Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

News

A Nyack Yankeee in King David’s Court

by Dave Zornow

Nyack, Jan 10 — There’s a movie on the MLB Network tonight that proves miracles can still happen in the Holy Land.

In 2007, Boston bagel maker and entrepreneur Larry Baras teamed with former Boston Red Sox general manager Dan Duquette to create the Israeli Baseball League (IBL). The youngest player to try out was 17 years old. The oldest was Scott Cantor, a 50 year old Pilates instructor from Nyack.

Film makers Brett Rapkin and Erik Kesten captured the season in Holy Land Hardball, which makes its national television premiere tonight (Sun 1/10) at 10p on the MLB Network.

Cantor, who is a certified Pilates instructor and owner of Pilates Central in Nyack, played for the Petach Tikva Pioneers during the inaugural and only season of the IBL.

The film captures the season from tryouts in Massachusetts through the nine weeks of league play in Israel.  The movie chronicles problems with customs, unfinished stadiums, a skeptical Israeli media and “fans” unfamiliar with the game.

“Scott was one of a handful of players that made the IBL,” says co-director Erik Kesten. “The players reflected a diversity in age as well as in their backgrounds and cultures,” he says.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

“Plus,” adds co-director Brett Rapkin, “Scott has some of the best lines in the movie, too.”

Holy Land Hardball was a featured film at the 2009 Rockland Jewish Film Festival in Nyack. “We had a great screening of roughly 200 people at Riverspace,” says Kesten. “The audience response was fantastic.”

The MLB Network is on FiOS Channel 86 and Cablevision’s Channel 149.

Sources: Holy Land Hardball website, The Jewish Chronicle 1/8/2010


Nyack Farmer's Market


HudsonLinkNyack.com


has customized Hudson Link bus schedules including departure and arrival times for Metro North trains between Tarrytown and Grand Central on routes H07 / H07X.

HudsonLinkNyack.com is a web app to ease your cross river commute from Nyack News And Views.

You May Also Like

The Villages

This week in the Villages: We’re back with details on the tragic Spring Valley fire that took the lives of five Rocklanders, including two...

The Villages

This week in the Villages: On its 25th birthday, we take a look at the potential demise of Palisades Mall in West Nyack. Plus,...

The Villages

This week in the Villages: We get a visit from some slippery friends at Nyack Beach, look at the library election results and celebrate...

Advertisement