About Hardball Hebrews
To better understand the Hardball Hebrews art collection, the following describes the background and motivation of the diehard baseball fan who assembled it.
About HOWARD K. GOLDSTEIN
I am a first generation Jewish-American, both Brooklyn-born and raised. I fell in love with baseball at a very early age, when the Dodgers were still in Brooklyn and future Hall of Famer Duke Snider was a hero to most Brooklynites.
I was educated first in the NYC public schools, including at Lafayette High School, alma mater to Sandy Koufax, one of the only two Jewish ballplayers inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame.
During my childhood, after the Dodgers deserted Brooklyn to the Borough's everlasting chagrin, I became a NY Yankees fan. That happened primarily because between 1958 and 1961, my formative baseball years, the Yankees were the only team in town. Larger -than-life Mickey Mantle became my new hero, and I have remained a rabid Yankees fan ever since, although there have been times when I have questioned that decision.
I went on to graduate from The Johns Hopkins University with a political science degree, and then with a J.D. from Berkeley Law. I spent much of my adult life as a Philadelphia Trial Lawyer.
While living in Philadelphia, I also became a passionate Philadelphia Phillies fan because that was the team for whom my children rooted. This new rooting interest did not conflict with my being a Yankees fan, except in 2009 when the Yankees played the Phillies in the World Series. I attended all six games of that Series, but was so confused about whom to root for that I couldn’t wait for it to finish.
Although I lived in Philadelphia for over thirty years, my baseball passion was such that I not only had full season tickets at Veterans Stadium and later at Citizens Bank Ballpark in Philadelphia, but also at Yankee Stadium. I sat several rows behind the visiting team batting circle at the Philly ballparks, but with The Bleacher Creatures in right field at Yankee Stadium. While I can't say how I did it, most years I attended over thirty baseball games despite my ridiculously busy legal schedule.
In addition, when I wasn't practicing law, I also became the leading collector of memorabilia related to the subject of Jewish participation in baseball. Like many things in life, this happened by accident.
At one of the first sports memorabilia shows that I attended in the early 1980's, a vendor asked me what I collected and I had no answer for him. The vendor, an Italian gentleman, then asked me my name. When I told him it was Goldstein, he suggested that I should collect things related to Jewish ballplayers. So began a 40 year odyssey, which has lead to many wonderful discoveries and friendships nationwide.
Baseball memorabilia of mine have been displayed at various museums, including the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museumin Cooperstown, the National Museum of American-Jewish History in Philadelphia, the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fameon Long Island, and the Yogi Berra Museumin New Jersey.
To learn more about my Jewish baseball journey, read the chapter in American Jews & America’s Game by Larry Ruttman (2015) which describes it in depth.
The Hardball Hebrews art collection
After living in Philadelphia for many decades, over a dozen years ago I relocated to Portland, Oregon, with my ‘stunning mystery companion’. Before moving West, I sold most of my Jews and baseball-related memorabilia, including hundreds of game-used bats and jerseys, as well as endless ephemera. However, I kept the artwork in the collection because that was the part that I treasured most.
I retained fabulous original artwork from such iconic old-time sports illustrators/ cartoonists as Willard Mullin, Burris Jenkins, Phil Berube, Bruce Stark and Bill Gallo.
While I greatly enjoyed having all that artwork for me and my friends to appreciate, I eventually decided that it would be even more rewarding if I could share with the public, through art , the story of Jews & baseball.
With that thought in mind, I started to supplement the artwork which I already had collected so that I could tell the entire tale of Jews and baseball from its beginning in 1871 all the way to the present day.
That required a quest to locate artists all across this country who could help execute my vision. In the course of that years’ long adventure, I have met many incredible artists from a variety of artistic genres. I am fortunate to say that a number of them have since become my friends.
Among the artists whom I have had the privilege to commission are such nationally-renowned figures as Dick Perez, Graig Kreindler, CF Payne, Bart Forbes, Arthur K Miller, and James Fiorentino, just to mention a select few.
There are over 100 pieces of art in the Hardball Hebrews collection, created by over 60 American artists from over 20 states, and one Canadian artist.
The artwork depicts not only baseball players, but also many others who are noteworthy for their various contributions to baseball on and off the field. In addition to Major Leaguers, the collection contains artwork depicting a Commissioner of Baseball, team owners, general managers, managers, coaches, umpires, announcers, writers, an iconic statistician, baseball clowns, uberfans, etc.
And while I have accomplished my mission to artistically document the history of Jews and baseball generally, being an inveterate collector I surely shall continue to seek additional interesting Jewish baseball subjects to enhance the collection. Be sure to check this website from time to time to view the latest additions.
I sincerely hope that those who view the Hardball Hebrews collection gain an appreciation for how integral Jews have been, and continue to be, to the history and growth of our National Pastime.
That accomplishment is just one of many reasons that I am both a proud Jew and a proud American.
- Howard K. Goldstein, ESQ.
Portland, Oregon 2024