THE JEWISH NEWS -31
Joe' Ginsberg Catching
Friday, October 1, 198
Detroit Boy Is New Star on
Major Ledgue Baseball Scene
By DANNY RASKIN -
ith the memory of Hank
enberg still lingering in the
-minds of Detroit fans, another
-Jewish star has appeared on the
horizon fo illuminate the local
Major League baseball scene.
On the last day of their sea-
'-son, which ended a few weeks
before the major's campaign, the
manager of the Williamsport club
. in the Eastern League told his
ace catcher that he was to go
to Detroit. "I know," said the
boy who had just been voted
Ar
MYRON "JOE" GINSBERG
the most valuable player on his
team. "That's i.vherel live." "No,"
said the manager; "that's where
you'll play, next year!"
Myron "Little Joe" Ginsberg
had finally reached a life-long
ambition that began • when he
was -old enough to learn - that a
ball wasn't necessarily something
you dance at.
Joining the Tigers in the
remaining weeks of their 1948
schedule, Ginsberg was soon
installed behind the plate to
catch the deliVeries of Lou
Kretlow, his battery-mate at
Williamsport. From that day
on, Detroit fans knew that the
Tiger management had found
the key to their catching prob-
lem. "Look at that kid go!"
remarked one of the grand-
stand umpires. "That's what L
call the ol' fightin' spirit!"
"Yeah," answered another,
"sorta' reminds you of Coch-
rane, doesn't he?"
Taking his swing with bat in
hand, Ginsberg has proven he
can hit major league pitching.
At Williamsport, his .330 average
was good enough to give him
the Eastern League leadership in
that department but it was a
question as to whether or not
he could do nearly as well against
the top-flight moundSters. He
readily answered that by sprink-
ling base-hits all over Briggs
Stadium. During a game with
Boston, last week, Ginsberg had
already gotten two hits and was
behind the plate when his bat-
ting nibs, Ted Williams, came up
for a turn at bat. "Hell, Ginsy,
you don't mind big league pitch-
ing at all, do you?" said the great
one. "You don't seem to do so
bad yourself," answered Joe.
A Childhood Ambition
favor of khaki and served with
the U. S. Infantry in the Pacific
Theater.
His Batting Stance
Owned by Buffalo in the Inter-
national League, he.was elevated
to Williamsport (Class A) in 1947.
where he hit .220 and knocked
out 10 round-trippers.
When Joe came to the plate for
his first time at bat in the livery
of a Tiger player, the batting
stance he assumed created quite a
furor. He stood with legs wide
enough apart to stretch a ham-
mock across. It was unorthodox,
but it brought results. which is
really all that matters.
While talking to Gene DeSau-
tels, Tiger catcher back around
'32, Ginsberg was given the idea
to change his batting stance. "I
was always going for home runs,"
says Joe. "but now I'm out for
those base hits!" Roy Cullenbine,
former Detroit outfielder who
should have practiced what he
preached, told Ginsberg that it
was better to have a good batting
average than it was to hit home
runs.
The change in his batting stance
proved a wise move. While he
hit only two homers for Williams-
port this year. his very neat .330
average to lead the Eastern
League in hitting was a credit to
his ambitious endeavors to make
good.
A Couple of weeks before
leaving for Detroit, he was
given a "Ginsberg Day" by the
Bnai Brith of Williamsport,
and presented with a camera,
luggage and car radio.
He bats left-handed and throws
right-handed. He is considered
small as far as catchers go but
opposing players sliding into
home plate have discovered that
a "Rock of Gibraltar" is there
waiting for them with the ball.
Joe stands 5 feet 1012 inches
tall and weighs 170. He has a
way of giving confidence to
pitchers who like the target he
presents when he holds his big
mitt up sauarely above the plate.
Before going to the minor
,leagues, Ginsberg was so bus's
playing and learning how to play
baseball, that he never got much
chance to see a major league
game in Detroit. In fact, before
playing in one himself, he saw
only five!
like eagerness, and - although she
couldn't get to the park with such
regularity she knew how Joe did
before he got home.
Mr. and Mrs. Ginsberg are
mighty proud of their only child.
And rightly so. "Joe always was
a good boy." And even though
he continually placed baseball
above everything else, it is finally
bearing fruit both for him and
his people.
A quiet, unassuming young
man, he realizes that he has
reacheel a high spot in his chosen
profession and is out to do every-
thing he can to stay there and
attain even greater heights. Joe
understands that he "hasn't made
it, yet" and that the road to sta-
bilization as a major league
catcher is one of hard work cou-
pled with undying effort.
It didn't take Joe long to learn
that the price of fame as a figure
in sports also includes the klio-
syncracies of well-wishers. Peo-
ple soon called to tell him of the
great job he was doing; to keep
up the swell work. "We're with
you all the way! And-say, while
I'm thinking of it, how about a
couple of tickets to tomorrow's
game?" He began getting fan mail
almost immediately. In one let-
ter, a 59-year-old woman made
sure to mention that she was
married and was writing only
because he saved autographs and
would Joe please send his on the
piece of paper she enclosed with
the stamped envelope.
Ginsberg is proud to be back
and playing in his home town.
"It's really a great feeling to
know that everyone is behind
you. I'm happy for this chance
to make good and would like to
thank the many people who have
been so wonderful to me. I don't
know how many Jewish people
there are in Detroit, but I want
them all to know that I'll be in
there trying with everything I've
got!"
When the 1949 major league
season opens, and you hear Eddie
Fitzgerald say, "Joe Ginsberg
catching," put a big HTS by that
name on your scorecard because
Myron "Little Joe" Ginsberg is
definitely "here to stay!"
I
American Jewish Conference Asks
Truman to Reject Bernadotte Plan
NEW, YORK—Declaring that
Secretary Marshall's "hurried
and unqualified endorsement" of
the Bernadotte recommendations
on Palestine "raised serious
doubts as to the real intentions Of
the United States Government
with regard to the long-deferred
settlement of the Palestine ques-
tion," the American Jewish Con-
ference called upon President
Truman to reject the proposed
solution.
The Conference termed the late
mediator's proposals "obviously
unjust, unfair and unacceptable
to a people fighting for a niche
of land in the world, which they
can call their own."
In a telegram to President Tru-
man, signed by LouiS Lipsky,
chairman- of its executive com-
mittee, the Conference empha-
sized that Secretary Marshall's
endorsement of Count Berna-
dotte's recommendations "gives
cause for alarm" to American
Jews who have confidently relied
upon the President's friendship
and sympathy ever since he
called upon England to allow the
transfer of 100,000 displaced Jews
to their homeland in Palestine.
"The approval of the propos-
als," the telegram stated, "would
go counter to the solemn pledge
of the Democratic Party to sup
port the State of Israel within
the boundaries set by the United
Nations."
The American Jewish Confer-
ence, with headquarters at 521
Fifth Avenue, is an overall repre-
sentative body, composed of 62
BEST WISHES FOR A
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO
OUR RELATIVES AND
FRIENDS ,
Mr. and Mrs.
A. Victor Bizer
and Fainily
affiliated national. organizations
and elected delegates from the
major communities throughout
the country.
Five Christian Clergymen
Study at Hebrew Union
NE WYORK, (JTA) — FiVe
Protestant Ministers have been
awarded fellowships for gradu-
ate studies at the Hebrew Union
College-Jewish Institute of Re-
ligion in Cincinnati during the
school year beginning Oct. 23.
The Graduate Christian Fel-
lowship Program is designed to
help Christian clergymen pre-
pare themselves to teach Bible
and Semitic languages in their
theological seminaries and col-
leges and to give them a clear
and accurate understanding of
Judaism.
Rabbi Gliksman Writes Book
On Anti-Semitic Forgeries
Rabbi Shlomo Gliksman of De-
troit is the author of "Deceptions
of Anti-Semitism," a revised edi-
tion of an earlier book, dealing
with, forgeries, opinions of fam-
ous men on Jew-baiting, his law-
suit against Julius Streicher and
a score of other related subjects.
BEST WISHES
FOR A HAPPY
NEW YEAR
- TO OUR MANY
FRIENDS AND
CUSTOMERS
KLASSiE LASSIE
13226 DEXTER
Between Waverly & Tyler
TO. 9-4690
18424 Woodingharn Drive
"It seems to me that not
enough Jewish boys want to
play baseball," remarked Joe. ,
"Something should be done to
instill more interest among
them. There are many fel-
lows who have the latent abil-
ity but it has to be brought
out. There's a lot of room open
for Jewish ball players in or-
ganized baseball!"
His greatest thrill was encoun-
tered two Sundays ago when De-
troit played Boston and he was
in back of the plate while 55,000
fans roared away. "That was
really something!" said Ginsberg.
"While in service, we played be-
fore 75.000 GI's but it sure wasn't
anything like that!"
His Parents' Pride
StO
"Big Joe" Ginsberg, father of
the Tiger rookie, and member of
Congregation Beth Abraham on
The son of Mr. and Mrs. Jos- Linwood Ave., was out to Briggs
eph Ginsberg of 14302 Terry Stadium almost every day to see
Ave., he was born in Brooklyn, his boy play. On the days he
Oct. 11, 1926, and brought to De- couldn't make it, he was glued
troit when he was three months to the television set in his bar
old. At the age of 6 he was al- on Michigan Ave.
"Ma" Ginsberg also followed
ready playing baseball, and his
youthful expression, "I'm going
to be a ball player," was more
than just a childhood falacy.
He attended Burns grade school
and Cooley High on whose team
he played one year. But Joe never
liked going to school. Baseball
was always on his mind and he
found it difficult to concentrate
On anything else. In 1943, when
he was 17, that Tiger scout Wish
Egan discovered Ginsberg catch-
ing and playing the outfield for
the Police Post American Legion
Sandlot nine. From this point on
Joe was to start -the 'climb that
eventually found him making a
determined bid for a catching
berth with the Detroit Tigers.
. His first,year in organized base-
ball was 1944, with Jamestown
in the Pciny (Class ' D) league,
where he batted .270 and hit six
home runs. For the next two years
Ginsberg changed . uniforms in
the diamond play of her son with
SNANAH
SHEL SHALOM
Bring You the
Season's Best Wishes
May the Year 5709 Usher in
an Era of Peace and Justice to
Our Israeli Brethern.
Our Sincere Best Wishes For
a Happy.. New .Year to . Our
Friends and' Customers.
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