Jake Retzlaff (left) and Kedon Slovis of the Brigham Young Cougars speak during warmups before a game against the Oklahoma Sooners on Nov. 18, 2023. (Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
(JTA) — Hello! The unscheduled theme of this week's Jewish Sports Report is Jewish athletes thriving in unexpected places. There's a Jewish QB who goes to a Mormon school, a DI college football player who doesn't play on Saturdays, and a first baseman on the pitcher's mound.
Let the game begin!
Mormon (play) book
Quarterback Jake Retzlaff is in his second season at Brigham Young University. (Jalen Wilkie/BYU)
It's rare to see a Jewish quarterback in the NFL, and only a handful in the league's 100-year history. But what's even weirder is that a quarterback of Jewish descent is turning pro from a flagship university of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with a Jewish quarterback waiting on the sidelines to take his place.
That's exactly what's happening at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. The school's former starting quarterback Kedon Slovis, was not selected in last week's NFL Draft, but has since signed with the Indianapolis Colts. Slovis has Jewish blood in his veins, but “it's not a huge part of his identity,” a BYU Athletics spokesperson said this week.
This does not apply to Slovis' successor candidates. Jake Retzlaff. Rezlaff, a potential starting pitcher for the Cougars, wears a Star of David necklace on campus, where he has adopted the nickname “BY-Jew,” and talks about being Jewish with teammates and coaches. ing. The California native was featured on JTA's list of Jewish student-athletes to watch this year.
half time report
A pair of aces… max fried and dean kramer They continued their dominance on the mound earlier this week, capping off a great Passover for the two Jewish starting pitchers. After a rare 92-pitch shutout on the second night after the holidays, Fried pitched six no-hitter innings for the Atlanta Braves on Monday, the seventh day of the passover, with seven strikeouts, but the Braves lost. I lost in the end. The next night, Kramer pitched seven innings against the Baltimore Orioles, allowing four punchouts and only two runs, capping off his vacation with the O's winning 4-2. Kremer also had a mean comeback after staring down Yankees star Juan Soto after he hit a big home run.
…and one wild card. Chicago Cubs first baseman in news of unexpected Jewish pitcher matt marvis He made his MLB pitching debut this week. It didn't go as well as Fried and Kremer's outing. Marvis pitched two-thirds of an inning in the Cubs' 17-0 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Saturday. The results weren't great, as Marvis gave up seven hits and six runs, but was clocked at 137 mph on the radar gun.
Jew. israeli martial artist Yarin ShurikiHe survived the Hamas attack at the Nova Music Festival on October 7th and won gold at the Paris Jiu-Jitsu 2024 Grand Prix on Saturday. Shuriki dedicated his victory to his close friend who died in a Hamas attack.
unconventional. Texas A&Ms Sam Saltz He had never played soccer before joining the Aggies Division I team. Salz is also an Orthodox Jew, but he doesn't play on the Sabbath, even though nearly all of his college football games are played on Saturdays. It's unlikely fans will see him on the field, but Salz, who was also one of JTA's most notable Jewish student-athletes, is on a mission to prove himself. “Ever since I was little, I had this belief in my head that I had to play college football, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to do all the things I could and should have done in life,” Salz told The Athletic. Ta.
Shaq, meet Zach. NBA legend-turned-analyst Shaquille O'Neal stopped by the TNT hockey studio this week and pretended to ice skate on a skateboard called “Shaq Hyman,” a play on the name of a Jewish NHL star. given a nickname zach hyman. The Edmonton Oilers forward admitted: “If Shaq wants lessons, no problem. It's free,” Hyman said.
Homecoming. retired WNBA superstars Sue Bird Bird spent his entire career joining the Seattle Storm ownership group that won four championships. Bird said joining Storm ownership was “something I've always wanted to do.”
The upcoming season of US-C. A Jewish basketball icon is the women's basketball coach at the University of Southern California. Lindsey Gottlieb signed a contract extension that will keep him with the team through the 2029-2030 season. Gottlieb led top-seeded USC to its first Elite Eight since 1994 in this year's NCAA March Madness Tournament.
Compose his response. New England Patriots owner robert craft and his Foundation to Combat Anti-Semitism are launching a new marketing campaign to coincide with Jewish American Heritage Month in May, starting with ads in newspapers across the country. Mr. Kraft wrote a letter expressing disappointment with the recent wave of pro-Palestinian campus protests, including at his alma mater, Columbia University, which has a Jewish student center named after him.
What makes this game different? The Miami Marlins hosted a “Passover” celebration on Sunday, featuring a kosher Passover barbecue, games and Jewish music. The event was sponsored by Hillel at Florida International University. Before the game, there was also a performance of Israel's national anthem, Hatikvah..
Jews in sports to watch this weekend (all times Eastern)
🏒 In hockey…
NHL playoffs continue this weekend Jason Zucker and hosts the Nashville Predators. quinn hughes, mark friedman Game 6 of the first round against the Vancouver Canucks will be played tonight at 7 p.m. The Canucks currently lead the series 3-2. Game 7 will be Sunday. Zach Hyman's with the edmonton oilers adam fox's On the other hand, both New York Rangers advanced to the second round. At PWHL, Abby Levis New York team hosts Minnesota and Boston on Saturday at 1 p.m. – Jewish players will play Aerin Frankel, Kaylee Fratkin and Kami Chronish — Hosted by Montreal Saturday at 3:30 p.m. samantha cogan PWHL Playoffs begin May 8 with Toronto hosting Ottawa on Sunday at 7 p.m.
⚾️In baseball…
max fried He will be on the mound for the Atlanta Braves vs. Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday at 4:10 p.m. at the same time, dean kramer Started the match between the Baltimore Orioles and the Cincinnati Reds.Chicago White Sox promoted Jared Shuster Starting this week in the minors, they will play against the St. Louis Cardinals this weekend.Former White Sox outfielder Kevin Pillar He joined the Los Angeles Angels, who will play against the Cleveland Guardians. Pillars have a great responsibility. Halos superstar Mike Trout is injured.
⚽️In soccer…
matt turner Nottingham Forest take on Sheffield United on Saturday at 10am Sheffield are bottom of the Premier League with just three wins from 35 games. In MLS, deandre yedlin's FC Cincinnati, Daniel Edelman's New York Red Bulls and Steve Birnbaum's DC United will play all games on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Zach McMath Real Salt Lake will host Sporting KC on Saturday at 9:30 p.m.
⛳️Playing golf…
Max Glaserman, david lipsky, ben silverman and Daniel Berger All will compete in the CJ Cup Byron Nelson PGA Tournament in Texas this weekend.
🏎️ During the race…
aston martin driver Lance Stroll More points will be on the cards this weekend at the Miami Grand Prix starting at 4pm on Sunday.
courtship hope
(Courtesy of Jared Armstrong)
Israeli-American basketball player jared armstrong He continues his mission to use the sport to inspire Israeli children, especially in the wake of the October 7 attacks and nearly seven months of war. Armstrong recently opened a new JAB camp court, named after his foundation, in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon. It was renovated in collaboration with Five Star Basketball, which runs basketball camps across the United States.
Armstrong told me that his organization “feels important in these difficult times in Israel to use sports, especially basketball, as a means to help and inspire the next generation of hoopers.” Told. Our organization believes that basketball can be a sanctuary of peace and will help create a framework for socialization within the community of Ashkelon. ”
This article was originally published on JTA.org.
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