26 | MAY 21 • 2020
LEFT: Former Detroit Tigers pitcher Jack Morris (left) answers a question while broadcaster George Blaha and emcee Jeremy Schaap listen during the sports panel at last year’
s Hank Greenberg
Memorial Golf and Tennis Invitational. CENTER: Evan Chudnow (left),Karen Gordon and Joe Bernstein from Temple Kol Ami/Congregation B’
nai Israel team up to retire baserunner Joey Lebovic from Adat
Shalom Synagogue at third base during a game last season. RIGHT: Softball players from Bais Chabad Torah Center and Adat Shalom Synagogue exchange high fives after a game last season.
SARI CICUREL
CHUCK FREEDMAN
CHUCK FREEDMAN
Ben Rosenblatt’
s lifelong dream has come true.
He’
ll be playing Division I soccer.
The Berkley High School senior and Huntington
Woods resident will play at Elon University, a private
school with about 6,800 students located in Elon,
N.C.
An email sent by Rosenblatt while he was look-
ing for a college to attend connected him to Elon.
During a visit there, he said, he meshed with the
soccer team and coaches. He plans to study pre-
law while he is playing soccer for the Phoenix.
Rosenblatt played soccer for Berkley only in his
sophomore year. The 5-foot-10, 160-pounder is a
product of the United States Soccer Development
Academy, playing for U14, U17 and U19 teams over
five years in a program based at Oakland University.
A right back and center midfielder, Rosenblatt
said he prefers playing right back and it appears
that will be his position at Elon.
Merv Aronoff loves to
play golf.
The first time he
played this year, the
73-year-old West
Bloomfield resident shot
his first hole-in-one.
The ace came May 2
on the 153-yard par-3
eighth hole at the nine-
hole south course at
Tanglewood Golf Club in
South Lyon.
Playing into a strong wind, Aronoff
hit a 3-hybrid tee shot over a lake
onto the green.
He said he didn’
t see his shot go
into the hole, but his playing partner
Larry Garfinkle saw it and Hanley
Gurwin, his other playing partner,
drove a golf cart to the green to verify
what Garfinkle saw.
Aronoff said he wasn’
t excited
about the ace even though
he’
s been playing golf
since he was 15.
“I was more excited
about getting a ‘
1’
on my
scorecard,” he said. “Every
time you take a shot, it has
to land somewhere.”
Aronoff’
s hole-in-one
shot landed a few feet in
front of the pin and rolled
uphill into the cup.
“If the ball rolled downhill, it might
have gone past the hole,” he said.
Aronoff shot 46 on the nine-hole
north course at Tanglewood before
shooting 40 on the south course. That
gave him a combined 86 for 18 holes.
Aronoff is a member of the West
Bloomfield Parks and Recreation
Commission. He said he plans to run
for re-election to a third four-year term
in November.
quick hits
BY STEVE STEIN
No Greenberg and Softball Stalled,
but B’nai B’rith Golf is a Go
Record number of teams in B’
nai B’
rith league at Links of Novi.
STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
T
he 30th annual Hank
Greenberg Memorial
Golf and Tennis
Invitational was postponed in
March, then canceled a few
weeks ago.
The 25th season of the Inter-
Congregational Men’
s Club
Summer Softball League is in
limbo.
The JCC Maccabi Games &
ArtFest was canceled in March
by the JCC Association of
North America.
It’
s going to be a summer like
no other for three of the most
important events on the Detroit
area’
s Jewish sports calendar.
The COVID-19 pandemic is to
blame, of course.
There is a silver lining among
the dark clouds. The B’
nai B’
rith
golf league teed off last week.
Competition began May 15
at the Links of Novi among
a league record 12 teams and
will continue each Thursday
through Aug. 27.
RESCHEDULED FOR 2021
The Greenberg Invitational
was scheduled for June 8 at
Franklin Hills Country Club in
Farmington Hills.
It was postponed until Sept.
14, then canceled for the first
time in its history after Franklin
Hills decided not to host any
golf outings this year.
The Michigan Jewish Sports
Foundation presents the
Greenberg Invitational, a fund-
raiser for cancer research and
treatment and children’
s camp
scholarships.
Foundation Executive
Director Sari Cicurel said she’
s
sad the invitational won’
t be
sports HIGHlights
NMLS#2289
brought to you in partnership with
COURTESY OF ROSENBLATT FAMILY
Rosenblatt
COURTESY OF ARONOFF FAMILY
Aronoff