32 | JUNE 18 • 2020 

Fewer teams and games, but “we’
re
looking forward to getting together again.”

STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

sports HIGHlights

T

here will be a 25th 
Inter-Congregational 
Men’
s Club Summer 
Softball League season after 
all.
And with 15 teams, just two 
fewer than last season.
“We’
re looking forward to 
getting together again,” said 
Steve Achtman, one of the 
league’
s organizers.
“I didn’
t know if we were 
going to have a season this 
summer and, if we did, would 
it have to be like our fall sea-
son with teams mixed and 
matched from the summer 
teams,” Achtman said.
The re-opening this month 
of West Bloomfield Parks and 
Recreation Department dia-
monds during the COVID-19 
pandemic opened the door for 
a summer league season.
League games will be played 
starting Sunday, June 21, 

and continuing each Sunday 
through Aug. 30 on two dia-
monds at Drake Sports Park 
and three diamonds at Keith 
Sports Park.
Nine weeks of regular-sea-
son games, with teams per-
haps playing a doubleheader 
each week, will be followed by 
two weeks of playoffs. Rained 
out regular-season games will 
not be made up.
The league season 
was supposed to 
begin May 3, with no 
games played during 
the Mother’
s Day, 
Memorial Day and 
July 4 weekends, and end Aug. 
23. Games now will be played 
July 5.
The “new normal” caused 
by the pandemic will make 
this a league season like no 
other.
There will be social dis-

tancing measures, a limited 
number of spectators, wear-
ing a mask will be optional 
for players and umpires, and 
hand sanitizer will be avail-
able.
The umpire and catcher will 
position themselves farther 
away from the batter than 
they normally do, the usual 
post-game high fives between 
teams will be done 
with no physical 
contact, and there 
will be a pre-game 
moment of silence to 
pray for the victims 
of the pandemic and 
for peace and racial harmony 
in a turbulent world.
There will be free substi-
tution during games. If a 
team is short on players, it 
can borrow players from the 
opposing team to fill spots in 
the field.

“We don’
t want to have any 
forfeits,” Achtman said.
Congregation Shaarey 
Zedek, Congregation B’
nai 
Moshe and Temple Kol Ami/
Congregation B’
nai Israel will 
not field teams this season, 
but Temple Shir Shalom has 
added a third team.
The 15 remaining teams are 
in three five-team divisions.
The Greenberg Division is 
made up of five teams from 
Temple Israel: No. 1, 2, 3, 5 
and 6.
In the Koufax Division are 
Temple Israel No. 4, Temple 
Shir Shalom No. 1 and 
No. 2, Temple Beth El and 
Congregation Shir Tikvah.
Temple Shir Shalom No. 3, 
Adat Shalom Synagogue No. 
1 and No. 2, Congregation 
Beth Ahm and Bais Chabad 
Torah Center are in the Rosen 
Division. 

Play Ball!
Summer Softball League
Season Starts Sunday

Post-game high fives will look much different this 
season. This photo shows players from Adat Shalom 
Synagogue No. 1 and Bais Chabad Torah Center con-
gratulating each other after a game last season.

CHUCK FREEDMAN

CANTOR SAMUEL
GREENBAUM 
— Certified Mohel —

855ABoy@gmail.com

Office: (248) 547-7970

Answering all of your anesthetic 
& aftercare needs.

(248) 417-5632 

Skill, Sensitivity and Tradition 
come together to create your special Bris.

