Here’s a group of guys that I’m very proud of. We finished the tournament with a 4-4 record and received the bronze medal. Two of our victories came in extra innings, 0ne against Canada, the other against Mexico.
Opening Ceremony: The Wait
July 15, 2009 By Leave a Comment
This is what it looks like after more than 5,000 athletes with access to free food, water, and popsicles, have milled around for three hours. For some reason, we had to be in the staging area at 17:30 even though the grand entry wasn’t scheduled to start until 20:30.
Canada vs. Israel
July 13, 2009 By Leave a Comment
The Maccabiah opened yesterday with us playing Canada. Unfortunately, we lost 7-3, but we are still very much in the mix and have no reason to hang our heads.
Today, we play Mexico and then have the official opening ceremony. We’ll march into Ramat Gan stadium with over 6,000 other athletes to the thunderous applause of more than 40,000 people. I’m excited about both events.
Maccabiah 18 Starts Tomorrow
July 11, 2009 By 1 Comment
The Maccabiah is a quadrennial sports competition modeled after the Olympic Games. The difference is that the Maccabiah is for Jewish athletes.
This year, almost 8,000 athletes from 52 nations will compete in 31 different sports. I have the privilege of coaching the Israel national baseball team that will compete in these games.
In the round robin section of the baseball tournament each of the four teams – Israel, Mexico, USA, and Canada – will play the other teams twice each.
After the round robin, the teams will be seeded 1 through 4 based on the outcome of the round robin preliminary. Seed 1 will play 4, and 2 will play 3. The winners of those games will then play for Gold and Silver, while the losers will play for Bronze and consolation.
You can follow the games – whether your interest is swimming, gymnastics, soccer, bowling, basketball, tennis, squash, baseball, or something else – at the Maccabiah 18 website.
