What the f*** was that all about?
The Israel Baseball League's promised expanded second season was reduced to four-team, three-week, 20-game "momentum-building" mini-season, truncated to a one-week "show" festival, reduced to a five-game "show" festival, cut to a one-night stand-- and ended with nothing.
NOTHING.
For all the lip-flapping and free-lunch-acceptance from IBL apologist Shoeless Leon Feingold, for all the deceptive posts on the IBL website, and for all the twitterings of "in-coming President" David Solomont, the supposed saviour with pretensions of installing himself as Presidente of the Dominican Republic of The Middle East Baseball League-- for all the abuse that anonymous commenters heaped on Our Man Elli in Israel's accurate and groundbreaking and award-deserving coverage (and you can find your own links this time, because we're disgusted)-- they never played a f***ing game!
It never happened!
Our Man Elli reports that Shoeless Leon and the other IBL "All-Stars" who got a free trip from the States to Israel have headed back home (hopefully without any transmitted diseases, which could be a possibility if our spies are correct-- Neve Ilan ain't the Olympic Village, boys).
Russell Robinson of the Israel National Fund has checked out of his five-star hotel without ever throwing a first pitch. And David Solomont has also fled the country.
Israel Association of Baseball President Haim Katz, whose group was falsely accused of stopping the tournament that was ever advertised, insured or manned, told Elli today:
"This week changed nothing; It did not affect any change in their (the IBL's) status or in their license to play baseball. No matter what they would have done, it wouldn’t have affected that status.
"It was irrelevant if they played one game or two games or no games. Nothing was coordinated with us beforehand, so it didn't have any bearing on the future."
Mr. Katz, we must disagree. We'd say that a lot has changed.
As long as the people leading the alleged IBL (Larry Baras, David Solomont Martin Berger and the gang) hang around, it will be tougher to get anyone else interested in taking a new approach. Even if the IAB puts the IBL out of our misery by deciding it will no longer deal with its "executives," any other group stepping forward will have to deal wit h the baggage.
Bottom line:
Who will buy their bulls*** now?
And what the f*** was that all about?
Where's the Associated Press coverage of all this?
Oh, right. They only refashion press releases.
Where's bigtime Jerusalem Post sports editor Jeremy Last and his team? Watching the Olympics on television? Or because of the embarrassing publicity, has he gotten the order not to use this site as a source?
Does Jeremy Last still think the IBL failed because there was no promotion among Israelis?
Stay tuned here for a major announcement on the future of coverage of the Israel Baseball League and its fallout.
"This is going to be the Dominican Republic of the Middle East... Our players are going over to put on a show!"--IBL's new "in-coming president" Solomont
Elli, you were right from day 1. I am sorry.
ReplyDeleteYou know what's really pathetic - even if they couldn't get onto a field to play a single game, the players were there for a week, and the people in charge could have at least set up a fee clinic at a soccer field for a group of kids. You can't tell me Katz wouldn't have accepted some guest instructors for his youth teams, and you can't tell me the players wouldn't have done it. One wasted opportunity after another.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the memories IBL...like Barry Bonds, you're done! Next!
Pathetic!
Elli, I warned you not to post nudes of Larry , Martin or David.
ReplyDeleteDon't you think based on what I said,by extension, you wouldn't post pics of other overweight middle aged men?
I used to be your friend ,now I've puked on my shoes .
How do I get those terrible images
out of my brain?
I will be sending you my shrinks bills.
When will the duped players speak out?
ReplyDeleteWill David Solomont say more courageous bs?
Stay tuned!
the only duped players were the new guys. All the vets knew who they were dealing with. Baseball or no baseball, who gives a rats ass. A free trip to Israel is always a fun time.
ReplyDeleteIf Tabloit Baby (Burt Kearns)is so concerned on why the AP hasnt covered it, why havent they/he contacted any of the stations/reporters who covered it last season.
ReplyDeleteHell contact Jeremy Schaap. He was the MC at the draft. ESPN is the"WorldWideLeader in sports" right? He is also on that show E:60 that covers non mainstream stories. This would be a good one for him.
Burt, I challenge you and/or your minions to contact Jeremy Schaap to cover this fiasco once known as the IBL. I'm sure your site will get a plug on his show and story if do this.
So if he does cover it you dont have to work as hard pushing your projects such as The Seventh Python and that crappy Burt Reynolds volleyball movie.
"Who will buy their bulls*** now?"
ReplyDeleteCurse you TB for omitting the 'hit'!
You would have had the last 'hit' of the IBL...
Can't wait 'til next season, so we can start a new charade with so many more crazy twists and turns! Possibly the most entertaining two months of my life, and will ever be grateful to my teammates, Israelis, and fans who made it memorable.
Fick dich (selbst) Ty!
ReplyDeleteJeremy Schapp's contact info:
ReplyDeletejeremy.schaap@espn.com
Have fun!
The challenge was for TB/Burt Kearns to do the work and get a major reporter or media network to cover this. C'mon its an easy way to get free pub for all the crap they are always pushing on the site. The IBL stories are what brings people to this site. If that werent the case, they would most certainly not post them on TB first then on Israelibaseball.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteThey want the hits to come to TB first, only then do they post on the other site. Lets go team Kearns, do some real work and dont wait to get the info from everyone else. Its easy to get stories from google alerts and claim they are your own just because you quote Elli or add some extra little tidbit of info.
Let me get this straight. They flew 6,000 miles not to even play one game. They didn't even have a baseball clinic. What the heck did the players do? (besides sex)
ReplyDeleteWhat was Martin Berger doing? Larry Baras doing? David Solomont (the in-coming President)doing?
My reports are that they didn't even have the courage to show up in Israel. They left all the planning to Dan Duquette? Does he still think that his equity in the IBL will be worth something?
Answers anybody?
Hey challenger - why should it just be TB making the effort? Haven't they done all the work for the last year? The people who read this site all have Jewish newspapers in their cities, why don't they write to them and ask for a followup investigation?
ReplyDeleteto challenger and the last poster, the actual answer is that the players, vendors and any other people who are owed money need to demand answers by bringing this whole thing public. it's been a year and nede ansirs got it right...6000 miles, 12 roundtrip tickets, hotel rooms, 3 cars but no games, no clinics, no baseball while all those other people are owed money. If all the people who are owed money really push for answers, stuff will come out without TB or the hacks at the Jerusalem Post. Maybe TB or the JP wants to reach out to the vendors who are owed a lot of money and find out why they haven't sued the IBL yet. Anyone else wondering why?
ReplyDelete