Da Baras Code: Israel baseball profits vs. prophets

"No baseball in '08 really? Who's your source?" "It ain't over 'til it's over." When it comes to baseball in Israel, the pioneer spirit of the nation and American businessmen's undying thirst for profit will guarantee that blips and blasts about the possibility of a 2008 season will continue through New Year's Eve. And thought we're sticking with the news we broke back in January (and which the so-called "mainstream" sports media has yet to catch on to) that 2008 is a wash, Our Man Elli in Israel and our staffers in the home office keep in touch with our sources and keep an eye on the usual websites, including that of the Israel Baseball League, which still offers directions to the ballparks (at least one of which doesn't exist) and promises a season that's not be be:

Opening Day has been set for Sunday, June 22nd, with two exciting games taking place. At Gezer Field, the IBL Champion Bet Shemesh Blue Sox will be playing host to its arch rival, the Modi’in Miracle. And at the Baptist Village, a future rivalry will be born when the Tel Aviv Lightning takes on the new Jerusalem Lions. Both games are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.

But there's more fodder on the IBL site that seems even more outrageous in light of the debts and outrage Larry Baras and his team left behind after 2007: A claim, written by Baras' father, that the IBL was the logical culmination of Biblical prophesy.

BASEBALL IN THE TIMES OF OUR FOREFATHERS
Compiled by Hyman S. Baras

While baseball is generally considered a “modern” sport, there are references in the Bible that could lead one to deduce that, in fact, baseball dates back thousands of years. Along the same line of thinking as The Da Vinci Code, note the pattern of the following passages, which clearly illustrate that there were Giants in those days as well.

* And Abner said to Joab, “Let the young men…arise and play before us” -- Samuel II 2:14
*…and all the people rose up… -- Exodus 33:8
* And Juhoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the recorder; and Sheva was the scribe…” -- Samuel II 20:24
* And they said unto Jephtha, “Come and be our Captain” -- Judges 11:6
* ...and he measured two lines… -- Samuel II 8:2
* ...and he set the bases… -- Kings I 7:39
* And they stood every man in his place round about the camp -- Judges 7:21
* Behold, Rebecca came forth with her pitcher… -- Genesis 24:45
* Ehud, the Benjamite, a man left-handed… -- Judges 3:15
* The children of Israel asked,…”Who shall go up for us first against the Canaanites? -- Judges 3:15
* ...Seek out a man who is a skillful player… -- Samuel I 16:16
* ...Judah shall go up first… -- Judges 20:18
* And Judah took… -- Judges 1:18
* Three times… -- Exodus 23:14
* ...and it was good… -- Genesis 1:4
* And Abram went down… -- Genesis 12:10
* ...out at the base… -- Leviticus 4:18
* And Moses …smote… -- Exodus 7:20
* ...and (it)…was foul… -- Exodus 7:21
* And Moses went out… -- Numbers 11:24
* ...and none came in… -- Joshua 6:1
* ...and there was not a man left… -- Joshua 8:17
* And Miriam was shut out… -- Numbers 12:15
* And the children of Benjamin went out… -- Judges 20:31
* ...and went into the field… -- Numbers 22:23
* ...and Aaron waved… -- Leviticus 9:21
* And he looked this way and that way… -- Exodus 2:12
* ...and he delivered up… -- Numbers 21:3
* ...and they ran as soon as he had stretched his hand…And they fell on their faces to the ground… -- Judges 13:20
* Get thee up; wherefore liest thou upon thy face? -- Judges 7:10
* ...for it was an error… -- Numbers 15:25
* ...second and third… -- Genesis 6:16
* And Joseph spoke… -- Genesis 45:3
* ...concerning the error which he had committed… -- Leviticus 5:18
* ...make an atonement for thyself… -- Leviticus 9:17
* Thou shalt fan them… -- Isaiah 41:16
* Then Joseph commanded to fill…the…sacks… -- Genesis 42:25
* ...and all the people saw this and they shouted… -- Leviticus 9:24
* Who can stand before the Giants? -- Deuteronomy 9:2
* ...and Aaron waved… -- Leviticus 9:21
* ...and pitched on the other side… -- Numbers 21:13
* And suffered not a man to pass… -- Judges 3:28

* ...but…the seventh… -- Exodus 31:15
* Gideon… smote… -- Judges 8:21
* ...Israel…at first… -- Joshua 8:33
* And Noah went in… -- Genesis 7:7
* And the young man ran… -- Numbers 11:27
* ...he turned and went back… -- Judges 18:26
* ...unto the base… -- Numbers 8:4
* Noah walked… -- Genesis 6:9
* Let us go and sacrifice… -- Exodus 5:8
* And Moses lifted up his hand and with his rod he smote… --Numbers 20:11
* ...the hide… -- Leviticus 9:11
* ...a long blast… -- Joshua 6:5
* ...outside the camp… -- Judges 7:17
* ...for an ‘omer… -- Exodus 16:36
* And the men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted… -- Samuel I 17:52

You Israel baseball fans know the Bible better than we do. Can you think of any Biblical passages the Barases may have left out?

(UPDATE FROM OUR MAN ELLI IN ISRAEL: "I might add: the New York Times had a few of those Bible quotes on its Op-Ed page about 25 years ago. I'd clipped and saved the article, and gave it to Baras, who said he hadn't seen those. I never got it back from him.")