Jewish Major Leaguers in Their Own Words: Oral Histories of 23 Players

by Peter Ephross, Martin Abramowitz

Overview

Between 1870 and 2010, 165 Jewish Americans played Major League Baseball. This work presents oral histories featuring 23 of them. From Bob Berman, a catcher for the Washington Senators in 1918, to Adam Greenberg, an outfielder for the Chicago Cubs in 2005, the players discuss their careers and consider how their Jewish heritage affected them. Legends like Hank Greenberg and Al Rosen as well as lesser-known players reflect on the issue of whether to play on high holidays, responses to anti-Semitism on and off the field, bonds formed with black teammates also facing prejudice, and personal and Jewish pride in their accomplishments. Together, these oral histories paint a vivid portrait of what it was like to be a Jewish Major Leaguer.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786465071
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	03/19/2012
Pages:	227
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Peter Ephross was a longtime editor for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency news service and has published in Publishers Weekly, the Village Voice, and Forward. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. Martin Abramowitz is the president of Jewish Major Leaguers, Inc., which documents American Jews in baseball and sponsored many of the interviews in this book.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments     
Preface     
Introduction     

BOB BERMAN, Washington Senators, 1918     
AL SCHACHT, Washington Senators, 1919–1921     
ANDY COHEN, New York Giants, 1926, 1928–1929     
HANK GREENBERG, Detroit Tigers, 1930, 1933–1941, 1945–1946; Pittsburgh Pirates, 1947     
HARRY DANNING, New York Giants, 1933–1942     
GOODY ROSEN, Brooklyn Dodgers, 1937–1939, 1944–1946; New York Giants, 1946     
SAM NAHEM, Brooklyn Dodgers, 1938; St. Louis Cardinals, 1941; Philadelphia Phillies, 1942, 1948     
CY BLOCK, Chicago Cubs, 1942, 1945–1946     
AL ROSEN, Cleveland Indians, 1947–1956     
MICKEY RUTNER, Philadelphia Athletics, 1947     
MARV ROTBLATT, Chicago White Sox, 1948, 1950–1951     
CAL ABRAMS, Brooklyn Dodgers, 1949–1952; Cincinnati Reds, 1952; Pittsburgh Pirates, 1953–1954; Baltimore Orioles, 1954–1955; Chicago White Sox, 1956     
SAUL ROGOVIN, Detroit Tigers, 1949–1951; Chicago White Sox, 1951–1953; Baltimore Orioles, 1955; Philadelphia Phillies, 1955–1957     
LOU LIMMER, Philadelphia Athletics, 1951, 1954     
ED MAYER, Chicago Cubs, 1957–1958     
LARRY SHERRY, Los Angeles Dodgers, 1958–1963; Detroit Tigers, 1964–1967; Houston Astros, 1967; California Angels, 1968 and NORM SHERRY, Los Angeles Dodgers, 1959–1962; New York Mets, 1963     
MIKE EPSTEIN, Baltimore Orioles, 1966–1967; Washington Senators, 1967–1971; Oakland Athletics, 1971–1972; Texas Rangers, 1973; California Angels, 1973–1974     
RON BLOMBERG, New York Yankees, 1969, 1971–1976; Chicago White Sox, 1978     
ELLIOTT MADDOX, Detroit Tigers, 1970; Washington Senators/Texas Rangers, 1971–1973; New York Yankees, 1974–1976; Baltimore Orioles, 1977; New York Mets, 1978–1980     
JOSE BAUTISTA, Baltimore Orioles, 1988–1991; Chicago Cubs, 1993–1994; San Francisco Giants, 1995–1996; Detroit Tigers, 1997; St. Louis Cardinals, 1997     
JESSE LEVIS, Cleveland Indians, 1992–1995, 1999; Milwaukee Brewers, 1996–1998, 2001     
ADAM GREENBERG, Chicago Cubs, 2005     

Appendix: Jewish Major Leaguers     
Index     

Editorial Reviews

As of the 2010 season, 15 Jewish players were on Major League Baseball rosters, a distinction ascribed to only 165 men between 1870 and 2010. In this niche collection of rambling oral histories, 23 former (and many now-deceased) Jewish players discuss their childhoods, their careers, and the impact their religious heritage had on their time spent playing America's favorite pastime. Anti-Semitism once ran deep among ballplayers and fans, although Harry Danning of the New York Giants admitted African-Americans suffered worse treatment. Hank Greenberg, who spent most of his long career with the Detroit Tigers, "was a hero to Jewish and non-Jewish fans alike" for sitting out a game on Yom Kippur in 1934, but journeyman Saul Rogovin, who played during the 50s, confided he never felt accepted among his peers. Elliott Maddox explains his decision as an African-American to convert to Judaism during his playing days in the 70s, while Jose Bautista, who last played in 1997, is indifferent to religious affiliation, maintaining that "We're all the same." Ephross, former editor for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, pared down the lengthy interviews (conducted by numerous journalists) and converted them from Q&A format to first person narratives, making for an easy read. However, notable players like Sandy Koufax, National League MVP Ryan Braun, and three-time All-Star Kevin Youkilis are unfortunately missing. B/W photos. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

The greatest contribution of this ambitious book is the opportunity to read players’ perspectives on Jewish identification and to understand the choices they made. This book will satisfy readers interested in learning more about the lives of a diverse group of Jewish major leaguers...all of the players’ stories will be informative and interesting, engaging and enjoyable”—Nine; “the stories of the trials and tribulations of Jewish ballplayers are brilliantly recounted...a solid job...the wonderfully told stories of the players included give the reader an intimate feeling of what life was, and is like, as a Jewish Major Leaguer”—Washington Jewish Weekly; “manages to break new ground...a worthy addition to Jewish baseball fans’ bookshelves...fascinating personal vignettes”—Jewish Book Council; “engaging and stimulating...a source of pride for Jewish baseball fans”—The Buffalo Jewish Review; “a superb job...we get more of a ‘what’s it like’ for Jewish ballplayers...a very good book...highly recommended...in fact, I give it the following grade: A+”—The Kentucky Democrat; “Jewish Sports fans in general and baseball fans in particular will enjoy and appreciate this book”—Jewish Journal, Dade County.

From the Publisher

"Jewish Sports fans in general and baseball fans in particular will enjoy and appreciate this book"

Dade County Jewish Journal

"A superb job...we get more of a 'what's it like' for Jewish ballplayers...a very good book...highly recommended...in fact, I give it the following grade: A+"

The Kentucky Democrat

"Engaging and stimulating...a source of pride for Jewish baseball fans"

The Buffalo Jewish Review

"Manages to break new ground...a worthy addition to Jewish baseball fans' bookshelves...fascinating personal vignettes"

Jewish Book Council

"The stories of the trials and tribulations of Jewish ballplayers are brilliantly recounted...a solid job...the wonderfully told stories of the players included give the reader an intimate feeling of what life was, and is like, as a Jewish Major Leaguer"

Washington Jewish Weekly

"The greatest contribution of this ambitious book is the opportunity to read players' perspectives on Jewish identification and to understand the choices they made. This book will satisfy readers interested in learning more about the lives of a diverse group of Jewish major leaguers...all of the players' stories will be informative and interesting, engaging and enjoyable"

Nine