Team Israel 2017-17

The 2017 incarnation of Israeli baseball perished from the earth on March 15, when the squad representing the country at the World Baseball Classic lost to Japan 8--3. Team Israel, which upset both Cuba and South Korea, delighted American Jews but brought as much oy as joy to the homeland; Israel has one dedicated baseball field and about 1,000 players, and with just two Israeli citizens on the roster, the team's success at the WBC passed with a whimper. The games were not televised and Miri Regev, the Minister of Culture and Sport, claimed not to know every player. Israel will try to qualify for the 2020 Olympics, but fans, like their counterparts in America, will most likely be too focused on gymnastics to notice.