Aron Heller

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel is the big surprise of the World Baseball Classic, upsetting three teams, generating buzz and offering a mascot like no other — “The Mensch on the Bench.” Back home, no one seems to notice. Baseball has long been overlooked in Israel, seen as an arcane and boring game. This team consists almost entirely of American pros … Read More

JERUSALEM (AP) — It was supposed to be a feel-good visit by a group of professional football players to give a boost to image-conscious Israel. But in an embarrassing fumble by the Israeli government, only five of 11 NFL players in the delegation showed up after being blitzed by Palestinian activists opposed to the visit. Israel’s ministry for strategic affairs … Read More

PETAH TIKVA, Israel (AP) — Israel has just one baseball-specific field, and most Israelis know little about the game. Yet the country has emerged as a potential spoiler in the upcoming World Baseball Classic thanks to quirky regulations that allow it to pack its squad with American pro players of Jewish descent. Major leaguers Ike Davis, Sam Fuld and Ryan … Read More

JERUSALEM (AP) — Forget the handshake that wasn’t — Israel is delighted with something much more unusual: international athletic success. While an Egyptian judoka’s refusal to shake hands with his Israeli opponent at the Rio Olympics reverberated worldwide, in Israel the focus is on national Olympic medals — something far more novel than Middle East tensions. The country entered the … Read More

JERUSALEM (AP) — Recently retired NBA All-Star Amare Stoudemire insists he has plenty of basketball left in him. Arriving in what he called “my favorite city in the world” for a new chapter as a player for Hapoel Jerusalem, Stoudemire says he came to Israel to win – and to continue a spiritual journal to trace his Hebrew roots. Hosting … Read More

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — When Omri Casspi was 13, his family took him on a Bar Mitzvah trip to the United States, the highlight of which was a visit to New York City where the Israeli youngster stood in front of Madison Square Garden and boldly vowed he would one day play there. “It was more of an illusion. … Read More

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Cleveland Cavaliers suddenly have far fewer fans in Israel after the firing of David Blatt. The shock announcement on Friday, despite the second-year coach leading the Cavs to the NBA Finals a year ago and to the top of the Eastern Conference this season, was taken personally by many fans in Israel, where the … Read More

KFAR SABA, Israel (AP) — Under the bright lights, a call of “set, hike” echoes out, followed by the clatter of helmets smashing against pads at a high school football game. But these aren’t American teenagers hoping to play college ball — they are Israelis with an eye on joining elite military combat units. A growing number of native-born Israelis … Read More

PETAH TIKVA, Israel (AP) — On the mound, Dean Kremer looks just like any other top-rated baseball prospect, whipping 90 mph fastballs and snapping nasty curves. When the 19-year-old pitcher greets his teammates in the dugout after striking out the side, however, he sounds different. Kremer is speaking Hebrew, not English. The 6-foot-2 Kremer is the golden boy of Israeli … Read More

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Even casual Israeli basketball fans begin their day with an update on the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the newfound obsession with the NBA franchise has little to do with superstar LeBron James. Rookie head coach David Blatt is one of their own, making his name professionally in Israel and raising a family there. Nearly all of … Read More

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Hoping to impress NBA scouts when Maccabi Tel Aviv faces LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers next month, Alex Tyus has an important decision to make — whether to fast the previous day for the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur. It’s just the latest twist in the remarkable journey of Tyus, a 6-9 power … Read More

SAO PAULO (AP) — Ottmar Hitzfeld boldly promised his Switzerland squad would slow down Lionel Messi, and he nearly kept his word. For 118 minutes in the second round of the World Cup, the feisty Swiss squad frustrated the Argentine superstar. But with a penalty shootout looming, Messi broke free and set up the winner for Angel Di Maria, giving … Read More

SAO PAULO (AP) — Landon Donovan is still playing a role for the U.S. World Cup team: supporting defender Omar Gonzalez, his Los Angeles Galaxy teammate. After injuring his left knee during a Major League Soccer game May 3, Gonzalez was supplanted in the U.S. starting lineup by center backs Geoff Cameron and Matt Besler. Gonzalez sat out the Americans’ … Read More

SAO PAULO (AP) — With South Korea’s 1-0 loss to Belgium Thursday, the last Asian team bowed out of the World Cup — leaving the continent without any representatives in the knockout stages. The result caps a dismal campaign for South Korea, Japan, Australia and Iran, the continent’s four representatives in Brazil. The stats columns certainly didn’t provide encouraging reading: … Read More