 MARCH 19 • 2020 | 31

for being a high school 
baseball coach.
“There are high 
expectations for Hit Dogs 
teams,” he said. “The Hit 
Dogs aren’
t just any summer 
travel program. They’
re one 
of the best travel programs 
in the country.”
Birnberg is well aware of 
the advantages and possible 
pitfalls of being a young 
coach at the high school 
level.
“I can relate to the guys 
because I’
m not far removed 
from being a high school 
student,” he said. “One of 
the challenges is thinking at 
times that coaching is easier 
than playing. I know that’
s 
not true, but sometimes you 
can think that.”
Then there’
s the 
temptation of getting upset 
at a player for making a 
mistake.
“I can’
t get upset because 
I know how hard it is to 
play baseball,” Birnberg said. 
“Did I make mistakes when 
I played? Of course, I did.”

Birnberg didn’
t make too 
many mistakes when he 
played for the Lakers.
Pierce said he could 
see when Birnberg joined 
the team as a freshman in 
Pierce’
s first year as coach 
that Josh was someone the 
Lakers could build their 
team around.
“Josh was ready for 
the rigors of high school 
baseball, even at a position 
like shortstop, because 
he had played high-level 
travel baseball (with the 
Hit Dogs),” Pierce said. “I 
knew he wasn’
t going to be 
intimidated playing against 
older players and he wanted 
the responsibility of b 
eing 
our starting shortstop.”
Birnberg was West 
Bloomfield’
s team captain 
in 2013 and 2014. The 
Lakers stunned Birmingham 
Brother Rice in the districts 
when Birnberg was a 
senior and advanced to the 
regional finals.
After graduating from 
West Bloomfield in 2014, 

continued on page 32

CAROL HENSON

Registration is open and sponsorships 
are available for the 30th annual Hank 
Greenberg Memorial Golf and Tennis 
Invitational, which will be held June 8 at 
Franklin Hills Country Club in Farmington Hills.
Former Major League pitcher Rich “Goose” 
Gossage will receive the Hank Greenberg 
Lifetime Achievement Award, ESPN reporter 
Adam Schefter will receive the Dick Schaap 
Memorial Award for Media Excellence, and the 
Granader family will receive the Barry Bremen 
Memorial Inspiration Award for their Camp Mak-A-Dream for young cancer 
survivors and their families.
The awards will be presented during a dinner that also features a 
celebrity sports panel discussion.
For invitational reservations and sponsorships and to purchase raffle 
tickets ($100) for a trip to the 2021 Masters golf tournament, go to 
michiganjewishsports.org or call (248) 592-9323.

GREENBERG INVITATIONAL MICHIGAN JEWISH SPORTS FOUNDATION

continued on page 32

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