Jewish Exponent Sports & Players Feed http://www.jewishexponent.com Tom Kleinman couldn't help himself. After just a year of hosting the women's professional softball team -- the Philadelphia Force -- at his quaint ballpark in Allentown, Pa., the team was ready to fold. Owner Bill Thompson was facing health... http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/16437/ http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/16437/ Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT Athletes from Lebron James to Donavan McNabb have described the "moment" they knew -- that time, often at young age, when they realized they possessed the athletic gifts that could carry them to the professional ranks. Dan Arnstein knew he... http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/16331/ http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/16331/ Thu, 12 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT Nobody can accuse Ran Nakash of taking the easy road. A career soldier in the Israel Defense Force, he has seen plenty of combat action. During peacetime, the 29-year-old is the IDF's head trainer of Krav Maga, an Israeli fighting system.... http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/16197/ http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/16197/ Thu, 29 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT In the world of billiards, betting big money on games played in smoky pool halls can be risky business -- unless you happen to be a jovial, fun-loving Jewish guy from Brooklyn with precise control over the cue ball. "I'm a happy hustler. I... http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/15982/ http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/15982/ Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT As the March 26 basketball game at the Wachovia Center wore on and became increasingly competitive, one player on each team stood out -- both rebounding skillfully, hustling for loose balls and making clutch baskets. No, they were not Andr... http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/15847/ http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/15847/ Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT One night, while working his beat in a rough section of Kensington, Philadelphia police officer Jeff Rabinovitch was assaulted by a woman who was drunk. He instinctively grabbed her arm, twisted his body and brought her to the ground. It wa... http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/15661/ http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/15661/ Thu, 27 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT Labor leaders gathered to announce the teams for the annual All-Star Labor Classic high school basketball tournament to benefit United Cerebral Palsy of Philadelphia. Pictured are (from left) Darby Doyle of Plumbers Local No. 690, and Berna... http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/15689/ http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/15689/ Thu, 27 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT Before professional basketball players squared off inside state-of-the art arenas, earned millions of dollars and had a wide-ranging fan base, Eddie Gottlieb was on a mission to raise the profile of the game in the American consciousness --... http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/15533/ http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/15533/ Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT Tryouts for all sports in JCC Maccabi Games are now being held across the region. The games -- in Akron, Ohio, on Aug. 11-15 and in Detroit on Aug. 17-22 -- feature male and female Jewish athletes from cities all over the United States, as... http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/15534/ http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/15534/ Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT When next football season rolls around, Andrew Goodman might have to tackle his greatest challenge yet. The 18-year-old senior hopes to go from captain of the George Washington High School football team to earning a spot on the roster at P... http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/15407/ http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/15407/ Thu, 28 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT The life of an up-and-coming boxer is often filled with weekends that Ran "Sweet Dreams" Nakash is finding all too familiar: traveling to a different city, sleeping at a ragged motor inn, and pummeling an opponent and dazzling the crowd --... http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/15286/ http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/15286/ Thu, 14 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT In international play, American soccer hardly gets any respect from the world community -- the United States has never even been close to a World Cup victory. On the other hand, it remains a passion in the extreme for fans around the world.... http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/15039/ http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/15039/ Thu, 17 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT All that was missing was some wood paneling, a few rock posters tacked to the walls and somebody's mom shouting down the basement steps that dinner was ready. For the most part, ping-pong is known as a light-hearted form of entertainment.... http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/15040/ http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/15040/ Thu, 17 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT Two boxers stood toe to toe, front and center in the ring, exchanging crisp, swift punches that quickly inflicted some visible damage. Round after round, the junior welterweights abandoned the stick-and-move approach, and defense took... http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/14883/ http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/14883/ Thu, 20 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT Rabbi Steven A. Saks of Adath Zion Congregation in Northeast Philadelphia teaches a Jujitsu class to youths and adults on Wednesday evenings at the JCC Klein Branch. Saks, 32, has a black belt and is a certified instructor in the Japanese... http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/14884/ http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/14884/ Thu, 20 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT After a year of waiting for redemption, it didn't take long for Matt Berson to make his presence known in the Friends Schools League championship soccer game. After losing to the Shipley School in last year's finals, Berson -- now a senior... http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/14719/ http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/14719/ Thu, 06 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT Once he plays his final game at Abington Friends School, Bryan Cohen's basketball career will hardly be over. The 6-foot-5-inch power forward from Huntingdon Valley just signed a letter of intent to play at Bucknell University next year. A... http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/14720/ http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/14720/ Thu, 06 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT Before each game this season -- while lacing up their cleats, stretching a bit or running a few laps -- players on the Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy soccer team took a moment to look at the photo. Each time Zach Pomerantz saw it, he said h... http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/14597/ http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/14597/ Thu, 22 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT Meet 6-foot, 220-pound Sean Goldstein. If you happen to be a running back from the Inter-Ac league, which encompasses a number private high schools, you've probably already run into the Chestnut Hill Academy middle-line backer -- literally... http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/14474/ http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/14474/ Thu, 08 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT Although sports agent Marc Simon has 15 clients playing basketball in Spain, France, Hungary, Poland, Austria, Lithuania, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and all over the United States, he said that placing a kid on a pro team in Israel prove... http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/14228/ http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/14228/ Thu, 11 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT