By Ed Birch, Special Writer
Art Shamsky, star of the World Champion 1969 New York Mets, was the featured speaker at the annual Israel Bonds Breakfast Program at Congregation B’nai Tikvah in North Brunswick last Sunday.
A crowd of around 30 local area Mets fans greeted the star of one of baseball’s most storied teams.
B’nai Tikvah’s Men’s Club President Steve Katz had the honor of introducing Mr. Shamsky by highlighting his lengthy 13-year baseball career which included major stops with both the Cincinnati Reds and the New York Mets.
Besides being one of a very few Jewish professional baseball players, Mr. Shamsky also hit four consecutive home runs over a two-game stretch, played on a world championship team, managed in the Israeli Baseball League, and is also an accomplished author of the best-selling book “The Championship Season” which highlights the 1969-70 season when the Mets, Knicks, and Jets all won world championships.
Mr. Shamsky spoke to the audience about how he has worked on projects to raise funds to build baseball fields in the State of Israel.
He also talked about his decision not to play on Yom Kipper, the holyist of Jewish Holidays in September 1969.
Mr. Shamsky said the team ultimately won both halves of that doubleheader on the holiday and joked with him not to play for the rest of the year.
Mr. Shamsky said his decision had the backing of the late Mets Manager Gil Hodges.
He said the highlight of his 1969 season was collecting seven hits in three games in the playoffs against the Atlanta Braves.
He also described the owner of the team, Mrs. Joan Payson, as a quiet owner who appreciated all of her players and fellow player Jerry Grote as the best catcher in his era in baseball.
In turning to modern day baseball, he said he feels that the players care only about the money and the owners do not want fans at the stadiums to watch baseball.
”The players make $2-$4 million dollars to play the game while the owners do not want yu t watch the game when you are at the ballpark,” Mr. Shamsky said. “They want you to walk around and buy the memorabilia and high priced refreshments at today’s mega stadiums.”
He compared the minimum salary when he played the game in the 60s and early 1970s as $ 7, 000 per year as compared to the present $ 480,000 starting salary. He said the average salary in the major leagues today is around $3 million.
In describing the present game of baseball, Mr Shamsky said he believes the game has become very slow and has caused today’s younger generation to lose interest and jump to soccer and other sports.
Mr Shamsky ended his presentation telling the crowd that each and every Yogi Berra story that they have ever heard is probably true. He said that Yogi was the hitting coach for the Mets when he played there and never really taught anyone how to hit.
He also recalled that while on a road trip, Yogi’s wife Carmen had called him to tell him that he saw “Dr. Zhivago,” an academy award-winning movie at the time.
The famed Berra immediately shot back the question asking Carmen what was wrong medically with her, according to Mr. Shamsky.
In addition to Mr. Shamsky’s presentation, the breakfast also included a presentation explaining the importance of the Israeli Bond Program, made by Area Representative Richard Hirschorn.
According to Mr. Hirschorn, this program has been in existence since 1951 and has raised $33 billion dollars for the State of Israel.
Congregant Nancy Asher-Schultz also described her recent pilgrimage to Israel in February.
