West Caldwell athlete recalls playing ball, making history
Adam Goldman, who played for Petach Tikva, called his first season with the Israeli league a “great experience.”
Photo © 2007 Damion Edwards Photography
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West Caldwell athlete recalls playing ball, making history
Having the opportunity to play the inaugural season of a professional sports league can be a mixed blessing. On the one hand, everything is new, people are generally enthusiastic, and you’re making history.
For Adam Goldman of West Caldwell, who played for the Petach Tikvah Pioneers, those considerations overshadowed any minor growing pains of the fledgling enterprise.
Goldman, who left his team before the end of the season to prepare for his first year as a student at the University of Miami School of Law, marveled at how well he and his fellow IBLers were treated by a nation generally unfamiliar with the sport.
The best experience during the summer was signing autographs for young fans who were “absolutely overjoyed that we were there,” said Goldman. A graduate of Solomon Schechter Day School of Essex and Union, Goldman put his knowledge of Hebrew to the test as he took on the role of ambassador to build a new generation of enthusiasts.
The biggest disappointment was the condition of the fields, which Goldman described as “pretty rough.” Barely concealed drainage pipes, fences with sharp edges, and uneven playing surfaces created potentially dangerous situations.
Some of the rules adapted in consideration of a new audience also took a bit getting used to. Goldman recalled a game against the Bet Shemesh Blue Sox — the eventual IBL champions — in which his team was ahead by two runs in the last inning, only to have their opponent come back to tie it at the end of the regulation play: seven innings under IBL statutes. The Blue Sox went on to win the contest by means of a “home run derby,” another league innovation.
“Our team didn’t have a lot of power,” Goldman said. “Bet Shemesh had four or five guys that could hit the ball out. That was an absolutely gut-wrenching game to lose. We all said, ‘I can’t believe this is how a game’s being decided.’”
Despite the frustrations — Petach Tikvah won only nine of 41 games and Goldman’s statistics weren’t all he hoped they would be — he said that he thought he and the other teams’ members were incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity — and a historic one at that — to play professional baseball. “It was a thrill for me personally to hit against guys who have pitched in the minor leagues. I told myself every day to appreciate it. And when we sang ‘Hatikva’ before each game, I would always try to make sure I was taking in where I was.”
The crush of the schedule didn’t allow much time for sightseeing. “I don’t think enough people got to experience Israel. People definitely have a different opinion about the terrorism and violence in Israel. Even the guys on my team told me they were scared to come here, but after a week or two they said they didn’t feel unsafe. The way the media portray what’s going on is incredibly skewed, and the people in the league now obviously know that’s not the way it is.”
There’s no denying a learning curve for all involved during the first year, full of issues inherent in any start-up enterprise. Nevertheless, Goldman said, he would do it all over again.
“As the season progressed, things worked out, so it wound up being a great experience. I think all the players would say the same thing.”
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