“Who would be your fantasy interview?”
I think I speak for a lot of Jewish fans when I say it would be Sandy Koufax.
These are some of the questions I would ask, assuming he was bound to answer honestly and not just sit there sipping his wine.
- What was really behind the decision not to play in the first game of the 1965 World Series and how difficult was it to make?
- Did you ever have a face-to-face with Hank Greenberg? You were both symbols for different generations of Jewish fans. What do you know about his struggles?
- Did you ever face overt anti-Semitism?
- We all know about your reticence to talk about yourself. Ira Berkow tells the story of getting you to appear in the documentary Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story. At first you declined, but then you relented, saying that such a documentary couldn’t really be done without you. Did you come to that by yourself, or did Berkow or others really work on you?
- How do you feel about being an icon for Jewish baby boomer fans? Is it a burden?
- You appeared in a few TV shows despite being know for shyness in front of a camera. And yet you threatened to go into acting during a hold-out with Don Drysdale. How serious were you about that?
- I guess you realized your playing days were numbered by that point. Do you ever think about what you might have been able to do with current medical techniques?
- If you had to do it over again, would you keep your silence or would you be more outspoken on Jewish issues?
- Can we ever expect an autobiography or memoir? And can I be your “as told to…?”
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