the Bambino.” And have you ever seen ball players before they hit or bat? If things are going well they try to repeat the same routine, the same rituals over and over. Similarly, one cannot appreciate the beauty and depth of Judaism without a sense of our history. Despite episodes of great oppression, great degradation, Jewish history soars to amazing achievements. Judaism never remains stagnant. It is a dynamic force whose story of survival and achievement is inspiring. And of course we are a religion filled with ritual. They frame our lives and remind us of who we are and how we are supposed to live.
2) Baseball and Judaism have clear delineations between fair and foul. Baseball, unlike other sports, has part of the action occurring in foul ground. However, not everything that happens in foul ground is necessarily bad. A runner can advance on a long fly in foul ground. By fouling off 2 strike pitches a batter stays alive. In Judaism we differentiate between yetzeir hatov (good inclination) and yetzeir harah (bad inclination). The yetzeir harah is our “foul ground,” but not everything about it is necessarily bad. The Talmud teaches that without it, no babies would be born or cities be built.
1) Both baseball and Judaism are humbling. In baseball, if you hit the ball 30 percent of the time you are considered a great success. Tell me another area of life that exalts a 30 percent success rate. Ted Williams said that the hardest single act to do in sports was to stand in against a pitcher throwing the ball at you at 95 mph and try and hit it. How many of us would have the courage to try that? Humility is built into baseball. There have been many great players but no one transcends the greatness of the game. There is always someone who is better. The sense of history gives one a perspective that any ball player is just one more in a long chain. Very few get to walk with the great ones and even they are ultimately humbled by the game itself. Jewish practice is meant to give us a sense of humility. When you bind yourself to halachah, to Jewish law, and decide to practice Jewish ritual, you are really acknowledging that there is something greater than yourself. The act of putting on tefillin is symbolic of binding yourself to a particular history and practice. Humility is the quality most praised in Moses. In Numbers chapter 12 he is described as the most humble of God’s servants. Judaism, like baseball, demands we step up and perform, but within a context that deemphasizes ego and promotes humility.
We are closing in on spring. This is the season of new births, new beginnings. Pesach is looming, soon we will be gathering for seder and create another season’s worth of memories. I think it is appropriate that the new baseball season gets underway at the same time Pesach arrives. My life is filled with great memories of Pesach, of seders with friends and family, of funny and memorable things that happen at seder. Seder reminds us of great moments experienced. The same is true of baseball. It provides a lifetime of memories, with friends, family; of great moments experienced. Our memories, wherever they come from, bring us comfort, they put our lives in perspective, they teach us – sometimes painful lessons, and they connect us to people and events far beyond ourselves. Smile when you think of them.
We’re talkin’ baseball!
Kluszewski, Campanella.
Talkin’ baseball!
The Man and Bobby Feller.
The Scooter, the Barber, and the Newc,
They knew ’em all from Boston to Dubuque.
Especially Willie, Mickey, and the Duke.
The Jewish Observer 