With the great news of Kevin Youkilis being traded from the Boston Red Sox to the Chicago White Sox, TGR has decided to look at where the trade ranked on the list of All-Time trades involving Jewish athletes. Unfortunately, not all the trades ended in success although Youkilis did go 1-4 in his first start vs. the Twins.
Honorable mentions: Walter Samuel from Roma to Real Madrid (2004), Ken Holtzman from the Chicago Cubs to the Oakland Athletics (1971), Mike Cammalleri from the Montreal Canadians to the Calgary Flames (2012) and Scott Schoenweis from the Anaheim Angels to the Chicago White Sox (2003).
10) Taylor Mays from the San Francisco 49ers to the Cinncinati Bengals- In 2010 there was a lot of buzz around Mays. A freakish build and steady production in college led NFL teams to think highly of Mays. Drafted in the 2nd round, Mays showed a few signs of athleticism but he never reached the potential Coach Mike Singletary saw in him. In 2011 he was shipped to the Bengals and continues to underachieve. People are saying 2012 will be his year.
9) Danny Schayes from the Denver Nuggets to the Utah Jazz – In 1990 the son of legendary Dolph Schayes was having a solid NBA season averaging 10.3 PPG and 9.0 RPG while starting all 50 games. He was then shipped to Utah and road the bench. His production dropped to 7.3 PPG and 5.8 RPG and never lived up to the numbers he showed in early ‘90.
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7) Tamir Goodman from Maccabi Tel Aviv to Giv’at Shmuel – While technically this was a loan not a trade, it was the first sign of Goodman’s basketball career coming to an end. While he inspired Jews everywhere with his cover of Sports Illustrated, Goodman never became the professional ball player many hoped he’d be. No Maccabi Tel Aviv no more Jewish Jordan.
6) Sage Rosenfels from the Houston Texans to the Minnesota Vikings – In 2009 Rosenfels was shipped to the Minnesota Vikings to finally get his chance at a starting position. He was brought in to compete with Tarvaris Jackson. Little did he know that a man by the name of Brett Favre (or some say Farve) would arrive in Minnesota shortly after, sending Rosenfels to QB3.
5) Jason Marquis from the Atlanta Braves to the St. Louis Cardinals/ from the Chicago Cubs to the Colorado Rockies/ from the Washington Nationals to the Arizona Diamondbacks – Marquis has been traded a few times, pretty much every time he has showed signs of life he is shipped off. Unfortunately, Marquis has never become a top of the line starter, but has looked solid for the Padres this season despite a 1-3 record.
4) Art Shamsky from the New York Mets to the St. Louis Cardinals – Shamsky was not happy about his trade in 1968 from the Cincinnati Reds, but it turned out to change his life. Shamsky went on to be a World Series Champ in 1969 with the Mets. Shamsky was tremendously important to that team down the stretch. In 1971 the fan favorite was shipped to the Cardinals and was soon thereafter released. Battling injuries, Shamsky never regained form.
2) Omri Casspi from the Sacramento Kings to the Cleveland Cavilers – Jewish basketball is now synonymous with Casspi. He has captivated Israel and the United States and was doing it from Sacramento. His coach fell out of love with him and he was traded to Cleveland. Casspi is a site to see for Jews everywhere and for every game. He plays solid minutes but has yet to fully take off. But as Cleveland gets better, Casspi should fit into his role nicely.
1) Hank Greenberg from the Detroit Tigers to the Pittsburgh Pirates – The greatest Jewish hitter of all-time was Hank Greenberg, no questions asked. He might also be the greatest player in Detroit baseball history (besides Ty Cobb). So it was a surprise to everyone when he was traded to the Pirates in 1947. Greenberg signed the richest contract in baseball history to return to the field after flirting with retirement. He led the league in walks and hit 25 HRs.
And Let Us Say…Amen.
– Jeremy Fine
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