By Yoav Borowitz
PRAGUE - Walking through one of Prague's underground stations, I bump into Nadav, Roni and Morag, three young Israelis who live in Paris and work as at various Israeli institutions in the French capital. The trip to Prague cost them 400 euros each. "How could we not come to see Maccabi Tel Aviv?" asks Morag, and immediately responds to her own question: "It's the only Israeli team that brings honor - the country's team."
If Maccabi is "the country's team," then Nadav, Roni and Morag are its ambassadors. The three musketeers from Paris are yellow from head to toe, and a large Israeli flag tied to their backs flaps in the breeze like a cape.
They make a point of stressing just how secure they feel here. "I don't have the guts to walk around with an Israeli flag in France," says Nadav, who, in addition to his yellow shirt, is also wearing a Betar Jerusalem scarf around his neck.
"Flag?" Morag interjects. "I don't dare utter a word in Hebrew on the Metro in Paris."
Mini Israel
Pini Gershon will visit the grave of Rabbi Yehuda Loew, the Maharal of Prague. Interim Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will give Pini a call. Maceo Baston says the better won. Tal Burstein says, "We will have to play well to win the final." Prague has been overrun by fans in yellow. How many of them are there? When do they land? The Chabad dinner. What about that Chabad dinner then? And Rabbi Gloiberman's meal. CSKA is a defensive side. Maccabi is an attacking team. Gershon will step down after the Final Four. Ettore Messina doesn't lose to Maccabi. The red foxes steal the show. Tau needs diapers when it sees Maccabi. Will Solomon is very effective. Solomon is disruptive. Have you passed it onto the Web site? Pictures? Do you have a segment of Pini walking? No? Channel 2 has one! Where can one find a cheap pizzeria here? Is Prague in Moscow? What's the difference? The travel agent is ripping us off. He's the one and only - a mini Israel in Prague.
Zappa's coming
To get an idea of just how uninterested the local population is in the Final Four, you only need to have a word with Vladimir, a charming Czech who is at the Sazka Arena, the venue for the marginal event we are covering, to purchase concert tickets for his son, who is at college in the United States. Frank Zappa and Guns & Roses are coming to town.
"The tickets cost a lot of money, but not as much as the ones for your basketball," he says. "So what is going on here - Euroleague? I don't understand what it is all about, or how much money they want. And I am a sports lover. But sport for me is soccer, tennis or hockey. I don't understand why one has to pay so much money for your basketball."
'Nikola the amazing'
There's a nightclub at the exit from the Republiki underground station. The name is of no significance. It is filled with beautiful women from the United States, England, Colombia and just about everywhere else. The men here are dressed in stylish suits and ties, and quality Czech beer and fancy cocktails are a plenty. The music is good too - Chillout, with a touch of excellent House.
And then in walk the Maccabi fans after the victory over the Spanish enemy, all dressed in ridiculous yellow shirts from the various travel agencies. They take to the dance floor, making a circle like at a wedding. And instead of courteously asking one of the beautiful young women to dance, they burst into song: "Oh Nikola, Nikola, Nikola the amazing."
PRAGUE - Walking through one of Prague's underground stations, I bump into Nadav, Roni and Morag, three young Israelis who live in Paris and work as at various Israeli institutions in the French capital. The trip to Prague cost them 400 euros each. "How could we not come to see Maccabi Tel Aviv?" asks Morag, and immediately responds to her own question: "It's the only Israeli team that brings honor - the country's team."
If Maccabi is "the country's team," then Nadav, Roni and Morag are its ambassadors. The three musketeers from Paris are yellow from head to toe, and a large Israeli flag tied to their backs flaps in the breeze like a cape.
They make a point of stressing just how secure they feel here. "I don't have the guts to walk around with an Israeli flag in France," says Nadav, who, in addition to his yellow shirt, is also wearing a Betar Jerusalem scarf around his neck.
"Flag?" Morag interjects. "I don't dare utter a word in Hebrew on the Metro in Paris."
Mini Israel
Pini Gershon will visit the grave of Rabbi Yehuda Loew, the Maharal of Prague. Interim Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will give Pini a call. Maceo Baston says the better won. Tal Burstein says, "We will have to play well to win the final." Prague has been overrun by fans in yellow. How many of them are there? When do they land? The Chabad dinner. What about that Chabad dinner then? And Rabbi Gloiberman's meal. CSKA is a defensive side. Maccabi is an attacking team. Gershon will step down after the Final Four. Ettore Messina doesn't lose to Maccabi. The red foxes steal the show. Tau needs diapers when it sees Maccabi. Will Solomon is very effective. Solomon is disruptive. Have you passed it onto the Web site? Pictures? Do you have a segment of Pini walking? No? Channel 2 has one! Where can one find a cheap pizzeria here? Is Prague in Moscow? What's the difference? The travel agent is ripping us off. He's the one and only - a mini Israel in Prague.
Zappa's coming
To get an idea of just how uninterested the local population is in the Final Four, you only need to have a word with Vladimir, a charming Czech who is at the Sazka Arena, the venue for the marginal event we are covering, to purchase concert tickets for his son, who is at college in the United States. Frank Zappa and Guns & Roses are coming to town.
"The tickets cost a lot of money, but not as much as the ones for your basketball," he says. "So what is going on here - Euroleague? I don't understand what it is all about, or how much money they want. And I am a sports lover. But sport for me is soccer, tennis or hockey. I don't understand why one has to pay so much money for your basketball."
'Nikola the amazing'
There's a nightclub at the exit from the Republiki underground station. The name is of no significance. It is filled with beautiful women from the United States, England, Colombia and just about everywhere else. The men here are dressed in stylish suits and ties, and quality Czech beer and fancy cocktails are a plenty. The music is good too - Chillout, with a touch of excellent House.
And then in walk the Maccabi fans after the victory over the Spanish enemy, all dressed in ridiculous yellow shirts from the various travel agencies. They take to the dance floor, making a circle like at a wedding. And instead of courteously asking one of the beautiful young women to dance, they burst into song: "Oh Nikola, Nikola, Nikola the amazing."
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