46 | AUGUST 18 • 2022 

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Imagine keeping track of 139 travel baseball teams in 
five age divisions on 23 fields stretching from Saline 
to Flint.
That’s what Novi resident Matt Sandles, 31, and 
Josh Birnberg, 26, of West Bloomfield did over five 
days in July as they oversaw their second annual 
Motor City Classic.
Birnberg worked remotely from Georgia, where 
he was coaching a travel baseball team in a national 
tournament.
“For the second straight year, we put on the larg-
est travel baseball tournament in the state,” Sandles 
said.
There were 210 teams on 37 fields last year in the 
Motor City Classic’s debut. Because of the decline 
in the number of teams — some for circumstances 
Sandles and Birnberg could not control — there 
were changes made this year.
Most notably, the Tourney Machine app was used 
to keep track of scores and standings.
“We did that by hand last year. Never again,” 
Sandles said.
The tournament was lengthened from four to five 
days to spread out games, and teams in younger 
age groups were reduced from five guaranteed 
games to four guaranteed games to ensure they 

would have enough pitching.
“We did everything we could to improve the pro-
cess,” Sandles said.
In addition to Michigan, teams from California, 
Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, New York, 
Ohio and Ontario have played in the tournament in 
its two years.
They’ve competed in under-13, under-14, under-15, 
under-16 and under-17-18 divisions.
Sandles hopes the number of teams in the tourna-
ment will return to the 2021 level next summer.
There’s good news on that front already.
Sandles said the restored Hamtramck Stadium, 
former home of the Detroit Stars of the Negro 
League, has been secured as a tournament site.
Birnberg is the coach of the West Bloomfield High 
School baseball team.

Klinger on Top of 
Both B’nai B’rith Golf 
Leaderboards
Here’s what the 
leaderboards read 
with two weeks left 
in the B’nai B’rith 
golf league season:
Mike Klinger and 
Kerry Chaben led 
the team standings 
with 165 points. 
They were eight 
points ahead of 
second-place Gary Klinger and Dale 
Taub (157) and 13 points ahead of 
third-place Jody Mendelsohn and 
David Swimmer (152).
Gary Klinger was in front in the 
individual standings with 81 points. 
Not far behind him were Taub (79), 
Mike Klinger (77) and Chaben (76).
Each league golfer competes as 
part of a two-man team and individ-
ually.
The weekly nine-hole league with 
12 teams plays each Thursday at The 
Links of Novi. After the league’s first 
rainout of the season Aug. 4, the 
season was to up with rounds Aug. 11 
and Aug. 18.

Gary Klinger

GARY KLINGER

quick hits
BY STEVE STEIN 

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23 Fields of Dreams in the Motor City Classic

