Honoring heritage
Film chronicles Ike, Team Israel and playing for the love of game
Ike Davis wasn’t sure what to make of the invitation to join Team Israel for the World Baseball Classic in September 2016.
The former Mets first baseman was battling a litany of injuries and had recently been released after a brief stint with the Yankees.
“I didn’t know if I was up to the challenge,” Davis said. “I didn’t want to commit and back out.”
But there was something else that gave Davis, the son of a Baptist father — ex-Yankee Ron — and a Jewish mother, pause.
“The hardest thing for me was the added attention,’’ Davis said. “We’d be traveling in places where there could be a target on Israel’s back. With society the way it is, the percentage of something happening goes up. I wasn’t sure I wanted to go through that. But I said, ‘It’s a chance for me to honor my family’s ancestry and country’ and the rewards outweighed the risks.”
Davis’ journey — along with that of the rest of Team Israel — was chronicled in the documentary, “Heading Home: The Tale of Team Israel,” which will be shown Tuesday night at the JCC on the Upper West Side.
Davis was the most accomplished player on the roster, made up of players who were either Jewish, had a Jewish parent — like Davis — or had a Jewish grandparent, which qualified them to play for Team Israel under the WBC’s heritage rule.
For all Davis’ hesitation, he said the deciding factor was his dad.
“Actually, it was my Christian father who pushed me to do it,’’ Davis said. “I had a blast. It was one of the best experiences of my career.”
What started out — at least from the outside — as little more than an interesting story, turned into something more when the team won its first game in pool play against the hosts, South Korea, in Seoul. That was followed by a victory over Chinese Taipei and a third straight win over the Netherlands.
“It almost felt like sandlot baseball,’’ Davis said. “We had a lot of salty veterans who played in Triple-A or a little in the majors. Winning those three games and knowing we were going to advance, was probably the best moment.”
The film chronicled the team’s successful run in the tournament in South Korea and Japan, as well as a fiveday trip to Israel before the WBC, since most — including Davis — had never been there.
The documentary shows visits to the Holocaust museum and other historical sites, as well as the country’s only baseball field. And while the team was in a different part of the country, there was a terrorist attack in Jerusalem.
“We were playing for the love of the game,’’ said Davis, who played parts of five seasons for the Mets. “In professional ball, sometimes you can get lost in your own performance. And when you don’t do well, you can feel alone. I like playing more when it’s just about winning.”
After Team Israel was eliminated by Japan, Davis went back to Dodgers camp, but hasn’t played in the majors since being cut by the Yankees in 2016.
“I don’t know what’s gonna happen, but I’ve done so many things in this game and not much better than the WBC,” Davis said. “I always had a pride and special feeling toward Judaism and the hardships some of my ancestors faced and that’s even more true now.”