The Bookshelf Podcast: Ari Alexenberg

This week’s podcast is a little different. Ari Alexenberg is no author (although as a pitcher I’m sure his “authored” some great games over his long amateur career). Rather he is the subject of Coming Home, a documentary currently under production.

The film tells the story of his participation in the only season of the Israel Baseball League, which debuted (and shut down) in 2007. Like many fans, Alexenberg had a life-long dream: to play in the pros. In this case, his life had been a little longer than many of his contemporaries; Alexenberg was in his mid 40s when he was selected as a pitcher and part-time coach for the Petach Tikvah Pioneers. What makes his story even more compelling that the advanced-age angle was that he was raised in an Orthodox Jewish household, which meant he was not allowed to play ball on Friday nights and Saturdays. His parents thought his mania for baseball was narishkeit, Yiddish for foolish news. An extra twist: he spent a good part of his youth in that very town, and his parents still reside there. Alexenberg currently lives in Red Sox Nation, serving as director of Jewish Community Relations Council of New Hampshire.