* Shamsky shares Amazin' memories

Time marches on. That was Art Shamsky’s sentiment at a program hosted by the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center in Little Falls on Sept. 21.

With the closing of Shea Stadium days away and the 40th anniversary of his “Miracle Mets” on the horizon, the former Major Leaguer discussed his experiences in the United States and Israel before an audience comprised mostly of brotherhood members of Temple Ner Tamid, Bloomfield, NJ.

They might have been disappointed when Shamsky told them that as often as Jewish fans would express their admiration for his accomplishments, “I guess I always wanted to be known as a decent ballplayer, rather than a Jewish ballplayer. But I understand more now about what it meant to certain people than I did when I was playing.”

Shamsky spoke about the dilemma that many Jewish athletes have had to face at some point in their career: whether to play or sit out games on the High Holy Days that could have a bearing on winning a championship.

As a member of the 1969 Mets, Shamsky pondered what to do when a doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates fell yje night before the Jewish new Year. After much soul-searching, and in consultation with manager Gil Hodges, he decided not to play. He breathed a sigh of relief when Mets took both games, 1-0 and 1-0, with each starting pitcher driving in the sole run. When Shamsky returned to the locker room for the next game, he found a sign playfully suggesting he should sit out the rest of the season.

With the Mets moving into the new Citi Field in 2009, Shamsky — who turns 67 on Oct. 14 — hoped there will be some significant commemoration of their first world championship. “Some of us might not make it to the 50th,” he said ruefully, noting that several of his old teammates had passed away in recent years.

“Oct. 16, 1969, changed my life,” he said, referring to the day the Mets beat the Baltimore Orioles in the World Series’ final game. It didn’t seem that long ago to him because people constantly approach him to share their memories and good wishes, keeping things fresh in his mind.

He also spoke movingly about his only visit to Yankee Stadium as a player (the Yankees played their final game at the famous ballpark the evening of his appearance at the museum). It came in 1972 — his final season — as a member of the Oakland As: a ninth-inning walk in a 9-3 win.

“I had never seen Yankee Stadium except on television,” he said. “Just the fact that you knew you were in this ballpark where Ruth and Gehrig and all the great players who I grew up watching as a kid…that was quite a thrill. When you’re on that field playing and in between the white lines, there’s nothing like that feeling of knowing who was in the batter’s box at some point before you. The fact that I got one at bat there is something I’ll never forget.”

Modi’in Miracles manager Art Shamsky (24) meets with his counterpart, Petach Tikva Pioneers skipper Ken Holtzman, at home plate prior to the Israel Baseball League’s first game June 24, 2007.

Shamsky also told the audience of about 50 fans about his season as manager of the Modi’in Miracle in the short-lived Israel Baseball League. Despite issues that could plague any start-up enterprise, Shamsky said he hoped the IBL would resume at some point.

One problem was purely religious in nature: “On Friday they would start games at 10 o’clock in the morning…. You didn’t get a lot of people,” Shamsky said. “And then they didn’t play on Saturday; not even at night, so they lost those days for people coming to the ballparks.”

Three other former Major Leaguers also led IBL teams: Steve Hertz, Ron Blomberg, and Ken Holtzman, with whom Shamsky attended high school in St. Louis. The Miracle lost to Blomberg’s Bet Shemesh Blue Sox in the championship game. “The experience over there was remarkable. It was baseball at its purest. Just the fact that we started the league and finished the season was a tremendous achievement.”

(A version of this story appeared in the NJ Jewish News).