So much baseball news!

From zero Orthodox Jews, Major League Baseball now has not one but two in the pipeline! The Arizona Diamondbacks selected Long Island native Jacob Steinmetz in the third round (77th overall pick) in MLB’s recent draft. Steinmetz keeps kosher and observes Shabbat, but he also pitches on the Sabbath. However, he doesn’t travel. How does that work? Well, according to the New York Post, he travels early and books hotels close to his games so he can walk.

The Washington Nationals scooped up Elie Kligman of Las Vegas with their final and 20th round pick. Unlike Steinmetz, the switch-hitting Kligman, who was raised in San Diego before his family moved to Las Vegas, has made it clear he won’t play on Shabbat. “That day of Shabbos is for God. I’m not going to change that,” he told the New York Times.

In other Jewish baseball news, Marvin Miller, the longtime head of the players’ union credited with transforming the association into a major power, will be posthumously inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Miller died in 2012 at 95. However, some people are upset that the Hall of Fame set Sept. 8 as the induction date. That’s the second day of Rosh Hashanah this year.

According to Jewish Baseball News, these were the Jewish players in MLB as of July 23: Alex Bregman (Houston Astros), Palo Alto native Joc Pederson (Atlanta Braves), Max Fried (Braves), Kevin Pillar (New York Mets), Richard Bleier (Miami Marlins), Ryan Sherriff (Tampa Bay Rays) and Rowdy Tellez (Milwaukee Brewers). Ryan Braun, 37, who clubbed 352 home runs in 14 seasons with the Brewers, is unsigned for this season.

Geffen opens his wallet

David Geffen — the legendary record exec and producer known for launching the Eagles, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits and Linda Ronstadt — has given the National Library of Israel a massive (but undisclosed) sum to create a concert hall on the library’s new campus. Geffen’s parents met in pre-state Israel and immigrated to the U.S., where David was born.

Fashionista fiasco times two

Leandra Medine, the fashion blogger and stylist who shot to fame with her irreverent, now-defunct blog Man Repeller, is at the center of a mini storm. On a podcast hosted by Black designer Recho Omondi, Medine made what many considered very awkward attempts to discuss racism at her company, while Omondi made statements about Jewish people that got the internet riled up (such as “many” of the white men, slave owners, etc. that built this country “were also Jewish and also saw Blacks as less than human”). Now nobody is happy. Hear the podcast for yourself here.

‘Black Widow’ rakes in the cash

People are ready to go back to the movies, it seems. The Scarlett Johansson–helmed superhero movie “Black Widow” broke a pandemic-era record by opening to $80 million at the domestic box office. The film, in which Johansson plays a Russian super-soldier, also took in $78 million internationally and $60 million through Disney’s own streaming platform. (Also, a rumor is going around that Johansson is expecting her second baby.)

Stars having fun

There was a party at Cannes on July 12, one featuring Timothée Chalamet and Adrien Brody, among others. They and cast members of the new Wes Anderson film “The French Dispatch” arrived at the premiere of the film in a party bus, in raucous high spirits. The film is a love letter to journalism — more specifically to the New Yorker magazine.