Strength in Numbers #122
The day after a hard fall scrimmage, I found that swim class at the University of Maine was always an excellent way to wake up in the morning and get the blood moving, but on September 11th, 2001, it came with a shock.
On the 8th lap in our Olympic pool, our instructor blew his whistle six times in a row, which I heard loud and clear.
“Get out of the pool now! There has been an attack,” screamed the class instructor. If my heart rate wasn’t already elevated enough, it was at that moment.
We were told to go home immediately and stay there until a university official provided an update on the situation.
But what was the situation? We didn’t have cell phones with internet capabilities, so I jumped into my team tracksuit and ran home.
When I blasted open the door, my roommate had the television on, and I could not believe my eyes. To my horror, the US was under foreign terrorist attack.
ENTER THE AGE OF ISLAMOPHOBIA
As school resumed, much of the campus feared Muslims. The terrorists came in through Jackman, Maine, and many believed we had a terrorist cell on campus.
The state of fear about Muslim people that overcame the campus is otherwise known as Islamophobia. Distrust, disdain, the vast majority wanted identified students off premises, and I am sure they faced scrutiny by the school following the attack.
As it relates to baseball, Muslims, in general, are underrepresented, with only one known MLB player to be identified in Sam Khalifa, whose baseball card image is below.
Within the team, the fear turned to anger and hate as most of the team had a connection to someone involved in saving lives or dying in the World Trade Center destruction. I was stuck, as I had close friends in Canada who were Muslim and would never do anything of the sort, yet I was fearful of going against my team and much of the country in their views, making my stance equally as wrong.
Later in life, I realized much of the problem was that none of my teammates had a chance to befriend a Muslim teammate, and ironically, in my 20 years of competing all over the world, I never had a Muslim teammate or potentially one that felt comfortable enough to share his beliefs.
This is unfortunate, as there are approximately 1.2 billion Muslims worldwide that could provide a large crop of athletes to develop each year and lessen Islamophobia amongst teammates, parents, and coaches.
THE ISRAELI BASEBALL LEAGUE (IBL)
Fast-forward six years. It’s 2007, and I am a grad assistant baseball coach and strength coach at the University at Buffalo and a little under halfway through my 7-year doctoral education.
I just defended my dissertation proposal requiring doctoral training to become both an exercise physiologist and biomechanist, which put me on the path to becoming a pitching fatigue scientist.
The problem was that I could not afford to pay for saliva testing or pitchers who threw two games of 120 pitches each. I had 20 of them and was considering taking out a loan to cover costs.
I prayed hard for a few days, and then shortly after, a friend of mine who I competed against mentioned that Israel was starting a pro league and looking for international players who have had either MLB-affiliated or independent league experience, and I fit that mold as a Canadian.
I put together two highlight reels you can see on offense and defense. Nothing flashy, I had to use a trial version of Adobe Editor back in the day and sent them out to the Director of Player Personnel, accomplished GM Dan Duquette, and those who searched for talent.
A few weeks later, I received Dan’s message and signed with the Petach Tikva Pioneers.
I called them the “Shovelmen,” as our logo was actually a dude swinging a shovel for a mascot breaking new ground. Petach Tikva also had the best home field in the country, the Baptist Village Baseball Field, which was about to fill the place with fans, food, and players worldwide.
I met Art Shamsky, one of the few players who hit four homers in an MLB game and was an integral part of the 1969 Miracle Mets.
Ken Holtzman was my coach at one point, who won 5 WS Championships, and then I had one of my favorite managers toward the end of the season in Tony Ferrera.
Tony was a mystery man—a unique individual who worked in MLB for much of his life. Into his 70s, he threw batting practice for the Yankees and the Mets, sometimes on the same day. He may have the world’s most durable arm and could throw it straight as a rod. He had thrown batting practice to more Hall of Famers than anyone in the game’s history. While there, he was in his 80s and could throw non-stop in the desert heat. At max, I counted seven baseballs behind the batter after four groups of 4 hitters who hit three rounds each. He was the proverbial strike machine. You can read more about Tony here.
I also made history there.
Extra Inning wins were determined by a Homerun Derby. Here I am representing my team and won this one.
AVINOAM SACHS
When we left Israel, no actual national baseball program was set up.
Still, over the years, Israel has been to the Olympics and put a highly competitive team on the field for the World Baseball Classic. The junior development program in the country has progressed significantly. I worked with Brad Ausmus and Ian Kinsler when they were with the Angels. Brilliant baseball minds and great players, but I only learned about the Junior National Team when I began working for ArmCare in 2021, 14 years later.
Avinoam Sachs is not your average kid or your average-sized kid. Standing at 6’8″ and 235 lbs, he is a giant on the mound. He is also highly educated and constantly seeks information to advance his career. He was also one of the first international players to bring in the platform and grow our global approach by learning about us from a podcast I did with Ben Brewster through Tread Athletics.
Following that podcast, Avinoam reached out and inquired about our technology. He mentioned he played for the Israeli national team and wanted to get set up and join our ArmCare family.
WAR AND PEACE
The athletes I work with have access to great coaching and facilities, are supported by their agents, and typically have little stress in the offseason unless it’s a contract year or arbitration hearing to negotiate.
For Avinoam, this offseason is tumultuous as he faces the threat of death for himself, his family, and his country.
He lived in America and moved to Israel after playing tee ball and was hooked. His service to the military brings along challenges in his training as he’s on call at a satellite military location, which is also the case for athletes playing at Army, Navy, and other military colleges.
However, in response to terrorist attacks, planning goes out the window, as the situation could turn in a drop of a dime. There are no accessible training facilities, and he has no one to throw with from his national team.
Avinoam’s last test was three days before the Israel-Palestine war broke out over a month ago. It has been challenging for him to fit in a six-minute Fresh Exam since he adapts to the ever-changing landscape, let alone find time to train and throw.
The rifle is prioritized, and I pray he never has to use it. A warrior’s mentality is confronting the brutal facts and keeping sight of the target. In him, the target is not literal. It is not about killing an enemy but about landing a baseball scholarship to show the world what he can do on US soil and represent his national team.
As a former college coach, when it comes to the sport, you often communicate war analogies to young men, sometimes to inspire, sometimes to soften losses. Terms like “battle,” “fought hard,” or “war” are competitive vernacular, but these terms refer to what goes on between the white lines, not behind enemy lines, not life or death circumstances by any sort.
Ultimately, teams get further with athletes who handle adversity, put others’ well-being ahead of their own, and can adapt to any condition, such as Avinoam.
This video is of Avinoam pitching at a facility in the US. The picture is of him at an Israeli Army base, serving as a soldier for the country.
THE WAR WE SHOULD BE FIGHTING
This article is not meant to be war propaganda. It’s the exact opposite. It’s family propaganda for players, parents, coaches, scouts, and everyone in the game.
I am hopeful that if you are reading this, you do not see an Israeli, you do not see a Palestinian, you do not see someone who is of color, you do not see someone who is Asian, Indian, Native North American, British, Australian, etc., or see someone for their religion such as being Christian, Hindu, Punjabi, Jewish, or Muslim, or anything that differentiates us a people.
It’s easier to hate than to love. It’s easier to spot differences than similarities. I hope you see baseball players and your teammates, who will be with you in wins and losses both on and off the field.
They are people you have played tee ball with, those who are drafted alongside you, those who will be in your corner long after you hang up the cleats because you were a great teammate to them.
Ultimately, these people who you play with or against are part of our family and yours.
In this family, they are also at war with you in the fight against throwing arm injuries.
Injuries are baseball’s common enemy. (Viewer discretion: Click here to see a real arm surgery; this is the enemy we are all up against.)
They are the dream killers, the agony and trauma, the fear of re-injury, the depression, the anxiety, the 18 months sitting on the bench watching your teammates play while you are in a brace, the lost scholarships, the reduced draft bonuses, the never-going-to play again kind of demon that is salivating to destroy your throwing arm.
The players and customers we serve come from all walks of life. Our ArmCare Elite members come from all corners of the earth and enjoy extensive webinar education, like our ACE Scrums.
They see baseball players as we do, players like Avinoam defying odds against them in receiving scholarships, players, and coaches maximizing their careers through programming individualized workload and pitch count assignments, seeing more kids pitching longer that can handle sport specialization, players that are throwing all-year round without a ding or dent, along with customized training that is hyper-personalized for everyone that is dramatically decreasing injury risks.
But most of all, this community operates in peace, lacks prejudice and is supportive and inclusive.
When you look at a baseball player, what do you see?
If this question is better rephrased to you as, “Who do you see?” you are getting the message.
Let’s continue fighting injuries and bring more peace through the game.
Ryan
Ryan@armcare.com
ACE Members, please check your email for the registration link to our Open Office Hour Q&A Meeting on November 14th at 3 pm MST in AZ. If you have questions about our courses or content from our previous scrums, fire away, and we will answer as many questions as possible in the allotted hour.