On Dec. 10, news broke that the Toronto Blue Jays were trading Jewish first baseman Spencer Horwitz to the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for second baseman Andrés Giménez and right-handed reliever Nick Sandlin. The CJN's sports podcasters, the Menschwarmers, have some mixed feelings about that: on the one hand, Giménez is an elite middle infielder; on the other hand, it's never easy to see your hometown Jewish player leave town.

Horwitz—who came on this podcast in March 2023, in between suiting up for Team Israel and his breakout debut with the Jays—started making a name for himself in Toronto, with a .265/.357/.433 slash line, 12 home runs and 40 RBIs in 97 games played during the 2024 season. He was drafted in 2019 but only recently began making a name for himself on the field.

And while we recorded today's podcast episode mere hours after Horwitz was traded to Cleveland, it would be another couple hours until Cleveland turned around and traded the Baltimore native to the Pittsburgh Penguins. So you won't hear any reference to that subsequent trade in this episode. But you will hear the Menschwarmers discuss other major Jewish-adjacent deals in the MLB, Timothée Chalamet's surprise appearance on College GameDay, and the Israelis who've secretly raced in the infamous Dakar Rally.

Credits

• Hosts: James Hirsh and Gabe Pulver
• Producer: Michael Fraiman
• Music: Coby Lipovitch (intro), chēēZ π (main theme, "Organ Grinder Swing")

Support The CJN

• Follow the podcast on Twitter @menschwarmers
• Subscribe to The CJN newsletter
• Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt)
• Subscribe to Menschwarmers (Not sure how? Click here)

Professional women's sports are having a banner year in 2024. The new pro women's hockey league welcomed record-breaking numbers in January; the WNBA has produced bona fide basketball stars like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese; and now, just last month, news broke that a Women's Pro Baseball League will launch in 2026—and it's being spearheaded by two Jewish industry vets.

One is Justine Siegal, who has racked up a Wikipedia page full of "firsts", most prominently as the first female coach hired by an MLB team. She's also coached Israel's national baseball team and founded Baseball For All, an organization that provides opportunities for girls to get involved playing baseball. Her co-founder of the WPBL is Keith Stein, the Canadian owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs baseball club, which plays in Christie Pits.

But how exactly does one start a new league from scratch? How will they find the players—and inspire young girls to take up baseball instead of softball? Justine Siegal joins the Menschwarmers for a candid conversation about her goals and challenges in starting the WPBL and shares a bit about what her life was like growing up as a Jewish girl—often mistaken for a boy.

And before that interview, the hosts chat about the soccer riots that erupted in Amsterdam last week. Was it a pogrom, simple soccer hooliganism, or something in between?

Credits

• Hosts: James Hirsh and Gabe Pulver
• Producer: Michael Fraiman
• Music: Coby Lipovitch (intro), chēēZ π (main theme, "Organ Grinder Swing")

Support The CJN

• Follow the podcast on Twitter @menschwarmers
• Subscribe to The CJN newsletter
• Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt)
• Subscribe to Menschwarmers (Not sure how? Click here)

We've just wrapped up one of the most special days in any Jewish sports fan's calendar: no, not Simchat Torah or Yom Kippur, but the so-called "sports equinox", a rare occurrence when all four major American sports leagues host games on the same day. Whether you're rooting for the Dodgers to win the World Series or gearing up for NFL season, yesterday there was something for everyone.

The only problem is that there aren't many Jewish connections to baseball or football right now. Basketball, on the other hand, has a surprising handful of Jewish players making a real impact. All-Star Domantas Sabonis is still undergoing a Jewish conversion while playing for the Sacramento Kings; Israeli player Deni Avdija was recently traded to the Portland Trail Blazers, where he's making a big impact as a starter; and recent second-round draft pick Amari Bailey is now with the Long Island Nets, angling to work his way back to the NBA. Plus, there's another Great Jewish Hope on the horizon: an Israeli draft prospect with lottery buzz named Ben Saraf is making waves in Germany.

Plus, Gabe and James chat about the unconventional rise of BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff, Max Greyserman's breakout year on the PGA Tourk, and a South African rugby player with perhaps the most diverse name in all of pro sports: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.

Credits

• Hosts: James Hirsh and Gabe Pulver
• Producer: Michael Fraiman
• Music: Coby Lipovitch (intro), chēēZ π (main theme, "Organ Grinder Swing")

Support The CJN

• Follow the podcast on Twitter @menschwarmers
• Subscribe to The CJN newsletter
• Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt)
• Subscribe to Menschwarmers (Not sure how? Click here)