Israel
C a tch e s

n

It isn't as popular
as soccer or
basketball,
but baseball
is quietly gaining
the attention
of players,
especially the
young ones.

PHIL JACOBS EDITOR

GLENN TRIEST PHOTOGRAPHY

TH E D E TRO IT J E WIS H NEWS

Yacov Riuner
pulls in a pop fly.

E

This is the fifth in an occasional series of stories
chronicled during the Michigan Miracle Mission in
April.

li had never worn a
baseball mitt before.
So the 7-yea.r-old-
Jerusalem resident
didn't know that he
was wearing a left-
handed glove even
though he was a
righty. Finally, when,
he was given a cor-
rect glove, the little boy
in the green Ninja Turtle
jogging suit began to
catch the ball.
What followed were a
few pounds of the fist to
the pocket and a smile
worth a grand slam or

two.
This is what bas eball
is all about in Israel . For
1,000 Little League b ase-
ball players there, the
game is a learning ex pe-
rience that isn't suppo rt-
ed by televised maj or
league broadcasts. F Or
that matter, there ar e
few baseball cards to b
found or even stories in
the local press.
Youthful players com-
pete on fields that are
often cluttered with
rocks and holes. The
country's best field is
located on Kibbutz