The Hebrew Hammer is half Catholic!

Ryan Braun

Back to important news.  Steve Kuhl sent this along:

I did not know this.

USA Today Sports Weekly had a profile of Ryan Braun. About his Jewish background, the profile says:

Diane [his mother] has a much stronger connection to the major leagues than to her job. She grew up in the home where Detroit Tigers slugger Hank Greenberg once lived.

There was a connection, too, considering Greenberg was Jewish and Braun is half-Jewish. Joe Braun was born in Tel Aviv, Israel, and came to the U.S.A. at age 7. Diane was raised Catholic in Van Nuys, Calif, Ryan was not raised Jewish and never had a bar mitzvah, but suddenly he's hearing from Jewish organizations claiming him as their own.

"He's totally not Jewish," Diane says, "I heard some organization started called him, "The Hebrew Hammer." I said, 'Oh no.' My mother would be rolling over in her grave if she heard that."

"Ryan [Diane says] is proud that people want to claim him now, but where were they before? You know how that stuff works."

Braun is the face of the Milwaukee Brewer franchise for the next 10 years.  He recently signed a contract extension making the young star a Brewer for life.  I know, I know, you cant be half Catholic.  Although it appears Braun practices neither his father's Judaism or his mother's Catholicism, the door is open for him to become..... bum da daaaah, a BADGER CATHOLIC.