Bull Durham in Tel Aviv

Aaron Pribble thought that his baseball playing days were over.

After a very successful baseball career at Drake, Pribble earned a scholarship to continue playing at the University of Hawaii. He went on play pro ball for a couple of seasons for the Sonoma County Crushers and in France, before hanging up his spikes to pursue a career in teaching. At that point, Pribble came back home to Marin, where he began teaching Social Studies at his alma mater. He then moved across the district to Tam, where he continues to teach now.

It was then that his career took an unexpected turn. 

In 2008, three years after he had given up on baseball, he tried out and was asked to join the Israeli Baseball League for its inaugural season. In his new book, Pitching in the Promise Land, Aaron details his experience pitching in the first -- and only -- season of the IBL.

An Israeli Baseball League you might ask. Who knew?

Pribble explained that the process of forming and defining the league, as with many things in Israel, was complicated. He said at the beginning the IBL suffered from an identity crisis of sorts. “They weren’t sure if they wanted to be a league of the best Jewish players or the best baseball league in a Jewish country,” Pribble said. Pribble explained that there was a sliding scale for recruiting players, “The more Jewish you were, the less good you had to be a baseball.” This made for an interesting mix of players and talent. Pribble was a perfect candidate for the new league, since that his mother is Jewish and he was an accomplished pitcher at both the college and professional level.

Pribble’s team, the Tel Aviv Lightning, was an eclectic mix that embodied the league’s dynamic of players from different backgrounds with wide-ranging abilities. His team consisted of a longhaired DJ/street artist from New York City, a “wild Aussie” at catcher, and as Pribble put it “a handful of Dominicans.” And that was just the infield.

In addition, Pribble shared a place in the pitching rotation with Dan Rathem, an accomplished Israeli-born player who, in addition to pitching for the Lightning, participated in peace negations between the Palestinian and Israeli governments. 

Pitching in the Promise Land is more than just a great cast of characters. Pribble’s experiences in the league varied from the intense to the hilarious to the poignant. In one story, opening day occurred under the threat of a terrorist attack. Later in the season, Dr. Ruth was invited to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at a game. Part of the season was in serious jeopardy when the players went out on strike as the league began to run out of money. And as a tribute to the greatest Jewish athlete ever, Sandy Koufax was drafted as the symbolic last pick in the draft.

Of course there is a love story, as Pribble fell in love with a “beautiful Israeli-born Yemenite Jew.” And the book culminates with Pribble facing the question of his life; whether to once again pursue his boyhood dream of playing professional baseball or go back to his teaching career at Tam. After leading the league in ERA (earned run average), Pribble was the first IBL player to be offered a professional contract stateside.

The memoir began as a collection of journal entries Aaron made throughout the summer. Before he left for Israel, a fellow teacher at Tam, Russell Hill, suggested that Aaron keep a journal of his experiences abroad. At first he “blew off” the journal entries, he said, but before long he was writing regularly about his daily experiences. And he wrote and wrote and wrote. “I wrote a ton,” he said. Turning the notes into a book was another challenge. “It was such a unique experience. I knew there was a story there but wasn’t sure if I could do it.”

Obviously, he could and did.

Pribble explained that the book is primarily a baseball book, but also delves into weightier topics like the exploration his own Jewish identity and the politics of the very volatile Middle East.

Back at home now, Pribble recently attended , where he signed books and talked to future Drake, collegiate, and maybe even professional baseball players.

You can get news and information about Pitching in the Promise Land on its Facebook fan page. There will be a release party at in Corte Madera on May 14. Early shipments of the book have already arrived at many bookstores and are be available online.