Hank Greenberg

Aviva Kempner grew up in Detroit, where every Yom Kippur her father, a Jewish immigrant, would tell her the same story about how the legendary Detroit Tiger Hank Greenberg refused to play baseball on the Jewish Day of Atonement."

Maryland, like the rest of the country, is aging. The state's 65-and-over population increased by more than 18 percent in the past 10 years to 707,642, according to the U.S. census. This group will only grow as baby boomers — those born between 1946 and 1965 — turn grayer. One of the most vocal advocates for older Americans is the AARP, which represents members who are 50 and older. While Social Security and Medicare have remained priorities for the organization, in Maryland it also focuses on more local issues such as lower electricity rates and reliability standards for utilities.

One of this year's sleeper hits - and deservedly so - is "The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg," Aviva Kempner's engrossing documentary about the trailblazing player who, as America's first Jewish baseball star, helped redefine sports, heroism and American culture while playing for the Detroit Tigers in the 1930s and 1940s. Kempner's film has enjoyed successful runs at the Charles and Rotunda theaters; today it opens at the Loews Valley Centre in Owings Mills. This hasn't exactly been a boffo summer, especially for grown-up filmgoers - see "The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg" for a pleasant respite.

NEW YORK -- Marsh & McLennan Cos. Inc., the world's largest insurance broker, said yesterday that it will no longer seek fees from insurers after a lawsuit from New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer called them "payoffs," driving the company's shares down as much as 47 percent. The move is expected to cost Marsh $485 million in fees, or more than a quarter of its profit forecast for next year, according to Jonathan B. Balkind, an analyst with Fox-Pitt Kelton Inc. in New York. Spitzer's suit puts pressure on Jeffrey W. Greenberg, 53, to step down as Marsh's chief executive and will probably trigger similar concessions at other brokers, said Nicholas Xie, an analyst at PNC Advisors.

Hank Greenberg may have played for the Detroit Tigers, and Babe Ruth may have played for the New York Yankees, but both late big leaguers were on the same team in Baltimore recently. A new documentary about baseball's first Jewish superstar, "The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg," made its Baltimore premiere to benefit the Babe Ruth Birthplace Museum."Hank would be proud, since he revered Babe Ruth," said filmmaker Aviva Kempner.About 375 fans turned out at the Gordon Center for Performing Arts for the night's double-header: a reception and the screening.

Hank Greenberg was the first Jewish superstar in baseball when he played for the Detroit Tigers in the 1930s. In 1938 the Bronx-born Greenberg hit 58 home runs, just two shy of Babe Ruth's record. Washington, D.C., filmmaker Aviva Kempner, who grew up in Detroit and idolized Greenberg for his athleticism and his religious devotion (he received a Talmudic dispensation to play on Rosh Hashana but refused to play on Yom Kippur), has made "The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg," a delightful documentary that's been on the festival circuit since its debut last year.

I DON'T know about my Jews. Albert Einstein we gave to the world, and Sigmund Freud, too. From the great figures in literature and science and philosophy, we could fill entire ballparks. Nobel Prize winners, we got 'em by the score. But, scoring in major league baseball -- this, we can't seem to manage. Go figure. At the Charles Theatre this week, they are showing the heartwarming (and vexing) documentary, "The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg." For those whose baseball history goes no deeper than Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, understand that Greenberg, more than 60 years ago, hit 58 home runs in a single season.

Who's hot Ryan Klesko of the Padres has hit safely in 17 of 18 games, batting .382 (26-for-68). Who's not Brett Tomko of the Padres leads the majors in HRs allowed with 29. Who's hot Tony Womack of the Diamondbacks had an 11-game hitting streak going into last night. Line of the dayCliff Floyd, Red Sox RF AB R H RBI HR 5 3 4 2 0 On deck Alex Rodriguez of Texas has 10 multihomer games. Hank Greenberg and Sammy Sosa hold the mark (11). He said it "We just want to take care of ourselves at this point because the Dodgers and Giants are playing each other.

NEW YORK -- Marsh & McLennan Cos. Inc., the world's largest insurance broker, said yesterday that it will no longer seek fees from insurers after a lawsuit from New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer called them "payoffs," driving the company's shares down as much as 47 percent. The move is expected to cost Marsh $485 million in fees, or more than a quarter of its profit forecast for next year, according to Jonathan B. Balkind, an analyst with Fox-Pitt Kelton Inc. in New York. Spitzer's suit puts pressure on Jeffrey W. Greenberg, 53, to step down as Marsh's chief executive and will probably trigger similar concessions at other brokers, said Nicholas Xie, an analyst at PNC Advisors.

He was "Hammerin' Hank," a 6-foot, 4-inch New Yorker who ran with all the grace of a train wreck and, on a swinging strike, looked about as bad as a ballplayer could look. But when he connected -- which was often -- the ball jumped off his bat with the force of a howitzer, often not stopping until it had cleared the outfield fence. Hank Greenberg was one heckuva ballplayer, a two-time American League MVP who led the Detroit Tigers to two World Series titles in the 1930s and 1940s. For several years, he and the Yankees' Lou Gehrig were the game's dominant first basemen -- and not everyone agreed who was better.

Who's hot Ryan Klesko of the Padres has hit safely in 17 of 18 games, batting .382 (26-for-68). Who's not Brett Tomko of the Padres leads the majors in HRs allowed with 29. Who's hot Tony Womack of the Diamondbacks had an 11-game hitting streak going into last night. Line of the dayCliff Floyd, Red Sox RF AB R H RBI HR 5 3 4 2 0 On deck Alex Rodriguez of Texas has 10 multihomer games. Hank Greenberg and Sammy Sosa hold the mark (11). He said it "We just want to take care of ourselves at this point because the Dodgers and Giants are playing each other.

One of this year's sleeper hits - and deservedly so - is "The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg," Aviva Kempner's engrossing documentary about the trailblazing player who, as America's first Jewish baseball star, helped redefine sports, heroism and American culture while playing for the Detroit Tigers in the 1930s and 1940s. Kempner's film has enjoyed successful runs at the Charles and Rotunda theaters; today it opens at the Loews Valley Centre in Owings Mills. This hasn't exactly been a boffo summer, especially for grown-up filmgoers - see "The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg" for a pleasant respite.

I DON'T know about my Jews. Albert Einstein we gave to the world, and Sigmund Freud, too. From the great figures in literature and science and philosophy, we could fill entire ballparks. Nobel Prize winners, we got 'em by the score. But, scoring in major league baseball -- this, we can't seem to manage. Go figure. At the Charles Theatre this week, they are showing the heartwarming (and vexing) documentary, "The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg." For those whose baseball history goes no deeper than Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, understand that Greenberg, more than 60 years ago, hit 58 home runs in a single season.

He was "Hammerin' Hank," a 6-foot, 4-inch New Yorker who ran with all the grace of a train wreck and, on a swinging strike, looked about as bad as a ballplayer could look. But when he connected -- which was often -- the ball jumped off his bat with the force of a howitzer, often not stopping until it had cleared the outfield fence. Hank Greenberg was one heckuva ballplayer, a two-time American League MVP who led the Detroit Tigers to two World Series titles in the 1930s and 1940s. For several years, he and the Yankees' Lou Gehrig were the game's dominant first basemen -- and not everyone agreed who was better.

Hank Greenberg may have played for the Detroit Tigers, and Babe Ruth may have played for the New York Yankees, but both late big leaguers were on the same team in Baltimore recently. A new documentary about baseball's first Jewish superstar, "The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg," made its Baltimore premiere to benefit the Babe Ruth Birthplace Museum."Hank would be proud, since he revered Babe Ruth," said filmmaker Aviva Kempner.About 375 fans turned out at the Gordon Center for Performing Arts for the night's double-header: a reception and the screening.

Aviva Kempner grew up in Detroit, where every Yom Kippur her father, a Jewish immigrant, would tell her the same story about how the legendary Detroit Tiger Hank Greenberg refused to play baseball on the Jewish Day of Atonement."

All that could be discerned through the enthusiastic eyes of an 11-year-old child is Hank Greenberg fit the dimensions of a hero -- and, in ongoing respectful memory, still does. He played for the Detroit Tigers, was a giant of a man who hit home runs high into the sky and over faraway fences.That he was the only Jewish player in the major leagues was something the newspapers mentioned infrequently. Such a description carried absolutely no significance to a young boy impressed with Greenberg's stature, 6 feet 3 1/2, 218 pounds, and what he could do with a bat in his hands.

By the time World War II finally was over, the 50th anniversary of which will be marked next Monday and Tuesday, Hank Greenberg had been back swatting baseballs for the Detroit Tigers for about six weeks.The typical reaction to this might be, it figures, a ballplayer getting preferential treatment. Nothing could be further from the truth in the case of Greenberg and scores of others of the 442 big-league ballplayers who served during the Big War.It was in October of 1940, more than a year before our entry into the global conflict, that more than 16 million American men between the ages of 21 and 35 were ordered to register for the first peacetime draft in U.S. history.

Hank Greenberg was the first Jewish superstar in baseball when he played for the Detroit Tigers in the 1930s. In 1938 the Bronx-born Greenberg hit 58 home runs, just two shy of Babe Ruth's record. Washington, D.C., filmmaker Aviva Kempner, who grew up in Detroit and idolized Greenberg for his athleticism and his religious devotion (he received a Talmudic dispensation to play on Rosh Hashana but refused to play on Yom Kippur), has made "The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg," a delightful documentary that's been on the festival circuit since its debut last year.

All that could be discerned through the enthusiastic eyes of an 11-year-old child is Hank Greenberg fit the dimensions of a hero -- and, in ongoing respectful memory, still does. He played for the Detroit Tigers, was a giant of a man who hit home runs high into the sky and over faraway fences.That he was the only Jewish player in the major leagues was something the newspapers mentioned infrequently. Such a description carried absolutely no significance to a young boy impressed with Greenberg's stature, 6 feet 3 1/2, 218 pounds, and what he could do with a bat in his hands.