40 | AUGUST 19 • 2021 

sports HIGHlights

There’s some serious busi-
ness to attend to before the 
playoffs begin each year 
in the Inter-Congregational 
Men’s Club Summer Softball 
League.
The recipients of 
the league’s Jeff Fox 
Sportsmanship and Michael 
Yendick Pure Heart awards 
are announced.
This year, for the sec-
ond straight time since the 
league went to a divisional 
setup in 2017, each of the 
league’s three divisions had 
an honoree for each award.
The Jeff Fox Award has 
been presented since 2012 
to honor the memory of a 
Temple Shir Shalom softball 
player who died Dec. 22, 
2011.
This year’s Jeff Fox Award 
recipients, honored Aug. 
1, were Seth Schmitz from 
the Greenberg Division, 

Glenn Scher from the Koufax 
Division and Max Flam from 
the Rosen Division.
The Michael Yendick 
Award, presented by the 
B’nai B’rith Softball League 
starting in 2001 and the Inter-
Congregational League start-
ing in 2017 after the B’nai 
B’rith league folded, honors 
a former B’nai B’rith soft-
ball player who was “a true 
sportsman, an accomplished 
athlete and a dedicated 
teammate … a mensch, 
always.”
Yendick died of cancer in 
2000 at age 36 after playing 
in B’nai B’rith softball, basket-
ball and volleyball leagues 
for more than 20 years.
This year’s Michael 
Yendick Award recipi-
ents, also honored Aug. 
1, were Bruce Kaye from 
the Greenberg Division, 
Jeff Hollander from the 

Koufax Division and Howard 
Fershtman from the Rosen 
Division.
The league’s umpires 
select the Michael Yendick 
Award winners.
Umpire-in-chief Rob 
Landaw praised this year’s 
award recipients for their 
conduct on and off the soft-
ball diamond.
“Do they ever cause any 
problems for umpires? Never. 
Never. Never,” he said. 

Men’s Club Softball League Announces 
Sportsmanship, Pure Heart Award Winners

Temple Israel No. 2. Temple 
Beth El. Congregation Shir 
Tikvah.
They’re the regular-sea-
son division champions of 
the Inter-Congregational 
Men’s Club Summer Softball 
League.
Temple Israel No. 2 won 
the Greenberg Division 
with a 16-4 record, ahead 
of three teams that tied for 
second place in the five-
team division.
Temple Beth El’s 15-5 
record was the best 
in the Koufax Division. 
Congregation Shir Tikvah 
topped the Rosen Division 
with a 13-7 record.
Those three teams 

earned the No. 1 seed in 
their division for the two-
week, double-elimination 
playoffs that began Aug. 15, 
a week later than planned 
because of rainouts during 
the season.
This is the second con-
secutive year the 26-year-
old league has had dou-
ble-elimination playoffs.
Here are the complete 

regular-season standings 
for the divisions (ties were 
broken by tie-breakers):

GREENBERG DIVISION
1. Temple Israel No. 2 16-4
2. Temple Israel No. 5 14-5-1
3. Temple Israel No. 6 14-5-1
4. Temple Shir Shalom No. 
2 14-5-1
5. Temple Israel No. 4 4-16

KOUFAX DIVISION
1. Temple Beth El 15-5
2. Temple Israel No. 3 12-8
3. Congregation Shaarey 
Zedek 8-11-1
4. Temple Israel No. 1 8-12
5. Adat Shalom Synagogue 
No. 1 7-12-1

ROSEN DIVISION
1. Congregation Shir Tikvah 
13-7
2. Congregation Beth Ahm 
10-10
3. Adat Shalom Synagogue 
No. 2 6-13-1
4. Temple Shir Shalom No. 
3 4-16
5. Bais Chabad Torah 
Center 2-18
 
 League games are played 
at Drake Sports Park and 
Keith Sports Park in West 
Bloomfield.
Playoff results are on the 
league’s website, 
mensclubsoftball.org. 

Regular-Season Champs Crowned in Men’s Club Softball League

Michael Yendick Pure Heart Award 
winner, Jeff Hollander, (fourth from 
left) joins Bernice and Al Yendick, 
Michael Yendick’s parents, and Inter-
Congregational Men’s Club Summer 
Softball League organizers Mitch Klein 
(left), Steve Achtman and Michael 
Betman after the award presentation.

STEVE ACHTMAN

Jeff Fox Sportsmanship Award 
winner, Glenn Scher, (second 
from left) celebrates with 
Inter-Congregational Men’s 
Club Summer Softball League 
organizers Mitch Klein, Steve 
Achtman and Michael Betman.

Michael Yendick Pure Heart 
Award winner, Bruce Kaye, 
(right) and his son Andrew 
Kaye.

STEVE ACHTMAN

STEVE ACHTMAN

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