The Maccabi USA Men's Fastpitch Softball Team captured the Gold Medal with a decisive 9-0 victory over Maccabi Canada in the final game the IX Pan American Maccabi Games Softball Championship. Over 2,500 Jewish athletes from 20 Nations of the Americas gathered to compete in 15 different Olympic style sporting events from July 11 -19 in Mexico City, Mexico.
The 6 Team Round Robin fastpitch Championship was sanctioned by, and played under the rules of The International Softball Federation. Hundreds of fans packed into the Centro Deportivo Israelita (CDI) Softball Stadium to watch 19 Fastpitch games over an 8 day period.
On Sunday evening July 11, over 18,000 people attended the festive and colorful Opening Ceremonies at the Palace Desportes Arena, which was built to host the Basketball tournament at the 1968 Olympics. The Ceremonies included a Welcome speech from Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo.
The tournament attracted National Maccabi Fastpitch teams representing the countries of Canada, USA, Panama, and Venezuela. The Host Country Mexico was represented by both A & B teams, to maximize the number of participants among the local Mexican CDI fastpitch players.
Team USA finished with a 7-0 overall record. Maccabi Canada posted a 5-2 record to earn the Silver Medal, and The CDI Mexico A team defeated Venezuela Hebraica in the Bronze Medal game, finishing the tournament with a 4-3 record. Playing in his seventh international Maccabi Tournament, Dave Blackburn (North Hollywood, California) posted a pitching record of 6 wins, and 0 losses, with complete game victories in all six of his starts in games played by Maccabi USA. His performance included 21 consecutive shutout innings in Macabi USA's final three victories against Mexico CDI A, Venezuela Hebraica, and Maccabi Canada.
Enroute to Maccabi USA's march to the Gold Medal Championship, Mitch Kline (Cheltenham, Pennsylvania) earned the other USA pitching victory over the Mexico CDI B Team, providing Dave Blackburn with a much needed extra day rest going into the championship medal round. Kline also shared the Team USA coaching duties with Dave Blackburn.
Offensively, Maccabi USA was lead by team captain Todd Projansky (Palatine, Illinois) who caught 42 innings, delivered 10 RBI's, and batted at a .400 clip out of the three spot. Projansky's 3-Run Homer in the round-robin game against Maccabi Canada provided the spark to lift Maccabi USA to a 6-1 victory.
First baseman Larry Rosenthal (Sherman Oaks, California) scored 10 runs, and hit .538 (7/13). In addition to stealing 4 bases, Larry found numerous ways to reach first base for a great .647 On Base %. Right Fielder Keith Frankel (North Caldwell, New Jersey) batted .475 and produced 5 key hits against pitcher Ricky Green in Maccabi USA's two important victories over Maccabi Canada.
In what was probably the most exciting game of the tournament, Maccabi USA edged the Mexico CDI A team by a score of 1-0 on July 15th.
In the second inning, Maccabi USA Shortsop Gregg Shamberg (Chicago, IL) reached on an error, stole second, was bunted to third, and finally scored on a Todd Projansky ground out. This turned out to be the game's only run scored, manufactured without the benefit of a USA hit in the inning off Mexico CDI pitcher Ernesto Podlipsky.
Podlipsky, who grew up in Mexico City, and now resides in San Diego, California, threw exceptionally well for the Mexico CDI A team all week, taking the hard luck loss in the 1-0 contest. The Mexico CDI A Team threatened with runners at first and third with two out in the 7th inning. With hard hitting pitcher Podlipsky at bat, an attempt to tie the game with a delayed double steal went awry. As the Mexican runner at first tried to get in a run-down, the runner at third was nipped at the plate with a great block, catch, and tag by USA catcher Todd Projansky to end the game.
The Pan American Maccabi Games are held in the Western Hemisphere, once every four years, in a country selected by CLAM, (The Confederation of Latin American Maccabi). CLAM is the organization that oversees Maccabi sports affairs for Latin American countries. The Games are a multi-sport, international competition designed for Jewish athletes, and are similar to the World Maccabiah Games, held in Israel once every four years in the summer following the Olympics. As part of the Closing Ceremonies, CLAM awarded the Tenth Pan American Maccabi Games to Caracas, Venezuela to be held in the summer of 2,003. The Fastpitch tournament will be held at the Softball Stadium located at the Hebraica Sports Complex in Caracas.
The 50 Nation member organization, Maccabi World Union (MWU), announced that the next ISF sanctioned Men's Maccabi fastpitch softball championship will be staged at the Hombo Softball Stadium, on Kibbutz Gezer, near the City of Tel Gezer, Israel. Known in Israel as their own "Field of Dreams", Hombo Stadium is certainly one of the most unique Softball venues in the world, carved from the the Biblical ruins of King Solomon.
Maccabi USA will be one of Eight countries that are expected to participate in the Open Men's fastpitch softball tournament. Fastpitch Softball will be one of over 30 sports to be contested from July 16 - 26, in the summer of 2001, when over 6,000 Jewish athletes from July 16 - 26, in the summer of 2001, when over 6,000 Jewish athletes from 50 Nations gather in Israel for the Opening of The 16th World Maccabiah Games.
The IX Pan - American Maccabi Games
USA Fastpitch Gold Medal winning Team roster
Robert Bellinson 2B NY, NY
David Blackburn P North Hollywood, CA
Keith Frankel RF North Caldwell, NJ
Stephen Ingram 1B /DH NY, NY
Mark Jaget 3B Las Vegas, NV
Michael Kaufman RF / DH Chicago, IL
Mitch Kline 3B / P Cheltenham, PA
David Myers 3B / RF La Jolla, CA
Todd Projansky C / SS Palatine, IL
Larry Rosenthal 1B / OF Sherman Oaks, CA
Gregg Shamberg SS / C Chicago, IL
Todd Shraiberg CF Chicago. IL
Dan Zucker LF Sherman Oaks, CA
John "The Gooch" Seragussa served Team USA as Manager of Security and Entertainment
For more information on the IX Pan American Maccabi Games, click
here.
For more information on Maccabi USA - Sports For Israel, click
here.
For more information on Maccabi USA Fastpitch Softball, click
here.
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