Even if Shawn Green hits .220

ESPN.com's Page 2 ran a story yesterday about Dmitriy Salita, an observant Jewish boxer from Brooklyn.

Jeff Pearlman wrote about how Jews have a great love for Jewish professional athletes. You should read the story in its entirety, but here's an interesting excerpt:

"while Jewish people often struggle when it comes to slugging a baseball or dunking or knocking out a bully, we worship the chosen few among us who can. It's why, even if Shawn Green hits .220 for the Mets this season, he'll never have to worry about losing a core fan base. It's why former 49ers offensive lineman Harris Barton can walk into any Bay Area synagogue and be swarmed. It's why Perry Klein and Steve Ratzer and Steve Dubinsky -- anonymous sports schlubs to 99.9 percent of America -- maintain a special place in the hearts of Jewish die-hards. We loooooove our athletes."

It's so true. Sad but true.