Baseball
is America’s pastime—especially here in New York. Israel is one of America’s
closest allies—and an island of liberal democracy in a sea of despotic intolerance.
When the two came together in 2017, the result was a rousing underdog story.
Cinderella proudly wore the Star of David on her jersey when Team Israel made
their surprising run in the last World Baseball Classic, which Seth Kramer, Daniel
A. Miller & Jeremy Newberger document in Heading Home: The Tale of Team
Israel, which opens this Friday in New York.
The
World Baseball Classic is very much like a FIFA World Cup for baseball,
including its greater popularity in Latin American countries than here in the
United States. Big contract Major Leaguers are discouraged from playing, so most
of the Americans who agree to play are veterans looking to make a comeback.
However, that presented an opportunity for Team Israel. According to the
International Baseball Federation’s “Heritage” rules, any player who could
qualify for citizenship in a country is allowed to play for their national
team. In the case of Israel, that meant any player with a Jewish mother or
grandparents was eligible for Team Israel.
Prior
to 2017, Team Israel was ranked 41st in the World, but their diligent
general manager and scouts managed to recruit established MLB players,
including Josh Zeid, Jason Maquis, Ryan Lavarnway, Cody Decker, Ty Kelly, and
Ike Davis. Indeed, there is a strong connection between Team Israel and the New
York Mets, with Kelly and Davis being former Metropolitans and team owner Fred
Wilpon serving as a producer of the documentary.
With
little fanfare or expectations, Team Israel arrived in Seoul for the first
round of WBC competition. Not to be spoilery, but they pretty much shocked the
world. If not exactly an all-star Team, Team Israel could definitely be described
as an all-hustle team. They also had a much more unified team spirit, thanks to
the time they spent together in Israel. They also had a greater perspective on
the game, having helped dedicate an Israeli baseball field to a young athlete who
was the victim of anti-Israeli terrorism. Plus, everyone dug their mascot: “The
Mensch on the Bench.”
Kramer,
Miller, Newberger, and their even dozen cinematographers captured every step of
Team Israel’s journey, from recruitment, through training camp, the initial qualifier
in Brooklyn, up to second round play in Tokyo. Frankly, they do not miss
anything of importance from the 2017 season. Along the way, the team notched
several upset victories, over some countries well known for their baseball
traditions. Seriously, if you did not follow the WBC, you will be impressed. They
did not always win, but when they did, it was pretty sweet.
As
a work of cinema, Heading Home is straight forward and completely
unpretentious, but it tells a terrific sports story. Clearly, Kramer &
Company had the benefit of carte-blanche access to the team, but they were
really fortunate to have so many insightful players willing to talk on camera. Many
team-members obviously gained a deeper appreciation of the State of Israel
after their time there (which sadly did include a terrorist act while they were
in-country), so hopefully some viewers will too. Highly recommended for baseball
fans and viewers of sports programming like HBO’s Real Sports and ESPN’s
30 for 30, Heading Home opens this Friday (9/6) in New York, at
the Quad—with the Mensch on the Bench attending select screenings.
