Eric Holtz will answer your questions if you give your name. Opinions from the 41-year old New York City businessman who left his business, wife, children and responsibilities behind to chase a boy's baseball dream in far-off Israel are of interest because he's been a cocky, controversial figure in the Israel Baseball League long before his family discord was immortalized in the IBL documentary film, Holy Land Hardball.
In the weeks following the IBL’s first season, as the façade was being methodically stripped away by the intrepid reporting of Our Man Elli in Israel and the stink of corruption began to ooze from the Middle East, across Europe and back to Boston, Eric was not only the main player apologist for embattled IBL founder Larry Baras, he shockingly became the IBL management’s attack dog against the reporter who was revealing a rats nest of wrong.
Eric wrote on this site's comment pages:
“In life it is always easier to pick apart what someone did wrong (Monday morning quarterback) Like this Elli guy from Israel who could be the lowest level of Human Life in a reporter that I have ever seen, rather than to Look at the Positives and try to recover from them. I myself have always prided myself on being a Glass Half-Full Guy but again -That is Me!"
This Glass Half-Full guy has yet to apologize to Elli. But when his former league mate Dan Rootenberg was forced to walk away from what turned out to be a ceremonial role as “in-coming President" of the "new and improved" IBL, Holtz jumped onto the public stage to again declare himself some kind of leader, writing in the comments section of this site:"I am very disappointed and disturbed at how things have transpired. I had been planning great things with Rootenberg in the hopes of resurrecting the league, but only if it would have been done correctly and responsibly. There is for sure a future for Baseball In the Holyland, however there needs to be a Group to come in and right the wrongs-save face if you will and move on in a positive and right way. Financial responsibility and paying previous debt is paramount to the future of Baseball. Putting an ample product on the field will never be the issue at hand, rather being Businessmen is the foremost task at hand. I for one will attest to the Hard work, dedication and undying attempts to get this done correctly by Dan Rootenberg who I take my hat off to. The last month has been tough and believe me, he has tried to get things done only one way-The Right way! Thanks for your hard work and attempt at advancing Baseball in Israel..."
Eric’s grandstanding led to immediate ridicule and hard questions from commenters like "Anonymous":"Disappointed and disturbed? Only now? Where've you been? Walking around with your head up your butt? Or Larry's? Or Martin Berger's? Maybe the people who somehow believed that the IBL leaders would change their ways should start explaining why they believed this. You all have empowered them to keep their operation going when it should have been steamrolled months ago. So, Mr. Holtz, after all that went on last summer right in front of your eyes, why'd you sign on with them? What did they tell you? What proof did they show you? What financials did they show you? What empty promises did they make to you about what they were going to do for the league? About what role they were going to give to you? To others? And what made you, after all this time, so disappointed and disturbed? The people deserve to know. The young players who followed your lead deserve to know."
Eric responded this morning:
"I don't respond to anonymous questions. You have something to say, step up and be a man. I'm easy to find."
So, gentlemen-- and ladies--we offer you a chance to “step up and be a man” and ask Eric Holtz a question.
Send your questions here-- and be sure to be a man and include your name.
Who wants to be first?
“I’ll start. Sam Peters is the name. I do PR and occasional research for this here site. And I got a question for Mr. Holtzman. Do you still blame Elli for the downfall of the IBL and for the state of baseball in Israel? And are you man enough to step up like a man and man up and apologize? There’s my questions. The name’s Sam Peters. Alto-Nido Apartments, 6350 Franklin Avenue, Hollywood, California. I’m easy to find, too."
"I've got one too. I'm Shmuley. I work in research. Question, Mr. Holtz: You were so big on the IBL-- past and present-- but were you really willing to stick your neck out? Is it true, Mr. Holtz, that you were supposed to deliver the uniforms for this season, but refused to do so until you got paid?"That's a start. Now back to work you two. Hey, someone submit the 20 questions we'd sent Dan and El Presidente Solomonte! let's see what Eric Holtz really knows!
Eric Holtz admits he is not a man by describing himself as a Peter Pan.
ReplyDeleteMen take care of their families!!!
Eric Holtz has a very little bat if you know what I mean.
ReplyDeleteI'm sad to say that is accurate.
ReplyDeleteI'm so fat and sweaty and I'm excited about all this talk about Eric too!!!
ReplyDeleteIs that girl who is getting her armed signed ,one of the girls who Eric banged?
ReplyDeleteThanks for talking Dan Rootenberg into this IBL junk. You knew it was all garbage all along but you proceeded to make Dan the incoming president. If you were so sure that Larry Baras was on the up and up why didn't you take the position?
ReplyDeleteYou supplied uniforms?
For whom?
Were you doing this at a profit?
Weren't you the coach? Your first goal should have been to pay your players.
Holtz is actually a great guy. He strongly believed in baseball in Israel and its a shame that you people are jumping down his throat. I do agree an apoligy is owed to Elli but that doesnt warrant the BS that people are saying about him. Holtz is a man of conviction and a stand up guy. His biggest priority was to us the players and i want everyone who reads this site to understand that!
ReplyDeleteHow is that "his biggest priority to us the players" if some guys were not paid?
ReplyDeleteJustin Cardinal is out $1500 .
Shouldn't he have taken care of that PRIORITY ONE????
How is that "his biggest priority to us the players" if some guys were not paid?
ReplyDeleteJustin Cardinal is out $1500 .
Shouldn't he have taken care of that PRIORITY ONE????
I haven't been paid in full either. Holtz doesn't hold the checkbook, does he? All he did was write a negative letter about Elli. This was not necessary. But look at all the comments on this site. Almost every single one of you is guilty of the same thing! Listen everyone is looking for people to blame and Eric Holtz for sure isn't that person. He stuck up for us while were in Israel. From the living conditions to attempting to getting us paid. Why is it his fault if that is the case? No one who was not in Israel last summer knows what we went through. Elli has some kind of glimpse because he saw it first hand. I had the opportunity to meet him. He is very friendly and not the terrible human he is made out to be by the IBL. I gave him a small interview and he used a quote of mine in his final paper. Which was tore the league apart. I thought it was well written and was 100% appropriate. However, Eric Holtz was not apart of management. The people to blame here are Larry Barras and his crew. I also put blame on the JNF for not demanding financials! How stupid is that? How is that not a headline??? But instead we the lead headlines are used to make fun of Leon (who at times does deserve it, for anyone who wants a funny video of Leon check out his glove punt on youtube, type in Rubenstein hits homer off Feingold or something like that) and ripping on Holtz. I've been an active reader on this site and also have been kept up to date with the "new" IBL as well as the almost formed IPBL. And it really bothers me when comments are made by people hiding behind their computer who have no first hand knowledge of the situation. All you know is what tabloidbaby has written. I applaud Jason Benson for being able to put his name out there and say exactly how he feels. But now you can say why are you putting yourself as anonymous? Very simple! I still want to get paid and I don't want this to hinder or delay me getting a second check. Because we all know that Larry checks this site and I don't care what David solomont says Larry is still apart of the group. Tabloid can you answer me one question because I seriously don't know the answer. How the hell did he all of the sudden become president? He had no involvement and then appoints himself head of the IBL? I can understand if he actually paid the debts but my check bounced as well as other players.....so what makes him "president"?
ReplyDeleteMr IBL player:
ReplyDeleteWell put. But Eric knew that Larry was a piece of shi- ,so why align yourself with him? Once again ,before you order pants and shirts don't you think that your own players should be paid?
It is one of the smaller debts!
Another class move by TB: rip Eric Holtz. Nice going TB. Eric is a great guy that's worked hard to try to bet baseball back in Israel. Leave him alone and crawl back under your rock.
ReplyDeleteApplause to Holtz for being available for comment. Him, and Dan Rootenberg, are what the league needed from the beginning. They attempt to bring transparency to the league, and I find it a shame there are people who rag on them for their attempts.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea that Holtz was involved, but what has not come as a surprise is that we see this spiraling down the rabbit hole all too quickly.
Not because of Tabloid Baby or Elli, but purely because the IBL was poorly structured. Good-intentioned, without a doubt. But these people knew nothing about baseball, and neglected the advice from people such as Rootenberg and the outstanding board they assembled.
Forget the blame and the badmouthing, because that should be reserved for a select few, and truthfully, more than enough has been said. It has become clear that the money behind the IBL will lose their investment, and come out worse for the wear for their negligence. I support their debts being paid (duh), but nothing said or done on this site will help that.
The best way to see that solution reached is to hope for the league to succeed, because that will signify investors coming forth to support the league.
Will that happen under Solomont? I doubt it. However through the help of Holtz and Rootenberg, it could have. I doubt they will play much of a role any more.
Hey guys... ok, it's time to stop all this anonymous stuff that's been going on... this IS a serious situation... the IBL's infrastructure has crumbled... very little, if anything, meaningful is left and for some very disturbing reasons (as clearly stated in the Goldklang/Zimbalist resignation letter and the Spectrum Capital cancellation letter)... unfortunately, Larry Baras and Martin Berger could not even secure a bridge loan that would allow the league to make the final payments on salaries due to players, managers and personnel and fees owed to vendors. The federal lawsuit allegations are, if true, deeply disturbing and no-one can miss the unusual parallels between the allegations and what we in the league have experienced….And, if we have comments to make from hereon forward, let's make them professional and fact-based and sign off on them. Let's leave the emotional nonsense and smoky messages to the others that have been pulling the wool over our eyes (and, it seems, others) for a bit too long already. NOVEMBER '07
ReplyDeleteThe anonymous, immature, irrelevant and, at times, mean-spirited and false comments on this site about the different individuals involved in various aspects of the IBL debacle are why I stepped away from this forum. Frankly, the forum was having no meaningful purpose.
For sure, Tabloid Baby includes a degree of lampooning, but the issues involved in the survival and continued development of baseball in Israel deserve to be treated, by the by, very seriously and without spurious and even potentially libelous verbal missives. When the masses remained anonymous and, largely, juvenile, I left TB to those who seemed to have nothing better to do than, among other things, call Larry Baras "fat and sweaty". Larry's size and tendency to perspire are in little, if any, way relevant to the, at a minimum, grossly negilgent mismanagement he brought to what should have and could have been a well executed amazing idea...baseball in Israel.
Recently, I was directed back to TB by a friend who has followed it. With Elli providing some on the mark investigative info, much has come to light about the current state of affairs, all of which has confirmed real, fact-based concerns raised by some of us all too long ago. Unfortunately, TB has again devolved into more of the same from some folks. While some people posted some straight forward questions to Eric Holtz after his comment on the blog, the personal attacks on him have no place here, or anywhere.
However, given that many, many months ago, there were plenty of people in the know that saw very clear and irrefutable evidence to make sure the Larry Baras regime came to an end, it is a fair question why business smart guys like Eric stood strong with him. So, I am willing to adopt those question that were asked of him by anonymous posters.
I do this because I believe that full disclosure will go a long way towards closure on the original IBL and it's Solomontian 2d incarnation and allowing the future of baseball in Israel to start on a healthy course. This is a venture, given its brief and tortured history, that needs to be led by well-respected, upstanding business people, not those who carry clouds of suspicion and negative reputations whirling about them. I know that there are interested, intelligent, well-intentioned and well-funded people out there who would love to build an oasis of baseball in Israel.
Heck, if there is a chance that Eric and I even see eye to eye on some of the issues, call that gravy. The key is righting the path of the future of the great sport that we all love in the land of milk and honey.
Let's play two...it will happen.
Alan
Ty, you had one thing wrong:
ReplyDelete"Not because of Tabloid Baby or Elli, but purely because the IBL was poorly structured. Good-intentioned, without a doubt."
You see, it was not a matter of being poorly structured, and it was not good intentioned - it was a scam from the very beginning, intentionally so, a vehicle for that fat fuck barass to line his pockets with other peolple's money, and that's why he refused the advisory board's offer of a free accountant to do his books. Having an independent accountant do his books would have exposed the whole thing. So until today, we still don't kow how many millions he raised and has stashed away. So please don't go excusing the "mistakes" as the workings of an innocent naive businessman who was in over his head. It was all a fraud from before day one.
Ad one day we'll find out exactly how much he raised, with the help of the JNF, and how much he has in a shoe box under his bed.
The last post is dead on. We need to hear the complete role of JNF .
ReplyDeleteIs it possible that they are in cahoots with this scam? They have this project baseball fund. Income comes in . Money goes to Larry and JNF. It has not gone to baseball in Israel.
Hey, to those of you who are putting up thoughtful posts about the issues, why not be like Big Ty and put your name on them? When a known group is coming together, by design or by chance, and demanding the answers to the same questions and issues, the pressure on the targets of the questions starts to feel more pressure to answer those questions...and, seriously, what's the harm?
ReplyDeleteOne thing EHoltz and I agree on is man up, stand up and be accounted for.
AG
Hey Eric
ReplyDeleteI have seen a bunch of questions How about some answers
Thanks
Eric WHAT HAPPENED
ReplyDeleteWHERE ARE THE ANSWERS?
well when someone said to this this guy "follow your dream, no matter what" this definitely take this to serious.
ReplyDeleteSurely, the dude is absolutely fair.
ReplyDelete