Softball League’s Opening Day

Zalman Schreiber for YQ Media, media sponsor

The weatherman may have you confused, but spring is upon us.

Besides doing away with your winter coat and breaking out the grill for a Sunday afternoon Bar-B-Q, this weather change also means the onset of another scintillating sports season. Now on the field: the Crown Heights Softball League.

The start of this new campaign comes chock full of anticipation for an exciting and challenging competition.

“Last year’s championship team essentially remained intact, so it’ll be a challenge to beat the defending champs,” says Daniel Cole, captain of the Red Heifers. He and Zevi Steinhauser make up the league’s commissioners.

The formal season opener took place last Thursday night at St. John’s Recreational Field.

The evening’s Opening Act promised to be another classic pitcher’s duel between The Tribe – sponsored by COLlive– and the Red Heifers – backed by MV Express at Leasing Direct.

That expectation proved unfulfilled; the game quickly turned into a lopsided affair when the Red Heifers’ defense sprung holes and leaks from the very first frame.

The Red Heifers sank themselves by allowing The Tribe’s slugger, Chezky Herz, to a staggering 13 total bases. Although the deficit never surpassed four runs, The Tribe controlled throughout, winning 6-2.

Asked why he signed up for a second consecutive season, Crown Heights resident – and Red Heifers shortstop – Levi Epstein notes, “Sitting in my office all day makes it difficult to get exercise. Growing up, I was always a big baseball fan and player. This league is a wonderful way to get exercise in a social manner and in a Jewish environment.”

Before the league was founded by Cole and Steinhauser, people could only play softball locally by assembling two squads on a whim, without the guarantee that a field would be available or that the game would even be played. With the advent of this league, the men of Crown Heights have the ability to partake in an organized sports league in their own backyard.

A strong motivation to put forth your best efforts comes from team camaraderie; by the teammates wearing uniforms with community business sponsorship logos, or simply by the men rooting for one another, this league helps build trust, faith, and fellowship in the Crown Heights community.

In Game Two of Opening Night, the Rebels – hailing from Flatbush and its environs, and bankrolled by Jack Jaffa and Associates – opened their inaugural game without their best foot forward. Behind the spectacular pitching of Yitzy Cole, the Hebrew Hammers – funded by Advantage Wholesale Supply – easily defeated the Rebels, 13-9.

This was the first meeting of two teams heading in different directions. The Rebels will need a better defensive showing to right the ship and make a run for the post-season.

The games are officiated by hired umpires, each affectionately called “Blue” after the blue bomber jackets they wear while calling balls-and-strikes. “I’ve been with this league for nearly a half-dozen seasons,” says one umpire who identifies himself simply as Virgil. “They have some amateurs and some really good players, but no team is ever marginalized or lopsided. The teams are always fair. I’m looking forward to seeing the new crop of talent this year.”

The Kloppers, funded by Better Accounting Solutions, opened their season Tuesday night at St. John’s Rec against the winless Red Heifers. In the second game of the evening, the Skullcaps – sponsored by Landmark Funding Group – dipped into their first action of the season against the undefeated Tribe in late-game action.

Along with the box scores, bragging rights, trophies and championships, the league is also concerned with players’ safety, and maintaining the game’s pleasant atmosphere.

“We have some old-timers,” comments Zevi Katz, a physical therapist, who’s been with the league from its inception. “We’re careful with warm ups, stretching and staying flexible. It’s a fun game, not rough.”

That being said, if the first week was any indication for what’s to come, this softball season is destined to be the best that the league has seen to date.

“I’m looking forward to an exciting season,” Commissioner Cole says.

The league, sponsored by The Printhouse, is organized and updated through its website, www.CHsoftball.com, and its Facebook page.

Contributing editor: Yossi Goldstein