Jewish broadcaster celebrates Skeeters championship
 |
Ira Liebman has called more than 1,200 baseball games in 13 years as a radio announcer.
He has seen walk-off wins, crushing defeats and plenty of wacky minor-league promotions along the way.
The 2016 season, however, gave the veteran announcer something he had not experienced before – a championship broadcast.
As the voice of the Sugar Land Skeeters, Liebman was at the microphone on Sept. 30 for the Houston area’s first baseball championship in more than half-a-century.
The Skeeters beat the Long Island Ducks for the franchise’s first Atlantic League championship.
“I’ve been broadcasting for 13 years, and this is the first championship team I’ve ever been a part of,” Liebman said. “Lucky 13, I guess. It was an amazing run. It felt really gratifying.”
One month ago, the amazing ride didn’t seem possible. The Skeeters lost 11 of 12 games during a September stretch and were on the verge of being eliminated from the playoffs.
Instead of folding, the Skeeters swept a four-game series to finish out the regular season, made the playoffs and swept two straight series to win the championship.
“So, after not winning more than five games in a row all season, we win 10 in a row to end the year and win a championship,” Liebman said.
“We were the first team in the league to ever go 6-0 in the playoffs – which is pretty unbelievable.”
Liebman, a native New York Jew, was hired by the Skeeters in the inaugural season five years ago and has made Texas his home ever since.
He was joined by two more prominent Jews in 2015, when Congregation Beth Israel members Bob and Marcie Zlotnik bought the Skeeters.
It only took them two seasons to field a championship team.
“Its an exciting time to be a Skeeters fan,” Marcie Zlotnik said. “We are thrilled to be able to deliver a championship to our loyal following and amazing staff.”
The 2016 Skeeters were led by Jeremy Barfield, who earned league MVP honors and became the first Skeeter to ever win a league home run crown with 27 long balls.
Other key players include Rene Tosoni, Travis Scott, Sean Gallagher and all-star closer Derrick Loop.
“We have a lot of former big-leaguers, and we felt like we were the best team all year – we just hadn’t played like it,” Liebman said. “They just turned it up a notch in the final two weeks.”
As league champions, the Skeeters get to keep the league trophy for the year.
Liebman proudly took his turn recently, parading the hardware with Skeeters mascot Swatson at several Sugar Land events.
“It was great – I’ve never been part of a championship,” Liebman said. “It is all pretty amazing.”
He has seen walk-off wins, crushing defeats and plenty of wacky minor-league promotions along the way.
The 2016 season, however, gave the veteran announcer something he had not experienced before – a championship broadcast.
As the voice of the Sugar Land Skeeters, Liebman was at the microphone on Sept. 30 for the Houston area’s first baseball championship in more than half-a-century.
The Skeeters beat the Long Island Ducks for the franchise’s first Atlantic League championship.
“I’ve been broadcasting for 13 years, and this is the first championship team I’ve ever been a part of,” Liebman said. “Lucky 13, I guess. It was an amazing run. It felt really gratifying.”
One month ago, the amazing ride didn’t seem possible. The Skeeters lost 11 of 12 games during a September stretch and were on the verge of being eliminated from the playoffs.
Instead of folding, the Skeeters swept a four-game series to finish out the regular season, made the playoffs and swept two straight series to win the championship.
“So, after not winning more than five games in a row all season, we win 10 in a row to end the year and win a championship,” Liebman said.
“We were the first team in the league to ever go 6-0 in the playoffs – which is pretty unbelievable.”
Liebman, a native New York Jew, was hired by the Skeeters in the inaugural season five years ago and has made Texas his home ever since.
He was joined by two more prominent Jews in 2015, when Congregation Beth Israel members Bob and Marcie Zlotnik bought the Skeeters.
It only took them two seasons to field a championship team.
“Its an exciting time to be a Skeeters fan,” Marcie Zlotnik said. “We are thrilled to be able to deliver a championship to our loyal following and amazing staff.”
The 2016 Skeeters were led by Jeremy Barfield, who earned league MVP honors and became the first Skeeter to ever win a league home run crown with 27 long balls.
Other key players include Rene Tosoni, Travis Scott, Sean Gallagher and all-star closer Derrick Loop.
“We have a lot of former big-leaguers, and we felt like we were the best team all year – we just hadn’t played like it,” Liebman said. “They just turned it up a notch in the final two weeks.”
As league champions, the Skeeters get to keep the league trophy for the year.
Liebman proudly took his turn recently, parading the hardware with Skeeters mascot Swatson at several Sugar Land events.
“It was great – I’ve never been part of a championship,” Liebman said. “It is all pretty amazing.”