2008 Woodie Awards
Quint's Corner
Art Shamsky, Manager of Modi'in Miracle
Dov Quint
Issue date: 9/4/07 Section: Sports
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As the new Sports Editor of The Commentator, it is my duty to afford you, the sports fans of Yeshiva with something different, something that will catch your attention. After all let's be honest - if you want to read about the New York Mets, you'll go to the Post. If it's the New York Rangers you crave, maybe you'll opt for the Times. And if you want to read about the Giants, well there's not that much going on with that New York football team right now - don't even bother.
But the Jewish sports scene doesn't have much of a medium to display itself on. Our goal at The Commentator's sports section should be to provide you the reader with that medium. One "different" way of doing this will be a weekly column entitled "Jewish Athletes Talk about Sports." In this Q & A column, I will sit down with some of sports' most famous and notable Jewish stars to talk about their experiences as Jewish athletes.
This past summer, the Jewish sports scene witnessed its biggest moment since Sandy Koufax sat out of Game 1 of the 1965 World Series to observe Yom Kippur. The Israel Baseball League, a professional baseball league started in Israel by Boston businessman, Larry Baras debuted in June and played its' first ever Championship game at the end of August (won by the Bet Shemesh Blue Sox).
Art Shamsky, who hit .300 for the 1969 World Series Champion New York Mets, managed one of the league's six inaugural teams, the Modi'in Miracle. I recently had the privilege to sit down and talk to him about the experience and about some other interesting stuff.
DQ: While most certainly all of Yeshiva's current student body knows you only as a member of the '69 Mets, many of our alumni who read The Commentator were privileged to get to see you actually play in your prime. For those of us in this generation, what kind of player would you describe yourself as? Who in today's game would you compare yourself to?
Art Shamsky: I like to think of myself as a player who understood the game and tried to do whatever I could to help my team win. I was lucky enough to play with and against some of the greatest players ever to play Major League baseball and was blessed to be part of an incredible team that won the World Series in 1969. As far as comparing myself to any player now, I don't follow the game very much so I couldn't comment on that.
But the Jewish sports scene doesn't have much of a medium to display itself on. Our goal at The Commentator's sports section should be to provide you the reader with that medium. One "different" way of doing this will be a weekly column entitled "Jewish Athletes Talk about Sports." In this Q & A column, I will sit down with some of sports' most famous and notable Jewish stars to talk about their experiences as Jewish athletes.
This past summer, the Jewish sports scene witnessed its biggest moment since Sandy Koufax sat out of Game 1 of the 1965 World Series to observe Yom Kippur. The Israel Baseball League, a professional baseball league started in Israel by Boston businessman, Larry Baras debuted in June and played its' first ever Championship game at the end of August (won by the Bet Shemesh Blue Sox).
Art Shamsky, who hit .300 for the 1969 World Series Champion New York Mets, managed one of the league's six inaugural teams, the Modi'in Miracle. I recently had the privilege to sit down and talk to him about the experience and about some other interesting stuff.
DQ: While most certainly all of Yeshiva's current student body knows you only as a member of the '69 Mets, many of our alumni who read The Commentator were privileged to get to see you actually play in your prime. For those of us in this generation, what kind of player would you describe yourself as? Who in today's game would you compare yourself to?
Art Shamsky: I like to think of myself as a player who understood the game and tried to do whatever I could to help my team win. I was lucky enough to play with and against some of the greatest players ever to play Major League baseball and was blessed to be part of an incredible team that won the World Series in 1969. As far as comparing myself to any player now, I don't follow the game very much so I couldn't comment on that.