Pava-wimpy: TMZ neutered on eve of TV debut!

Two days before the premiere of the syndicated television series based on the corporate porn-pushing gossip site TMZ.com, evidence shows that the corporate puppetmasters at Time-Warner are keeping a close rein on the website, so that the kinky and confrontational style doesn't spatter a stain across the whitewashed, gentrified TV version.

The latest case in point: the death of Luciano Pavarotti.

When beloved television legend Merv Griffin passed away last month, the site ran a picture of Griffin discovery Vanna White applauding. After the legendary Charles Nelson Reilly died, TMZ simply showed the purple, purse-toting TeleTubby.

Jerry Falwell didn't get a word of copy after he dropped dead-- only the Teletubby picture.

So how does sleazy TMZ commemorate the death this week of the big fat Opera Man with the Gene Palma eyebrows and beard? The biggest, fattest target for TMZ's nasty brand of "humour"? A photo of Barney the dinosaur, perhaps-- with the headline "The Fat Lady sings for Two Ton-Tenor"?

"Chubby's last chase?"

No, TMZ played it CNN-straight:

"Legendary Tenor Pavarotti Dead at 71."

Epic opera singer Luciano Pavarotti, whose voice and style made him one of the most famed opera singers to have ever lived, has died, his manager told The Associated Press. He was 71...

And this morning, in another bizarre change of face, TMZ reported on Pavarotti's funeral! "Sticking the bear in the box"? "Pava-rots?"

"Singer is a stinky poo"?

No. TMZ writes: "Pavarotti's Final Curtain Call."

Pavarotti's Final Curtain Call

World-renowned opera singer Luciano Pavarotti was large in life -- and his funeral, in his home town of Modena, Italy, was equally grand... His private invitation-only funeral, held in Modena's main cathedral, was attended by fellow opera stars Andrea Bocelli, Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras, as well as U2's Bono and a slew of Italian dignitaries...

Ciao bello!

Ciao bello? Ciao bello??!! Has Harvey Levin been subjected to chemical castration? Is it simply a Judy Garland thing?

Combine that with TMZ's straight Court TV-style report on the Phil Spector trial and it's far more likely that the coprorate forces behind TMZ.com are forcing the flamboyant staff to lie low until the initial TV storm passes. The bigger question is whether the existence of the TMZ TV will mean that the website will be neutered permamently. Harvey Levin made his splash on the Internet by unleashing his inner Perez Hilton. Now that he's being zipped into the Star Jones suit for one last grab at the TV donut, he could be selling out TMZ's anti-soul altogether. Stay tuned.

There are only two Harveys to go until the big TV debut!

EXCLUSIVE: HARVEY LEVIN TAKES TABLOID BABY'S ADVICE, PROMISES THAT TV SERIES WILL NOT RESEMBLE CORPORATE PORN-PUSHING GOSSIP SITE!

With only three Harveys to go before the debut of the syndicated television series based on the corporate porn-pushing gossip site TMZ.com, its editor and "main on-air-personality" Harvey Levin confirms to the Associated Press that he has taken the free consultancy advice offered for months on Tabloidbaby.com-- and that the television show will not include any of the sleazy, sordid, pornographic and crass elements that are hallmarks of the TMZ website.

"There are obviously things we can do on the Web site that we can't do on TV, and we're not trying to do that. So it's finding the right tone and the right personality. But I know what people want: They want different and they want humor."

Levin's comments are ripped directly from advice we've offered TMZ, for free-- far more knowledgably and effectively than that of their high-priced TV consultants.

On August 12th, when asked by Luke Ford, we explained why we don't like the form of tabloid journalism practiced by TMZ: "Good tabloid has a sense of humour... Tabloid is the ability to tell any story— no matter how sordid or shocking— to any audience, to the Queen of England, as we used to say, as long as you tell the story the right way."

And on August 15th, we reiterated: "We've watched as tabloid television devolved from something truly revolutionary and funny-- a cultural and political force-- to a corrupt, celeb-kissing, product-pushing, epileptic fit-inducing irrelevant waste of airtime. If he really wants to succeed, Harvey should take the advice from people who know: the audience. And the audience is speaking...

We're here for you Harvey. But the fact that the show promises to be a pale, whitebread, wimpy version of the kinky, nasty, dirty website-- complete with serio-newso co-hosts-- does not bode well for the show's future. If you're going to go for it, it won't work if you go halfway. (Our point is that it won't work at all, because what attracts people to the website just can't work in a show aimed at a mainstream American audience (and we're writing from Utah, so we have an idea of what we're talking about).

Meanwhile, according to the AP, the producers of those corrupt, celeb-kissing, product-pushing, epileptic fit-inducing irrelevant wastes of airtime are excited to see TMZ try... and fail:

"The way I look at it, we're in the limo with the stars. They're chasing the limo," said Lisa Gregorisch-Dempsey, "Extra" senior executive producer (and Levin's former colleague on "Celebrity Justice"). "It's a completely different point of view."

Linda Bell Blue, executive producer for "Entertainment Tonight" and "The Insider," adopted an equally confident posture in an e-mailed comment.

"With 26 years under `ET's' belt, we have the best connections in the entertainment business and the best connection with our audience. We're excited that people's interest in celebrity journalism remains very high ...." Bell Blue said.

As yet another show joins the fray, however, consumer fatigue seems to be a possibility.

"I don't see any signs of it. The television marketplace has an insatiable appetite for celebrity news," said Greg Meidel, president of MyNetworkTV.

Offers Gregorisch-Dempsey of "Extra": "All this guilty pleasure stuff that people want to talk about ... they have to get it somewhere."

Nude photos of High School Musical star??

We were at the California Adventure Park in what used to be the much-lamented Disneyland parking lot last week and got to see the new High School Musical 2 street parade-- with a not-quite-ready-for-TV-movie and in-no-way-lookalike cast of players filling in for the Disney stars, but with enough enthusiasm for us not to notice much.

What could put the brakes on High School Musical 2 mania-- especially with those You Are The Music In Me and Fabulous numbers? Nothing short of buck naked photos of the young stars.


Oh.


The National Enquirer says that some private sexy shots of HSM2 star Vanessa Hudgens got loose. Now there's a pic online that's said to be Vanessa. We're not saying it is. Check the complete, full-frontal version here.

(UPDATE: Vanessa's rep says it's her. “This was a photo which was taken privately. It is a personal matter and it is unfortunate that this has become public.”)

Curve Ball! Our Man Elli gets into a new fight

Lest anyone think Our Man Elli in Israel is a one-trick sportswriting muckraker, he’s already set to take new punches in a new arena. While new leads, developments and hate mail pour in, in the aftermath of last week's historic exposé of the first season foibles of the Israel Baseball League, Elli’s taking on all comers in a new story about the pugilistic wonders of the Holy Land.

Elli writes about two up-and-coming pugs who will duke it out with challengers Friday night at the Blue Horizon arena in Philadelphia (that’s a long way from the Western Wall). Junior welterweight Elad Shmouel is 17-1 with eight knockouts, and ranked 225 in the world out of 1,126 junior welterweights. Heavyweight Ran Nakash is 8-0 with five knockouts, and ranked 400 in a world of 1,101 heavyweights.

And this time around, if you think we’re going to piss off half the Jewish journalists in the world by posting the article first (see this week’s Hebrew hullabaloo here), you're meshuga. Go to Israel 21C here for the article. They’ll post it by Friday.

(Meanwhile, the initial hatred of Elli Wohlgelernter because of his audacity to criticize the IBL after its maiden season has mellowed into a grudging respect for his abilities and evenhandness. Our Man Elli’s credentials as a life-long sportswriter were cemented when he became the sports editor for the second edition of the Encyclopaedia Judaica, so you can't argue with that.)

Bounced paychecks! Elli's Israel ball scandal widens

In the words of a great Yogi, “It ain’t over til it’s over,” and in the case of Our Man Elli in Israel’s exposé on the Israel Baseball League’s tumultuous first season, the revelations and shockers just keep on coming.

While worldwide debate rages over the fallout from Elli’s article, and whether Elli is a “killjoy,” dream killer or just a putz who should have been happy to have any kind of baseball in the Promised Land, the latest issue is whether the players who left their home countries to play a season in Israel wil get paid for the effort.

Behind the scenes, there have been many grumble from players. One IBL star player who asked to remain anonymous writes:

”I saved every check that I got this summer from the league, my entire salary, and deposited them the day after I got back from the States. Well, a week later, the checks didn't cash because the league had insufficient funds, so every purchase that I have made since then has needed to come from a loan account which I now need to pay back, plus interest, plus overdraft fees. Can you fucking believe this? The league sent out an email with some bullshit excuse about why they don't have the money.

“Frankly, I don't care why they don't have it. That's not my problem. What is my problem is that I worked for a whole summer and have yet to get paid.”

The player said the league explained the fashla, "something to the effect that an old check from a vendor was wrongfully cashed and wiped out their account. Don't believe that for a second. Haven't they ever heard of accountants who keep track of their business bank accounts? I’m pretty sure that if a HUGE check wasn't cashed for several months someone would know about it. If not, this league is doomed.”

But one high-profile player did go on the record with his complaint.

All-Star infielder Nate Fish, the pride of the Tel Aviv Lightning, writes:

"My last paycheck from the league bounced, which pretty much sucks considering I'm effectively jobless and without a home in NYC right now."

Is this a case of Bialystock and baseball? Elli promises much more to come, as his investigation of the Israel Baseball League continues-- and all this should only add to the importance and drama of the best-selling book that the article will inspire.

And meanwhile, despite the controversy, the reaction to Elli’s article can be summed up by this fan who commented on the article as it appeared in Haaretz:

“Baseball in Israel was a joy to behold. However, all of the criticisms aired in this article are correct. The playing fields were not only poorly constructed, but they were dangerous. At Baptist Village, the children in the summer camp had to be kept far from the fence, because a well-hit ball could have flown over the fence and hurt a child. At Sportek, the fence was covered with spikes making it dangerous for a player to run into it. It is not enough to simply have bases and a pitcher`s mound to play professional ball on a field. The field has to be graded and leveled, it has to have apprioriate grass or artificial turf, and the running track has to be soft enough for cleats to engage the ground. Luckily, there was only one serious injury. BTW, Mr. Cruz could have a legit. lawsuit against the league for negligence resulting in the end of his baseball career. I saw him after his release from hospital, and he probably will have coordination problems for a long time to come.”

(Catch up with all our exclusive postings of Elli Wohlgelernter's Pulitzer-bound coverage of the Israel Baseball League here.)

Jerry: The real moment to remember

Jerola! Fagola! Enoughola!

We predicted it as soon as the word rolled past his dentures. When Jerry Lewis uttered the slur "fag" on his telethon yesterday, we knew there'd be backlash and demands for apology. We knew that the ones who'd make the most noise wouldn't cut him a break, even though he's 81, he's from an era and school in which all manners of politically-incorrect labels were acceptable, he gave the world The Bellboy-- and despite the fact that the utterance took up less than one second of 21 and a half hours of philanthropy.

But the story was bound to grow-- especially after those activists at the corporate porn-pushing gossip site TMZ.com inflamed the matter this morning by claiming he'd barked the word "faggot"-- while posting the video that proved he didn't!

Leave it to our pal Ray Richmond, the straight-shooting Hollywood Reporter star (who matter-of-factly-- and spectacularly-- announced his friend Merv Griffin's homosexuality-- then rebuked Jerry for his comments on Merv's death), to put the flap into context at his essential Past Deadline site, injecting some common sense before a well-meaning old man is destroyed:

...My friend Burt Kearns at Tabloid Baby got the ball rolling in typically stylish fashion on his blog yesterday in taking Lewis to task for the anti-gay slur. It happened during the 18th hour of the annual fundraising event, with a fatigued Jerry blurting during a bit of onstage improv, "Your family has come to see you... you remember Bart, your oldest son... Jesse, the illiterate fag." There was an audible gasp in the crowd, but it didn't stop the checks from rolling in on schedule en route to a record $63.7 million haul.

Does this mean Jerry Lewis is homophobic? No. He could be. But it's more about a tired old man (he's 81) allowing some of his Vegas lounge act to slip into a live national TV broadcast. He cut his showbiz teeth during an era when it was just fine to defame gays, blacks, Latinos, Jews, whomever. Them days are gone -- as Lewis well knows -- but sometimes, if the brain isn't operating at maximum efficiency, old habits will intrude.

This comes on top of Jerry's having uttered the unfortunate phrase that Merv Griffin "deserved to die" last month because he purportedly did nothing to treat his prostate cancer. I doubt the man meant it that coldly, but he wasn't misquoted, either. I think it may be time for Jerry to take a little vacation and rest up, lest his mouth continue to sabotage the rest of his body.

(Funny. The very controversial chapter about Jerry Lewis and his telethon in Burt Kearns' book, Tabloid Baby, is titled "Lesbians, Cripples & Clowns." Click here to find out why.)

(UPDATE: Jerry apologized this afternoon.)

Update: TMZ boys read Tabloid Baby, correct lie

Earlier this morning, we caught the corporate porn-pushing gossip site TMZ.com lying about the anti-gay slur Jerry Lewis uttered during the 18th hour of the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon (Jerry uttered the word "fag." TMZ, in an attempt to link Jerry to TV hothead Isaiah Washington, accused him of calling someone a "faggot"-- despite videotaped evidence to the contrary!)

Now Harvey and the boys have quietly corrected the post-- with nary a howdy-do or fare-thee-well to Tabloid Baby!

Only six Harveys to go til TMZ TV's premiere!

Los Angeles awakens to Our Man Elli's scoop

The cover story.

Why did TMZ exaggerate Jerry Lewis' gay slur?

We awoke this morning to see that corporate porn-pushing gossip site TMZ.com had lifted our story on Jerry Lewis' anti-gay slur in Hour 18 of the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon. They didn't give us any credit, but we didn't expect them to. We did expect that Harvey and the boys would at least be honest, and get the story right, especially since they followed our link and posted the incriminating video.

Jerry, in one of his freeform comic riffs, referred to someone as "the illiterate fag."

TMZ gilded the lily by claiming that Jerry "A woozy Jerry Lewis, 81, went all Isaiah Washington on his telethon last night, calling someone -- or something -- an 'illiterate faggot.'"

As the video illustrates, Jerry never uttered the word "faggot." As part of his old school, inappropriate riff, he deliberately-- and clearly-- caught himself at "fag."

Nor did the slur escape "last night." It occurred in the telethon's hour 18 yesterday. TMZ, who further hyped the story by claiming in the headline that "Jerry Lewis Drops F-Bomb During Telethon" (note to TMZ elitists: to mainstream Americans outside the Twink Male Zone, the "F-Bomb" is "fuck"). Crack down on those weekend workers, TMZ. There are only six Harveys til the TMZ TV debut!

Journo world in uproar over our Elli exclusive!

Our Man Elli in Israel not only broke major news with his exposé on the first season of the Israel Baseball League, but in breaking the story here on Tabloidbaby.com, he-- and we-- have established something of a landmark in Internet journalism, as our exclusive now "illustrates the complex issues of deadlines, exclusivity, paying and non-paying clients, and whether newspapers and Web sites are separate entities."

Journalist Alan D. Abbey has the article on the Romenesko media news dumpsite this morning.

And that's a story in itself. We at Tabloid Baby have been one of Jim Romenesko's greatest supporters for a decade. But Jim (left), whose page is part of the hoity-toity Poynter journalism institute site, has proven himself to be a journalistic snob by refusing over the years to link to any Tabloid Baby stories, no matter their importance. In fact, he's sent us at least one nasty email, because we have the word "Tabloid" in our name. Romenesko obviously doesn't see our shared connection as media watchdogs, and to the pure roots of journalism that one can't learn in an ivy-covered "j- school."

And he lost out because of it. We'd sent him a link to Elli's story-- a week ago. He ignored it. Now he has the story a week late and a dollar short. Schmuck.

Who's on First? Online/Print Publishing Dilemma

A story that recently made the rounds of Jewish (and non-Jewish) media on the Internet and in print illustrates the complex issues of deadlines, exclusivity, paying and non-paying clients, and whether newspapers and Web sites are separate entities.

The lengthy Aug. 31 Jewish Week article by Elli Wohlgelernter (disclosure: Wohlgelernter is a former colleague and personal friend) concerns the recently completed inaugural season of the Israel Baseball League. It details a number of problems that occurred, including a potentially dangerous incident when a player was struck by a ball, a manager's mid-season departure, sub-standard playing and living conditions for the athletes, and lack of success in marketing the league to Hebrew-speaking Israelis. It also points out how English-speaking "Anglo-Israelis" embraced the project, and how most players enjoyed their experience, despite "bush league" conditions.

The way this story wound itself around the Web, and ruffled feathers of editors, is even more interesting. Wohlgelernter sold the story to four U.S. Jewish newspapers, including the LA Jewish Journal and NY Jewish Week. He worked a "local angle" into as many slightly differing versions as possible, by quoting Jewish and non-Jewish players from the newspapers' home towns.

He was clear up front, and told each paper they would not get an "exclusive." He also gave the story to the blog Tabloid Baby, because of his longstanding relationship with the blog's creator, Burt Kearns (one of the founding producers of the tabloid television business in the 1980s).

Due to an apparent miscommunication based on time zone differences (Wohlgelernter is in Israel, which is seven hours ahead of N.Y. and 10 hours ahead of Calif., where Tabloid Baby is based), the story first appeared on Tabloid Baby (TB) before running on any of the paying clients' sites.

In the way of the web, TB's posting began drawing fiery comments from Israel Baseball League supporters. Even Luke Ford (a rather controversial figure in blogging and Jewish media) linked to it. Ford is well known in L.A., where he once covered the porn industry.

A staff reporter and blogger for the L.A. Jewish Journal commented on the story and linked both to Ford and to TB. This happened before the Journal ran the story. In effect, the Jewish Journal's own blogger scooped the paper.

Later, TB published a PDF of the front page of the New Jersey Jewish News, another paying client, before NJJN posted the story online.

Rob Eshman, editor of the L.A. Jewish Journal and JewishJournal.com, was miffed, and told Wohlgelernter about it. Wohlgelernter brought the matter to my attention and asked me these questions -- which I am passing on to you, dear readers:

1. Is there a difference between a paying and non-paying customer for a freelance writer? Wohlgelernter says, for one thing, that TB's exposure of his story and previous mentions of his life in Israel have helped his career -- and therefore, have real financial value.

"In my mind," Wohlgelernter said, "there was no issue here whether Tabloid Baby was paying or not. Had he paid for it, Eshman would still have been miffed -- it made no difference. The honest mistake was that I had embargoed the story for TB until the papers that were running it in print had put their respective papers to bed. Kearns got mixed up with the time zones and thought the 5 p.m. embargo time was for the day before."

2. Should he have held off giving the story to TB until all the other paying clients had printed or posted it -- or both?

3. Is there any difference between print and the Web? Should the L.A. paper have waited to publish the story in print before posting online? The "classic" answer is yes -- why should people pay for a newspaper if they can read the articles online for free? However, does that "Web 1.0 answer" remain valid? The L.A. Jewish Journal might have benefitted more from Web traffic had it posted the story online first, since it might then have attracted links from TB, Luke Ford, and others.

"This does raise all sorts of questions, and I don't have the answers," Wohlgelernter said. "I was selling the story to weekly print newspapers, and even there there is a difference in their printing schedule. Should I have discussed and made a deal with all of them regarding online posting schedules? It never occurred to me. But maybe that's something to consider when selling a story to more than one outlet."

4. Does a newspaper which did not pay for an exclusive article have the right to complain when it gets "scooped"? TB's scoop was intended to be minutes ahead of the others -- not a full day, as occurred.

Many papers, not just small Jewish weeklies, are struggling with Web/print issues. This incident also poses the question of free v. paid for writers, as well. These issues will persist long after the last grass stains are washed from the knees of Israel Baseball League uniforms.

Telethon shocker! Jerry slurs gays!

Remember the time Jerry Lewis said that "God goofed" in creating dystrophic kids? Now they're even. It's one thing to say that Merv Griffin deserved to die, as Jerry did a couple of weeks back (with an explanation), but in Hour 18 of the Labor Day Telethon, Jerry really went and struck a blow against allowing 81-year-old tumlers to host live telethons when, in a bit, he referred to the imaginary son of a cameraman as "the illiterate fag."

It's Old School Vegas. Way old school. Did it take a bite out of donations? No. The final tote read $63.7 million for Jerry's 42nd telethon. Last year's record was $61 million.

But it could mean that Jerry goes the way of Imus and Rather...

"TMZ TV! It's a stinky poo!" (They said it, not us)

As the debut nears for the syndicated TV show based on the corporate porn-pushing gossip site TMZ.com, "sneak peak" ads the syndicator is splashing on the Internet promise a half-hour that looks more like a very late-night cable show than mainstream syndicated fare. All the footage is shot at night, there's a concentration on the tired Britney-K-Fed-Paris crowd (with a focus on many anonymous scenesters), and one video teaser even has green cartoon vomit projecting from a celebutard's mouth.

Our personal favorite is the one called "TMZ Promo - Real" on the TMZ website (see it here):

ANNOUNCER: "Every day, millions turn to TMZ.COM for their celebrity fix."

CUT TO:

ANDY DICK: "It's a stinky poo."

Later, the announcer intones that TMZ TV is "REAL!" -- over footage of a car lurching into a wall-- accompanied by a loud, fake sound effect of a much larger crash!

First off: "It's a stinky poo"? Did a group of television professionals sit in a room, watch that promo, and give it the thumbs up? Did they applaud? Do they talk that way in the office? We'll save that one for another day. The "Real" promo leads to bigger questions, like:

How much fakery is involved in the trademark TMZ celebrity and celebutard confrontations? With Andy Dick on board as celebrity spokesman (surely there are more prominent, mainstream figures captured on video telling the TMZ boys to fuck off), is it possible that Dick's alleged attack on a TMZ cameraboy last week-- trumped-up and publicized mightily by the site-- was a faked stunt, as well?

Who cares? There are but seven Harveys to go to the big premiere!

Harrison Ford finally acts his age

Sixty-five.

He suddenly looks it in the new movie, Crossing Over.

Exclusive! Our Man Elli & the IBL: An editor speaks

Esteemed, award-winning newspaper editor Andrew Silow-Carroll ran Elli Wohlgelernter's explosive article on the first season of the Israel Baseball League as the cover story in the New Jersey Jewish News. Amid the international debate over Our Man Elli's revelations, Silow-Carroll (left) sent Elli this note:

I think it was a good, tough, ultimately constructive story that lays out a nice road map for anybody trying to launch a start-up in Israel-– and I think it leaves readers with a sense of a responsive management willing to learn from its mistakes... Your article was closer to a good Wall Street Journal piece that lays out the drama and gives space for all sides to put it into perspective. Kol hakavod*, and thanks.

(*Kol hakavod (kohl hah-kah-vohd; Literally: "All of the respect"): All right, way to go, or a job well done.)

Three cheers for Jerry

A Tabloid Baby tip of the hat to Robert Lloyd at the LA Times, who for once offers a tribute to Jerry Lewis that isn't a backhanded compliment or a hipster's veiled slap. In anticipation of the 21 1/2 hour telethon that begins this evening, Lloyd lays it out, reminding that "before there was Live Aid-- or Live 8 or Live Earth-- there was Jerry Lewis and his telethon... Labor Day Weekend... each year with a mixture of famous faces, just-flew-in-from comics, spangly lounge singers and solid citizens bearing checks. And presiding over it all, the man the French call Le Roi du Crazy.

"Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon" is that thing that barely exists anymore, an actual television event-- and a variety show, to boot, while we're counting our nearly extinct species. But it is also remarkable in the way that Lewis-- not too proud to beg, cry or stick cigarettes in his ears if it will get you to send him a dollar-- has come, in an almost religious way, to embody his mission. It's his totally wired, sleep-sacrificing performance-- clownish, rabbinical, sentimental, slapstick -- that gives this marathon its weird ritual power. (The telethon raised $61 million last year, so "power" seems apt.) There is nothing quite like it.

I wouldn't want to claim that Lewis won't live to see a cure for any or all of the 40-some neuromuscular diseases that MDA funds help fight, because evidence suggests he can't be killed. At 81, he has fought prostate cancer, diabetes, pulmonary fibrosis, viral meningitis, a bleeding ulcer, two heart attacks and an addiction to painkillers from injuries sustained in the pursuit of comedy. But he has never missed a telethon.

Give til it hurts.

Looking back at Our Man Elli's dreams for Israel

Elli Wohlgelernter, Tabloid Baby's Man in Israel, is at the center of a worldwide storm over his muckraking report on the near-fatal flaws of the Israel Baseball League's first season. And it was while gathering the latest crop of reaction that one of our staffers reminded us that Elli is no Yossi-come-lately to the Israel Baseball League story. As a print and television reporter, he'd been covering the countdown to the IBL for a year before Opening Day, wrote a curtain raiser for the New York Times in June and, back in March, penned an eager preview of the IBL.

Look again at an essay that reflects all the hopes and idealism of a kid who saw his first baseball game at Yankee Stadium in 1962:

Sliding Home

by ELLI WOHLGELERNTER

It's a long season, and you gotta trust it. I've tried them all,
I really have. And the only shul that truly feeds the soul, day in, day out,
is the shul of baseball.
- with apologies to Annie Savoy

"What do you miss most?"

That's the question immigrants to Israel get asked more than any other. Sometimes it elicits serious answers, sometimes personal ones. Of course everyone misses their family and friends left behind, that's a given. And sometimes what we miss most is a simple food we crave, or some product that is impossible to find in Israel, but which would make our daily lives easier.

Me, I always give the same answer.

Baseball.

Sure, I miss my family and friends, and pizza here is never going to be as good as it is in New York. And though I may not see my family and friends as much as I'd like, phone calls and emails keep us well connected.

But baseball is different. Baseball, for serious fans, takes on a relationship more akin to that of a husband and wife. Spouses communicate every day, even from a distance, even if only for a few minutes. The definition of that relationship - a relationship based on passion - demands no less.

So too in baseball. Baseball, like marriage, is nothing without intimacy. Sure, I can read what my favorite Yankees did over the last two weeks, how many games they won or lost, and see highlights on the Internet. But that is just passive knowledge and information, crucial though it is, and videos only highlight how far away I am. It never satisfies the emotional need, never quenches the thirst of passion. For that you need a constant, daily narrative that you can see, hear and smell.

Now we'll have it.

On June 24, the first-ever professional baseball game in Israel will be played at Kibbutz Gezer, between the Petah Tikva Pioneers and the Modi'in Miracle. The six-team league also includes the Bet Shemesh Blue Sox, Netanya Tigers, Ra'anana Express and Tel Aviv Lightning. Each club will play 45 regular-season games, a schedule comparable to that of the low minor leagues.

The games will be played at three sites: Tel Aviv and Netanya teams will play at Sportek in Tel Aviv. Ra'anana and Petah Tikvah will share a field at the Yarkon Sports Complex, while Kibbutz Gezer will host the Modi'in and Bet Shemesh teams.

Eighty players have already been signed, from eight countries including the Dominican Republic, Australia, Venezuela, and the United States. A trio of retired Jewish major leaguers will manage three of the teams - former pitcher Ken Holtzman, outfielder Art Shamsky and baseball's first designated hitter, Ron Blomberg. The league's first commissioner is Daniel Kurtzer, a former US ambassador to Israel, and Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig is on the board of advisors.

Even with that pedigree the detractors are already lining up to scoff, confident in their criticism that declares the venture - the brainstorm of one Larry Baras, Boston businessman and visionary extraordinaire - this century's version of Fulton's Folly. How can it succeed, they laugh, in a country already saturated with soccer and basketball? Who's gonna care enough to come to a game, besides a few dozen Anglos? And how can a home run compete with the excitement of a goal or a basket for an Israeli?

For those who follow baseball, who understand baseball, such doubters are to be pitied. While it is easy to understand their lack of faith in a Baras, or a Dan Duquette - the man in charge of player development - it is difficult to fathom their lack of faith in the very game itself.

That baseball was never, heretofore, an integral part of the fabric of Israeli culture is hardly a reflection on the sport itself. Baseball will succeed here, first and foremost, because it's the greatest game in the world. But it will also succeed because Israelis, like Americans, are great sports fans, as passionate about athletics as they are about everything that has meaning in their lives. In due time, Israelis too will come to understand the game, the rich nuances and subtleties that make it so interesting to millions of Americans.

Yes, of course building baseball in Israel is a long-term project. Duquette understands that better than anyone. Having once been in charge of player development for the Montreal Expos, Duquette took on a similar challenge going up against Canada's national religion, hockey. And from the ground up, he built an infrastructure and a system that was able to discover, recruit, and further develop Canadian baseball players.

It took a while, but then it happened: On March 8, 2006, Team Canada beat the powerhouse Team USA, 8-6, in the World Baseball Classic. Canadian baseball was on the map. To say that Israelis are less athletically inclined, incapable of playing and eventually competing on that level, is an insult, and simply foolish. A dozen Israelis have already been signed to the league, a number that is sure to grow as the country is more exposed to the sport.

One other thing: Everyone understands that ballplayers on the major league level are supremely talented, and a joy to watch. True enough. But for those who think minor league baseball is not that good, not the real thing, know this: those players underneath the Major Leagues at the AAA, AA, and A level are no less talented then the big boys. There is, in fact, only one difference between those in Single-A and those in the Major Leagues: consistency.

I spent the summer of 1983 covering minor league baseball, the Utica Blue Sox, in the New York-Penn League. They weren't just a single-A team, they were an independent team, which meant that no other ballclub had wanted any of the players. Castoffs, you say? Let me tell you, they weren't just good, they were great. I saw guys make plays that today would be on SportsCenter every night. The raw talent was breathtaking.

And now that's coming here. Baseball in Israel. I will get to see professional players up close, watch them show off that incredible talent, and follow their stories for 10 weeks, right here in my backyard. I'll still follow the Yankees, of course, but now I can follow a local team as well - the Blue Sox again, this time in Bet Shemesh. And my immigration will have become complete.

Israel Baseball League founder ignores Elli's exposé

Our Man Elli in Israel's no-holds-barred report on the potentially-fatal failures of the just-completed first season of the Israel Baseball League has reverberated around the world. As it is reposted and published in various forms online and in newspapers, there has been outrage from diehard fans of baseball and Israel-- and praise from observers like this Tabloid Baby commenter:

"Elli has just 'scratched the surface' of the problems with the IBL. The IBL is intended as a profit making enterprise and the positive spin is also designed to attract investors. Many of the issues have nothing to do with 'typical start-up' problems but have to do with a lack of experience, common sense, and professionalism of management-- regardless of good intentions."

So what impact has the expose had on the ones who ran the league long-distance from the east coast of the United States? Elli's article and sidebar debuted on this site on Tuesday. This weekend, league founder Larry Baras sent out an urgent post to supporters, investors and subscribers.

"A Message from the Founder Larry Baras" doesn't refute a single word in Elli Wohlgelernter's exposé. In fact, Mr. Baras' message makes no reference at all to the story that laid out the mistakes and was full of warnings for the future:

A Message from Larry Baras

Greetings once again.

It is so hard to believe that the first season is now in the books. We have already held our first tryouts for next season and have already selected five new players to join us next year. We hit the ground running upon our return from Israel and look forward to improving upon what we accomplished this past year.

This missive is meant to be a note of thanks to those who contributed so much to the launch of the IBL. But I find myself re-writing it over and over again, trying to find the right words, hoping not to omit anybody. It is proving to be impossible. How do you sufficiently show appreciation to people who worked doggedly day after day, week after week, at little or no pay, to make this all happen? You just can’t.

This union of two distinct concepts – Baseball and Israel – is one that has been resonating for over a year now. I have been trying to make sense of it all, and now that I have personally witnessed a whole season unfold, interacting with fans and meeting with players, I think I finally have gotten it.

Last summer in Israel, it was the Summer of the Lebanese War. The summer before that was the Summer of the Disengagement. In the three summers before that, it was the Summer of the Intifada.

For the baseball fraternity, it has also been a period of turmoil, dominated by Barry Bonds’ quest for home run supremacy under the cloud of steroid abuse. The game has become as much a business as it is a sport in many ways, with ticket prices often serving as a barrier to entry for the most avid fans.

What Baseball in Israel became was a return to innocence and idealism for both Israel and for Baseball. If you were lucky enough to go to a game, especially at the magical Gezer Field in Kibbutz Gezer, what you experienced was a throwback to earlier times for both baseball and Israel. Parents were there with their kids, explaining the game or sharing the nuances. Once a week, I noticed two men well into their twilight years, sitting together and watching the games, clearly reminiscing about times and players past. They probably hadn’t seen a ballgame in 40 years. You saw kids gawking at their new role models -- sports heroes resplendent in their uniforms, displaying physical prowess the likes of which dreams are made.

There is a popular phrase in Hebrew that has become the refrain for many different tunes. Hineh Ma Tov Uma Naim, Shevet Achim Gam Yachad. How good and sweet it is, brothers sitting together. That wistful phrase became personified at the baseball field in Israel. Grandparents and grandchildren, Americans and Israelis, religious and secular, men and women…it didn’t really matter. Everyone was there as one community, regaling in the splendor of baseball being played in Israel.

Thanks to everyone -- those who worked tirelessly, those who played the games, those who watched, those who cheered from afar. You made this summer the Summer of Baseball in Israel. It was good and it was sweet.

Stay tuned for more exclusive coverage of the Israel Baseball League fallout here. And send your comments to the founder Larry Baras at info@israelbaseballleague.com.

Lies from Iraq! Who's writing Katie's Baghdad blog?

"Here I am, my first day in Baghdad... It is overwhelming to be here and there is so much to take in..."

Four days short of a year ago, we posted an item titled, "Katie Couric kicks off with a big lie," pointing out that days before her debut as the CBS News celebrity newsreader, the network had begun running a "Katie Couric blog" that was purportedly-- but obviously not-- written by Katie.

Not too many people gave a toss-- until April, when an online commentary posted under her Katie's byline was found to be plagiarized from the Wall Street Journal. CBS News was quick to admit that Katie had nothing to do with the stolen words-- and even fired the producer who was Katie's ghost.

Now, Katie is in Iraq, in a desperate, sad stunt to generate ratings at the end of her snakebit first year-- and she's allegedly posting reflections on her blog from Baghdad.

The blog posting is boilerplate corporate propaganda, full of pro-military one liners (an obvious sop to CBS' hosts):

"...his personal opinion was that the U.S. has a responsibility to continue its presence here because, as he put it, 'We tipped over the apple cart'..."

"...The parents said they don't blame it on U.S. forces, and said they hope American troops stay, because if they don't, the 'militias will kill everyone'..."

"...The father... blamed the government and said a more secular government would do a better job..."

In a nod to Katie's cult, the posting includes the obligatory Wizard of Oz reference:

"...I guess that's why the author of a recent book on the zone named it 'Imperial Life in the Emerald City'..."

And it even includes a tease of what Katie will be presenting in future broadcasts:

"I'm anxious to talk to General Petraeus, to other top military brass, to some of the soldiers, and to Ambassador Crocker to get a better handle on the political situation..."

Think Katie wrote this? Again, it's obvious that the aging cutesie who seeks "America"'s trust-- is lying again.