Interview with Karen Kellerman

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To find out about our region

Honorable mentions: Walter Samuel from Roma to Real Madrid (2004), Ken Holtzman from the Chicago Cubs to the Oakland Athletics (1971), Mike Cammalleri from the Montreal Canadians to the Calgary Flames (2012) and Scott Schoenweis from the Anaheim Angels to the Chicago White Sox (2003).

10) Taylor Mays from the San Francisco 49ers to the Cinncinati Bengals- In 2010 there was a lot of buzz around Mays. A freakish build and steady production in college led NFL teams to think highly of Mays. Drafted in the 2nd round, Mays showed a few signs of athleticism but he never reached the potential Coach Mike Singletary saw in him. In 2011 he was shipped to the Bengals and continues to underachieve. People are saying 2012 will be his year.

9) Danny Schayes from the Denver Nuggets to the Utah Jazz - In 1990 the son of legendary Dolph Schayes was having a solid NBA season averaging 10.3 PPG and 9.0 RPG while starting all 50 games. He was then shipped to Utah and road the bench. His production dropped to 7.3 PPG and 5.8 RPG and never lived up to the numbers he showed in early ‘90.

8) Sam Fuld from the Chicago Cubs to the Tampa Bay Rays - From 2007-2010 Fuld played sparingly whenever the Cubs called him up. In 2011 Fuld was traded to the Rays as a centerpiece of the Matt Garza trade. Fuld soon became Super Sam and found his way unto SportsCenter’s Top Ten on a nightly basis. Fuld has been bothered by injuries but the trade gave him a chance to play every day.

7) Tamir Goodman from Maccabi Tel Aviv to Giv’at Shmuel - While technically this was a loan not a trade, it was the first sign of Goodman’s basketball career coming to an end. While he inspired Jews everywhere with his cover of Sports Illustrated, Goodman never became the professional ball player many hoped he’d be. No Maccabi Tel Aviv no more Jewish Jordan.

6) Sage Rosenfels from the Houston Texans to the Minnesota Vikings - In 2009 Rosenfels was shipped to the Minnesota Vikings to finally get his chance at a starting position. He was brought in to compete with Tarvaris Jackson. Little did he know that a man by the name of Brett Favre (or some say Farve) would arrive in Minnesota shortly after, sending Rosenfels to QB3.

5) Jason Marquis from the Atlanta Braves to the St. Louis Cardinals/ from the Chicago Cubs to the Colorado Rockies/ from the Washington Nationals to the Arizona Diamondbacks - Marquis has been traded a few times, pretty much every time he has showed signs of life he is shipped off. Unfortunately, Marquis has never become a top of the line starter, but has looked solid for the Padres this season despite a 1-3 record.

4) Art Shamsky from the New York Mets to the St. Louis Cardinals - Shamsky was not happy about his trade in 1968 from the Cincinnati Reds, but it turned out to change his life. Shamsky went on to be a World Series Champ in 1969 with the Mets. Shamsky was tremendously important to that team down the stretch. In 1971 the fan favorite was shipped to the Cardinals and was soon thereafter released. Battling injuries, Shamsky never regained form.

3) Kevin Youkilis from the Boston Red Sox to the Chicago White Sox - The Youkilis trade ranks 3rd on our list. Simply put the Red Sox traded one of their all-time fan favorites. This sendoff was emotional for players and fans throughout the country. Chicago fans are excited to see what the all-star has left in the tank.

2) Omri Casspi from the Sacramento Kings to the Cleveland Cavilers - Jewish basketball is now synonymous with Casspi. He has captivated Israel and the United States and was doing it from Sacramento. His coach fell out of love with him and he was traded to Cleveland. Casspi is a site to see for Jews everywhere and for every game. He plays solid minutes but has yet to fully take off. But as Cleveland gets better, Casspi should fit into his role nicely. 

1) Hank Greenberg from the Detroit Tigers to the Pittsburgh Pirates - The greatest Jewish hitter of all-time was Hank Greenberg, no questions asked. He might also be the greatest player in Detroit baseball history (besides Ty Cobb). So it was a surprise to everyone when he was traded to the Pirates in 1947. Greenberg signed the richest contract in baseball history to return to the field after flirting with retirement. He led the league in walks and hit 25 HRs. 

And Let Us Say…Amen.

- Jeremy Fine

Micky Arison Wins His 2nd Championship

 

Gilad Shalit Covers the NBA Finals

We know that the Patriots Julian Edelman is an impressive athlete. He has played Wide Receiver, Punt Returner, Kick Returner, and Safety. But now he is headed to the Blue Jays?

To read more click HERE. Edelman hit 5 homers. Sign him up!

Miss football? Here are some stories to quench that thirst.

 

Schwartz’s Duo First Jewish Brothers Since 1923

 

Carimi Key to Bears Success

 

Mays Starting to Put it Together

 

Rams Happy with Hoffman-Ellis

 

Click HERE to read more about Glasser’s playing days and HERE for some draft information.

Watch a preview of The Choice

 

1) Tell TGR a little bit about yourself? Where did you grow up, family life, other interests besides baseball.

 

3)  Congrats on being drafted by the Washington Nationals. When did you realize getting drafted was a possibility? What was that like?

I really never thought that I would get drafted.  Being from such a small school that really hasn’t produced the greatest athletes in its history, I was not really expecting this to happen. When I first got a call from Bobby Myrick, who scouted me, I felt like it was a possibility but I really did not think it would happen because, again of the small school. Getting that call was probably one of the coolest things that ever happened to me. My dad was actually the only one home and he picked up the phone and talked to him. When my dad told me the news, I was ecstatic. First off, it was really cool that my Dad told me because he has always been the one who goes out and tosses BP for me or throws with me. However, I still did not think it would happen, I knew then that it was a possibility and I kept it in the back of my mind since that happened, until I went to Israel.

Draft day was crazy. I had everyone in the neighborhood over and family over, all dressed up, and we had a huge feast and huddled around the T.V. waiting for my name to be called and then… No, just kidding not at all like that. I had actually kind of forgot that it was the last day of the draft and if it was going to happen, it would happen that day. I was more focused on my Orientation at Denison. So, it was pretty normal, I went to the gym, packed and left for Granville, Oh. My friend Jordan Tuwiner had texted me a few days before saying that if I was going to get drafted that he would tell me first (Jordan runs a baseball recruiting website http://orioles-nation.

com/).  So, I started driving to orientation with my mom (about a 6 hour drive)  and my phone started to ring. I noticed that it was a (301) number so I thought I would pick it up (that was when I remembered that it was draft day). I picked it up and heard someone say “Hello this is the Washington Nationals, we just wanted to let you know that we will be drafting you in about 10 minutes so, you should turn on the broadcast on MLB.com and listen in, congratulations.” When I heard that, I was at a loss for words, I think all I could come up with was “awesome, awesome, thank you.” I started shaking a bit I think, and probably swerved a little bit on the road. I remember people passing me because I was all the way in the left lane and I started to slow down out of pure excitement. So, we frantically started calling everyone trying to tell them to tune in to the broadcast. Then, Jordan called and said they just drafted me. About a minute later we heard it over my moms iPhone on the car’s stereo system. It was just a crazy moment. We pulled over and my phone, email, and Facebook just started to blow up. Every other second I was getting a phone call, text or Facebook notification. It was really awesome. All of my friends and family were really nice about congratulating and supporting me. 

 

It is awesome that the Nationals, my hometown team, drafted me. I have been to a bunch of Nats games and know some people who have worked for the nationals in the past. I even remember when the Nats came to town and it was a big thing to be a nationals fan. Now, they are doing so well, that there are a lot of Nats fans out there and people are impressed when they here the Washington Nationals. However, I am a Red Sox fan, first and foremost. A bunch of my family grew up in Boston and Red Sox nation has been instilled in me from the beginning by my uncle, aunt, cousins,  grandmother, and mom. 

6) What is next for you? Do you plan on going to the minors or college? If you go to college do you loose your draft status?

I will be attending Denison University in the fall and playing for the Big Red in the spring. While it is really cool to have been drafted, my teachers and counselors as well as Baseball factory (a recruiting organization) have all taught me that my college education is more important for my future. Unless the Nats offer me a lot of money, I do not plan on accepting. After that, I will go to Denison and play baseball for them while nationals scouts and possibly other scouts follow me. After my Junior year of college, I can be drafted again by any team. 

 

7) What are your long term goals?

My long term goals are similar to most peoples long term goals. I want to be a family man first and foremost. If, to get there, the paths of life take me through professional baseball, then that would be really cool. If not,  then that’s okay also. I am interested in a number of things aside from baseball, and when it comes down to it, I have to make the best decisions for my family. One scenario that I especially want to avoid however, is getting drafted, signing, and then getting stuck in the minor leagues for a long time, where I can’t really do much with my life except get better at baseball, where I have little money, and am away form home most of the year.

 

8) Which baseball player do you try to model your game after? Who is your favorite player?

I would say I try and model my game, and work ethic after Jason Varitek. I think Varitek is the epitome of a professional  baseball player. He really knows the game, can predict situations,and is prepared for them. He was one of the hardest working guys in the game of baseball, even if he wasn’t the most gifted, or talented athlete, he always used his intelligence and work ethic to make him an all star and long tenured major leaguer.

 

9) If you had to start a baseball team which Jewish player would you start it with; Ryan Braun, Ian Kinsler, Kevin Youkilis, or Jason Marquis?

Jason Marquis. Pitching is the key to success.  But, I think Braun is a really great player and is going to surpass Shawn Green as the modern day Hank Greenberg

Good luck to Max in school (or scoring that huge lucrative deal). We will be following your story.

And Let Us Say…Amen.

- Jeremy Fine