By Donald H. Harrison 

SAN DIEGO, Calif.—Trevor Hoffman did exactly the opposite of what his teammates on the San Diego Padres normally expect him to do—he threw the first pitch on the new athletic fields of the San Diego Jewish Academy.  As one of the most celebrated relief pitchers in the major leagues, Hoffman consistently throws the last pitch.

That was not the only reason the pitch by Hoffman before an enthusiastic crowd of SDJA students, faculty, parents and alumni on Sunday, Feb. 12,  was memorable. Instead of cleats, the shoes on the ace reliever's feet were flip flops giving him shaky traction.  But Hoffman put on his game face and flung a high fastball to Max Doshay, 17, the catcher of the San Diego Jewish Academy Lions. Doshay jumped up from his crouch and caught the Hoffman smoker, confiding later that the ceremonial first pitch was "a little scary. I was afraid it would drop, and I'd look foolish.  And it was faster than I had imagined."


San Diego Padres Pitcher Trevor Hoffman addresses students of San Diego Jewish Academy on Sunday, Feb. 12,
during dedication ceremonies for the school's 16-acre complex of athletic fields. On stage behind the ace 
reliever are, from left, Richard, Ann,  Irv and Eleanor Jaffe;  SDJA board chair Leo Spiegel; Rabbis Mel Libman
and David Frank; event chair Garry Rotto and SDJA Executive Director Larry Acheatel (Donald H. Harrison photos}

Hoffman recalled that before the Padres' new baseball stadium, Petco Park, was dedicated, players "wondered what was going to be expected of it and what kind of dreams you were going to have in it.  As it turned out, it has been a wonderful thing for downtown San Diego and I know this is going to be great too."

The major league pitcher urged the students to "enjoy your fields," cautioning them that the fields were not only "dirt and grass" but a place where dreams could come true.  "There will be a lot that is said from this day forward about how you guys compete on this field, how you take care of these fields, and how you respect these fields."

Next to Hoffman, the recipient of the second most enthusiastic round of applause was the SDJA Girl's Soccer team which on Thursday, Feb. 8, had defeated defending champion Venture Christian School, 3-0, to win the Citrus League East title and win a spot in the San Diego Section IV playoffs.


Got It!—Max Doshay, 17, catcher for the SDJA Lions successfully catches a fastball from Trevor Hoffman—much to his relief!
At right, Lauren Swersky gets an autograph from Hoffman and decides "he is pretty cool" as an unidentified baby looks on.

That game was played in advance of the dedication ceremonies on a small portion of the athletic fields which are  big enough, according to Leo Spiegel, chairman of the SDJA board,  to permit football, baseball, softball and soccer  all to be played simultaneously on regulation sized fields.

The 16 acres of land now used for fields were purchased by Irv and Eleanor Jaffe approximately  the same time that their son and daughter in law, Richard and Ann Jaffe, were leading the drive to build the Jaffe campus overlooking Highway 56 in the Carmel Valley area of San Diego. When another philanthropic family anonymously donated sufficient money to put athletic facilities on the land adjoining the campus, the senior Jaffes donated the land to the Jewish school.

It was announced that an anonymous donor also had agreed to contribute $6 million more to the school—half of which is to be used for a sports arena with regulation basketball courts, if other donors agree alone or in combination to donate yet another $3 million.

Hoffman, the four members of the Jaffe family, Spiegel, SDJA executive director Larry Acheatel, and event chairman Gary Rotto were joined on a speakers' stand by two local rabbis, each of whom have members of their family who are students at the school:  Rabbis David Frank of Temple Solel and Mel Libman of Congregation Shir Ami, respectively Reform and Conservative congregations.  The two rabbis led the crowd in the Shehecheyanu prayer, traditionally recited to express appreciation to God for allowing people to reach important moments.

Other highlights of the afternoon included a parade of students, led by the mascot of the SDJA Lions; the playing of The Star Spangled Banner and Hatikvah during a flag raising ceremony for the American and Israeli flags; a "sod-rolling ceremony" in which Hoffman 
participated with other dignitaries who had been on the stage; and a performance by the Academy on Stage Musical Theatre Company of the school's theme song, "Can't Ignore the Roar."



The Lion mascot leads SDJA students on a parade across the 16-acre field complex.  

Feel the thunder
Don't you know the spell you're under
Watch and wonder
Ready for the score

We inspire
Lion spirit takes you higher
We're on fire
Can't ignore the Roar...

Following the official ceremonies, little children were invited to play in two large jump houses set up on the field for the occasion, while older children participated in various sports drills and races under warm Southern California skies.  There were booths lining the field to disseminate information about summer camping activities, and collection of money and sports equipment as a tzedakah project for donation to the Boys & Girls Club of Southern California.