A jubilant crowd of over 100 spectators came out to John Alaimo Field at Berdan Grove Park in Fair Lawn on Sunday, September 1, to witness the second annual playing of the Ezra Pollak (a”h) Achdus Softball Tournament. After hours of hard-fought softball, the Maroon Mongooses barely snuck by the Orange Ocelots and the Blue Barracudas gave a valiant effort while placing third.

The game was held on the second yahrzeit of Ezra Pollak, a beloved member of the Fair Lawn community who tragically passed away in 2022 at the age of two after a quick battle with various respiratory issues. Due to the chesed provided to Ezra’s parents during the tragedy and in the aftermath, Tani and Ruthie Pollak established the softball game as a yearly fundraiser for Hatzalah.

“Ezra really loved throwing things and also watching his Abba play softball,” Ruthie remembered about her son. “That led to us deciding to have a softball tournament to commemorate his yahrzeit and raise money in his memory.”

The game started with Akiva Pollak (Yeshivat Noam ‘31) throwing out the first pitch (a perfect strike) to his father, Tani. In fact, there was so much interest in the game by children from the community that there might be an expansion next year to a kids division, assuming that the community children who wish to participate are young enough that they won’t outperform and embarrass their aging fathers.

This year’s contest was once again a game of three “thrinnings” in which one team hit, another fielded, and the third rested in a cycle allowing each team to play each of the other two for three full innings in total. This format was adopted due to the interest in the game surpassing the original goal. The only real format change was having a rotation of umpires, a necessary edit after a debacle the previous year.

The Mongooses and the Barracudas played to a 3-3 tie, the Ocelots defeated the Barracudas 7-2, and the Mongooses held off the Ocelots 6-2. With a record of 1-0-1, the Mongooses claimed victory.

In the 2023 iteration, the Purple Porcupines were clear winners and were disbanded before this year’s tournament to combat fears that they might build a dynasty for years to come. On the flip side, the Red Raccoons were so ineffective that their franchise folded in the offseason. This left the Barracudas as the only surviving franchise, leading to a total redraft of the teams as the Ocelots and Mongooses were created.

This year’s MVP was Jeremy Tuch as he pitched the Mongooses to the title. He did the same last season for the Porcupines and is now essentially the Cy Young of Fair Lawn Charity Softball Tournaments.

“I just tried to go out there and pitch like … who is the best softball pitcher these days…” Tuch trailed off, leaving the uncomfortable reporter to wonder whether or not the question was rhetorical in nature. “Anyway, we won and that’s what counts. Even though I’m not entirely positive what it counts for exactly. But I’m pretty sure it’s something.”

One sure thing was that the defense in the game was really solid all around. Several double plays were turned, runners were thrown out at the plate multiple times, and there were a few diving catches in the outfield that would have made ESPN’s Top Ten Plays had anybody bothered to point a camera at the field in anticipation of anything athletic occurring from a mostly washed-up crew of mediocre former athletes.

In all fairness, there was plenty else going on besides the game itself. There was face painting, arts and crafts, and more to keep kids busy as their dads (only some of whom were qualified for the task) tried to explain the format of the game and the meaning of a “thrinning.” Snacks and drinks were for sale alongside game merchandise like T-shirts and blankets. The atmosphere at the game was just as lively as the gameplay.

When the dust cloud cleared, $800 had been raised in Ezra’s memory for Hatzalah and a good time was had by all.

“We know with every mitzvah we do, Ezra’s neshama soars higher,” said Tani about the goal of the game. “We are keeping his memory alive through achdus, Torah and tzedaka and we hope to continue to make an impact on the world through his name.

Nati Burnside is a freelance writer living in Fair Lawn and is a man of many interests. He can be reached at [email protected].