Excellent review of Jewish ball players

Thank you for Steve Zalusky's terrific column "Cultural tug-of-war for Jewish baseball stars" (Nov. 7).

Jews aren't generally known for their athleticism. In the 1980 comedy "Airplane.," a passenger asks for some light reading, and the flight attendant offers her a "leaflet" about famous Jewish sports legends. Yet when Jews do make their mark on the sports world - like Sid Luckman, Hank Greenberg, Sandy Koufax and Mark Spitz - it's a source of pride for the Jewish community.

I grew up an Orioles fan, and when Steve Stone - who was Jewish and wore No. 32 in honor of Koufax - won 25 games and the American League Cy Young Award for Baltimore in 1980, it made more than a few Orioles fans "kvell" (beam with pride).

This year's World Series provided an unprecedented moment in Jewish sports history: Early in Game 6, Atlanta's Max Fried pitched to Houston's Alex Bregman, who hit a long fly ball that was caught by Atlanta's Joc Pederson. All three players were Jewish. Houston catcher Garrett Stubbs - also Jewish - played late in the deciding game, too.

If they ever remake "Airplane.," that leaflet about Jewish sports legends might have grown into a full-fledged pamphlet.

Stephen A. Silver

San Francisco, California