May 19, 2011 | 3:57 am

NBA Omer Counter

Posted by Jeremy Fine

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We began a tradition of sending out an Omer counter each year. Sorry we are late, but for those having trouble counting this year, here is our NBA Omer Counter.

We took the best player at each position. Most of our info is from the Bleacher Report and some we decided ourselves. There were a few numbers that lacked a solid rep like #46 Dennis Bell (who?) and #39 Greg Ostertag. Other numbers had tough competition like #6 Bill Russell and Julius Erving and number #32 Magic Johnson, Karl Malone, and Kevin McHale. For #34 we went with the Dream and moved Shaq to #36. While for #45 we bumped Chuck Person and gave the spot to Michael Jordan (yes, he is #23 as well). Enjoy!

1    Oscar Robertson
2    Moses Malone
3    Allen Iverson
4    Joe Dumars
5    Jason Kidd
6    Bill Russell
7    Pete Maravich
8    Kobe Bryant
9    Bob Petit
10    Walt Frazier
11    Isiah Thomas
12    John Stockton
13    Wilt Chamberlain
14    Bob Cousy
15    Earl Monroe
16    Bob Lanier
17    John Havlicek
18    Dave Cowens
19    Willis Reed
20    Gary Payton
21    Tim Duncan
22    Elgin Baylor
23    Michael Jordan
24    Rick Barry
25    K.C. Jones
26    Hedo Turkoglu
27    Jack Twyman
28    Sam Cassell
29    Paul Silas
30    Rasheed Wallace
31    Reggie Miller
32    Magic Johnson
33    Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
34    Hakeem Olajuwon
35    Reggie Lewis
36    Shaquille O’Neal
37    Ron Artest
38    Kwame Brown
39    Greg Ostertag
40    Shawn Kemp
41    Dirk Nowitzki
42    Nate Thurmond
43    Brad Daugherty
44    Jerry West
45    Michael Jordan
46    Dennis Bell
47    Andrei Kirilenko
48    Walt Gilmore
49    Shandon Anderson

And Let Us Say…Amen.
-Jeremy Fine
For more check out www.THEGREATRABBINO.com

May 17, 2011 | 1:29 pm

Frank Gets 2nd Interview with Rockets

Posted by Jeremy Fine

Once rumored for the Tennessee Volunteers job (as Bruce Pearl’s replacement) it looks like Lawrence Frank might be headed to another NBA team. The Houston Rockets have brought in Frank for a second interview.

Frank was previously the head coach of the NJ Nets last coaching in 2009-10. Since he has been Doc Rivers’ assistant in Boston.

Good luck. TGR would love to have a Jewish head coach in the NBA again.
For more check out www.TheGreatRabbino.com

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May 17, 2011 | 7:43 am

High School Basketball League History

Posted by Jeremy Fine

Jewish Hoops America is working on a piece about the history of Yeshiva League basketball. To read the work in progress click HERE.

For more basketball read our recent articles comparing Red Auerbach and Phil Jackson and vote for who will be this year’s NBA Sportsman of the Year.
And Let Us Say…Amen.
-Jeremy Fine
Check out WWW.THEGREATRABBINO.COM

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May 15, 2011 | 11:27 am

Red or Phil?

Posted by Jeremy Fine

Lets compare the numbers.



Titles: Jackson 11, Auerbach 10

Games won: Jackson 1155, Auerbach 938

Seasons: Jackson 21, Auerbach 17

Hall of Fame: Both inducted

Coach of the Year: Jackson (‘96), Auerbach (‘65)

NBA’s Top 10 Coaches of All-Time: Both



The numbers are so close that it is hard to settle the debate simply by looking at them. If anything Jackson has the slight edge with 1 more championship. Both also had great players. Jackson had Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman on his Bulls teams while his Lakers had Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, and Pau Gasol. Auerbach had Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, and K.C. Jones.



Auerbach late became a General Manager and took a front office leadership that Jackson never did. If I had to pick one I would go with Auerbach. While Jackson was a Bull, Jackson’s job was always to take they top talent in the league and have them play as a team. Auerbach helped assemble the team and then coach it. He also never had Jordan. 6 of Jackson’s titles were Jordan’s dominance and will. Russell, probably the third best player of all-time (Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain in front of him) was a force for sure, but the ball wasn’t in his hand like Jordan. He also had guys like Jordan and Bryant to help guide their other players like Rodman and Ron Artest.



Ultimately, I think Jackson will come back. If he does and wins another title I gave the edge to Jackson. If he losses I think Auerbach comes out on top.



Feel free to comment.

And Let Us Say…Amen.

-Jeremy Fine
For more visit www.TheGreatRabbino.com

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May 13, 2011 | 11:03 am

Ike on the DL

Posted by Jeremy Fine

Mets 1st Baseman was sent to the DL. Davis leads the Mets with 7 Home Runs. For more click HERE.

Check out www.TheGreatRabbino.com

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May 12, 2011 | 1:09 pm

Marquis’ 100th Win in Perspective

Posted by Jeremy Fine

Recently Jason Marquis won is 4th game of the season beating the Atlanta Braves. So far this season he is 4-1 with a 3.66 ERA on a Nationals team that
is 17-18. He ranks 6th among N.L. pitchers in fewest walks per 9
innings (1.60) and 9th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.714/tie). This win was special because it was the 100th of his career. He is the 5th Jewish pitcher to win 100 games. Ken Holtzman, Sandy Koufax, Steve Stone, and Dave Roberts are the other four. This a big accomplishment for Marquis who could have done this a year earlier had he not been injured for almost the entire season.

Marquis is definitely no Koufax and in fact does not yet compare to Holtzman and Stone both who in their prime were stellar. Although with 8 more wins he will pass Stone on the career wins list and move into 3rd place all-time. But Stone as a Cy Young and Marquis hasn’t been close. (I am open to arguments). So where does the 5 winningest Jewish pitcher of all-time fair against today’s top pitchers?



Roy Halladay - 174 Wins (14 Seasons)

C.C. Sabathia - 160 Wins (11 Seasons)

Mark Buehrle - 150 Wins (12 Seasons)

Barry Zito - 142 Wins (12 Seasons)

Carlos Zambrano - 120 Wins (11 Seasons)

Josh Beckett - 114 Wins (9 Seasons)

Cliff Lee - 104 Wins (10 Seasons)

Jason Marquis - 100 Wins (12 Seasons)

Tim Lincecum - 59 Wins (5 Seasons)

Clayton Kershaw - 30 Wins (4 Seasons)30



 This places Marquis somewhere in between Jake Peavy (102 Wins in 10 Seasons) and Carl Pavano (99 Wins in 13 Seasons). Not a bad position to be ranked.



Congrats to Marquis and keep the wins coming.

And Let Us Say…Amen.

-Jeremy Fine
For more check out www.TheGreatRabbino.com

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May 8, 2011 | 3:15 pm

2011 NBA Sportsman of the Year

Posted by Jeremy Fine

Since the NBA isn’t loaded with players the annual TGR award in the NBA goes to anyone involved in the organization. Last’s winner was Omri Casspi for obvious reasons. He had a solid rookie season and participated in two parts of NBA All Star weekend. But this year neither Casspi or Jordan Farmar were overly impressive so we look to some owners for this year’s winner. Below are the TGR 2011 nominees for NBA Sportsman of the Year.

Mark Cuban (Owner Dallas Mavericks) - While is antics are crazy on the sidelines, Cuban has helped put together a solid team around Dirk Nowitzki. Over the last season and half they have added veterans Shawn Mario, Tyson Chandler, Brendan Haywood, and Peja Stojakovic. The Mavs are a solid pick to go to the NBA Finals.

Jerry Reinsdorf (Owner Chicago Bulls) - Another owner who might not of landed the big free agent but helped build around the NBA MVP Derrick Rose. His off-season included Carlos Boozer, Kyle Korver, Keith Bogans, and Corey Brewer. Also, maybe the best non-trade of the season keeping Omir Asik instead of going after Courtney Lee.

Micky Arison (Owner Miami Heat) - For obvious reasons Arison is on this list. He landed both Lebron James and Chris Bosh, while maintaining his star Dwayne Wade. Unlike Reinsdorf and Cuban, Arison didn’t fill in wholes he went and landed two huge fish.

And Let Us Say…Amen.

-Jeremy Fine

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May 3, 2011 | 1:26 pm

The Bear Jew: Gabe Carimi

Posted by Jeremy Fine

Chicago has had its share of great athletes, Michael Jordan, Frank Thomas, and Stan Mikita to name a few. The Bears have probably the richest of the Chicago teams with players like Walter Payton, Gayle Sayers, and Dick Butkus. But it has been a while since any Chicago team has had a great Jewish athlete. The Cubs had Ken Holtzman and Steve Stone but besides those two it has been hard for Chicagoans to rally around a top Jewish star. The one Chicago Jewish athlete that has Hall of Fame status is Sid Luckman. Luckman retired in 1950 and since Chicago Jews have been searching. And with the 29th in the 2011 NFL Draft the wait might have ended. The Chicago Bears selected Gabe Carimi out of the University of Wisconsin.
The last two NFL drafts have seen three Jewish football players drafted. In 2010 Tampa Bay took Erik Lorig in the 7th round. The other pick was Taylor Mays who was a projected first round pick. After getting snubbed by his own college coach Pete Carroll, Mays fell to the second round. But this year Carimi was selected in round number one. Jewish football fans have a player to finally cheer. Over the last few years there have been a bunch of up and coming Jewish athletes in other sports including Jordan Farmar, Kevin Youkilis, and Mike Cammalleri. But Carimi comes in immediately and is arguably the top Jewish NFLer. His numbers will not be flashy and he won’t be catching touchdowns, but he has the opportunity and potential to be a perennial Pro Bowler.
Carimi will play for an offensive line that is anchored by Olin Kruetz. He has one objective in the Mike Martz style offensive; protect Jay Cutler. The Bears have invested a lot of time and money in their quarterback and have done a poor job giving him time to throw the ball. So, Carimi needs to keep Cutler off his back and allow him to throw touchdowns.
In college Carimi won the 2010 Outland Trophy for the nations top interior lineman. He had 49 starts at left tackle and played in the 2011 Rose Bowl. He was also a unanimous selection 2010 Consensus All-American, and the Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year.
That is what he has done on the field but in the synagogue he has been much more impressive. He grew up in a Reform synagogue where he was Bar Mitzvahed at Temple Beth-El in Madison. He had a Bar Mitzvah project that helped Habitat for Humanity. While in High School he helped in his synagogue’s Hebrew School. In 2007 Yom Kippur landed on a Saturday (game day). Carimi fasted up until an hour before the game. When asked if Yom Kippur lands on a NFL Sunday, he has already checked and says it is not going to happen.
He is not only Jewish but he cares about his religion. Caring brings Jews more pride than just playing sports. Yes, we love Sandy Koufax for being Jewish, but we hold him on a pedestal for not playing on Yom Kippur. We love Omri Casspi for playing basketball but we cheer for him more for embracing the Jewish community. And we follow Yuri Foreman for being a Champion, but we love him more because he is going to be a Rabbi. Carimi is not just another Jewish player; he will be a leader on the field and in the Jewish world.
We as Jews should celebrate this first round draft pick. Not just Bears fans, but Jews everywhere. Carimi is a public figure, one that embraces his Yiddishkite and can be a role model for young Jews everywhere. I know I will be watching him on a weekly basis, which is made easier by him wearing Blue and Orange. So welcome “Bear Jew” and Bear Down!

For more check out www.TheGreatRabbino.com

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