| 
| Second Annual Dave Lelchook Memorial Softball Mini-Tournament Kibbutz Shomrat - August 8, 2008
Summary of Events | Gadi Bossin Players and coaches representing nine Israel Softball Association (ISA) teams gathered at Kibbutz Shomrat on Friday, August 8 to pay tribute to Dave Lelchook. Lelchook played for the ISA"s Shomrat Cubs in the 1980s and 1990s and was an Israel National Team player for the 1989 Maccabiah Games. He was killed by a Katyusha rocket on the pathway outside his home on Kibbutz Saar in August 2006. Seven Eilat Flames players traveled the length of the country to Shomrat, just north of Acco, to honor Lelchook and his family and to participate in the tournament. The day began with a solemn ten o"clock memorial service at the gravesite in the small cemetery at Kibbutz Saar. Rabbi Shimon Gorelik of Nahariya, a personal friend of Lelchook, officiated and chanted El Maleh Rachamim. At eleven, just one hour later, with a cry of "Play ball!" the memorial softball mini-tournament got underway. Yehuda Beinin (Galil Twisters) and Ed Freedman (Remax Ra"anana), co-founders of the ISA, and Bob Samuels (Israel National Team manager, 1993), were honorary captains. Players from the various ISA league squads combined to form the three tournament teams. Three three-inning games were played. Team Ed defeated Team Yehuda in the first game, 2-1. Team Yehuda took game two from Team Bob, 5-1. Team Bob, relying on the strong arm of Ami Baran of ISA league champions Penticon, rebounded to record a 2-0 shutout victory over Team Ed in the final game. With all three teams posting a one-win, one-loss record, the tournament ended in a three-way tie for first place. Pitchers Chezi Ganz of Team Ed/Cerveceros and Bill Arscott of Team Yehuda/Galil Twisters were sharp on the mound, but it was shortstop Revital Berlin-Ofir of Team Ed/Israel Women"s National Team who wowed the crowd with a brilliant leaping, diving grab of a line drive off the bat of Arscott for the highlight reel play of the day. Another defensive gem was a hustling, running catch of a popup, halfway up the first base line, by catcher Yoni Weiss of Team Yehuda/Eilat Flames. Beinin led off the first game of the tournament, ripping a sharp line drive through the middle. Yaniv Rosenfeld (Team Yehuda/Galil Twisters), recently returned with the Israel National Team from the European Softball Championship Tournament in Denmark, supplied the big hit of the day with a home run blast off Baran. Gadi Bossin (Team Bob/Shimshon Hi-Tech of Bet Shemesh), Baran"s catcher: "Ami put the ball right where I asked for it, down and away, but Yaniv reached for it, made contact and drove the ball over the left fielder"s head." Dave"s mother Doris and sister Judy from Boston and Dave"s widow Estie and daughters Yael and Michal of Kibbutz Saar were guests of honor.
Between the first and second games, a brief ceremony was held. The players, colorfully decked out in their team uniforms and lined up along the baselines, were introduced to the crowd. A message from Bob Samuels was read. Samuels, who is abroad and was honorary captain of Team Bob in absentia, quoted New York Yankees Hall of Fame catcher Bill Dickey"s characterization of Mickey Mantle as a power hitter in describing Dave Lelchook"s batting prowess: "Dave hit the ball and it stayed hit." On behalf of the organizing committee and the Lelchook family, Samuels thanked all the players and officials and spectators "for coming to honor Dave"s memory and to give support to the family." The tournament committee presented memorial tournament souvenir certificates to the Lelchook family. The games were played in the spirit of the competitive zeal and good humor that were Dave Lelchook trademarks throughout his years in the league. Part of the good humor was provided by play-by-play announcers who took turns calling the games in Hebrew, English and Spanish to the great delight of the spectators. Two veteran league officials, Howie Litz (behind the plate) and Goose Gillett (on the bases), umpired all three games of the tournament. Litz will represent Israel as an umpire in the upcoming 2008 European Club Softball Championship Tournament in the Czech Republic. Litz: "It"s important to us to pay tribute to Dave. The tournament is also a great opportunity for players from around the league to come together and play ball in this special atmosphere of camaraderie and cooperation."
Bill Arscott throws the first ceremonial pitch
Photo: Ron Blumenthal
Doris Lelchook, Dave"s mother, watches the action
Photo: Rinat Bossin
|
powerd by