Another tough one...

Another tough one…

Independence Day did not bring victory for the Tigers today, as we lost 6-1 to the Modi’in Miracle at Gezer Field. Umpires were again in question, as our starting pitcher Justin Prinstein appeared to be making excellent pitches that were not called strikes. As a result, he adjusted and threw more pitches over the middle part of the plate –a few were met with solid wooden contact and the Miracle came out on top. Blaming the umpires, I am not; both teams had to deal with the very tight strike zone. However, it was a factor and we will have to work to deal with it in the future.

After the game a group of us headed down to Tel Aviv for a 4^th of July celebration at Mike’s Place, a restaurant and bar on the beachfront. This time, we traveled successfully via public transit, a product of our hours of study of the local bus maps and the presence of a single line that leads downtown. A breathtaking sunset met us as we debussed, and we decided to stop for a photo shoot – some of us are aspiring to become male models upon return to the States.

Thirty Shekels bought a buffet style all-you-can-pile-on-one-plate meal consisting of chicken, steak, pita burgers, fries, and hummus – we were delighted. A couple beers, pool games, and casual conversations later, and we took a taxi home in time for a good night’s rest. Again due to our home field being still under construction, our game is rescheduled for noon, which means a 9:00am bus departure. I’m writing from bed and will post this tomorrow, probably after the game, so by the time this makes it online there will be a game result to post. Hopefully an addition to the win column will be appropriate, bringing us back to .500 on the year.

-MK