NEWTON, Massachusetts (Press Release) — What has been the “Golden Age” for Jewish Major League baseball players?
Was it one of the eras in which future Hall of Famers Hank Greenberg or Sandy Koufax stood alone at the top of the class?
A good argument could be made for the current age, at least in terms of quantity and yes, quality!
No fewer than 29 players with Jewish heritage emerged in this decade, with at least a dozen qualifying for consideration as the best Jewish player of their time.
Now, Jewish Major Leaguers, Inc., the organization that has produced an annual set of baseball trading cards honoring historical and current Jewish players, and which has conducted two seminars at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown – has created online voting so that fans can select the Jewish player of the decade.
Three players have spanned the full decade – Brad Ausmus, Jason Marquis and Scott Schoeneweis. Five have played in a good part of the decade – John Grabow, Shawn Green, Gabe Kapler, Mike Lieberthal and Kevin Youkilis.
And another five have played in half or less of the decade, include All-Stars Ryan Braun and Ian Kinsler, along with Craig Breslow, Scott Feldman and Adam Stern. (Youkilis, Green, Lieberthal, Marquis and Ausmus have also made All-Star teams).
The decade has featured a 19-total base game from Green, the best 9-inning single game performance in the history of baseball – a consecutive errorless streak at first base by Youkilis which broke an 86-year old record; and Kinsler’s hitting for the cycle while also going 6-for-6 (which hadn’t happened in 100 years). There were three Gold Glove winners (Youkilis, Lieberthal, Ausmus), two Silver Slugger award winners (Marquis and Braun), and the first-ever Jewish Rookie of the Year (Braun). “One of the purposes of the contest”, according to the organization, is to highlight the fact that this has been an extraordinary decade, perhaps the greatest ever.”
Fans can vote at the website www.jewishmajorleaguers.org, or by emailing their selection to jewishmajorleaguers@rcn.com. Fans are encouraged to vote only once, although like the MLB All-Star voting, multiple ballots are accepted. For those who vote for the winning player, a random drawing will be held for the opportunity to join in presenting the award.
Voting by mail is also permitted, with ballots to be sent to Jewish Major Leaguers,
104 Greenlawn Ave, Newton Center, MA 02459. Voting closes December 31.
Jewish Major Leaguers, Inc., is a Boston-based not-for-profit organization “Documenting American Jews in America’s Game.” It has produced five highly regarded limited-edition sets of Jewish Major Leaguers baseball card and two nationally-publicized events at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. The 2008 Hank Greenberg Edition and the 2009 “Record-Setters” edition are still available; the 2010 “Deck of the Decade” is planned for publication shortly after Opening Day of next season.
For further information, visit www.Jewishmajorleaguers.org.
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Preceding provided by Jewish Major Leaguers Inc.