38 | NOVEMBER 17 • 2022 

provided “at least four” pre-
made kosher meals as well as 
an electric hot plate he used to 
keep them warm.
Fans from Chabad and Oak 
Park’s Kehillat Etz Chayim 
cheered Turell on at the 
Cruise’s home opener on 
Monday, Nov. 7. In his first 
appearance for the Cruise, he 
had one steal and one missed 
shot in 3:39 playing time. He’ll 
see much more court time 
this season, which extends 
through March.
On Oct. 30, Turell attended 
the Yeshiva Beth Yehudah 
dinner wearing a yarmulke 
with the Detroit Pistons 
insignia. Revered Piston 
Vinnie Johnson, the former 
“sixth man” known for his 

ability to score quickly off the 
bench, spoke at the dinner. 
He announced the newest 
resident to the city and the 
newest draftee to the Motor 
City Cruise — providing 
Turell a welcome in front of 
thousands of attendees. The 
new Detroiter stood up as the 
crowd applauded him.
That moment showed to 
many how important and 
meaningful it is to have 
legends like Vinnie Johnson 
or upstarts like Ryan Turell 
that embody an athlete being 
a mensch both on and off the 
bench.
Look forward to both 
Jewish history and basketball 
history being made this season 
in the Motor City. 

continued from page 37

SPORTS
Ryan Turell of the 
Motor City Cruise 
was a superstar in 
college.

quick hits
BY STEVE STEIN 

B’nai B’rith Bowlers Rolling 
Through a ‘Normal’ Season

If all goes well, the weekly Brotherhood-Eddie 
Jacobson B’nai B’rith Bowling League will 
enjoy its first “normal” season in a while this 
season.
The league’s 2019-20 season ended eight 
weeks early in March 2020 because of the 
COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020-21 season was 
canceled because of the pandemic, and the 
2021-22 season was halted for about a month 
because of a surge in COVID cases.
“We had a vaccination requirement last 
season. We don’t have one this season, but it’s 
kind of an unwritten rule. Four or five guys are 
bowling with masks this season,” said league 
secretary Gary Klinger, who has had that job 
since 1995.
There’s good news on the lanes for the 
league. There are 24 teams, up from the 22 
teams that bowled last season, making it the 
largest league roster in about 20 years.
Four bowlers compete for a team. Twenty 
teams have four bowlers, and four teams have 
a fifth bowler, giving the league a roster of 100 
bowlers.
“We take pride in having a competitive, 

fun league. A lot of family members bowl 
together,” Klinger said. “My father (Mark 
Klinger, who was the league secretary for 25 
years before Gary Klinger took over) called our 
league, ‘A league with a heart.’”
This year’s 29-week league season (two 
13-week halves and three weeks of playoffs, 
Monday nights at Country Lanes in Farmington 
Hills) began Sept. 7. The first half will end 
Jan. 2 and the second half will end April 3.
Only six weeks of league competition had 
been put in the books through Nov. 7 because 

of Jewish holidays. The league’s next night off 
will be Dec. 26. Halloween night bowling was 
moved from a 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. start to 
give families a chance to go trick-or-treating.
An excellent 255-264-278--797 series was 
rolled Oct. 24 by Mike Rosen from the Gramps 
R Us team. It’s the 11th-highest series bowled 
in the league, which was formed in 1961.
Jerry & His Kidz got off to a great start, 
leading the league in points through five 
weeks. Jerry Gurwin and his grandsons Joey 
and Noah Schechter are on the team.

GARY KLINGER

Meet Jerry & His Kidz, a team that is off to a great start this season in the Brotherhood-Eddie 
Jacobson B’nai B’rith Bowling League. From left are Joey Schechter, Bill Zavier, Yale Weiner, 
Jerry Gurwin and Noah Schechter. 

