12 | September 14, 2011 | ST. LOUIS JEWISH LIGHT | Visit WWW. STLJEWISHLIGHT.COM Editors-in-Chief Hannah Cropf Caleb Ellis Managing Editors Sarah Allen Mia Kweskin Jake Weisman Juliana Wishne Staff Haley Abramson Bella Adler Sammy Chervitz Sarah Cohen Kyla Gersten Abigail Miller Jennifer Rubin Aniel Shapiro Lily Siwak Rachel Wolfe Co-Chairs Peggy Kaplan Mimi Pultman Advisors Bob Cohn Ellen Futterman Gary Kodner Mike Sherwin Graphics Jennifer Rubin Photography Elizabeth Ornitz Funding for Ohr Chadash generously provided by Michael and Carol Staenberg and the Staenberg Family Foundation, the Kranzberg Family Foundation and the St. Louis Jewish Light Publisher’s Society. U nited Hebrew’s Cantor Ron Eichaker has seen Major League Baseball’s National League Central Division from many perspec- tives. He grew up in Chicago, his kids were born in Milwaukee and he lives in St. Louis. When it comes to the 2011 playoffs, however, Eichaker believes that the Brewers are going to make it, and pitching is the reason. “When it comes to relief pitching, it is a toss- up between the Cardinals and Brewers. But when it comes to starting pitching, the Brewers have a slightly better advantage,”Eichaker said. But a late surge by the Cards has taken the vir- tually impossible to merely the highly improba- ble. As the regular season heads into its final weeks, all-stars Lance Berkman, Matt Holliday and Yadier Molina, along with a surging Albert Pujols and improvement in relief pitching and overall team health, could see the Cards pulling past the Atlanta Braves (for the wild card spot) or Brewers and making it into the postseason. The 2011 St. Louis Cardinals season has been a bumpy ride, beset by injuries and inconsistent pitching. Starters Chris Carpenter, Jaime Garcia, Jake Westbrook, Kyle Lohse and Kyle McClellan per- formed admirably in the absence of injured staff ace Adam Wainwright. The team received Edwin Jackson in a trade, and he took McClellan’s spot in the starting rotation, thus also helping the bull- pen. Three of the Birds’ starters have earned run averages of under 4.00 and even Jake Westbrook — the Cards starting pitcher with the highest ERA — is under 5.00. The relievers have been a mixed lot, both from a health and performance perspective. After releasing Ryan Franklin, the team developed a solid closer in Fernando Salas, but he has given way in that role in recent days to Jason Motte. The relievers are now slotted into more consistent roles, and they are contributing to the end-of- season stretch run. The biggest issue this year has been the dis- abled list. For a shot at the playoffs, it’s crucial that the entire team stays healthy, but 12 players have been on the DL at some point this season. The biggest loss was starting pitcher Wainwright, who had Tommy John surgery on his elbow before the season started, bringing former reliever McClellan into the starting rotation. Promising young reliever Eduardo Sanchez has also been sidelined, which for a good while caused chaos in the bullpen. On the hitting side, third baseman David Freese was also on the DL for a major portion of the year, but luckily his stand-in, Daniel Descalso, proved to be a reliable utility infielder, and Frese has now returned and been very productive. And Pujols was also on the DL with a fractured bone from a collision at first base, but a projection of four to six weeks out luckily turned out to be only two. Some late-season trades have also contributed to recent optimism. Center fielder Colby Rasmus was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for starting pitcher Jackson, left-handed reliever Marc Rzepczynski and right-handed reliever Octavio Dotel (both of whom have contributed strongly) and outfielder Corey Patterson. The team also traded a minor league outfielder to the Los Angeles Dodgers for shortstop Rafael Furcal. Ryan Theriot struggled with defense and Furcal has definitely shored up the middle infield. Still, in the playoffs, whoever makes it in, pitching rules. Eichaker said that the team that wins the World Series is the team with the best pitching staff, which he believes this year is the Philadelphia Phillies. The Brewers are strong too, and have Zack Greinke, a starter with ace-quality stuff, but as a former Kansas City Royal has not previously been on a winning team. And if the Cards don’t make it, well, there’s always next year. BY JENNIFER RUBIN TENTH GRADE, PARKWAY CENTRAL Cards fans shouldn’t lose hope for post season success A s the summer season ends, millions of students go back to school. While many dread the transi- tion from beach bags to backpacks, it posed other issues for students in tornado-ravaged Joplin, Mo., who returned to school Aug. 17. Twelve-year-old Brooke Parker is one of many Joplin teenagers left without a place to go this semes- ter. Her school, East Middle School, lost both its gym and roof. Its building is not structurally capable for the upcoming school year, so for now, Brooke attends sev- enth grade in a warehouse. “I [didn’t] know what to expect, especially with gym and choir and extracurricular activities,”Brooke said. While East Middle School suffered extreme dam- age, Joplin High School was destroyed completely. Bonnie Ardrey and DiVaughn Simmons, both 14-year- old freshmen, were eager to start high school there. But because of the deadly tornado, they now go to Memorial Middle School instead. “I was excited to go to the new high school, but [now I’m] bummed about going back to middle school. I wanted to experience what my other family [members] did but I’m not going to be able to now,” Bonnie said. DiVaughn may not go to school in Joplin at all. His family is considering moving to Summer Creek, Texas, but no decision has been made. Though DiVaughn’s example is extreme, it is not uncommon for Joplin students to move where schools will better meet their needs. “Most of my friends are moving to another school district,”Bonnie said. According to the Joplin schools website, the tornado on May 22 destroyed three schools beyond repair. Two more suffered significant damage, including the administrative building. On June 6, Joplin initiated Operation Rising Eagle to relocate students of destroyed schools to new ones, but the replacements found for students remain temporary. “We didn’t want to lose our community; we didn’t want to lose our families. Schools are a big part of why people are in Joplin, and getting back to normal quick- ly was very important,”Superintendent C. J. Huff told the New York Times Aug. 18. Joplin school districts need more than just new buildings. Heather Schuster, Development Director of the Boys and Girls Club of Joplin, has worked closely with Joplin schools to reinstate a healthy educational environment. “We at the Boys and Girls Club strive to work with the Joplin School District to provide the best possible experience for students. During our afterschool pro- gram we work together to transport children from school to the club. We also work together to get infor- mation on kids needing extra support, raise awareness about our programs and for funding requests,” Schuster said. “While we are not working on rebuilding the Joplin schools, we are working on how to continue to provide services, such as transportation to the club from the new, temporary school locations.” Brooke, Bonnie, and DiVaughn are all members of the Boys and Girls Club of Joplin, one of the many organizations that extended their services in the after- math of the tornado to better accommodate the needs of the community. Immediately after the tornado, the club opened free to the public, providing longer hours, three meals and counseling. “[We are] working with a national partner to try and obtain school supplies for the over 250 kids we see a day and hopefully have extra for other children in the community that are in need,”Schuster said. St. Louis Volunteers can contribute to rebuilding Joplin schools via the Jewish Community Relations Council at http://www.jewishinstlouis.org/JOPLIN. Joplin schools reopen despite severe damage BY HANNAH CRoPF JUNIoR, LADUE HIGH sCHooL Bird’s-eye view of damage to Joplin High School. Fresh- men Bonnie Ardrey and DiVaughn Sim- mon are attend- ing Memorial Middle School until it can be repaired. (Photo: wp.joplinfree- thinkers.org)