It took, of all things, a Mets fan, to resolve a religious conflict that surfaced around an upcoming Red Sox-Yankees game. Major League Baseball announced Tuesday that it will move back the Sept. 27 game between the famous rivals to a 1 p.m. start to accommodate Yom Kippur, which begins that evening.
“As a Mets fan, it’s hard for me to celebrate any victory for the Yankees, but ESPN and the Commissioner of Major League Baseball did the right thing,” said Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., who wrote a letter to baseball commissioner Bud Selig and ESPN seeking the change. “New York is home to the largest Jewish population in the country and practicing your religion shouldn’t conflict with rooting for your home team. I’m pleased with ESPN’s decision to move the game to a time when Jews can attend and watch.”
There’s some interesting related religious baseball history, as recounted here, including Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax’s bowing out of the first game of the 1965 World Series to observe the Jewish holiday.
(h/t: Boston Globe; Photo credit: weiner.house.gov)