Billy Crystal Is Yankees’ ‘Designated Hebrew’
Billy Crystal — yes, that Billy Crystal — has signed a one-day minor-league contract with the Yankees and will be playing in an exhibition spring-training game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday. Crystal could be seen Wednesday taking batting practice and warming up with Derek Jeter in the Yankees’ Tampa facilities. The signing was a gift from the franchise to the famed comedian for his 60th birthday, thanking the life-long Yankees fan for his support of the team over the years.
But some fans and sports columnists have lashed out at the move, arguing that it undermines the seriousness of spring training. Others have objected to Crystal on the grounds that he is a part-owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks, who dealt the Yankees a crushing defeat in the 2001 World Series.
Not that this is the first time a celebrity has played in a spring-training game — Garth Brooks, Tom Selleck and Bruce Hornsby have all played in spring-training games before.
It is yet to be determined how many at-bats Crystal will get or whether he will play the field but, according to ESPN, when a fan asked him what position he will play, Crystal responded “DH — designated Hebrew.”
UPDATE: Watch Billy Crystal get ready for his big day:
Hat tip for the video: JTA’s Ami Eden
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!