Jews have always had a special love for baseball and have been involved in the sport since its beginnings in the mid-19th century. In fact, baseball’s very first professional player was a Jew, Lipman Pike – known as the “Iron Batter” – who signed with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1866. The first major-leaguer to earn six figures was the great Hank Greenberg, who hit 331 home runs. Many other Jews played with distinction throughout the years: Kenny Holtzman, the winningest Jewish pitcher in baseball history, who threw two no-hitters and owns three World Series rings; batting champ Rod Carew; Cy Young winner Steve Stone; Ron Blomberg; and National League MVP Ryan Braun. And of course, there’s the most famous Jewish ballplayer of all: Sandy Koufax, the Los Angeles Dodger great who won every possible award and was the youngest player ever elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame. But to many of us, baseball is more than just Greenberg or Koufax, more than just a single game or season. It’s a game of stories both on and off the field — complicated, intertwined and entangled — echoing so much of our own personal lives. Please join us when we’ll go round the horn and talk about these connections. If you can, come early, share a brewski and meet new friends. Please click here to confirm your attendance.