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"It thrills me beyond measure that a young woman who I helped become a Bat Mitzvah has grown to achieve her dream of opening a local yoga studio. Whether you're worried about something or dreaming of something else, the breadth of opportunity here is amazing." My Story My Story O nly hours after the matzah ball dropped at midnight on Rosh Hashanah, news came that the Detroit Tigers had parted ways with Jewish manager Brad Ausmus. Oy, what a way to start 5778. Ausmus couldn't have been more of a mentsh; telling the press: "Quite frankly, I told him [Tiger GM Al Avila] I fully understood. And I told him if he had walked in and offered me a contract, I probably wouldn't have come back because I think this team, this orga- nization, is starting over. They need a new voice." Hey, why can't our politicians do that? Ausmus finished out the season's remaining nine games with grace and dignity when he easily could've requested the Tigers have someone tefillin for him. (Did you catch that? Tefillin for him? … I'm shamelessly chuckling.) Though Ausmus' mother, of blessed memory, was Jewish, he wasn't raised in the faith. However, he's never shied away from his heritage, which is why it comes as no surprise he was induct- ed into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. In a special to the Jewish News on June 8, Ausmus told writer Justin White, "I had a young Jewish boy tell me I was his favorite player because I was Jewish and he was Jewish … From then on, I kind of embraced it. If this gives kids a reason to smile or a reason to watch baseball … then great." He shared that exact senti- ment in a 2009 edition of the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles. When reflecting on being Jewish, he said, "It has been a sense of pride. If you can have a positive impact on a kid, I'm all for it." Oy, I'm kvelling! How about you? Further evidence that Ausmus has embraced his Jewish heritage came when he managed the Israeli team in the 2013 World Baseball Classic. Unfortunately, they didn't make it past the qualifying round; some blam- ing the team's losses on the fact that the players didn't wait the traditional one hour after eating lunch before playing. However, earlier this year, Israel qualified for the 2017 World Baseball Classic and actually beat Cuba! It's true! Obviously, they made adjust- ments with their eating schedule — that and it's my understanding the team improved dramatically because they finally banned the players' moth- ers from traveling with the team. Meanwhile, it's funny, but I don't recall our community making a fuss over Ausmus being Jewish when he played catcher for us in the 1990s. But (channeling my Jackie Mason impersonation) when he became a manager? Now, now he's a Jew! He controls the team! That's it, he's not just a manager — he's a controller in the baseball business! Whether a fan of his or not, one thing is undeniable; Brad Ausmus is a class act and we should cherish the fact we lived in an era when a Jew managed our beloved Tigers. And while Ausmus' milestone doesn't rise to the level of the legend that is the Hank Greenberg story, just the same, having had a nice Jewish boy like Bradley Ausmus run our team was truly a "mitt"-zvah. (Second shame- less chuckle.) So, zei gezunt, Bradley Ausmus. We'll miss you … especially that ador- able punim of yours. Oh, by the way — fear not. Our Tigers roster still has a a bissel of Judaism left — second baseman Ian Kinsler. In the previously mentioned June 8 Jewish News, Kinsler, whose father is Jewish, said that grow- ing up, "We celebrated Chanukah and Passover." Hey, Ian, make us all proud next year and hide the afiko- man under second base! Tradition! Tradition! • Alan Muskovitz is a writer, voice-over/acting tal- ent, speaker, emcee and a regular guest host on the Mitch Albom Show on WJR AM 760. Visit his website at laughwithbigal.com and "Like" Al on Facebook. October 5 • 2017 5 jn Brad Ausmus for openers L'hitraot, Brad Ausmus views Alan Muskovitz letters Inappropriate Headline I was surprised to find I agree with Eugene Greenstein's community view (page 8, Sept. 21) — surprised because of the headline "Leftist Anti-Semitism Is The Real Problem" that is factu- ally wrong, politically inappropriate and mirrors the blindness of the president's remark that triggered this discussion. Specifically, my problem is with the word "real." There is nothing unreal about the anti-Semitism of the right. Right or left, the goals of suppression and oppression that ultimately lead to murder and genocide are the same. Graffiti, firebombs, shootings and cars mowing down crowds are as real on the right as on the left. They do emerge from different places with dif- ferent tactics, which is pertinent only regarding the specifics of how best to respond, but there is no contrast regarding their realities. The word is inappropriate because it strongly implies that the anti-Sem- itism of the right is an illusion that could be ignored, and the Holocaust is proof it can't. The significance of Charlottesville is that latent right- wing anti-Semites felt that Trump's antics gave them permission to come out of the closet. That is the pertinent and distinguishing fact of the inci- dent, and to dilute it, as did Trump and the subject headline, is to aid and abet this change by giving it cover. The fact that Greenstein felt he had to remind us of the surreptitious left is proof and a demonstration of how the emergence of the overt right is a new and added danger, and there is a legitimate question as to how to divide our limited resources to fight them. I agree with Greenstein that we can't be distracted from exposing the stealth of the left. To do so is the greater mistake because the embold- ening of the right does not subtract from the threat from the left, but I doubt the wisdom of dismissing the right as the headline implies. Trump's dog whistles are the new issue, and now is the time to deal with them before the trend continues and festers, and it might if we hastily revert our attention back to the left without dealing with it. It may be a game of whack-a-mole, but the one closest is the one mostly able to bite you. All openings must be guarded. Dennis L. Green Farmington Hills The JN loves your feedback. Submit letters to letters@renmedia.us. We prefer letters that refer to stories in the JN. All letters must include writer's name and city and be no more than 300 words.