Would you let religion ruin your potential multi-million dollar career?

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by lord of the mark







http://www.jewish-holiday.com/koufax.html

Koufax refused to play on Yom Kippur, not on every Saturday day game and Friday night game.

He wouldn't have had much of a career if he'd done that.

[Arrian]

And even then, pitchers in baseball don't play as often as position players. In Koufax's day, I think they had a four man rotation. So one day on, three days off, minimum (generally). In order to accomodate him, the team could shuffle the rotation a bit. I'm sure he did miss some games he otherwise would've pitched, but not that many.

-Arrian

[KrazyHorse]

Yeah, but Friday night and daytime Saturday are almost a guaranteed two games per week.

He couldn't have managed it. They'd have fired his ass. He was good, but not that good.

[Arrian]

Yep. He'd have to have been lined up to pitch the Thursday/Monday or Wednesday/Sunday games...

No good. That wouldn've have flown, I agree.

-Arrian

[Jon Miller]

Originally posted by lord of the mark


I feel much better on the weeks I keep the shabbos. It enhances life.

I agree

JM

[Pekka]

This guy simply is not a hockey player, period. If you want to play hockey professionally, it has to be your #1 passion. Even family comes second for years to these guys, it's impossible to focus on other things.

[Pekka]

What I mean is that you have to be with the team and play these games. It only gets tougher. I don't care how talented and good you are, if you can't play some days that are game days, it's time to say goodbye.

[Cort Haus]

Originally posted by lord of the mark
http://www.jewish-holiday.com/koufax.html

His father got something right, though.

"Not like football. That's a game!" My father was referring to soccer, calling it as it is known throughout the world, not American football ...

[snoopy369]

Originally posted by Wezil


First off, baseball is not a sport. It's a pasttime.

Secondly, I wonder how great SK's baseball legacy would have been if he had played all his games? Perhaps he would have won the first and seventh games. He might have even become someone I didn't have to look up.

If you have to look up Sandy Koufax you are no baseball fan.

I think of any sport, Baseball would be the easiest to keep Shabos (? I presume that's hebrew spelling of Sabbath?). Like was said above, pitchers only pitch every 4th or 5th game anyway; it wouldn't be that hard to work that around fridays/saturdays. You'd still have to be good - better than you'd have to be if you could play all seven days - but Koufax was $#%#^ amazing and the Dodgers would've done it in a heartbeat for him.

[Arrian]

Even for a top-notch starting pitcher, it would be hard to manage that. Even if you're Roger Clemens... I doubt teams would stand for it.

In theory, it could work, because pitchers typically pitch every 5th day. But once you mix in rainouts (and the subsequent double-headers), injuries, and the particular demands of the playoffs... nah.

-Arrian

[Wezil]

Originally posted by snoopy369


If you have to look up Sandy Koufax you are no baseball fan.

As I said - It's not a sport.

I knew the name (SK) but not much more.

[Flubber]

hmm-- If a guy has the talent to be "second or third line" in junior, that would seem to make him somewhat of a longshot to make it big in the NHL anyway. Lots of first line junior players never make the jump at all.

THat said , NHL minimum is 400K per season so even if he were a tough defensive forward, that would be minimum if the made it


Bottom line is that he isn't so talented that they will keep him around to play 70-=80% of the games

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by KrazyHorse


Koufax refused to play on Yom Kippur, not on every Saturday day game and Friday night game.

Yeah, I know that, he wasn't completely observant, as most Jews aren't, but its such a famous story I had to post it.

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by KrazyHorse
Yeah, but Friday night and daytime Saturday are almost a guaranteed two games per week.

He couldn't have managed it. They'd have fired his ass. He was good, but not that good.

Sandy Koufax is a living god. In his prime, he had an ERA of 0.86. Unfortunately, he threw his elbow out at too young an age.

After he retired, opposing batters told him that he "telegraphed" his pitches. If he was going to pitch a fastball, he moved his elbow one way; with a curveball, it moved another way. Even knowing what he was going to pitch, batters couldn't hit him.

He did pitch in a four-man rotation. Koufax, Drysdale, Padres and I forget the fourth...I think it changed a lot.

He even showed up in Avalon Hill's wargame Blitzkreig. You remember the northern coast was dominated by the Great Koufax Desert? They called it that because it was Sandy.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Japher


I'm not saying it doesn't. However, if your livelihood or your dependent's livelihood required you to, would you not every now and then? A secure, good paying job also enhances life.

This guy couldnt find a job other than playing hockey? Oy. From the OP, its more that he cant have a multimillion dollar career, which is a different question.

Obviously some folks stopped keeping shabbos for the sake of earning a living. Others find a career that fits shabbos better. Others have accepted a significantly reduced material standard of living to keep shabbos.

Its certainly easier today than at the turn of the 19th/20th century, when Jews either worked in retail, or for companies that kept a six day week.