Trip to Israel

Hey guys I am back and coming to you live from John F. Kennedy airport in New York,where we are currently waiting for our flight to leave here for Israel. I say we because I am sitting with ten other players all of whom I met today. We have been hanging out getting to know each other since around 7:30 this morning and we are allvery excited to finally be heading to Eretz Yisrael and begin the historic journeythat will be the inaugural year of Israeli baseball.

It is always interesting to me how whenever you meet someone where baseball is a constant between you, a relationship forms instantly. We had never met but withinminutes we were joking around and talking like we had known one another for years. The dynamic formed by baseball players is one the can only be understood bysomeone who has experienced it for themselves. As a side note, I would like to put forth a challenge to anyone who is or willsoon be a Blue Sox Fan. I want to see the formation of “Blue Sox Nation.” Yes itmay be somewhat of a copy of the “Red Sox Nation” currently residing in Boston. However, “Blue Sox Nation” should have its own flavor and be distinctly different. It is always interesting to me how whenever you meet someone where baseball is aconstant between you, a relationship forms instantly. We had never met but within minutes we were joking around and talking like we had known one another for years. The dynamic formed by baseball players is one the can only be understood bysomeone who has experienced it for themselves. As for me personally, life has been good. I had been coaching a high schoolsummer team with my father, a very interesting experience and one that I reallyenjoyed. Recently I made a visit to a Jewish day camp in my area. I got to talkto about 50 five to 8-year-olds about baseball and the IBL. I think little kids are amazing and I swear I kept their interest for at least seven or eight minutes.

Also, if you looking at the website you saw that I was asked to throw out the first pitch at the Tampa Bay Devil Rays game last week. This honestly was one of the coolest experiences I have ever had. From getting to be on the field forbatting practice and being around all the players and coaches, to having my nameand baseball career announced in front of 13,000 people was something I willnever forget. I was lucky enough to have a lot of my family and friends there, thanks to all of you who came. Oh, and if you are wondering, it was a strike onthe inside corner.

After that I took a trip to Milwaukee to watch my cousin become a Bar Mitzvah. I think it was the first one I have been to in ten years. Being with all my familyright before I leave them for a couple of months was a really nice send off. Now to the present, I could not be more excited about getting things started. I am beginning to really understand how amazing this is going to be and how lucky I am to have this opportunity. I cannot wait to meet my team, coach the camps, enjoy the culture and take in everything the country of Israel has to offer. But mostly, I just wanna play some baseball.

Now it is time for “My Biggest Fan at This Moment.” This one goes out to someone who is very special to me. She is the love of my life, sheis my girlfriend Rebecca. Having her support while I am away andknowing how thrilled she is for me to have this opportunity makes this whole experience that much better. So this is for you Bex, because I love you. Thanks for all that you are and for being, “My Biggest Fan at This Moment.” Now that I am going to be in Israel and games are starting, I will be on the lookout for my next, “Biggest Fan.” I will be looking for fans at the games and, after I get to know them, will decide if they are worthy of the honor, ha-ha. So show up, show some support and maybeyou can be that person to start Blue Sox Nation.

The Bet Shemesh Blue Sox select…

The next three words out of Mr. Larry Baras’ mouth, “pitcher Ben Pincus,” still seem a little unbelievable. Just to get drafted would have been an honor, but to be a top ten pick was as unexpected as it was exciting. Considering last year at this time I was pretty sure that I was done playing baseball, being drafted by at professional baseball league was an indescribable experience. If you do not believe me watch the video of the draft and try and catch my reaction after my name is called, it’s kind of hilarious. The whole night was a great experience and I would like to thank all of those who put it together. From Martin Berger and Dan Duquette to the great group of students at Cardozo, Emily Posner and Bella Belsky, you guys truly made it a night to remember for the rest of my life.

Now as for my life since then I have moved back to sunny Treasure Island, Florida and am enjoying the ability to wear shorts and see the sun on a daily basis. I am going to help my father coach his high school summer team until I leave for Israel. I have been working out and throwing on a regular basis and have started throwing bullpens. In the meantime I am going to the beach and playing as much golf as I can. After being in New York and hearing the constant pale jokes (is this what you northerners deal with) from all my friends I decided I would take it upon myself to make the necessary changes, even if they included being painfully sun burnt for a few days.

I am getting more and more excited about going over to Israel and getting this league started. All my friends and family are very interested and I have been getting a lot of phone calls and e-mails with questions, congratulations and a few smartass remarks. On a recent trip to the University of North Florida, where I went to college, as I entered the baseball field to go workout I received a terrific reaction from all my old teammates and coaches. Even my old head coach had words of encouragement. After making the three hour trip to school and seeing him for the first time in months he knew exactly what to say, “You sure don’t dress like a second round pick.” Trust my coach is a great guy and this I would not expect anything less.

Now it is time for my second installment of, “My Biggest Fan at This Moment.” My first,”biggest fan,” was more humorous, this one is more from the heart. My biggest fans have always been my family. Baseball is a big deal in my family and I know how happy my family is for me to have this opportunity. While my whole family could make my list, I want to recognize my big brother, Loren, as, “My Biggest Fan of This Moment.” He was an amazing baseball player who also played in college. I have no doubt he could have played with me in the IBL, we have actually never played on the same team, but minute details like a wonderful wife and a job as a lawyer kept him from trying out. I know no one wants me to do well more than my brother. So thanks, Lor, for being, “My Biggest Fan at This Moment.”

That is all for now. Thank you to everyone who is reading and leaving me your comments, I hope I can keep you interested all season long.

From The Big Apple to the Big Orange

Hey guys, I’m back. My life has been crazy these past two weeks thanks in large part to working the NCAA basketball tournament for CBS (congratulations to those of you who got to watch it like normal human beings). Working 15 hour days, even when watching every sport you can imagine on 12 different TV’s, makes you realize that the television business is not as glamorous as one may think. New York is the number media market in the United States and the insanity that ensued coupled with the mass amounts of people involved to make it run so smoothly was proof positive of why. You truly have no idea how much goes into a major television production until you have taken part in it. One day I’ll look back from in front of the camera and laugh, I hope.

In all honesty, after living basically my whole life in Florida, moving to New York has been one of the best experiences of my life. The “Big Apple” is unlike any place on earth, and it can change you. Not all for the better, but most.

I tell you this because in about 3 months I will be moving to another place that is truly unique, Israel, specifically, Tel Aviv. The village just outside of the “Big Orange,” will give us, as players, a chance to get to know not only our roommates or our teammates but everyone that has been given the opportunity to play in the Israel Baseball League. I know that no matter what team I end up on playing in the inaugural season of the IBL and living in Israel will definitely have an affect on me. It is a country that deals with life and its daily happenings in such a different way than I do as an American. People keep asking me if I am nervous to go over there and I always reply, “absolutely not.” Obviously the widespread hatred of Israel and ever-escalating violence is in the back of my mind, but the fact that a country so war-torn can come together and bring baseball to those who have never had it says more about where this country is, and will be, than any report you see on CNN.

The league itself is starting to really take shape, which is exciting. We are starting to find out some of the particulars and opening day is coming up pretty soon. I have been doing some extensive training, although I had to take a two-week hiatus for the tournament but not to worry I am getting my work in. Next week, I am going to begin a throwing program that I got from the trainer I had in college. So Leon, if you are reading this, lets get to work man.

I would like to take some time during this special opportunity I have to write a special segment where I will recognize a different person each time I post. I am dubbing this segment “My Biggest Fan at This Moment.” My first biggest fan at this moment goes to Lon Samuelson of CBS Sports. Lon has been in charge of both making sure I get the most out of my internship as well as giving me grief every chance he gets. He is the biggest sports fan I know and will be following the IBL very closely on a day-to-day basis. So thanks Lon for being the first, “My Biggest Fan at This Moment.”

That’s all for now, but I will be back with more soon.

Introduction

Hello, and thanks for stopping by IBL fans. My name is Ben Pincus and I’m from Treasure Island, Florida (yes, it is a real place), and in less than 3 months I will be pitching in the inaugural season of the Israel Baseball League. I am unbelievably excited about this opportunity as well as the chance to share it with all of you.

First, a little about me. I am 23 years old and this May I will graduate from the University of North Florida with a degree in Communications. I am currently living in New York City finishing up my last credit as an internship with CBS Sports. I have played baseball since the age of five, and have excelled at almost every level. I love all sports, but baseball is very special to me and my family. My father is a fanatic and my brother and I both played baseball in college. Even my mother knows more about the game than most teammates I have had. Needless to say, baseball was a huge part of my life growing up. During high school I was on some kind of trip almost every weekend for tournaments and camps. It may sound like a lot, but I loved every minute of it. Plus, it paid off.

During high school I was named to the All-State team during my junior and senior seasons. After I graduated I was given a scholarship to pitch at Tennessee Technological University, a mid-major Division I school in Cookeville, Tennessee. Never heard of Cookeville, do not worry, most people haven’t. After two years I decided that it was not the place for me and transferred to UNF. I enjoyed incredible team success in two years there including an overall record of 82–37, a #2 national ranking and a trip to the 2005 Division II College World Series national championship game. A year later, I participated in UNF’s first season of Division I baseball. I guess I have a thing for being part of inaugural seasons.

As I said, I had quite a bit of team success while at UNF. Personal successes however, were few and far between. After having a knee surgery the summer of my transfer I did not tell my coaches for fear of being held back and not having the chance to earn the playing time I wanted. Because of this, among other things, I was in constant pain and was never able to play to the best of my ability. Fast forward six months, it’s the middle of the season and we were playing the University of Iowa. My shoulder had been bothering me but I wrote it off as, for me, this was normal. In the sixth inning I attempted to throw a curveball that went about 45 feet and bounced past the catcher. As I ran to cover home I realized that I could not lift my arm up to run and if I tried the pain I felt was indescribable. Long story short I tore my rotator cuff and labrum and the doctors had to shave down my bone so everything would fit the way it is supposed to. Again, I attempted to come back from surgery, but it was clear that my college baseball career was over.

Now that my sob story is over lets talk about the present. 13 months had passed since surgery and with my shoulder feeling fine; I was missing playing the game. Then, my brother informed me about the IBL tryout in Miami, and I immediately started training. At the tryout I threw like I was used to throwing, pain-free and with the ability to put the ball where I wanted. At the conclusion of the tryout, I was lucky enough to be offered a contract. I will never forget going over to my father and brother, both of whom made the four-hour drive with me, and saying “I just got offered a contract to play professional baseball.” I couldn’t be more thrilled to have this chance. Being Jewish and a baseball fan, to play the sport I love in a place that means so much to me, it is a dream come true that a year ago I could never have imagined. I still do not know what to expect when I get to Israel, but you can bet I’m ready. Hopefully all of you are too.

Any comments you have or questions you would like answered I will be more than happy to respond to all of them. I look forward to talking with everyone soon.