Today is 27 days, which is three weeks and six days of the omer: yesod she’b’netzach. Besides loyalty to team and small ball (y’all are really getting to know my baseball preferences), there’s nothing I love more than a good nickname. Even better if that nickname comes from literally nowhere. And that’s what you get when you enter the major leagues at age 19 and get … Continue reading day 27: catfish
Today is Day 26 of the Omer. Hod sheb’netzach. Humility that emerges from endurance. Throughout his 16 year NBA career, Kyle Korver has carved out a role as an elite three point shooter and floor spacer. Four times, he’s led the league in three point shooting and for his career he has averaged 42.9%. Even at age 39, just having Korver stand in the corner … Continue reading Day 26: Kyle Korver
Today is 26 days, which is three weeks and five days of the omer: hod she’b’netzach. After those years of second baseman Chase Utley torturing the NL Astros as part of the Phillies club, I was not sorry to see him go 0-6 in the World-Series-that-Shall-Not-Be-Named as part of the Dodgers against the AL Astros. But that performance was not at all indicative of Utley’s career, in which … Continue reading day 26: the man
Today is Day 25 Netzach sheb’netzah. #Winning #Ringz When you look at the list of NBA players with the most championships, 8 of the top 9 are members of the great Boston Celtic teams of the 1950s and 60s. The 9th is Robert Horry aka “Big Shot Bob.” Besides those Celtics, Horry has won more titles than Michael Jordan, Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, … Continue reading Day 25: Big Shot Bob
Today is 25 days, which is three weeks and four days of the omer: netzach she’b’netzach. Though perhaps not technically an essential part of of this project, I am trying to make sure there is variety in my picks — in team, league, position, race, era, etc. There are certain players (i.e., Astros and their traditional big rivals, formally the Cards and Braves, now the As … Continue reading day 25: the pride of peoria
Today is Day 24 of the Omer. Tif’eret sheb’netzach. Within endurance, there is beauty. Andre Miller first came on my radar as the point guard for the University of Utah basketball team, led by Keith Van Horn in 1995. In 1998, with Van Horn gone, he led the Runnin’ Utes to an upset of the defending champion Arizona Wildcats in the Elite 8 with 18 … Continue reading Day 24: The Professor
This week’s sefirah, Netzach, takes us out of the realm of character traits (love, might, and beauty) and into the realm of time. Netzach, commonly translated as “eternity,” brings to mind the part of God that is beyond time, that predates the universe and for whom a thousand years is but a day (Tehillim 90:4). This sefirah, then, is less about who God is than … Continue reading Netzach – נצח
Today is 24 days, which is three weeks and three days of the omer: tiferet she’b’netzach. You better believe that a Jewish baseball player in New York City is always a BFD, almost no matter how he plays. And when that player was a member of the 1969 “Miracle Mets,” madness must ensue. Indeed, outfielder Art Shamsky says, “There isn’t a day that goes by that someone … Continue reading day 24: sham
Today is Day 23 of the Omer. Gevurah sheb’netzach. Power that comes from victory. If Day 23 were just about victory (netzach), Maya Moore would be a perfectly defensible selection. In 2017, Sports Illustrated called her “the greatest winner in the history of women’s basketball.” It is tough to argue with that. In high school, she was named an All-American, Player of the Year, and … Continue reading Alternative Day 23: Maya Moore
Today is 23 days, which is three weeks and two days of the omer: gevurah she’b’netzach. It’s not because he’s an Astro — because really, it’s only been half a season, and I’m not quite sure how I feel about him. Plus, he’s #21 in Houston! Rather, pitcher Zack Greinke (the second player profiled without a nickname — no, seriously, this year on Astros Players’ … Continue reading day 23: greinke
Omertime 