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