Monday Musings on Sports - Rex Marks the Spot

As regular readers of this blog are aware, the Monday post was usually devoted to sports with highlights and analysis of the Max Kellerman show which formerly aired on 1050 ESPN Radio. As Max has resigned from 1050 and has not yet resurfaced on the NY area radio waves, I have decided to continue the tradition of linking sports to Torah which I believe was an undercurrent of the Max Kellerman show.

Following the Jets Thursday night win against Buffalo, a great deal of ink was spent on Rex Ryan's comments about Mark Sanchez after the Jets win. As NFL fans may recall, during Thursday night's game Sanchez attempted to run for a first down and dove forward for extra yardage. Two players after the dive, Sanchez took himself out of the game. It was later learned that he had sprained his right knee on the play.

This marked the second week in a row that Sanchez had injured his knee while running with the football. In the previous game against Carolina, Sanchez had injured his left knee while running out of bounds. After that game, Rex Ryan brought in Yankee manager to teach Sanchez to slide. Why? For those uninitiated - in football a quarterback can run and then slide feet forward on his side or back. From the moment that he launches into the slide (commonly known as the , the quarterback cannot be touched. He also gains no extra yards from the slide, but the trade off is that there is no danger that he can be hurt by other players.

The alternative is that the quarterback can dive head forward. When he makes this kind of dive, the quarterback is fair game to be hit by other players, but also can get extra yards until he is touched by an opposing player.

In the Buffalo game, Sanchez scrambled and dove forward for the first down. In so doing he sustained the knee injury, although it is unclear whether it was caused by the hard AstroTurf or contact with another player. After the game, Ryan talked about how it was more important that Sanchez make a "give up" slide then risk getting hurt.

The obvious flaw in Ryan's lament was that the point of making a "give up" slide is to avoid injuries to the head or upper body which are the usual points of impact when a player dives forward. Injuries to the legs are much less frequent occurrences when a quarterback is diving for a first down.

Following the press conference, I read numerous articles about how Ryan's criticism was damaging to Sanchez's psyche as it purportedly deterred him from being competitive and could damage his standing with the team. There is some truth to the argument that making a give up slide and not getting the first down (when the game's outcome was still in doubt) makes Sanchez look like he is afraid to get hit.

The comments I have a problem with were those made on a sports radio show which took issue with Ryan implying that if Sanchez slid properly he would not have gotten hurt at all. Yes, the injury was a freak thing as Ryan's concern in having Girardi teach Sanchez to slide was to avoid head/shoulder injuries. But what bothered me about the criticism was that none of the hosts on the show was a parent and as such they could not understand the angle that Ryan was coming from.

Parents try to do whatever they can to prevent their child from getting hurt. No parent likes to see their child hurt, even if the child learns one of those "life lessons" as a result. As such the parent warns the child not to do something else so that there is an extra layer of protection to prevent the child from getting hurt. When the child does not listen and pays the consequence, the parent is upset at the child as well as himself for not preventing the child's injury. Even if the child is injured in a way that the parent could not have anticipated, there is still a feeling of anguish over the injury -- that if the child would have listened, everything would be fine.

We see a similar concept in Torah thought. The Rabbis enacted gedarim (fences) which protect us by adding an extra layer of prevention from violating a biblical prohibition. While we may not like or agree with the geder, we are required to follow it as it will prevent us from the more severe problem of violating a heavenly prohibition. When we ignore the geder we run the risk of violating the Torah prohibition and face much sterner consquences.

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Sunday Night Suds - New Belgium's Fat Tire

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at New Belgium Brewing Company's Fat Tire Amber Ale.

This beer has a large cult like following but is sadly not available in New York, or anywhere near New York. The New Belgium website (http://www.newbelgium.com/faq ) indicates that New Belgium is available in the Midwest and on the west coast, but other than the Carolinas and Georgia, it is not available on the East Coast.

So why would you call a beer Fat Tire? The website indicates that it was named by the founder of the New Belgium brewery in honor of his bicycle trip across Belgium where he sampled various beers. I guess that is a good reason. The New Belgium people have seized on the Fat Tire as an identity for the brewery as all the bottle caps for the New Belgium products which I have seen have a picture of a bicycle with fat tires over the New Belgium name.

So what does the Fat Tire taste like? The beer has a somewhat fruity smell and a crisp taste with some hops, but quite a lot of other flavors mixed in. Like all the other New Belgium products which I have seen, the Fat Tire has a recommended temperature for serving the brew (45 F) although I had mine tonight a little bit colder than that. In fact, I have learned from experience that the New Belgium brews can actually last more than the standard 1/2 hour in the freezer (if you need to get them cold in a hurry) without becoming a beer slushie. This could be related to their slightly higher alcohol content, or could be based on something else completely. Still, I would not recommend excessive time in the freezer, unless you need an excuse to clean out the freezer.

Fat Tire is a great beer to have on its own as the complex flavors give a different feel with every pour. I can see why the beer has developed the following that it has in the Midwest (some have called it a vacation beer).

New Belgium Fat Tire is under the Kosher Supervision of the Scroll-K of Colorado. Although the beer does not bear the kosher symbol on the label, it can be found on the bottom of the six pack carrier. Additionally, if you would like me to e-mail you the LOC for New Belgium Fat Tire, send me an e-mail and I will gladly oblige.

Please note that not every brew produced by New Belgium is under kosher supervision. Please check my latest Kosher Beer List (http://kosherbeers.blogspot.com/2009/09/kosher-beers-semi-annual-kosher-beers.html ) for a complete listing of those New Belgium brews which are certified kosher.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about New Belgium Fat Tire, please follow this link http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/192/607 .

As always, please remember to drink responsibly and to never waste good beer unless there is no designated driver.If you've tried this beer or any others which have been reviewed on the kosher beers site, please feel free to post your comments (anonymous comments are acceptable).

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Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Vayishlach

The following is a brief summary of a thought said over by R' Frand in his shiur this evening. I have attempted to reproduce this vort to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.

In Vayishlach (33:16-18) we read about the parting of Ya'akov and Esav and the two travelling off on their respective paths. In relation to Ya'akov, the Torah writes that he travelled to the city of Sukkos and built a house there, and sukkos (translated as shelters) for his animals, therefore he called the place Sukkos.

Rabbi Frand asked two questions on these pesukim. The first question was why does the Torah say that Ya'akov travelled to Sukkos and then later write that he called it Sukkos because of the shelters he built for the animals. If he had not yet built the sukkos and decided to name the city after the sukkos which he built, how could he have travelled to the city called Sukkos?

The second question that Rabbi Frand asked was why did Ya'akov call the city Sukkos after the animal shelters? It seems to be an odd choice of naming rights for the city.

Rabbi Frand answered the questions by quoting to the sefer Milchemes Yehuda (I did not catch the name of the author) who writes that we learn from this story that Sukkos was not only the name of the city, but it was a state of mind for Ya'akov. Ya'akov had previously lived with his parents, then learned in the yeshiva of Shem V'aiver, then lived in his father in law's house and now finally had "settled down." In so doing, Ya'akov stated " I see that the world itself chases the material things - money, homes, honor - but the world itself is merely a temporary dwelling like a sukkah which we live in for a short time before moving on." When a person knows that he will only be in a structure for a small amount of time, he is less particular about the house. That was the message of travelling to Sukkos, Ya'akov's realization that the physical things are merely temporary.

Ya'akov's lesson is also borne out by the following pasuk. The next pasuk states that Ya'akov travelled to Shechem "Vayichan es Pnei Ha'ir" - he encamped before the city. The gemara in Shabbos offers multiple explanations as to what Ya'akov did there, including that he was mis'saken coins, stores and bath houses. The Milchemes Yehuda asked - why did Ya'akov need to do these things for the people of Shechem. He answered that Ya'akov arrived in Shechem and saw that people were infatuated with the materials things - money, stores and physical pleasures. As such he tried to be mis'saken - to fix peoples views of those things based on his understanding that this world is merely a sukkah.

Rabbi Frand closed by talking about how the Torah also mentions that Ya'akov erected a matzevah for Rachel in this week's parsha. He asked - why do we mark graves with stone? He answered (again from the Milchemes Yehuda) that there are four forms in nature - the inanimate, the plant life, the animal and the one who speaks. It would appear that there is a great distance from top to bottom as one walks on stone, while speech is the height of communication. However, the two are more similar than one would expect.

A person who wants to create something that will last makes it from stone. The kotel is not poured concrete - it is stone which has lasted thousands of years. Yes, people can choose to walk on stone, but things made from stone can last for milennia.

A person lives for a very short time on this earth. If the person does great things then he can be remembered for many generations after he passes on. Or, the person can merely walk through life without attempting to make an impact on the lives of others.

By erecting a stone, we say about the deceased that she has made an impact in this world and that her legacy will last well beyond her finite years on this earth.

I recently heard from my mother's cousin about a speech given at a Chicago area dinner. The speech was given by an educator who said that he would not be Orthodox today (and certainly not an educator in a Jewish institution) if it were not for his after school teacher who taught him Torah after his public school day had ended. The speaker then mentioned my mother in law who had taught him so many years before. I never saw this side of her, as by the time I met my wife, my mother in law was already working in the catering business. Still she had already made her mark on this world by inspiring a young boy to become frum and eventually a teacher of young Jewish children. It is particularly ironic that I heard this story about her this week as her Hebrew name was Rachel and her tombstone was recently erected. Without a doubt, her legacy will be that of the stone - lasting well beyond her far too short years on this earth.

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Tuesday's Thoughts on the Daf - Bava Basra 102

Bava Basra 102 continues the discussion of what to do when graves are found in a field. As part of this discussion, the gemara cites to a beraisa which poses the question of how to treat one, two, or three bodies which are found "mushkav k'darko" - lying in the proper fashion. The gemara recites that if it is one or two bodies, the field is not deemed a graveyard and the bodies can be disinterred and reburied on another site, provided that the earth which surrounded the bodies is transferred as well. If there is a third body buried in the same row, then depending on the spacing between the bodies, they may not be disinterred.

While the commentaries on the daf spend a considerable amount of space discussing the proper way to make measurements (including taking shots at the Rashbam for rounding up 7.2 to 8 when computing the diagonal used for the measurement of the next segment of the field), they do not discuss what mushkav k'darko means.

I spoke with a member of my daf group who happens to be on the chevra kadisha about this mushkav term. He explained that when preparing a body for burial, the custom is to have the hands down folded over the body. Thus if the body found buried in the field is discovered in a seated position, or with the head between its legs, the body would not be suspected to have been intentionally buried and would not count in the determination as to whether the field was a graveyard.

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Monday Musings on Sports - Larry Frank the Se'ir Hamishtaleiach

As regular readers of this blog are aware, the Monday post was usually devoted to sports with highlights and analysis of the Max Kellerman show which formerly aired on 1050 ESPN Radio. As Max has resigned from 1050 and has not yet resurfaced on the NY area radio waves, I have decided to continue the tradition of linking sports to Torah which I believe was an undercurrent of the Max Kellerman show.

This week's post discusses the debacle which is the New Jersey Nets and how Lawrence Frank lost his job through no fault of his own.

Following the NBA lockout, I decided that I could no longer root for the Knicks and began to look for another team to follow. I was never a big NBA fan, but I had attended a few Knick games and hung a poster or two in my room when I was in high school. After Patrick Ewing said his now infamous line "Sure NBA players make a lot of money, but we spend a lot too" I knew that I could never root for the Knicks again.

I began to root for the NJ Nets and soon thereafter they began to improve their play. A few short years later they acquired Jason Kidd and then made the playoffs for the next six years. Their coach for much of the time was Lawrence Frank who started his career with a bang, taking a .500 team and directing them to 13 straight wins. They made the finals a couple of years in a row and it seemed like the NBA championship ran through the swamp every year. Perhaps his best (but least heralded) year was in 2004-2005 when the team played without Kidd and RJ for most of the year and he somehow brought the team from ten games out into the playoffs.

Over the last few years the job became exceedingly more difficult for Coach Frank. The team ownership became obsessed with a planned move to Brooklyn and less interested in fielding a competitive team. Jason Kidd was the first player traded, but RJ went a few months later. A year later it was time to dump Vince Carter. Although Rod Thorn was always able to acquire value in return for the stars they traded away, the talent was young and at times raw.

Despite these issues, Coach Frank was consistently able to get his players to practice and play hard. However, the Nets were struck by an early injury bug this season and many nights only fielded seven or eight players. The losses began to mount and suddenly the Nets were looking at the real possibility of breaking the NBA record for futility to start a season. The only thing left to do was fire the Coach, as to paraphrase Michael Kay - you can't fire all the players.

Was Coach Frank responsible for the team's injury bug? Of course not. Was he the one who engineered the trades which dumped All Stars in exchange for prospects? The same answer applies. But sometimes there needs to be a scapegoat and this time it was Lawrence Frank - mercifully fired before the team tied the record for futility.

The concept of scapegoat draws its origin from the Yom Kippur service. The Torah tells us that the Cohain Gadol would have two goats - one of which was slaughtered and the other sent to the desert to be thrown off a cliff. The gemara in Yoma (41 and 67) explains that there was a red string tied around the goat and another around a rock at the top of the cliff. After the goat died from its fall, the string tied to the rock would turn white as a symbol that Hashem had forgiven the Jews. Thus was born the concept which was commonly known as the scapegoat.

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Sunday Night Suds - Saranac Big Moose Ale

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at Saranac's Big Moose Ale.

The Big Moose Ale is another of the new beers which previewed in Saranac's 12 Beers of Winter box. To my knowledge, its Saranac's first foray into the name brewing game.

Numerous breweries have played the game of giving a brew a catchy name in order to drive sales. Recently when we were in Cleveland, I was browsing in a supermarket and I came across some beers produced by Ridgeway Brewing (England) with some truly bizarre names - Bad Elf and Santa's Butt. I successfully resisted the urge to buy them as I did not know their source and did not know if they were kosher. They were also priced about $4 per bottle, but that was less of a deterrence since they were available in singles and the bottles were oversized. I then checked on BA and found other bizarrely named beers produced by Ridgeway including: Criminally Bad Elf, Insanely Bad Elf (both with abv's above 10%), Lump of Coal, Pickled Santa and Reindeer Revolt.

While some breweries probably do the odd name thing in order to drive sales, the good folks at Saranac did not do this for the Big Moose Ale since its only available as part of the 12 Beers of Winter box which contains two bottles of the Moose. This is unfortunate as it was my favorite brew in the box.

Saranac classifies the Big Moose Ale as an American Pale Ale. The beer pours a rich copper color with a fair amount of lacing on the glass. The crisp taste is full of hops and went really well with left over turkey this evening. I had previously tried the Big Moose with Noah's Ark bbq ribs and it went really well with the sweet ribs. I seriously wish that they carried the Big Moose Ale in six packs as it could easily become one of my favorite offerings from Saranac.

Saranac Big Moose Ale is under the Kosher Supervision of the Va'ad of Detroit, as is every other brew produced by Saranac. To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about Saranac Big Moose Ale, please follow this link http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/99/53202.

As always, please remember to drink responsibly and to never waste good beer unless there is no designated driver.

If you've tried this beer or any others which have been reviewed on the kosher beers site, please feel free to post your comments (anonymous comments are acceptable).

As a final note, while I was at Saranac I noticed that they had begun bottling for Kirkland (Costco). I contacted the Va'ad of Detroit and this week received LOCs for Kirkland along with three other new brands which are newly kosher certified - Gordon Biersch, Trader Joe's and Joseph Brau. I have updated the September certification list to reflect the varieties which are under kosher certification.

If you have seen this post being carried on another site such as JBlog, please feel free to click here to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!