Ron Blomberg is viewed as a trailblazer: in addition to being the first designated hitter in the history of major league baseball? an accident of fate'he was also the first significant Jewish Yankee. The only lantzman who preceded Blomberg to the Bronx hid behind the pseudonym of Jimmie Reese. Blomberg didn't believe in hiding, either from pitchers with overpowering fastballs or the baseball fans of New York. A witness to cross burnings and synagogue bombings in his youth, Blomberg felt relieved when New York's large Jewish population embraced him. He loved people almost as much as he loved to eat. And so, he wore his religion on his sleeve. Ron Blomberg's story is more than a baseball tale, and more than a religious tale. It's the story of a Designated Hebrew'and there is no other tale quite like it.