•
litik sicutsr A cAD E 0,
SPORTS
Perfect 11
A4.1
NFWB Cubs win league with 11-0 record.
FRANKLIN ACADEMY
Steve Stein
Special to the Jewish News
T
he Cubs of the North
Farmington West Bloomfield
Bronco 12U house league
went 11-0 this spring in the six-team
league with three Jewish players pitch-
ing every inning of the perfect season.
Eight of the 12 Cubs were Jewish.
Noah Nathan started nine of the 11
games on the mound. Jason Gelsey
started the other two. Jacob Taylor
pitched in 10 games and was the pri-
mary closer although all three right-
handers recorded saves.
In Taylor's most memorable save, he
inherited a 2-0 count on a batter and a
bases-loaded situation and he struck
out two in a row to end the game.
The Cubs led the league in three
pitching categories: combined strike-
outs, saves and ERA.
Nathan was the team's best hitter.
Gelsey was a catcher when he wasn't
pitching and threw out a handful of
runners.
The other Jewish players on the
Cubs roster were Sam Gendelman,
Josh Kavner, Zack Kirshner, Jon
Nirenberg and Max Vinogradov.
Manager Kevin Taylor and coach
Andy Gelsey also are Jewish.
"It was a great team. Everyone made
a commitment and everyone stepped
up:' Kevin Taylor said.
The team dedicated its season to
Walter Gordon, Kevin Taylor's uncle.
The former Chicago Cubs minor
league player and Oak Park slow-pitch
softball star died just before the start
of the season at age 80. He played soft-
ball well into his 60s.
Country Day Ace
Mike Zausmer had a heck of a season
for the Detroit Country Day School
boys golf team.
The junior from West Bloomfield
helped the Yellowjackets win district
and regional championships for the
first time in team history, and he led
them to a third-place finish in the
Division 3 state tournament, their best
showing in nine seasons.
Zausmer was named to the Division
3 All-State team by the Michigan
Interscholastic Golf Coaches Association.
Zausmer's spectacular birdie-eagle
finish gave Country Day a one-stroke
margin over runner-up Macomb
Lutheran North in the district tourna-
■ Preschool
■
Kindergarten
■ Camp
Developing Healthy
Minds and Bodies
Shown in back are Kevin Taylor, Noah
Nathan and Andy Gelsey. In front are
Jason Gelsey and Jacob Taylor.
ment. He made a 20-foot downhill
putt for his eagle.
He was his team's medalist at the
state tournament, shooting 78-73/151
at the Meadows at Grand Valley State
University. Zausmer tied for fourth
place with two other golfers in the
individual standings.
"I hit the ball much better in the
first round than the second round
and I had a lot of birdie looks, but I
couldn't get any putts to drop:" he said.
The putts dropped in the second
round and so did Zausmer's score, by
five strokes. He had six bogeys in the
first round and four bogeys and three
birdies in the second.
"Golf is such a mental game, espe-
cially putting;' Zausmer said. "Once
I started making some putts in the
second round, I kept telling myself I'm
the world's greatest putter. That's the
way you have to approach it"
Country Day's entire team improved
in the second round. The Yellowjackets
scored 324-316/640. State champion
Jackson Lumen Christi had 293-
311/604 and runner-up Big Rapids
had 324-309/633.
Zausmer also played in the Division
3 state tournament as a sophomore,
shooting 88-85/173 at Eagle Crest at
Eastern Michigan University. Country
Day finished 11th in that tournament.
The 17-year-old said he'd love to
play golf in college. "That's been my
goal since I first picked up a club:' he
said. "But I'm looking first for a school
with great academics:'
Zausmer carries a 3.4 grade point
average at Country Day. FA
Please send sports news to
sports@thejewishnews.com.
- a;
41.
Certified Teachers from Echo Park School
• Preschool through Kindergarten
•Jr. Kindergarten Available
• Smaller Class Sizes
• Flexible Schedule
• Extended Hours
• Summer Camp
PEN HOUSE
August 1st
1:00-2:00 pm
248.352.5437
www.FranklinClub.com
29633 Franklin Road
Southfield, MI 48034
July 15 • 2010
37