It was the first (and last) season of professional baseball in Israel. Aaron Pribble, twenty-seven, had been out of Minor League Baseball for three years while he pursued a career in education when, at his coach’s suggestion, he tried out for the newly formed Israel Baseball League (IBL). Of Jewish descent (not a requirement, but definitely a plus) and former pro, Pribble was the ideal candidate for the upstart league. In many ways the league resembled the ultimate baseball fantasy camp with its unforgettable cast of characters: the DJ/street artist third baseman from the Bronx, the wildman catcher from Australia, the journeymen Dominicans who were much older than they claimed to be, and, of course, seventy-one-year-old Sandy Koufax, drafted in a symbolic gesture as the last player.
After falling in love with a beautiful Yemenite Jew, enduring an alleged terrorist attack on opening day, witnessing a career-ending brain injury caused by improper field equipment, participating in a strike, and venturing into the West Bank despite being strongly advised against it, Pribble must decide whether to forgo a teaching career in order to become the first player from the IBL to sign a pro contract in the United States. His is a story of coming of age spiritually and athletically in one short season in the throes of romance, Middle Eastern politics, and the dreams of America’s pastime far, far afield from home.
Learn about Holy Land Hardball, a documentary on the Israel Baseball League.
Author Bio
Aaron Pribble played collegiate baseball at the University of Hawaii, then professionally in the Western and Central Baseball Leagues, in France, and in the Israel Baseball League. He holds a master’s degree in political science and teaches at Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley, California. Pribble lives in San Francisco.
Table of Contents
First Half 1. Five 2. Kfar Hayarok 3. Tel Aviv Lightning 4. Opening Day 5. Safety First 6. Call from the Pen 7. Al Quds 8. Nokona Wreckin Crew 9. Arm Trouble 10. Fun and Games 11. Huelga! Huelga! 12. The Mighty Black Sox 13. Shabbat Shalom 14. Sabras 15. Sportek 16. Para Bailar La Bomba 17. The Love Doctor 18. Rainout in the Desert 19. Blooming the Desert 20. Bus Ride 21. Three Fields of Wheat 22. Losing Sucks
All-Star Break
23. Flirting with Ramallah 24. All-Star Game Second Half
25. Progress Report; or, Every Five Days 26. Fourth Time's a Charm 27. The Clara Fashion Bar 28. The Road to Peace 29. Home Run Derby 30. Tikkun Olam 31. The Rookie 32. Clinched 33. A Day in Palestine 34. Playoffs 35. All Good Things 36. The Schnitzel Awards 37. Sportsmanship and Character 38. Yalla
Epilogue Acknowledgments
Awards
Named one of Baseball America's Top Ten Books of 2011
