Covenant Baseball

With the fourth of July just around the corner, I’ve officially got the summer fever coursing through my veins, and the best remedy for summer fever is to go to a baseball game with your Hebrew National and just sit back and enjoy one of America’s favorite pastimes. The only thing that makes the game any more enjoyable though, is when there’s an exciting Jewish player on the team. One player that’s been catching my eye lately is the New York Mets’ Ike Davis.

Born Isaac Benjamin Davis in 1987, Ike is the son of Baptist pitcher Ron Davis and Jewish mother Millie Gollinger. Millie has made sure that Ike is well aware and proud of his Jewish heritage by reminding him the hardships his family has had to endure and thrived because of them. Millie’s family was from Lithuania and, like so many others, a large percentage of it was killed in the Holocaust. Ike’s great aunt was a Holocaust survivor and Ike has said that he is so grateful that she was able to come to the United States and bring her story with her. Although he goes by Ike, he is very proud of the name Isaac and his Jewish heritage, saying that “I’m glad Jewish kids get to see that they can grow up to be professional baseball players.” When told that Shawn Green, a Jewish player for the Mets who came before Ike, used to receive marriage proposals from Jewish mothers, on behalf of their daughters, Ike laughed nervously and said: “I hope that doesn’t happen. I’m not ready for marriage.”

Being so young—just barely 24—Ike shows great potential in his baseball career. In 2009 he received the Mets Organizational Player of the year, and in 2010 he broke the Mets rookie total bases record with 230. He also tied the record for the Mets rookie extra-base hits with fifty three in the year 2010. And to top 2010 off, he tied the Mets rookie walks record with 72. Having only played two seasons in the league, we can only expect more and more from Ike Davis. I don’t know about you, but I’m excited for the meshugaas.