Sandy Koufax was scheduled to pitch game one of the 1965 World Series against the Twins' Jim 'Mudcat' Grant, but he didn't end up taking the mound that day. Instead, Don Drysdale was handed the ball for the Los Angeles Dodgers. LA lost the game, but Koufax would return to pitch three games in the next six days, winning two complete-game shutouts and pitching the seventh game on two days rest. The Dodgers won the series four games to three.
So, where was Koufax for game one?
For Sandy Koufax, the first game of the Fall Classic fell on the holiest day of the Jewish year, Yom Kippur. The man, who many regard as the best left-hander to ever pitch, was fasting in temple.
Yom Kippur, which came and went last week, isn't like other religions' holidays. Charlie Brown and friends failed to make a TV movie special dedicated to the day, although it would be interesting to see Pig Pen praying in temple. If there were a Yom Kippur movie special, though, a good place to start would be right here in beautiful Madison.
Two weeks ago, the intramural flag football team, 'Mostly Kosher,' could finally rest. The team's members, who as evidenced by their name are predominantly Jewish, met each other on a trip to Israel the year before.
The team was using their bye week to sit on their futons and contemplate what went wrong in a crushing 20-12 loss to 'Sigma Phil,' when it hit them.
'We realized that Yom Kippur was going to be on Thursday and we were going to have to fast for the game,' fifth-year senior Ben Rosen said. 'We spent two or three days trying to scrounge up as many people as we could.'
For the next week, the team members spent all their time on their cell phones, attempting to call up anyone. 'Mostly Kosher' was becoming desperate.
'We were looking for people who were either Jewish and didn't plan on fasting or weren't Jewish and wanted to play,' Rosen said.
Because the game would end before sundown, the team could not count on a Matt Bernstein-esque performance to save them. For those who don't recall the last Yom Kippur, the burly fullback scarfed down turkey and orange slices on the sidelines after his 24-hour fast. With all running backs either injured or inexperienced, Bernstein took over the ball in the backfield and ran for 125 second-half yards and led the Badgers to a victory over Penn State.
With few responding to their frantic phone calls, 'Mostly Kosher' was forced to take the field with only five members of their team.
Senior quarterback and team captain Ryan Kellenberger was one of the five Gentiles able to make it out to the field. Kellenberger could not help but contemplate of the parallels between this game and their week one 39-12 demolition of 'We Funk.' Except this week, they were on the other side.
'Our first game, the other team had five players,' Kellenberger said. 'So, we knew there was some advantage to having more.'
But 'Mostly Kosher' wasn't fazed. They stood strong and picked off a 'Doom Unit' pass on the very first drive.
Kellenberger then unleashed a bomb to senior Dave Sinpz at the three-yard line. With two 'Doom' defenders diving for Sinpz' flag, he flipped the ball backwards back into the hands of the streaking Kellenberger, who then waltzed in for the score.
Maybe it was an act of divine intervention, maybe it was simply an inspired victory, but 'Mostly Kosher' led 22-0 at the half and won the game 29-6.
Kellenberger, who is also an intramural supervisor, has seen teams play shorthanded before. He has seen their struggles, and suspected maybe 'Mostly Kosher' was getting a little help from above.
'Five players don't usually do too hot against seven players,' Kellenberger said. 'Might have been something going on there.'
Afterwards the overjoyed team went out for celebratory drinks, but behind their smiles of jubilation, there had to be some thoughts of wonder and awe. Despite unfair scheduling by the intramural sports offices and despite being out-numbered, 'Mostly Kosher' came through on top.
And plus, what better way to break the fast than with a triumphant pitcher of Spotted Cow?
