Jewish Boxer Sparring with Bar Mitzvah Boy for Yankee Stadium

Yuri Foreman

Yankee Stadium: the perfect place to hold your concert, sporting event, or Bar Mitzvah. Honestly, after once seeing the Knicks City Dancers perform at a Bar Mitzvah, no degree of extravagance could surprise us. And yet... this does raise the bar pretty high. Jonathan Ballan, the lead bond lawyer for the financing of Yankee Stadium, has booked the place for his son’s Bar Mitzvah in June. All of his son's buddies must be pretty pumped—they'll basically be getting the run of the place, with access to all the VIP lounges and control of the scoreboard for 30 minutes. (Control of the scoreboard... so important.) There's just one little snag.

The stadium is now in negotiations to host a boxing match that very same night between Yuri Foreman, the World Boxing Association’s 154-pound champion, and Miguel Cotto. Foreman, an observant Jew, is a heavy hitter in the orthodox Jewish community in New York, and stadium officials expect some 30,000 fans to show up for the fight. They're even planning to schedule the bout to start at 11:30 p.m., so everyone can get there after sundown on Shabbos.

As the Times reports, the Bar Mitzvah would still be going strong into the evening, and the orthodox fans "would probably not enjoy seeing a montage of Ballan family photos on the scoreboard." Tough negotiations are now underway between Ballan and Foreman's manager Bob Arum, who's offered to give everyone in the Bar Mitzvah party seats for the fight, autographed souvenirs, and a private meeting between Foreman and the boy before the bout. But Ballan is reportedly driving a hard bargain. "The price of the Bar Mitzvah is at issue," Arum tells the Times. Yes, price—that's exactly why Ballan chose Yankee Stadium for this modest, low-key affair!

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By John Del Signore in News on February 18, 2010 3:03 PM

Comments [rss]

farleft

This dude was chosen by God to have asymmetrical nipples.

Guest

funniest. story. ever. :)

hahahahaha

Kelles

Booo! K...

Scene from the future (On a Yankee Stadium tour)

Old baseball guy: "that's where I saw the great Derek Jeter win his 10th championship ring..."

Old musician guy: "that's where I last saw U2 play before Bono went off to colonize the Moon!"

Old Jewish grandmother: "Isn't that the hall that little Shlomo had his bar mitzah?"

John Del Signore

All this blather and not one person noticed my sly Sy Ableman reference? Worst. Commenters. EVER.

NannyState

Easy there, Fyvush Finkel...

Guest

let it breathe. ten minutes. letting it breathe...

Lisanne!

The easily bruised feelings of more than competent writers is a never ending source of amusement for me.

Hmm, maybe that didn't help very much.

Jason

Here's my take on the Yankee Stadium Bar Mitzvah party that's blocking the way for a championship boxing match later that night.

http://blog.rabbijason.com/2010/02/negotiating-with-bar-mitzvah-boy.html

S.K.

If this bar mitzvah goes through, Judge Goldstone will declare an illegal occupation of the outfield.

Kelles

You mean it's not a mitzah to rent out Yankee Stadium for a 13 yr old?

Mr Mel

Big money doesn't guarantee good taste. Ballan should be ashamed of himself. I wonder if it was his idea or that of his 12 year old son. If it was the kid I could almost understand it.

youngpro

i'm not sure where your diatribe is going? who the hell mentioned france? and because france produces nothing you use, does it mean they dont produce anything at all? and if not, whats wrong with a peaceful france anyway?

anyone? help? please?

hey btw, sidenote: where are all those footages and reports of israeli soldiers killing unarmed palestinians? or using them as human body shields as if they were bombsniffing dogs? israel is one of the biggest warmakers the world has ever seen, either directly or indirectly. they know it, and laugh all the way to the bank. fuck off.

books

yeah ignore jp. Here's the resident Grand Dragon here.

jpeditor

Funny how the only KKK guy in the Senate is Robert Byrd, a DEMOCRAT.

SP

Don't feed the trolls. this venomous one seems to have wandered in here from Little Green Footballs, free Republic or some other such sanctuary of pathological idiocy.

jpeditor

"who the hell mentioned france?"

TRY READING THE COMMENTS FROM THE TOP instead of backwards. (The "glories of french socialism" start at comment 3).

"and because france produces nothing you use, does it mean they dont produce anything at all?"

Where did you learn to read, in a madrassa? DO YOU USE A COMPUTER OR THE INTERNET? Thats what I asked, and you like the original don't have an answer.

"and if not, whats wrong with a peaceful france anyway?"

Nothing, since they seemed to need the U.S. OVER AND OVER to free them from germans.

"hey btw, sidenote: where are all those footages and reports of israeli soldiers killing unarmed palestinians?"

IN YOUR BOOKMARK FILE, you camel loving schmuckistinian.

Here's a hot tip. More muslims have been killed by muslims in the 20th and 21st Centuries than were killed by Jews AND Christians combined.

Guess you must be one of those"One">http://www.jihadwatch.org/2007/05/one-in-four-of-us-muslims-under-30-say-suicide-bombings-to-defend-their-religion-are-acceptable-at-l.html">"One in four" of U.S. Muslims under 30 who "say suicide bombings to defend their religion are acceptable at least in some circumstances".

Go back to sucking your hookah and get off our internet.

youngpro

great just what we need...another israeli agitator.

jpeditor

great just what we need...another CINO asslicker for jihad.

youngpro

Actually I'm Catholic, ignorant fucking asshole. Secondly, it's okay to hate Muslims, but not jews huh?

Yeah, you make a TON of sense. Leave the country- we'd be safer without you.

youngpro

"Nothing, since they seemed to need the U.S. OVER AND OVER to free them from germans."

Yeah, because we didn't need the French during our revolution (which is why we even have a fucking country to begin with) OR again in 1812....wtf is the matter with you?

Everyone would agree we'd be a lot safer in this world, and definitely a lot more peaceful without the warmongering Israelis. Try finding dissenters, I dare you.