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Play Ball!
Jewish stars of baseball shine bright at the JCC, thanks to Bob and Sandy Matthews.
Vivian Henoch
had its own customized series of dolls,
all handmade of paper-mache and hand-
painted in Japan. The original paper-
mache dolls are rare and collectible today
and have really become a form of cultural
art. To me, owning a bobble head from the
'60s is like touching a friendly little ghost,
a spirit that sends you back to a time of
serenity and love as we grew up:'
While Sandy lines up the dolls to be dis-
played, another facet of the new collection
in the Matthews Sports Exhibit will reflect
Bob's passion for baseball history, focusing
on his all-time Jewish American unsung
sports hero: Morris "Moe" Berg.
Special to the Jewish News
W
hat is it about Jews and base-
ball?
To this day, we celebrate
the great Detroit Tigers slugger Hank
Greenberg and champion his decision to
sit out a 1934 World Series game on Yom
Kippur.
We still cherish the memory of star
pitcher Sandy Koufax similarly refusing
to play on the Jewish holiday in the 1965
World Series.
What is it about baseball, the American
pastime, where Jewish players, even in
their scarcity, have managed to play a
major league role?
For answers to that central question and
for the pure love of sports, visit the JCC in
West Bloomfield. There you'll discover the
wonders of the Matthews Sports Exhibit:
Jewish Heroes & Other Legends.
One of Jewish Detroit's best-kept trea-
sures — a gift to the community from Dr.
Robert (Bob) and Sandy Matthews — the
exhibit is like none other in the country,
boasting more than 300 photos, paintings,
signed balls, bats and other artifacts lov-
ingly collected and displayed.
The unique exhibit at the JCC empha-
sizes the numerous contributions of Jewish
athletes and highlights their sports memo-
rabilia. It represents a small portion of the
collection that started with Sandy's project
of organizing Bob's sports memorabilia in
the lower level of their home when they
were first married 15 years ago.
"We had all this stuff in our house
Sandy explains. "To me, it was all just
names on bats and balls. But for Bob, who
grew up loving the sport and knowing the
players, each item evoked a memory of a
time and place to be treasured:'
WINNING TIGERS' MEMORIES
Bob's knowledge of sports history is almost
encyclopedic. At 80, he can still describe
in vivid detail his earliest recollections of
baseball, as far back as 1940, listening to
Ty Tyson and the Tigers on the radio.
The first baseball game that Bob dis-
tinctly recalls as the one that turned him
into a lifelong Tigers fan was the final
game of the 1945 season.
"It was just weeks after World War II
ended following the surrender of Japan.
The Tigers were in first place, but needed
a victory to clinch the pennant. Harry
Heilmann was the announcer for the
32 October 29 2015
JIB
Tina Tringali, JCC Membership Associate and Matthews Sports Exhibit curator: "This is my
fun! I am a huge sports fan, grew up in the bleachers watching my older brother, who was
an amazing ball player and is now a coach:'
Dr. Robert (Bob) and Sandy Matthews
original piece of artwork by the renowned
sports artist Ron Lewis. It depicts 26 cur-
rent and former Jewish major leaguers. In
addition to their original autographs, each
player has included a personalized inscrip-
tion to his likeness.
While the central theme of the exhibit
remains baseball, the collection also
includes a wide variety of items from foot-
ball (favoring the Wolverines), basketball,
hockey and golf.
game Bob remembers.
"The Tigers were trailing the St. Louis
Browns 4-3 in the top of the 9th inning.
Hank Greenberg came to bat with the
bases loaded. And sure enough, Hank hit
the grand slam homer that won the pen-
nant propelling the Tigers to the World
Series — which they also won:"
What started as a modest collection of
vintage Detroit Tigers and Jewish heroes
— primarily gathered from the Hank
Greenberg era of Bob's boyhood — has
evolved into an impressive exhibit that
now feels like a mini visit to the Baseball
Hall of Fame.
Among Bob's most prized acquisitions,
there's a signed copy of Sandy Koufax's
high school yearbook, a rare set of framed
baseball cards depicting 142 Jewish major
leaguers and the 1948 first edition of
Babe Ruth's biography, signed by the Babe
himself. Also prominently displayed is an
'RENEWING THEIR GIFT'
Since the opening of the Matthews Sports
Exhibit in May 2012, Bob and Sandy have
continued to amass and display their per-
sonal collection of sports memorabilia in
the lower level of their home. Based on an
overwhelming response from visitors and
at the suggestion of the JCC, they antici-
pate expanding the exhibit in the near
future. Another 20 linear feet of wall space
and cabinetry will be added along the cor-
ridor leading to the Fitness Center.
In the weeks ahead, visitors will have
the opportunity to view many new pho-
tos and artifacts, including a sampling of
Sandy's remarkable collection of hand-
crafted bobble-head dolls depicting iconic
sports figures and sports teams of every
stripe.
Why bobble-head dolls?
Sandy explains, "Bobble heads first
made their appearance in Major League
Baseball parks in the '60s. Each team
MOE WHO?
Tap Bob on Moe Berg and you get a fas-
cinating biography of a towering figure
in history. "In my book, Moe Berg is the
greatest ball player most people have never
heard of:' Bobs says. I think he should be
called our newly discovered hero of Jewish
baseball.
"Moe Berg is best known (and only
posthumously recognized) for his service
as an officer of the O.S.S., the forerunner
of the CIA. In life, few knew the 'real' Moe
— a frontline spy, a covert hero of World
War II and a true American patriot."
Baseball was Berg's cover. A linguist by
second nature and fluent in many languag-
es, he once inspired a teammate's observa-
tion, "He can speak seven languages, but
can't hit in any of them:'
Moe's multiple language skills would
prove to be an invaluable asset. In 1934,
five years before he retired as an active
ball player, Berg traveled to Japan on a
barnstorming trip, accompanying All-Star
major leaguers headed by Babe Ruth, Lou
Gehrig and Jimmy Foxx.
Under the guise of visiting an ambas-
sador's daughter at St. Luke's Hospital, the
tallest building in Tokyo, he bluffed his
way up to the rooftop and, from under-
neath his kimono, pulled out a Bell and
Howell movie camera and proceeded to
pan the entire city skyline, including the
harbor, the industrial sections and other
potentially strategic targets.
"It is claimed that those films provided
some of the intelligence used in Gen.
Jimmy Dolittle's famous 1942 bombing
raid on Tokyo:' Bob says.
For his many years of meritorious ser-
vice to our country, Berg was presented
the Medal of Freedom by President Harry
S. Truman. The medal currently hangs in
the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.