THE BLUE SOX WIN! THE BLUE SOX WIN!!

In a battle for the championship, in front of over 2600 people, the Bet Shemesh Blue Sox win the first ever Israel Baseball League Championship by the score of 3-0. Congratulations Blue Sox! israelbaseballleague.com: Press Releases

THE FINALS

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The stage is set. Sunday, August 19, 2007, 11 am EST., the Bet Shemesh Blue Sox will face the Modi'in Miracles for the first ever championship game of the Israel Baseball League. After holding on to first place the entire season, the Blue Sox clinched first place this past Sunday and earned a bye in the first round of the playoffs along with the second place team Tel Aviv Lightning. The Netanya Tigers battled the Ra'anana Express in the quarter finals defeating them 3-0 while the Modi'in Miracles faced the Petach Tikva Pioneers, defeating them 6-2. The next match up was the semi finals matching Tel Aviv against Modi'in and Bet Shemesh against Netanya. In what I would consider an upset, the Modi'in Miracles knocked the Tel Aviv Lightning out of the finals with a 4-2 defeat. The Tigers put up a great battle against the Blue Sox leading the game through the first 3 1/2 innings, but eventually the Blue Sox came back and defeated the Tigers 6-3. With a day off tomorrow the Bet Shemesh Blue Sox and the Modi'in Miracles will meet at Yarkon Field to determine the champions. Go Blue Sox!!!!!!!!!!!

Winding down

With 5 games (and one suspended game to complete), the Bet Shemesh Blue Sox are still in 1st place by 3.5 games over the Tel Aviv Lightening. It has been an amazing season for them so far but it is winding down quick. Every team will have a chance at the championship, the first and second place teams will have a bye the first round, and it will go from there. Hard to believe it is almost over. Will be good to have Mike home again though. There is an article( Despite problems, IBL to return for another go in '08 Jerusalem Post) in the Jerusalem Post talking about having a league again next summer. Keep your fingers crossed for them and again....GO BLUE SOX!!!

Go Sox!

The popularity of baseball seems to be growing in Israel. Autograph sessions like this are a daily occurrence and the stands are still full each game. Perhaps it is because the Blue Sox are still in first place. Speaking of which, they are barely hanging on to first place by .5 game. They suffered another defeat today to the Tel Aviv Lightening in a close pitchers dual. The Blue Sox are 16-7 which is a great record for any team, and they are about half way through their season. The Tel Aviv Lightening and the Modi'in Miracles are hot on their tail. The next closest team after that is a long 6.5 games out of first. It is hard to believe a month has gone by already but on the other hand it seems like it has been longer. They will be back before I know it. Hopefully the Sox can get back on their winning streak and put some distance between themselves and Tel Aviv.

IBL update

Since my last post a lot has happened in the IBL. The Bet Shemesh Blue Sox suffered their first loss last Sunday to the second place team, the Tel Aviv Lightening. Still holding on to first place, it has been an up and down week for the team. On Monday and Tuesday they had decisive wins, but on Wednesday suffered their second loss in a 15-6 slaughter. On Thursday they came back to win, but it took a homerun derby to decide that game. In the IBL if a game is tied after the last (7th) inning, they go to a homerun derby to decide the outcome). Today they had an early game against the still second place team, Tel Aviv, and again was beaten by them. Although the Blue Sox are still in first, they are hanging on by a thread with only a .5 game lead. Hopefully they can gain back their momentum and get back on their winning streak. There is a great article in the Jerusalem Post about the Blue Sox and their fan base. Blue Sox spirit captivates fans Jerusalem Post. Michael says he signs autographs every day and seems to still be having a great time. On Tuesday while checking out the website, I found that they had recorded Sunday's game against Tel Aviv and were webcasting it. It was exciting to watch, Mike is on the film quite a bit, even shows him losing his temper at one point (nah...not Mike!!). If you get a chance, check it out.israelbaseballleague.com: Watch Games Just click on the Bet Shemesh vs Tel link, give it a few minutes, and it should play. There are no games tomorrow (never on Saturday), so we will have to wait and see what happens Sunday. GO BLUE SOX!

Another Win??

Well, guess what....they are still undefeated. With another slaughter today (18-5), the Bet Shemesh Blue Sox have an amazing 9-0 record. Michael had 5 stolen bases today, including stealing home. Wish I could be there to see him play, but someone has to hold down the home front. Unfortunately Ray's team isn't doing as well,and suffered another loss today. Hopefully they will get their act together and start winning more games (just not against Mike's team!!)
Zach is having a good time on vacation with his dad. They are spending a lot of time on the golf course and had a real good 4th. Can't wait till he gets home tomorrow. It is rough having both boys gone at the same time!

Still Undefeated

Down 5 runs in the seventh and last inning due in part to Ray's 3 run homer, Bet Shemesh somehow pulled another victory out of the air. A grand slam by teammate Jason Reese put some runs on the board for the Blue Sox, followed by a 3 run homerun by who else but Mike! Three more runs gave the Blue Sox the lead 10-5. The Tigers came back and scored one run in the bottom of the seventh to make the final score 10-6. Keep up the good work guys! If you want to keep up with it, just go to www.israelbaseballleague.com. Click on "Still Undefeated" in the title for story in Jerusalum Post! For some great pictures, click on Fanzone and photo album. Till next time!

Another Victory!

The Bet Shemesh Blue Sox are doing well, they have won their first two games of the season. This picture was posted on the web site today, that is Mike, #8 congratulating his teammate. Keep up the good work guys!

Israel Update

Michael arrived in Israel safe and sound and with all luggage in tact. He is staying in a college dorm and says the food is terrible! He will either get used to it, or be really skinny when he gets home. He and his best friends are rooming with one other player. Opening day was Sunday but Mike's first game wasn't till today (Monday). His team won their first game. I asked Mike about opening day ceremonies and he said it was a pretty cool event. He also said he signed about 400 autographs - that had to be an ego booster! Apparently the event went well and there was a huge turn out. Our conversations are short, not sure what kind of phone bill it will produce until next month, but he seems happy. I think he would be happy anywhere as long as he gets to play baseball!
Zach is doing great and enjoying his summer vacation. He is headed to Oklahoma this week with his Dad to visit his Uncle. I hope they have a good time. His birthday is right around the corner, hard to believe he is going to be 14 already. Time flies.

I will keep you posted on Israel and anything else going on...........till then....

Baseball in Israel...Vy not!

The time has finally arrived. Mike is set to go and is headed to New York first, then off to Israel. He is very excited and anxious to get there. It is about a 10 hour flight from NY to Israel, but Mike has his Ipod ready and said he is going to try to sleep as much as possible. They only have a few days before their first game, so I am sure they will be busy trying to meet their teammates and trying to get settled. I am so excited for him, this is an experience he will never forget. I will miss him, but it is only 2 months! Sure will be quiet around here.
The summer is going good. I have been working at Publix and catching up on some sleep. It is nice not having to wake up at 6 am every day and not working 7 days a week. I am sure the summer will fly by and that before I know it school is back in session. We will have a new principal when I go back, that should be interesting. I hear nothing but good about him, but you know how things are when someone new steps in. I am sure some things will change. We have also had a major turn over in management at Publix this summer. Just about everyone has shifted stores including our store manager. I guess it is just a summer of change.
Zach is enjoying his summer so far. He has been hanging out with his friends, riding bikes, skating, typical young teenage stuff. He is going on vacation soon too with his Dad and when he comes back his birthday is right around the corner. After his birthday he wants to work at Publix as a bagger and earn a bit of spending money for himself. At that age they can't work too many hours but it will be good for him to realize the value of a dollar.
Thant's about it for now, I will keep you posted on the goings on in Israel, or of course you can stay updated at www.israelbaseballleague.com.