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EAST COAST FINISHERS INC
Temple Israel No. 2 celebrates its second Inter-Congregational Men’s Club Summer
Softball League championship.
Champions Crowned
Steve Stein | Contributing Writer
F
ive teams tied for first place atop
the Inter-Congregational Men’s
Club Summer Softball League
regular-season standings. There was
no doubt who was the best team in the
playoffs.
It was Temple Israel No. 2, which won
four consecutive post-season games by
a combined 42-3 score en route to the
league championship. Temple Israel No.
2 beat Congregation B’nai Moshe 12-1 on
Aug. 21 in the title game at Community
Sports Park in West Bloomfield.
This was the second league
championship in three years for Temple
Israel No. 2. It also won in 2014 with the
same core group of players.
Temple Israel No. 2 lost only one
regular-season game to the other four
teams that tied for first place with 13-3
records. It was to B’nai Moshe.
“Our league was very competitive this
year, especially among the top teams,”
said Temple Israel No. 2 player-manager
Victor Uzansky. “Were we confident
going into the playoffs because we did
well against the top teams during the
regular season? Absolutely.”
One number should stand out in the
combined scores of Temple Israel No.
2’s playoff games. The team gave up a
total of three runs in the three games it
actually played (one was a 7-0 forfeit in
the second round).
Give credit to pitcher Kenny Walters
and Temple Israel No. 2’s airtight
defense.
“Kenny throws strikes,” Uzansky said.
“He makes batters hit the ball, and our
defense takes over from there.”
Ben Watson had the big hit for Temple
Israel No. 2 in the championship game, a
three-run homer.
Temple Israel No. 2 beat defending
league champion Temple Shir Shalom
No. 1 8-1 in the semifinals Aug. 21
before facing B’nai Moshe, which
defeated Temple Israel No. 1 14-0 in the
other semifinal.
Shir Shalom No. 1 outlasted Temple
Israel No. 1 22-15 in the third-place
game, played at the same time as the
championship game.
Temple Israel No. 1 came into the
playoffs with the No. 1 seed, followed
by Temple Israel No. 2, Shir Shalom No.
1, Adat Shalom Synagogue No. 2 and
B’nai Moshe among the five teams that
tied for first place in the regular-season
standings. A series of tie-breakers was
needed to establish seeds.
A record 17 teams competed in the
league’s 21st season. Temple Israel had
four teams.
Shir Shalom has won 11 league
championships including a stretch from
2006-2012 when it won six titles in seven
years. Temple Kol Ami interrupted the
run in 2008.
FALL INTO SOFTBALL
The Inter-Congregational Men’s Club
Summer Softball League’s fall season
returns in September with six teams
playing once again. Teams are made up
of players from different congregations.
Games will be played Sundays starting
Sept. 4 at Drake Sports Park in West
Bloomfield. There will be five weeks of
regular-season games and a one-day
postseason.
Steve Achtman, who runs the summer
league with Michael Betman and Chuck
Freedman, organizes the fall league.
‘CHASING DREAMS’
A DAY EARLY
“Chasing Dreams: Baseball & Becoming
American” will open Friday, Sept. 9,
at the Detroit Historical Museum. The
Michigan Jewish Sports Foundation and
Michigan Jewish Historical Society are
offering an opportunity to see the exhibit
before its official debut.
The fundraiser for the Historical
Society is called the “Chasing Dreams
Season Opener.” It’s at 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 8, at the museum, 5401
Woodward Ave. Complimentary valet
parking will be available. Call (248) 432-
5517 for tickets.
The “Chasing Dreams” exhibit
documents how our national pastime
has served as a pathway for Jews and
other immigrant groups and their
descendants to learn and understand
American values (see related story on
page 46). *
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stevestein502004@yahoo.com.
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September 1 • 2016
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