By SHIRA TEGER
I'm a baseball fan. A Tigers fan, to be precise. When spring rolls around and the weather warms up, and the sky is that clear, clear blue, I inevitably sigh and say to whoever is next to me, "Man, it's a perfect day for a ballgame."
But since I've been living in Israel, I've had to settle for what I could get on TV and the internet, in addition to the one live game I could catch each year on my trip back to the US.
About six years down the line, I heard about the Israel Baseball League. The prospect of live games in Israel brought a wide grin to my face. Sure, it won't be the MLB, but at least it will have adult players from the US and Latin America - prerequisites for any good game.
When tickets went on sale, I snapped up a few. I envisioned sun, bleachers, and bags of unshelled peanuts. I started researching the teams and players on the IBL's Website. I realized - this is the first time in my life I'll have to choose a team to root for, until now, the home-team worked just fine for me.
My primary baseball focus will remain the MLB (at least for now), but I figure, the IBL will be like the minor league games. They're good for a fun outing, but not that many people care about the outcome and the stats. It's an affordable pastime, it's outdoors, and it doesn't require that much effort on my part. Plus, it's an opportunity for local players to sharpen their skills.
I'm sure the experience won't be quite like the ones I am used to, and the seven-inning games are going to make things a bit faster paced (when will the stretch be?), but I am willing to give it a try. Like everything else entailed in making aliya, IBL games will require a bit of adjustment.