JULY 20 • 2023 | 37
Temple Israel, Shir Tikvah
Lead the Way in Men’s
Club Softball League
With the playoffs looming next
month, teams in the weekly Inter-
Congregational Men’s Club Summer
Softball League are battling for position
in their division.
Through games played July 9 in the
league’s 28th season, Temple Israel
No. 2 and Temple Israel No. 6 were
neck-in-neck at the top of the six-team
Greenberg Division. Temple Israel No.
2 was in first place at 11-3 and Temple
Israel No. 6 was in second place at
11-4.
They were followed by Temple Shir
Shalom No. 2 at 8-7, Temple Beth El
No. 1 at 6-7-1, Temple Israel No. 1 at
6-8-1 and Temple Israel No. 5 at 4-11.
Congregation Shir Tikvah was atop
the seven-team Koufax Division at
10-4. Temple Shir Shalom No. 3 was in
second place at 8-5-1, just in front of
Congregation Shaarey Zedek at 9-6.
Temple Israel No. 3 at 8-6, Adat
Shalom Synagogue No. 1 at 6-8,
Congregation Beth Ahm at 3-12 and
Temple Beth El No. 2 at 2-11-1 rounded
out the Koufax standings.
Winners of the league’s Jeff Fox
Sportsmanship, Michael Yendick “Pure
Heart” and Steve LeVine awards will
be announced at the end of July.
That will be followed by the dou-
ble-elimination playoffs, scheduled to
start Aug. 6 and run through Aug. 20.
Last year’s playoff champions were
Temple Beth El No. 1 in the Greenberg
Division, Temple Israel No. 1 in the
Koufax Division, and Congregation
Beth Ahm in the former Rosen Division.
League games are played on
Sundays at Drake and Keith sports
parks in West Bloomfield.
quick hits
BY STEVE STEIN
INTER-CONGREGATIONAL MEN’S CLUB SUMMER
SOFTBALL LEAGUE
Frankel Baseball Team was
Unbeaten in the Classroom
The Frankel Jewish Academy baseball
team didn’t compete in the state play-
offs this season because of a perfect
storm of scheduling issues that included
the high school’s annual class trips.
But the Jaguars were one of the top
teams in the state in another competi-
tion. They were named one of the top
five teams academically in Division 4
by the Michigan High School Baseball
Coaches Association.
Joining Frankel on the elite list were
Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic, Muskegan
Catholic Central, Portland St. Patrick and
Reading.
The MHSBCA’s academic rankings
are based on the winter semester
grades for a team’s sophomores, juniors
and seniors. The Jaguars’ team GPA in
the semester was 3.74, with five players
at a perfect 4.0 and everyone over the
3.0 mark.
Most of the 11 Frankel players who
were eligible to be counted in the rank-
ings took multiple Advanced Placement
classes.
Frankel coach Joe Bernstein applaud-
ed his team’s accomplishment.
“Remember, we have a dual curric-
ulum at our school (religious and stan-
dard classes),” he said.
“Playing time on our team is based
not just on performance on the field, but
also performance in the classroom and
behavior at school, home and in the
community. Performance on the field is
not necessarily at the top of the list.
“Because of our depth this season
(16 players were on the team), we were
able to hold to those standards.”
The third item on the list carries a par-
ticular significance for Frankel baseball
players.
“When we go on the road, we repre-
sent not only FJA, but the Jewish com-
munity,” Bernstein said. “At some plac-
es, we’re the only contact they have
with the Jewish community. We always
respect our opponent but give 110% on
the field.”
Frankel was 9-4 on the field this
season, including 4-0 in the Catholic
League. The Jaguars won their second
straight Catholic League division cham-
pionship after a 16-year division title
drought.
One other Frankel sports team — the
girls tennis team — earned statewide
academic honors this past school year.
Bernstein filled in as Frankel’s ath-
letic director from May 19 through July
10, following the resignation of Rick
Dorn, who is now the AD at Dearborn
Fordson, Robert Walker, a Frankel
coach, is Dorn’s replacement.
The super students on the Frankel Jewish Academy baseball team
FRANKEL JEWISH ACADEMY