"My sponsorship offer was no setup! They set me up!" Publicist rages at Israel Professional Baseball League's deception and online smear

“Setup? Setup? I made an honest inquiry in good faith! Running an online ad for contributors and sponsors and then directing dupes to another company? That's a setup! I have a serious job to do and I’m being relied upon to do international marketing for an actual project that’s coming out in the summer of 2008-- not some pipedream. Who do these mooks think they are?

"How dare they accuse me of setting them up when they won’t give me a straight answer? If I weren't a gentlemen and professional they'd get a setup all right! A one-two to the kisser!”

Sam Peters, the publicist for our pals at Frozen Pictures (Full Disclosure: Sam has contributed to this operation) is steaming mad that the American-based businessmen behind the “Israeli Professional Baseball League” sign are accusing him—and Tabloid Baby-- of a “setup” in his query about buying sponsorship for the 2008 IPBL season that its frontmen, led by Miami millionaire Magnetix maven Jeffrey Rosen, continue to promise.

We reported exclusively yesterday that the IPBL's marketing rep Andrew Wilson refused repeatedly to answer Sam’s question of whether there will indeed be a 2008 IPBL season to sponsor and eventually suggested he advertise with the company’s basketball team!

Now, in wake of the international fallout of the implicit confirmation that there will be no IPBL this year, Rosen has responded. But rather than clearing the air with a direct answer, he's emailed copies of internal IPBL emails to Our Man Elli In Israel.

The first is from Andrew Wilson, to Rosen, Israel Association of Baseball president Haim Katz and its secretary-general Peter Kurz.

Date: Wed, 07 May2008 20:54
Subject: IPBL Sponsorship: Looks like it was a set up

Looks like the guy who was inquiring about the sponsorship was setup by tabloid baby. look at this: http://www.tabloidbaby.blogspot.com/

-Andrew

Peter Kurz replied:

Date: Wed, 07 May 2008 21:23:23
Subject: RE: IPBL Sponsorship: Looks like it was a set up

I cannot f--king believe that!!!!
Cant trust anyone these days!!!

Jeffrey Rosen packaged both correspondences and emailed them to Our Man Elli with the note:

“an Israeli weighs in”

Rosen's real motive may have been to continue his childish and anti-Semitic mockery of the internationally-respected journalist Elli Wohlgelernter’s name, by addressing the email to

"Elli Wollinger."

But according to Sam Peters, all of this is beside the point.

“I am livid at these idiots," says the veteran flak. "This was no set-up. This was a serious inquiry about sponsorship of the IPBL in the summer of 2008—in response to their ad! I don’t care what kind of pattycake these guys are playing with Israel’s sports governing body to grease the skids for them to play in 2009.

"I’m trying to run an advertising campaign and when Andrew Wilson strings me along and refuses to give me a straight answer to a simple question— there’s something funny going on here.”

We’ve reported since the beginning of the year that there was little hope for professional baseball in Israel in 2008 in light of the mess left behind by the Israel Baseball League in 2007. And we reported two weeks ago:

"The Israel Professional Baseball League, a rebel band born of the controversy and conflagration surrounding the IBL’s financial scandal, still hasn’t gotten the certification from the Israel Association of Baseball that would allow it to do business. One reason is that the IPBL has not agreed to pick up the million dollars in debt left by Larry Baras and his IBL. We hear that Miami Magnetix maven Jeffrey Rosen (the guy who can’t get Our Man Elli in Israel’s name right) has offered a payoff of $50,000 for the rights—for 2009!"

Tabloid Baby has reported, and in some ways, promoted the IPBL since the idea was first announced in November. The IPBL brass, however, have been very niggardly with information and cooperation, refusing to speak on the record, ignoring our questions, and in the bizarre case of former toymaker Rosen, taunting Our Man Elli.

But in the end, it is our hardworking friend, the publicist and webwriter Sam Peters who is feeling the sting.

“How dare they accuse me of setting them up? The website says specifically -- and I’m reading this off the screen: ‘Triangle is launching a NEW professional baseball league called the (IPBL) for the upcoming 2008 season. If you or your company is interested in becoming an official sponsor, investor, or friend of the (IPBL) please let us know.’ QUOTE! So who’s doing the setting up?

“I demand an apology! And so should sports fans and so should Israelis and so should my fellow Jews!”

As for us and Our Man Elli? Eh. We merely report. You decide.