sports
Greenberg Champs Could Hit The Ball
STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
T
here’s no doubt the Temple Israel
No. 5 team had a lot of fun en
route to its Greenberg Division
championship this season in the
InterCongregational Men’s Club Summer
Softball League.
“Our team always had a great time on
the field,” said manager Andrew Kaye.
“About half our team was known for stay-
ing out very late the night before (the
Sunday league games) and showing up
to the field with stories to tell. We would
share our shenanigans from the night
before and — in our own heads — enter-
tain everyone around us.”
All that aside, Temple Israel No. 5 won
the title in the division for the league’s best
team with a 19-10 win over Temple Israel
No. 6 in the playoff championship game.
The 18-team league was split into divi-
sions for the first time, using competition
level to determine a team’s placement.
There were three six-team divisions.
Kaye gave a thumb’s up to the new
setup.
“It was much better than the former
format,” he said. “Many games were more
competitive because you played most of
your games against teams from your divi-
sion.
“But I don’t think top division teams
should play bottom division teams. The
gap in the level of play is too large and
sometimes there’s even a safety concern.”
Kaye said he’d like to see the first- and
last-place teams in each division move up
or down the next season when possible.
Temple Israel No. 5 was a new team
this year, formed with several play-
ers who wanted to join the league but
weren’t on a team.
“Our team was special because top to
bottom, we could hit,” Kaye said. “Having
players batting 8-10 in the lineup who
could hit allowed us to string together
some huge innings.
“We had six players older than 55 so
speed wasn’t our forte, but the ability to
score runs separated us from the pack.”
Besides Kaye, the roster included
Bruce Kaye, Michael Kaye, Jordan Kaye,
Matt Riley, Mark Riley, Austin Jacobs,
Danny Harwood, Todd Kaluzny, Lyle
Schaefer, Rick Sherline, Nick Guttman,
Chip Morrow, Barry Fishman and David
Henkin.
Asked to provide some interesting facts
about his team, Andrew Kaye stepped out
of the batter’s box and took some good-
natured swings. Here are some examples
(with the permission of the players
named:) Bruce Kaye “slid into second base
for a double and we didn’t have to make
an appointment for him at Beaumont
Hospital.”
Mark Riley “didn’t fight with his brother
Matt a single time during the season.”
If a player needed sunscreen, “Danny
Harwood was the go-to guy. He was very
good about always remembering sun-
screen.”
Jacobs “doesn’t like chocolate. I think
there’s something wrong with him.”
Michael Kaye “has the best hair on the
team. It’s absolutely fabulous.”
As for Fishman, “he’s the fastest player
and best home run hitter in the league,
but he purposely doesn’t run hard or hit
home runs so everyone else doesn’t feel
bad about themselves.”
Kaluzny “hit a lot of doubles this year.
I guess he just doesn’t have home run
power.”
FALL SOFTBALL
Six teams and 80 players began play
Sunday in the InterCongregational
Men’s Club annual fall softball
league at Drake Sports Park in West
Bloomfield.
Each team will play a doubleheader
on five successive Sundays, with a
playoff day Oct. 22 concluding the
season.
Unlike the InterCongregational
summer softball league, fall teams
have players from several synagogues
and temples. Each manager can keep
seven players from his previous year’s
team. Most of the remaining players
land on teams through random draws.
There are six teams each fall.
IT’S A START
Fifteen men attended the inaugural
InterCongregational Men’s Club bowl-
ing night Sept. 6 at Langan’s Nor-West
Lanes in Farmington Hills.
The turnout was just fine with
event organizer Steve Achtman, who
thinks sports are a great way to bring
together men from across the Jewish
community.
“Nine guys bowled. Six came just for
dinner,” Achtman said. “I think every-
one had a good time. A lot of guys
didn’t know each before that night.
Hopefully some friendships were
established.
“It would have been nice to have
more guys there, but you have to start
somewhere.”
Achtman said two casual sports
events a year are planned, and there’s
a tentative date and location for the
next event: April 11 at Buddy’s Pizza
in Novi and the Novi Putting Edge
mini-golf course next door.
BASEBALL BRONZE
Here are some final notes from the JCC
Maccabi Games & ArtsFest held in August
in Miami.
• Detroit baseball players were on
bronze medal-winning 14U and 16U
teams.
Mitch Blackman, Darin Char, Brandon
Gladstone and Zachary Shiffman
played on a 14U team with players from
Philadelphia. The team went 4-3.
Ilan Farabi and Adam Gordon were on
a 16U team with players from Los Angeles,
JCC on the Hudson (Tarrytown, N.Y.) and
San Antonio. They went 5-2.
• Detroit’s participants in ArtsFest
were Benny Kirshner and Celia Lipton
in improv, Lily Kollin in rock band and
Caitlin Finerty in Star Reporter. •
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September 21 • 2017
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