C
ongregation Shaarey
Zedek won the Inter-
Congregational Men’s
Club Summer Softball League
championship in the league’s
inaugural year in 1996.
There were six teams in the
league, and no divisional setup
like there is now. Times were
different.
Shaarey Zedek didn’t win
another title until this year.
The 25-year dry spell ended
last month in a most unlikely
and spectacular way.
After finishing in third
place in the five-team Koufax
Division in the regular sea-
son with an 8-11-1 record
and losing its first game in
the double-elimination play-
offs, Shaarey Zedek won five
straight games and the divi-
sion playoff title.
Four of the playoff wins
came on one day, a very hot
Aug. 22 at Keith Sports Park
in West Bloomfield. Shaarey
Zedek beat Temple Israel No.
1 19-7, Temple Beth El 21-5,
and Temple Israel No. 3 10-5
and 11-10. Temple Israel No. 3
defeated Shaarey Zedek 22-8 in
a division playoff opener Aug.
15, leaving Shaarey Zedek a
loss away from elimination.
Richard Jacobs, who has
been Shaarey Zedek’s manag-
er since 1996 and is the only
current Shaarey Zedek player
who also was on the 1996
championship team, didn’t
play Aug. 22. He was out of
town in Washington, D.C.,
visiting family.
“The league season was
supposed to end Aug. 15,
but that got pushed back a
week because of rainouts,” he
said. “I had to keep up with
what was going on [Aug. 22]
through text messages.”
Jacobs said he wasn’t sur-
prised by his team’s amazing
run through the playoffs.
“We underperformed
during the regular season. We
were a better team,” he said.
“We started playing well at the
right time. Crazy things hap-
pen in recreation softball.”
Shaarey Zedek didn’t play in
the league last year.
It was the only team that
opted out. Jacobs said several
players decided not to play
because of the COVID-19
pandemic. A few did play and
joined other teams.
Besides Jacobs, the Shaarey
Zedek roster this summer
included Tom Berry, Vadim
Brayman, Gary Fealk, David
Kozlowski, Lance Lis, Stephen
Maiseloff, Lonnue Pukoff,
Steve Rosenblatt, Matt
Weingarden, and Gabe, Gary,
Joey and Sam Yashinsky.
NMLS#2289
Congregation Shaarey Zedek wins
4 playof
games in one day, earns
Koufax Division softball title.
Team’s 25-Year
Championship
Drought Ends
STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
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36 | SEPTEMBER 16 • 2021
Congregation Shir Tikvah celebrates its Rosen Division championship.
STEVE ACHTMAN
Congregation Shaarey Zedek celebrates its Koufax Division
championship.
STEVE ACHTMAN
Temple Israel No. 2 celebrates its Greenberg Division championship.
STEVE ACHTMAN
continued on page 38