Those of you who have
read my previous columns know that in baseball there
are two loves in my life…the Boston Red Sox and the
international game. If I'm not looking at the Red Sox
websites or MLB.com, more often than not I'll be perusing
the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) website
among others.
Recently an item caught my eye.
In Israel, a pro league will be starting up; first pitch
on June 24. Ok, I'm Jewish, so naturally, I'm interested
in reading a bit more.
The Israel Baseball League (IBL)
will have six teams playing a 45 game schedule (about
the same as a short-season Rookie League) with the Bet
Shemesh Blue Sox (hey, the Red Sox used to have the
Utica Blue Sox as a NY-Penn league affiliate), the Mod'in
Miracle (will Mike Veeck be involved?), the Netanya
Tigers (doubt they can land Pudge Rodriguez or Joel
Zumaya), Petah Tikvah Pioneers (they certainly are),
the Ra'anana Express (hey, if the nic works in the Texas
League, why not in the IBL) and the Tel Aviv Lightning
(wonder if Jay Feaster will get a call to be their GM?)
as the initial franchises (What??? No Jerusalem Giants???).
They've lined up some familiar names
to be in the dugouts. Former Cub and A's star lefty
Ken Holtzman, former Yankee and White Sox slugger (and
the first DH to appear in a game) Ron Blomberg, former
Met Art Shamsky, current Miami-Dade CC (and former Astro)
Steve Hertz and Australian Shaun Smith the manager or
the Auburn Orioles, a Aussie team. With Blomberg and
Shamsky as managers of the Blue Sox and the Miracle,
it looks like they are trying to establish a Yankees-Mets
style rivalry to try and attract fans. Holtzman will
guide Ra'anana, Hertz will be in charge of Tel Aviv
and Smith will manage Netanya. The manager of the Pioneers
has yet to be named, although it is expected that an
Israeli will get that position.
Players will be drafted by the IBL
teams from a pool created by tryout camps held here
in the US under the watchful eye of former Red Sox and
Expo GM Dan Duquette (who last time I checked wasn't
Jewish). Duquette is the Director of Operations for
the IBL.
Other familiar names involved with
the IBL include Marvin Goldklang, a minority owner with
the Yankees and one of the owners of the Ft. Myers Miracle
(wonder if he had any input with Mod'in getting the
nickname) and Milwaukee Brewers President Wendy Selig-Prieb,
a member of the IBL Advisory Board. The bad news is
that her father, Bud Light Selig is also on the IBL
Advisory Board with his daughter. That alone is enough
to give me chills up my spine.
What is interesting about the IBL
are some significant changes to to the game as we know
it here; changes that ostensibly will create a bit more
offense for the fans. Games will last only seven innings.
The DH will be used, but the initial DH can only bat
twice before he has to be replaced with another player
in the slot, to give more players ABs. At the end of
seven, there will be no extra innings. Instead, they
will go to a "home run derby," similar to the "shootouts"
in the NHL and penalty kicks used in soccer. OK, I can
go with the DH having a two AB appearance limit, but
to me, seven inning games are for minor-league double-headers
and the HR derby to decide tie games…that would favor
teams with legitimate sluggers who'd benefit from having
coaches lob slow meatballs up there for them to hit
over the fence. Somehow I smell Bud Light having a hand
in this.
Also…let's say a native Israeli
falls in love with the game and comes here to the US
and goes to a game. Barring his/her attending a minor
league doubleheader, that person'll be in for a shock
when a game goes nine and maybe beyond. Keep the game
nine innings over there. Maybe have a HR derby BEFORE
a game for fan interest. Given the amount of American
Jews who have emigrated to Israel, they'll help educate
the natives on what the game is about. I won't be surprised
if the fans who know the game raise holy hell about
the changes the IBL is doing.
I wonder when the Falkland Islands
are going to get their league going…
