Sizzler for Opening Day of the Israel Baseball League

(IsraelNN.com) For those who like hot weather, there is no better place to be than in Israel next week. Temperatures on the Sabbath will reach 36 Celsius (97 Fahrenheit) in Jerusalem, 32 (90 F) in Tel Aviv, 39 (102 F) in Be'er Sheva and 45 (113 F) in Eilat.

However, that is only a warm-up for Sunday's opening game of the Israel Baseball League, when temperatures will reach 38 (100 F) in Jerusalem, 37 (90 F) with high humidity in Tel Aviv, 41 (106 F) in Be'er Sheva and a scorching 46 (115 F) in Eilat. At Ein Gedi on the Dead Sea, the thermometer will reach 48 degrees (118 F).

Ticket sales are hotter than Mediterranean sand in the sun, according to League President and Chief Operating Officer Marty Berger.

In an exclusive interview with Arutz-7’s Israel National News, Berger said the past week has been hectic beyond all expectations. “Crazy is not a word that can describe what it has been since Saturday night when Shabbos ended,” he added.

“I originally had one phone, then it went to two phones, and at one point yesterday it was on three phones with three different calls,” he chuckled.

The issues are as diverse as the player composition of the league he is helping to create.

“From customs, to immigration, to the field at [Kibbutz] Gezer, to the field in [Tel Aviv's] SportTek, to the various bus drivers picking up our players, it has been an amazing roller coaster this week.”

Why customs? “Because our stuff was held in customs,” he said simply. “We couldn’t get it out……..I’ll tell you why,” he stopped himself.

“They don’t know baseball. Soccer balls come in the country. They know what soccer balls are. No one knows what bats are. No one knows what baseballs are. No one knows what batting helmets are. They weren’t familiar with them, they had never even seen them before, didn’t know how to value them, price them, count them or anything like that.”

After days of haggling, the items were finally released from customs at 4:00 p.m. Thursday. By 9:00 p.m., Berger was smiling.

“We’re up and moving,” he announced.. “The players have their uniforms, we have practices in the morning, Petah Tikvah field is in perfect condition, the players are all here now…..and we are rockin’ and rollin’.”

Those lucky enough to get tickets to this historic event will find their ranks swelled to almost double the original capacity. “We’re way over,” Berger said. “We started with 1,500 seats, and last week we had to add 1,000 more.”

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I guess despite the heat, its caught on in Israel. They love things American there but the country has taken baseball to its heart.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

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