In a season that started out poorly for the Dawgs, with the loss of fireballer Aron Kurz to greener pastures outside the country, the Dawgs were again in the market for an accurate fast pitcher. With Michael Moronov promising, and improving, but still wild after a couple of innings, and Shmuel Goldstein not quite having "it" back, the Dawgs were faced with an uphill battle.
The Dawggies nevertheless came back on May 13 at Kibbutz Gezer and won their first game of 2008 against the Shimshon Hi-Tech team, 12-11 in extra innings.
To make a long story short, Shmuel Goldstein came back with his windmill pitching, closing down the Shimshon bats after a shaky first inning in which they scored 6 runs. Backed by inspired defense (especially a clutch play by Mamma at short), the rest of the Dawggies responded to Shmulik's presence on the mound, and their defensive play was top notch.
In the extra inning, Robert Even showed extreme cool at bat, with a single that pushed Dani Machlis forward, and a stolen base. Newcomer Yaakov Mandel then hit a sacrifice grounder that scored Machlis and put Robert at third, tieing the game at 11. Robert, in his haste, tried to stretch the play to a game-winning run, but was caught in a rundown. Fortunately for us, Shimshon couldn't handle it and Robert was left safe at third. Shimshon's Gadi Bossin then pitched a wild and high one, and Robert scored on the pitch, winning the game for the Dawgs.
Playing tonight was: Shmuel (P), Shaul Daya (1B), David Sommer (2B), Mamma Maor (SS), Robert Even (3B), Jeff Weiner (C), Dani Machlis (LF), Yaakov Mandel (CF), and Natan Mandel (RF).
Jeff was solid behind the plate, and Natan Mandel was tonight's manager.
Wednesday, February 14 2007 Season Is Here
The season is well under way, but as usual, there have been a few rain-outs. See the Games links for game summaries, and an up-to-date schedule.
Roster:
Lowell Blackman
Danny Epstein (sometimes)
Robert Even
Ken Goldstein
Shmuel Goldstein
Yan Kaminer
Aharon Kurz
Dani Machlis
Natan Mandel
Yigal Rozval
David Sommer
Jeff Weiner
Dudu Zozin
Sometimes:
Michael Moronov
Daniel Bar-Am
Aharon Goldstein
Nissim Eliezer
In the photo: Yigal, Dudu, Aron, Yan, Danny Epstein, Dani Machlis,
Jeff, Shmuel, Robert, Lowell
Dawgs, Spring 2007
Do you want to play ball in the league ?
Israel Softball and Israel Baseball are alive and kicking !!!
Play in the league.
Drop us a line at:
shmuel_goldstein@yahoo.com, or tel: 0505-726-749
and we'll get in contact with you. We are especially looking for skilled catchers, and shortstops, who can hit.
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éù áééñáåì éùøàì, éù ñåôèáåì éùøàì.
ùç÷ áìéâä. ùìç ìðå àéîééì áëúåáú äð"ì
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Thursday, October 19 Dawgs Clean 'em up
A simple, but elegant video of Aron Kurz pitching against the Twisters on Oct 4, 2006. A good drop ball for a called strike, a high and outside ball, then another drop that is hit to second baseman David Sommer, who makes the play to Lowell Blackman at first to end the game. Video taken by Dawggie Yigal Rozval (800K, click on icon to view)
Three Pitches Aron Kurz by Shmuel
Wednesday, September 20 Weird Walla Video | ñøè îåæø îååàìä, îàú éåòã àìôøå
You know, when Israelis don't know something, they tend to make fun of it. Think it's weird. And that's weird. But hey, who's complaining? We've got a cute, funsy video from Walla, which is an Israeli site that is sorta kinda like the Detroit Free Press. They've got fun stuff, and off-beat stuff. Take a look at the video, which stars their host, Yoad Alperon, with the ISA's Goose Gillete, and our own Shmuel Goldstein, with the famous Dawg call, immortalized by the late, great, Jon Dym, z"l. It was taken at the Dawg-Tigers game of September 14, 2006 at Baptist Village. We also see glimpses of the Tigers catcher, as well as Dawg pitcher Aron Kurz, and briefly, Dawg firstbaseman Jeff Weiner.
It's in Hebrew, but if you don't understand Hebrew, just look at the pix, they are fun as well.
Tuesday, September 5 Fall Season, 2006
Fall Season has started. We had a kinda weird first game against Shimshon (the Beit Shemesh boys). An experimental game, we learned several things. We'll not go into detail here, see the Games link.
Bottom line: Dawgs are continuing without the players who went to the Brewers.
Wednesday, June 14 ISA Undergoing Expansion
The Israel Softball Association is undergoing an expansion for Fall, 2006, and if everything goes well, for the regular season of 2007.
The new team will consist of some Dawgs: Yechezkel Ganz, Alberto Tascher, Leandro Leon, and Julio Mirabel. You guessed it, it will be a "Hispanic" team. And Zeke informs this webmaster that he's got a whole bunch of other "Cubans" as well.
The new team will be called The Brewers, but in Spanish: Los Cervaceros. See their new website at this link.
This is good news for the ISA, if it works (and all indications are that it should). And it could be good news for the Dawgs, as that means that we have a few openings, especially for skilled catcher(s) and pitcher(s).
Interested parties, send an email to: shmuel_goldstein@yahoo.com
Zeke pitches against TTT, Mar 20, 2006 (photo: D.Machlis)
Saturday, June 17 Dawgs Play .467 Ball
After their recent victory against Eilat, the Dawgs are 7 and 8, a position that they haven't been in since, well, since before they were puppies. For more details, see the Games link. See also a write-up in the Jerusalem Post here.
In the photo above (click to enlarge), we have Zeke pitching against TTT's Jake Miller (Mar 20, 2006 @ BV), with TTT's Micah Winston the runner on second. Alberto Tascher is behind the plate for the Dawgs, and we also see Julio Mirabel at short, and Shmuel Goldstein way back in center. Finally, Adriana Luchansky is plate umpire, and Goose Gillette field umpire.
Battery mates Zeke and Alberto (photo: S.Goldstein)
Sunday, May 14 Strong Battery for Good Performance
The Dawgs are blessed this year with a strong battery in the form of Yechezkel (Zeke) Ganz on the mound and Alberto Tascher behind the plate. Bueno trabajo amigos !!
Alberto got married on May 5 to Maya. We wish them mazal tov and all the best.
(move mouse over photo below to change)
(photo: D.Machlis)
Sunday, May 21 New Feature: Dawggie Quiz of the Week
Each week, during the season (bli neder), we will publish a Dawg quiz. It is a multiple choice quiz (aka "American Test" as they call it here in Israel).
The first person to send in the correct response will receive a special prize: A seat of honor in the Dawg dugout for the upcoming game.
OK, here goes:
Look closely at the photo below, and choose the correct description of what is going on:
Jeff Weiner is in the middle of a sneeze, due to residue from nearby fireworks
Jeff Weiner just laughed at one of Shmuel's really really dumb jokes
That's not Jeff Weiner at all, it's his identical twin
Jeff Weiner is trying to catch a pop fly
Jeff Weiner is practicing to be chazzan for Yom Kippur
Wednesday, May 24 Coaching Corner: Double Steal
Look at this video from Fall 2005. This is an excellent example of a double steal. Double Steal against TTT
(file size is 1.5MB, so be patient while it downloads)
The double steal works like this:
R1 (on 1st), and R3 (on 3rd), less than two outs, and a run is important, and might make the difference in the game.
On the pitch, R1 takes off for second base, and R3 takes a few steps off third. The batter either swings and misses, fake bunts, or doesn't swing at all. The catcher (we hope) then throws the ball to second, and they either get R1 or not. If he gets him, R1 is a sacrifice, if not, then all's the better.
As soon as the catcher makes the throw, R3 takes off for home. More often than not, he scores, and the fact that R1 might be out on the steal attempt is a price that the team is willing to pay for getting the run.
You don't see this too often in baseball, because the baseline there is 90ft, as opposed to 60ft, the ball is smaller and eaiser to throw. So it is harder to run and beat a baseball throw. But in fastpitch, this is almost standard order of procedure in a 1st-and-third situation.
Got it?
Now, the defence against the double steal:
The fielding team sees the situation and decides to defend against the double steal.
Optional: The pitcher can throw a normal fastball, or a pitch-out.
As a response to R1 leaving 1st, the catcher throws the ball to the shortstop or the secondbaseman, who is playing in, much too far from second to make the tag. Ocassionally, the throw can be made to the pitcher.
This throw fools (they hope) R3 into running for home, but the fielder who caught the ball is much closer to home, and immediately fires one to the catcher, who has plenty of time to make the tag on R3.
Thus the defense allows R1 to steal, but they make an out, and prevent a run from scoring.
This is what TTT tried to do in the video, but the catcher threw a bit too high, letting Alberto steal with impunity and allowing Shmuel to score. When they finally did make the throw back to the plate, they once again threw high, letting Alberto advance to third.
Which is why a double steal is generally a good idea for the offense - there are many opportunities for the defense to screw it up. In fact, this writer has seen instances where the defense just ignore the runner stealing second.
Tuesday, May 23 Who is that Dawggie in the Photo?
Leandro Leon, Apr. 2006 (photo: S.Goldstein)
Recent pix of Dawggies at play (Spring, 2006):
(above) Julio Mirabel comes into third, coached by Lowell Blackman.
That's TTT's Louie Miller at third base (photo: D. Machlis)
Friday, February 24 Second Dawg Training & Start of 2006 Season
àéîåï ä÷áåöúé äéçéã äìê áñãø âîåø òí çáøä îàã øöéðééí, úçú äðäìúå ùì éçæ÷àì âðõ
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Los uniquos - ejercicios generales del equipo de los Dawgs @ BV, mui bien
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Our one-and-only team practice went pretty well, under the capable managemnent of Yechezkel Ganz. Attending were:
Shmuel
David Sommer
Jeff Weiner
Natan Mandel
Leandro Leon
Zeke
Dani Machlis
Alberto Tacher
Our first game is this Sunday, March 5, 9 PM at BV against the Tel Aviv team, formerly "Magic Homes" (Ed Freeman's team).
See updated Roster & Games schedule at the links on the left.
Friday, February 24 Roster Changes, 2006 Veterans returning:
Lowell Blackman
Yoav Eliahu
Yechezkel Gantz
Shmuel Goldstein
Dani Machlis
Natan Mandel
Michael Moronov
Yigal Rozval
David Sommer
New members joining us:
Alberto Tascher (joined Fall '05)
Jeff Weiner
Leandro Leon
Julio Mirabel
Stas Orgayevsky
DL:
Avi Davilla, who was hurt in a motorcycle accident in the fall. Get well soon, and come back and give 'em hell !!
Robert Even
Leaving us this year:
Yossi Glickman (to the Eilat team)
Yaniv Gohary (to the Eilat team)
Danny Epstein (on our "B" list)
Yosef Gittler (on our "B" list)
Eli Krantman (wants to be a doctor)
Albert Sarkovitz (to the IDF officer's training course)
Friday, February 17 First Dawg Training for 2006
àéîåï çáèåú áéåí ùìéùé, 22.02.06, áéï äùòåú 20:00 òã 22:00
ðà ìàùø äùúúôåúê.
âí ðãáø ùí òì äàéîåï äáà åëîå ëï òì äìå"æ ùì äòåðä
àðé àùìç àñ.àî.àñ áìé ðãø òã îåöàé ùáú àåìé éåí øàùåï
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Ejercios de batear @ BV ,Martes de la noche, 22.02.06, en la hora 20:00 hasta 22:00
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The weather this week is going to be better, according to the forecast.
Sooo, we are gonna do a batting practice at BV, Tuesday, Feb 22, from 8 PM to 10 PM. Tell me or Lowell what time you are going to come so we can stagger it and not have too many people waiting around.
The BV field is NOT playable, and won't be by Tuesday. So, we'll use some of the time to get our team organized, and decide on when and where the next real practice will be.
Spring Season 2006
It's just around the corner, though you'd never believe it.
Umpiring clinic starts Jan 22, and continues for 5 Sundays after that. 7 PM at BV.
Big news: The ISA has decided to change the format of play a bit. That is, the league will be divided into two divisions, A and B, by skill level. Each team will play each team in its own division three times, and will play each team in the other division once. This way, we will have more competitive games.
For the Dawgs, this is great news, as we don't have to play teams that are not at our level as much.
Albert Makes Heads-Up Out
Check this video. Penticon batter hits to Albert at short, who tags out the runner going to third for the third out of the inning (look closely at the left edge of the screen). Click on the icon, and wait for the 500K file to download. Thanks to Yigal for the video clip.
Albert makes an out by Shmuel
Danny Epstein scores a run against Eilat
A bright spot in an otherwise weird game. This is an animated GIF, so there is no sound. Thanks to Yigal for the video clip.
Zeke Triples
In a recent game, Zeke hits a strong one to the outfield, netting him a triple.
Dawgs recover from TU loss with a win over MH
After our Passover break, the Dawggies came back barking, and topped Magic Homes for the second time this season, 13 to 8.
Star of this game was Avi Davilla, no question about it. For more, see the Games link.
But see (and listen to) this clip of Dani Machlis hitting a single:
All of us in the field against Eilat. Photo: Dani Machlis
Dawgs Win 2
The K9's got on board this week with two wins - one against Magic Homes, and the other against Eilat.
The MH game was one-sided, with the Dawggies closing them down tightly 11-4, but the Eilat game was a different story. Although the Dawgs started strong, Eilat started to threaten, but not enough. Interesting to note that that there was only one earned run in this game.
For more details, see the Games link.
Dawgs vs. Tigers, March 23, 2005
In a hard-fought game in which there were many Dawgs hit by pitches, Yoav Eliahu shined out, hitting an in-the-park home run. For a complete recap, click on the Games link.
Home run for Yoav
Avi Davilla (DG) keeps Yossi (SH) honest
Dawgs vs. Shomrat, March 16, 2005
Natan scoops up the ball
This was a very exciting game, and the final decision wasn't clear until the last moments. See "Games" for a write-up, including another masterpiece by Lowell.
Our intrepid writer secretly taking notes on the field:
Shmuel fires one in
Dawgs Have Spirit
Dawggie cheer after a game, which just goes to show that we play for fun (heck, that's the only thing we do get out of this . . . )
Clockwise from right: Natan Mandel, Shmuel Goldstein, Yossi Glickman (holding the hand of hidden Yosef Gitler), Yigal Rozval, Avi Davilla (hiding behind Yossi Glickman), Lowell Blackman, Danny Epstein, and David Sommer. Photographer Dani Machlis, poor boy, is not in the shot.
!!! 2005 Schedule !!!
The schedule is final, and that game on April 21 was moved to June 1st.
First game: March 13, Sun, 9:00 PM at Baptist Village against Penticon. Be at the field by 8:15 PM for warm-up.
Handout:2005 Schedule
Roster Changes for Spring, 2005 . . . Welcome to New Players:
Ari Cohen , now living in Tel Aviv joins us. Ari found out about us from this website (pat yourself on the back, Mr.Webmaster). Ari has been in the country for about 4 years, originally from the US. He's got a great arm, and moves like a cat. Let's see if he meows, or roars.
Avi Davilla , from Raanana, joins us, being recruited by David Sommer. Avi coaches youth baseball, where both David and Shmuel have met him. He's got a great bat, and hustles at first base. Watch out, Lowell. We wish him success.
Yosef Gitler , also from Raanana, is joining us. Also recruited by David Sommer, he is known to both David and Shmuel (will wonders never cease?) from the Raanana pick-up game. New to fastpitch pitching, but not so new to fielding, Yosef should be a valuable addition to the Dawgs.
Yoav Eliahu , from Rehovot, joins us as an "Active Athlete" in the IDF. This is a status that the IDF grants young athletes who are taking part in national, officially sanctioned sports leagues. This means that Yoav has no excuse for not coming to games, dude. Ya hear that? Yoav is a graduate of the Rehovot Softball League.
Farewell to those departing us:
Alon Kaminer , from Rehovot Jon Dym , from Rehovot Robert Even , from Givat Shmuel
Fourth Practice, Wed Mar 2 at BV
Our final, "dress rehearsal" practice was a busy busy busy night.
We had the batting cage going full blast, and that took more work than you would think. We needed two guys there all the time, and that took out some manpower from our field.
But that was some good news: We had terrific manpower. Of our regular team members, we had a total of 13 players. In addition, we had two Jeremy's as guests: Former Dawg Jeremy Shai (now an enemy agent that plays for Eilat), and a new prospect by the name of Jeremy Hirsch. BTW, we have learned that Robert Even will not be playing with us this spring.
Mr. Shai provided much-needed batting practice pitching for our long and tiring field work, managed by slave-driver David Sommer. David, where's your whip?
Attendance report:
Veterans:
Danny Epstein, Yossi Glickman, Albert Sarkovitch, Yigal Rozval, Natan Mandel, Yoav Eliahu, Shmuel Goldstein, Yosef Gitler, Michael Moronov, David Sommer, Lowell Blackman, Newbies:
Ari Cohen, Avi Davilla, Jeremy Hirsch Enemy Agents:
Jeremy Shai Absentees
Yechezkel Gantz, Dani Machlis, Yaniv Gohary,
éâàì çé òì ñïôèáåì | Yigal loves to play ball
Third Dawg Practice, Wed, Feb 23 at Gezer
David teaches the boys how to hit | ëëä çåáèéí
Great practice, guys.
In the end, we had 13 guys, and it was like this:
David Sommer led the practice, as usual, and this time it felt really great getting back out on a real field.
We had some infield work and some situational work, like last time, but this time we worked on bunting, something that is a very good thing to do. Some of us batted against Lowell's lobs, but later Shmuel came in and warmed up nicely, giving us some good quality pitching.
Attendance report:
Veterans:
Danny Epstein, Albert Sarkovitch, Yigal Rozval, Natan Mandel, Yechezkel Gantz, Yoav Eliahu, Shmuel Goldstein, David Sommer, Lowell Blackman, Dani Machlis Newbies:
Ari Cohen, David Cohen, Avi Davilla, Absentees
Yossi Glickman, Yaniv Gohary, Yosef Gitler, Robert Even, Michael Moronov
Danny, Natan, Yoav, and Lowell
Zeke, Albert and Ari
Second Dawgs Practice, Feb 16, 2005
Dawgs at training, spring 2005
top, ltr: Lowell Blackman, Yaniv Gohary, Dani Machlis. bot: Ari Cohen, David Sommer, Yossi Glickman, Avi Davilla, Yosef Gitler, Danny Epstein.
Great practice, guys. Wish we had more time.
In the end, we had 10 guys, and it was like this:
David Sommer led the practice, as usual, but it seemed to this writer that it was lower key, dunno, mebbe because we're all used to running around like maniacs chasing a ball.
We had some infield work and some situational work, like last time, and some work on the "hit-away". Batting practice this time was mainly from Lowell's lob pitches.
Oh, and this time, the digital camera worked, although we've got some time before we can work it well.
Attendance report:
Veterans:
Danny Epstein, Yaniv Gohary, Yossi Glickman, Shmuel Goldstein, David Sommer, Lowell Blackman, Dani Machlis Newbies:
Ari Cohen, Avi Davilla, Yosef Gitler Absentees
Albert Sarkovitch, Robert Even, Natan Mandel, Yechezkel Gantz, Yoav Eliahu, Michael Moronov, Yigal Rozval
We spoke about doing the next practice at BV on Wednesday, Feb. 23, but that won't work out, as that field is still under water. Besides, it's going to get stormy again on Sunday, Feb 20, 2005.
So, we'll have to see. Check the website, your email, and SMS messages.
Cavaliers - First Dawgs Practice, 2005
First practice for the Dawgs was Wednesday, January 26, 8 PM at Rishon.
David Sommer led the practice, and it was full of action, and hard work. We had some intense infield work, a great deal of situational work (hit the cut-off man, stuff like that), and finally a quickie batting practice, with Shmuel pitching easy-like.
Notables were the newbie fellers listed below, who found out about us from THIS WEBSITE, Martha.
Lowell also encouraged a few outfielders (whose names we will not mention) of having a Cavalier attitude (that means non-chalant, or in a language we all understand = àãéù). Good work, Lowell.
Also notable was the really cool portable backstop we recently purchased.
Attendance report:
Veterans:
Danny Epstein, Albert Sarkovitch, Shmuel Goldstein, Robert (hard as) Even (welcome back!), David Sommer, Lowell Blackman, Michael Moronov, Yigal Rozval Newbies:
Ari Cohen, David Cohen, Gai Weissburg Absentees
Natan Mandel, Yaniv Gohary, Yossi Glickman, Yechezkel Gantz, Yoav Eliahu, Dani Machlis
Next practice: Wednesday, 8 PM, Rishon, Feb. 16, 2005.
In all likelyhood, we will have at least one Friday practice, also at Rishon, so get ready.
Fall 2004 Tourney
Eight teams took part in the Fall 2004 ISA Tourney, and they were:
Dawgs
Shomrat
Tri-United ...
Danny, Dave, and Natan set the tone:
Danny Epstein, Dave Sommer (our coach for the evening), and Natan Mandel plot anti-Penticon strategy in a game at BV on Oct. 18, 2004.
And no, Danny does not catch fly balls like this . . .
Back to barking for 2004
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äàéîåï ...
Dawgs Again Help Rehovot Win Youth Hannukah Tourney
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áèåøðéø ùì ìéâú äðåòø äàøöéú áçðåëä 2003, ÷áåöú øçåáåú ì÷çä ùåá àú äâáéò.
ùéí ìá áúîåðä éù ãåâæ: ùåøä úçúåðä, áòîöà (áìåðãéðé): àìáøè ñø÷åáéõ, åáöã ùîàì ãåâ ùòáø àìåï ÷îðéø òí ëì äùòø äæä
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The Rehovot youth all-stars took the cup in the National Youth Softball Tournament held during Hannukah, 2003. See the Dawgs on the team: Front row in the middle in all his blond glory, Albert Sarkovitch, and in the same row on the far left, former Dawg Alon Kaminer, full of hair.
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Cute game, if you've got a few seconds to spare.
Thanks to Yechezkel
Dawg Danny Epstein Umps in Tourney
Ya see our man Danny Epstein umping here. Couldn't believe he didn't have a mask. Hope he hasn't lost his great looks, dahlink . . .
Dawgs close 2003 with a win, and go on Winter Break
In a nice end of a challenging year for the Dawgs, the K-9's outslugged the boys from Beit Shemesh on a pleasent Oct 20th Monday night at Kibbutz Gezer, slamming in 12 runs to Tri-United's 5.
The game featured solid pitching by starter Shmuel (after a few walks in the beginning), graceful fielding by almost every Dawg on the field (I think there was only one true Dawg error) including a
beee-youteeful back-handed relay from SS Eli Krantman to 2B David Sommer, and closing pitching by our amigo, Yechezkel Gantz, the Dawgs showed what they can do in the field.
This time, they also showed what they can do at the plate. Notable were Yossi Glickman's two-run in-the-park homer in the 3rd, in addition to Arthur Sarkovitz's 2-run blast in the 2nd. This writer also remembers Eli Krantman's aggressive baserunning in the 5th, stealing 2nd, 3rd, and scoring, each on different pitches, and each time sliding in to the base. After the game, Eli said that his knees hurt. Gee I wonder why.
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The Dawgs now go on Winter Break, which means we're doing nothing, folks, until about the first (yes, first) week in January, 2004. That is also about a week after Channukah. At that point, we will start up our weekly practices once again at Rishon. This will give us at least 8 sessions (minus rain-outs) to get ready for what promises to be a successful year for the Dawgs in 2004.
Photo, taken after the game:
Standing, ltr: Lowell Blackman, David Sommer, Yechezkel Gantz, Danny Epstein, Jon Dym, Yossi Glickman. Front row: Shmuel Goldstein, Robert Even, Albert Sarkovitz, Eli Krantman. In front: Yaniv Gohary
Roster Changes, Fall 2003 Jeremy Shai has left us temporarily for his compulsory IDF duties. He will be a soldier until June, 2006. Sounds like a long time. As they say here, ùéôùåó ÷ì åðòéí - which means "may you have a pleasant time getting all scratched up". And come back in one piece, please, Jeremy?
Michael Moronov joins us from the RSL. See the Roster link.
Eli Krantman, who played for this team once a few years ago, joins us permanently. See the Roster link.
ISA All-Star Game Recap
(Click on title for Game recap)
The first annual ISF North/South All-Star game came off without a hitch. It ...
Yalla
Al by Shmuel
ISA AllStar Game - DAWGS have been chosen
On May 7th, Yom Ha-Atzmaut (Israel Indpendence Day), the Israel Softball Association is planning to have its first All Star Game. It will take place at the Baptist Village. Gametime: 18:30
Teams will be divided between North and South:
North (Bob Kessler - coach) South (Richard Duffy - coach)
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Penticon Dimona
Movers Zion Tours
Shomrat Tri-United
Dawgs Magic Homes
Each team is sending to the league's office the names of 3 players from its roster who
wish to participate in the All Star Game.
The league will decide on 2 other players for each All-Star team. Therefore, a total
of 14 players per team.
We have been informed, that one of these extra players is going to be a Dawg, so we get to give the ISA 4 players, not three.
As for The Dawgs, all 14 ballots have been received, and the results are shown below. Our FOUR reps are: Yechezkel, Shmuel, Robert, and Danny.
They have been chosen, farewell my friends, they go on to a better place (listen to audio).
Ballots received: 14
Results:
Yechezkel Gantz - 12
Shmuel Goldstein - 10
Robert Even - 6
Danny Epstein - 4
Jon Dym - 3
Albert Sarkovitz - 2
Russell Rothstein - 2
Jeremy Shai - 2
Yaniv Gohary - 1
First Game against Penticon
From our reporter, Lowell Blackman (click on title for complete story)
March 9, 2003
_________________...
Dawgs Roster - Second Adjustment
A small adjustment in the Dawgs roster for Spring 2003 has been made. Steve Kronengold has left. Here is the list of Dem Dawgs as of March 30:
Lowell Blackman
Jon Dym
Danny Epstein
Robert Even
Yechezkel Gantz
Yossi Glickman
Yaniv Gohary
Shmuel Goldstein
Yehuda Kronengold
Natan Mandel
Russell Rothstein
Albert Sarkovitz
Jeremy Shai
David Sommer
We plead the Fifth (practice) | àçøåï àçøåï çáéá
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Our fifth and final Dawg training on March 5 started with an empty field, but of course, as we rented the Baptist Village field.
We started out with the batting cage, having always two guys in the cage working, while the rest were on the field doing defensive drills. In addition, there was always two other guys doing pitching practice on the side: Steve, then Yechezkel, then finally Shmuel.
Later, the whole team came together to do fielding practice, and you know what? It looks like it's gonna be OK.
Attendance report:
Veterans:
Shmuel Goldstein, Jon Dym, Lowell Blackman
Newcomers:
Eli Fagan, Steve Kronengold, Yehuda Kronengold, David Sommer, Yechezkel Gantz, Natan Mandel, Jake Miller
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Our fourth Dawg training on March 2 started with an empty field, but this time we don't know why. The weather was wonderful, and we had a great turnout: 14 players.
We started out with calisthenics, then Jon Dym's famous relay race, in which groups of three or four players relay the ball to each other for several rounds. The group that comes in last must run around the distant lamp post, at top speed. That is, heart-attack speed, guys. This reporter swears that he came in last only once, but the other guys claimed his group came in last twice. Hmmmmm . . . there must be a conspiracy.
We had a few new guys here, many of them found out about the team from this wonderful website. Yecheskel, a new immigrant from Argentina, showed his prowess both behind the plate and at the mound, and Natan Mandel showed us how a real 2nd baseman is supposed to play.
We did defensive drills once again, but this time the pitching was a bit more aggressive. Shmuel is pleased at his accurate chang-ups, and later Jeremy gave us all some real heat.
For defensive positioning and plays (see "Defensive Positioning" in "Handouts").
Attendance report:
Veterans:
Shmuel Goldstein, Jon Dym, Jeremy Shai, Danny Epstein, Yaniv Gohary, Lowell Blackman (finally!)
Newcomers:
Eli Fagan, Steve Kronengold, Yossi Glickman, Hilik Besser, Oren Inbar, Yechezkel Gantz, Natan Mandel, Jake Miller
Next practice (#5): Wednesday, March 5, at Baptist Village in Petach Tikva. Batting cage open from 7:45 to 8:45, team practice from 8 PM to 10 PM.
Last practice before our first game.
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Our third Dawg training on Feb 19 started with an empty field, and small wonder. The forecast called for stormy, rainy, and cold conditions. But the Dawgs don't know enough to come in out of the rain, and besides, it didn't rain that much. And also besides, how cold can it get in Rishon? After a scare of about 10 minutes of rain, our prayers were answered, and the rain stopped. But the wind continued, and this reporter at least remembers several of Jeremy's fly balls that started to go to right field, and ended up in the next field over.
Under the capable tutelage of Jon Dym, the Dawgs started working on team defensive positioning and plays (see "Defensive Positioning" in "Handouts"). In fact, this was just about the whole evening, after a brief throw-relay race in which this reporter never lost.
Attendance report:
Veterans:
Shmuel Goldstein, Jon Dym, Jeremy Shai, Danny Epstein, Yaniv Gohary, Albert Sarkovitz, Robert Even
Newcomers:
Eli Fagan, Yehudah Kronengold, Roi Cohen, Yossi Glickman, Hilik Besser
Next practice (#4): Sunday, March 2, At the Sport-Kef in Rishon LeTzion, 8 PM (the practice on the 26th was postponed because of the weather).
Note that practice #5 will be at Baptist Village.
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Handout:Defensive post-hit Coverage
Good Dawgs !!! | àéîåï ùðé äéä çí
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Our second Dawg training on Feb 5, started to really warm us up. We arrived to an empty field, but the soccer players and frisbee players soon heard that we were there, and everyone wanted to watch our fantastic practice.
This time, we lasted more than two hours, until 10:20 PM, later than usual.
We did an intense rotation of ground balls, fly balls, bunting and fielding practice, and finished with a scrimmage/batting practice featuring pitching from Shmuel, Jeremy, and newcomer Steve Kronengold.
Attendance report:
Veterans:
Shmuel Goldstein, Jon Dym, Jeremy Shai, Danny Epstein, Yaniv Gohary
Newcomers:
Eli Fagan, Yehudah Kronengold, Steve Kronengold, Hilik Besser
Next practice: Wednesday, February 19, At the Sport-Kef in Rishon LeTzion, 8 PM.
If there is rain, we will inform people by 4 PM, and postpone the practice to the 20th.
Note that the practice for the 12th will not take place, because of the rain, Baruch Hashem.
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From our Crazy Reporter, Lowell Blackman
For a guy who wasn't even there, we'd like to say "Great Reporting, Lowell"
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Rishon LeZion, Israel
February 19, 2003
In a fit of modified madness, tempered by a passion for the game, Shmuel Goldstein, a resident of the Jewish settlement of Revava, a Torah scholar, an expert in technical writing and documentation, and a star pitcher for his softball team, the DGTech Dawgs, held a late night practice at the Rishon LeZion sports field, which, by all accounts, had essentially become Lake Rishon LeZion.
"Well, it was a little hard sloshing around in the water. Catching the ball was somewhat challenging, too. My pitching was a bit off, and I couldn't throw so many pitches. Not having a catcher to catch my throws, I had to retrieve all the balls myself. That sort of slowed down my rhythm and interrupted my concentration. But I needed the other eleven Ducks, I mean Dawgs, to work on other drills and skills."
Goldstein, a burly ballplayer with a physique not unlike other hard throwing hurlers in history - Fernando Valenzuela, Goose Gossage, Babe Ruth, Israel's own Tito from Argentina, and Ami Baran - originally hails from Los Angeles.
"While working at ECI, a colleague, playing in the league at the time, got me interested in softball. Pretty soon, I got my own team together. Five years and four kids later, here I am, on the mound where I belong.
"Pitching came quite naturally to me. And I work at it, throwing balls over and over at a net propped up against the wall of my house. Once, some guys from the Mitchell Commission came by, asking about it. They then told me it violated the Oslo agreements because it constituted setting up an illegal structure in the occupied territories. Those guys don't know softball and they certainly don't know me," Goldstein said, stern-faced and determined.
Some Umps are Dawgs
Some Dawgs are taking part in the ISA umpiring clinic. When a team has umpires in its roster, it helps to improve the quality of play of the team, and helps to reduce unnecessary arguing with the umpire on the field during the game. A team's umpire never umps his own team , of course. In the ISA, umpiring is a paid position (if you call what they get real money, that is . . . )
In the photo, we have, from left, Dan Aronovic (Penticon), Jeremy Shai (Dawgs), Yaniv Gohary (Dawgs) , Olga Rushotov (standing), Bob Kessler (Instructor), Danny Epstein (Dawgs), Shyella Mayk (Tel Aviv), Wendy Halley, Donna Trimble, and Eitan Milgram (Shomrat)
àéîåï ùðé áøùì"ö.
äñôåøè÷ ìéã äçé -ëó ùì øàùåï.
éåí øáéòéò, 8 áòøá, 5 áôáøåàø, 2003
àí éù çùù ùì îîù ùì âùí, ðåãéò òì ãçééú äàéîåï ìéåí çîéùé (ðåãéò òã ùòä 16:00 )
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Our first Dawg training was a successfull start to a promising season.
On a cold late January evening, we started slow, but steady with regulars:
Shmuel Goldstein
Jon Dym
Jeremy Shai
Danny Epstein,
and newcomers:
David Sommer
Eli Fagan
Yehudah Kronengold
Yossi Glickman
Next practice: Wednesday, February 5, At the Sportek in Rishon LeTzion, 8 PM.
If there is rain, we will inform people by 4 PM, and push off the practice to Thursday, the 6th. If there is still rain on the 6th, we will practice only on the 12th.
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Mazal Tov to Shmuel
Gadiel Baruch is born to our intrepid manager, Shmuel, on October 4.
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áèåøðéø ùì ìéâú äðåòø äàøöéú áçðåëä, ÷áåöú øçåáåú ì÷çä àú äâáéò.
ùéí ìá áúîåðä ëîä ãåâæ éù á÷áåöä: ùåøä úçúåðä, îéîéï ìùîàì: â'øîé ùé, áéìé æôøðé, éðéá â'åäøé, ãåã ùé,àìáøè ñø÷åáéõ, åàäøåï ÷åøõ. ùåøä òìéåðä îéîéï ìùîàì: ñâéà îåø,øôàì àäøåðåáéõ, æàá øåèîï, îéëàì îåøåðåá, éåðé ñåãéú, éåàá àìéäå, åîàîï ä÷áåöä: éò÷á ÷åøõ
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The Rehovot youth all-stars took the cup in the National Youth Softball Tournament held during Hannukah, 2002. There are a few Dawgs on this team, noted with an (*). Pictured, front row, left to right: Aharon Kurtz (*), Albert Sarkovitch (*), David Shai, Yaniv Gohary (*), Billy Zaphrani, and Jeremy Shai (*). Top row, left to right: Coach Jack Kurtz, Yoav Eliahu, Yoni Sodit, Michael Moronov, Zeev Rotman, Raphael Aharonovich, and Sagi Mor.
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Cool Stuff | ëì îéðé 
