SMG uncovers Jews in Baseball

I've never understood the purpose of these lists. What is the obsession with ethnic lists of baseball players?

 

Big deal.

Do an All-Amish lineup and I'll be impressed.

 

Bubbler is short for Bubbalah

 

I'm not Jewish, though I've been mistaken for one, namely due to my prominent schnozz and the Hasidic insurance agent I had when I lived in Brooklyn. However, I did, for a while, write for the site that was originally the Jewish Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame before the Hall itself sued that name out of existence.

The impression I got was that lists like this (and efforts like the rock hall) were because for so long Jews, unlike others who played up or merely couldn't hide their ethnic or racial identity, suppressed their Jewishness as a way to get ahead. Think of Woody Allen's 60s routine about how he was hired by a Madison Avenue ad agency to be the "house Jew so they could say they were diverse," or even Seinfeld being a totally Jewish show that never acknowledged its Jewishness. When I interviewed Al Kooper for the site, he talked a lot about wanting to run away from that identity (especially as a musician -- he snuck into black churches to hear music because he couldn't take the cantors) as a young up-and-comer and only recently returning to it. For athletes, I can imagine these efforts are coming out because the joke for so long was that Jews weren't athletes -- remember Airplane and the famous Jewish athletes pamphlet?

 

Elspeth Hershberger All-Amish 1878-84

 

;D

 

Caleb hated the shift.

 

Is that one in the back Willie Olsen?

 

Kinda like the people who apologize profusely for wishing me a Merry Christmas.

 

Are you Bernie Kosar?

I think about 80 percent of the Jewish population in America was convinced Bernie was Jewish.

 

Dark, curly hair. Prominent nose.

C'mon. Bernie's a Jew!

 

I thought that was a list of Bernie Madoff investors.