Submitted by Helen Cherry

Temple Beth Abraham’s softball team may have found its winning edge last week in the form of a 5-foot-3, 126-lb rabbi. After losing its first 2 games of the 2013 Diablo Valley Tzedakah league season, the Oakland synagogue team asked Rabbi Mark Bloom if he could suit up for a May 5 dblheader (a few regulars were absent). Bloom, 46, is often too busy to play, but he was able to do it this time, & the results were noteworthy: a 13-6 win over cross-town rival Temple Sinai & a 10-6 win over Temple Isaiah in Lafayette. Bloom is quick to note, however, that he didn’t have much impact on either victory. (Source: Jewish News Weekly of Northern California)