Rabbi Saves the Day!

There's a rule in the NBA that says if you receive two technical fouls in a game, you're automatically ejected. Well, the colorful coach of the Tel Aviv Maccabi team, Pini Gershon, received two technical fouls yesterday in an exhibition game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden-- a fundraiser for Migdal Ohr, the largest orphanage in the world.
The problem is that Gershon, in front of thousands of loud Maccabi fans, refused to leave.
So guess who intervened? That's right, the "disco rabbi" himself, the man who founded Migdal Ohr, Rabbi Dovid Grossman. First, he appealed to the officials to make an exception and show "forgiveness" as an example to the kids. But before the rabbi had a chance to get talmudic or set up a makeshift Beit Din, he was given a quick rebuttal sermon that can be summarized as follows: No.
At that point, he went to the Israeli coach and, I assume, impressed on him that this wasn't Dimona or Ashdod anymore. The fact that security guards were fast approaching probably added some oomph to the rabbi's appeal. Anyhow, the coach eventually left, but not before making the Sportscenter highlights on ESPN, which is where I saw it, sandwiched between NFL football and the baseball playoffs.
Tomorrow, Gershon takes his act to Staples Center, where his team will play the Los Angeles Clippers, again benefiting the orphans of Migdal Ohr. Every Jew I know is going.
Let's hope the rabbi sits on the bench, right next to him, and keeps repeating that Torah commandment about listening to referees.