Let us consider this, Ladies and Gumballs, the beginning, where the explaining begins, where I, King of All Jewish Baseball, set aside my sword, momentarily, and lay my brush to the beautiful picture I have so boisterously claimed I will paint for you of the Kingdom of Jewish Baseball. Here is my solemn oath, I will share with you what I learn for myself…
There are 6 regions in the Israel Association of Baseball. I am the “National” Director. Each region has a “Regional” Director. And then there are “area” or “local” directors within those 6 regions. Today, I went to Bet Shemesh to meet Shlomit Becker, the RD there, to talk and see the facilites in the area.
Shlomit is originally from Queens, New York. She has lived in Israel for 21 years. Her two sons play in our baseball program. She thought when she accepted the positon of RD it would be temporary, but she has now been doing it for 10 years, and, in the great words of the philosopher and scientist, LL Cool J, doing it well. When Shlomit took over in Bet Shemesh, there was 1 team with 10 players in the region. There are now 11 team with a total of 150 players, the most of any region in the country. But, as I discovered last year in the Great Jewish Paradise, Florida, there is no point in using this antiquated technology called words when I can use the secret new unspoken language known as video and simply show you what happened today when I met Shlomit. I beg you, faithful reader, to keep in mind that this 5 minutes of my life that has been magically captured in repeatable moving picture is no act, and the confusion you see me suffering is not contained to this short time. I exist in a state of constant and utter uncertainty like a baby bird. Anyhow, without wasting further, here is the video– or, videos, parts 1 and 2.
There are 3 fields in Bet Shemesh. Shlomit and I visited all 3. The word “Moshav” means farm or village or community in Hebrew, I think, and all 3 fields are on Moshavs in the region. When I say “fields”, I use the word in both the loosest and most accurate sense – fields, as in open, cleared, somewhat flat space, where, with the right equipment, one could, potentially, play an organized sport. Not “fields” as in “baseball fields”. Here they are…
Field 1, Moshav Mesilat Tzion
Field 2, Moshav Aviezer
The backstop at Aviezer
And field 3, Moshav Lamed Hey
And these fileds on these Moshavs are where Shlomit and the coaches and players from Bet Shemesh have come to practice and play baseball together for the last decade.
So, to life, and to Shlomit Becker, Regional Director, Bet Shemesh, the Queen of Bet Shemesh Baseball…
Shlomit Becker, Bet Shemesh Regional Director, Israel Association of Baseball