Holy Land Hardball

When Boston bagel maker Larry Baras wanted to create a professional baseball league in Israel, his idea was met with incredulity, dismissal and even hostility. He attempted it anyway. Among the ballplayers swept up in his unlikely quest: a 41-year-old father of three with a Peter Pan complex; a 27-year-old Brooklyn artist/DJ still finding himself after the disappointment of not being drafted out of college; a 34-year-old father-to-be whose own father, now deceased, fought for Israel's independence in 1948; and a 22-year-old African-American who was told by a preacher at a young age he would one day "play in front of God's people." Also along for the ride are former Jewish major leaguers Art Shamsky, Ken Holtzman, and Ron Blomberg — as team managers in the Israel Baseball League. Holy Land Hardball is an engaging account of their dream to bring America's pastime to the Middle East.