Steve Romer Blog Picture

Steve Romer
Steve Romer is both a sponsor and captain of the Westrock-Refuahs.org softball team and the recipient of the 2008 and 2010 Captain of the Year award. He was also instrumental in driving his team onward to win the 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2013 RJSL championship titles. A team captain since 2003, Romer has consistently led his team to the playoffs and continues to be a force to be reckoned with. At 58 years of age, he is certainly one of the "senior" league members and his love for both the game and the RJSL makes his blog one worth reading.

Romer is a real estate entrepreneur as both an investor and for 30 years, the president of  Westrock Appraisal Services, Corp., a commercial real estate appraisal provider. He has earned both an MBA and the prestigious MAI designation. Married for 34 years, Steve has three children, all who are married and grand-children running into the double digits.

The Cost Of Being A Winner & League Perspectives
Wednesday, June 17 2009

Playing the game of baseball is much like navigating your way through life. To be a winner in either sports, business, politics, or socially, you typically have to surround yourself with winners. The expression that "Tell me who your friends are and I'll tell you who you are" speaks volumes regarding the choices you make in life and how you will be "viewed" as an individual socially, professionally, religiously.

It is very well known that I love to win and I work very hard in all areas of my life to surround myself with winners. The players on my Westrock-Chai (WC) Team are big time winners and their existence on my team is not by accident. They were predominantly hand picked to create a unique synergism which earned us the championship last year and should place us in championship contention this season. And managing winners is no easy task, particularly when they are as bright and talented as the men on my team. You must exercise tremendous patience, fairness, consistency, reliability and firmness to gain the respect and support of your team mates. I have observed other teams which lack the cohesiveness of WC due primarily to weak leadership and splintered "win" strategies. Teams which are plagued with disagreement and resentment tend to internally self destruct and score poorly in terms of league standings.

And for some reason, everyone likes to "hate" the winners. For three years, everyone hated Sterling because they were simply the best. I'm somewhat surprised and taken aback that I have personally attracted this same type of negative attention. It is true that I am a very tough competitor, but I have always been fair and non-cut throat. So, this evening when I was parading around the RJSL web site and I stumbled upon the Poll Comments, the following ugliness caught my unfortunate attention:

06/01/09 9:03:31 PM MST: yea i wanna know why steve romer cant take the lose like a man!!!!!

06/01/09 9:04:45 PM MST: bubbas beat chai...10-9

06/04/09 7:30:00 PM MST: of course

06/05/09 5:42:42 PM MST: they did..steveromer is an overwait monkey who cries like a lil baby ..the ump called safe...this games abt the calls 2...and he would no that but then againn the reason he plays catcher is bc he cant really play ball..but at leaszt he tries!!

06/08/09 7:53:01 AM MST: i think romer has diareah from his mouth ...this site should not be meant to be a playground for his ego.

06/08/09 1:13:04 PM MST: romer has no life and thinks he is some all star player ...... he makes everything about him .... as i heard from teamates of his that he is a horrible teamate and makes everything about him .... he thinks they won the championship because of him ...he is just a loser. feel bad for him.

06/08/09 3:41:15 PM MST: exactly this blog is so stupid bc u cant event voice you own opinion....

06/08/09 3:46:00 PM MST: romer isnt even close to an all star player regardless of age.... he plays ball like the fat cow he is

At my age, you don't sweat the small stuff, and you certainly don't respond to juvenile expressions of idiocy unless confronted personally. I guess that if this is the cost of success and of being a winner, then I accept the expense without reservation. However, since this is an Orthodox Jewish forum which is supposed to adhere to the myriad principles of kindness, respect for others, appropriate behavior, etc., I am strongly advising the commissioners to eliminate the Poll Comments so that further abuses can be eliminated.

So, what’s going on in the league? Jada and WC are still holding fast to 1st and 2nd place. Team Samet, who for the past month appeared unstoppable, has appeared to derail with a lose to WC and a further defeat to the Framers.  The Framers are still the team to watch due to their extremely competitive "Win %" and their material upside potential based on "Games Played". However, let’s take a closer look at each team and again, make some predictions.

1st Place: Jada

Although Jada decimated Bubbas during their last game on Sunday, June 7th, 15-1, Jada has been off for approximately two weeks due to rain-outs. Long delays between games tend to dull a team's sharp competitive edge and Jada may have to dig deep to pull off a win. Jada has been very fortunate in regards to their stamina and lack of injuries. Although they are a small team, their regular core players attend games consistently and quite successfully. On June 28th, WC will get a shot at Jada and test their resolve.

This Sunday, Jada will dance with Bubbas again. Several Bubba's players contend that Jada's earlier win against them was due to the collective "no-show" of most of Bubba's talent. Well, Bubba's game vs. Jada is taking place at 6:00 p.m. this Sunday, so there should be no excuses. Let's see if this young team really has what it takes to beat a 1st place team. Personally, I'm betting on the more seasoned and well developed Jada team.

2nd Place: Westrock/Chai

The month of June has been good to WC, defeating Marv'les 10-3 on June 1st and then defeating Team Samet 9-8 in one of the most competitive games of the season. To all extents and purposes, WC is back on track but like Jada, with a 2.5 week game delay due to rain-outs, WC better be at the top of their game when they meet the Framers on Tuesday, June 23rd. Captain Romer is hopeful that he can compile his "A" team for the rendezvous with the Framers so that WC's chances of a three game winning streak are strong. Such confidence will be necessary when facing 1st place Jada on June 28th.

WC’s game vs. Framing next Tuesday will test the will power of the 2nd place team to stay on top. Framing is a very talented team, with strong fielding. However, the WC defense is frequently rated one of the best in the league and we all know that if you win the defensive game, the odds are that you will take home the W. Call it favoritism, but this writer believes that Framing will collapse under the collective weight of the WC onslaught (From my mouth to G-d's ear).

3rd Place: Framing

Since defeating Merockdim on Sunday, May 31st, 10-9 (nice going Shimon), the Framers surprisingly lost to Marv'les 9-8 and just tonight, defeated Team Samet 8-2. So, the $1,000,000 question is, can Marv'les pull off another Framing loss this Sunday morning? Curious minds want to know! This should be a game worth watching, if both teams can attract a majority of their talent pool for a 9:15 a.m. game. If the Framers pursue a similar strategy which they employed against the Accountant's tonight, Marv'les is going to have their hands full, indeed.

My prediction for this Sunday’s game, as last time, is that the Framers will defeat Marv’les. However, Captain Sam Wainhaus has pulled a rabbit out of his hat more than once this season and if he can do it again this Sunday, I, for one, will buy him a cold one in celebration. With any luck, I may even get into this game!

4th Place: Marv’les

Sunday, May 31 and Monday, June 1st were not good days for Marv'les. But, their stunning win vs. the Framers on June 7th was miraculous (I wish that I could have been their to watch, but it was my 26th anniversary). So, did my advice to Captain Wainhaus to rally his team and set them on the warpath help? I really don't know, but, where-ever that winning spark came from, Marv'les better know how to find it again and again.

Marv'les reminds me of an old car that we used to own. Sometimes, getting the car started was trying and complicated. But once those cylinders finally got heated up, that old car purred like a big, ferocious cat. Sam, get that team of yours fired up and show me the money! Go get um, Tiger!

5th Place: Samet

Unlike WC, the month of June has not been very kind to Team Samet who lost both to WC on June 7th, 7-6 and to Faming this evening, 8-2. What makes tonight's loss particularly intriguing is that despite the participation of some of Samet's greatest talent, the Accountant's lost big! It's like they were knocking on the door but no one was home. If Team Samet expects to kick in the door this year to the championship, they better get back on track, fast, or else they are going to be left behind.

Up next for Samet is Merockdim, who over the past four games has lost three times and tied once. If recent history is any indication, the Merockdim machine is broke and requires material repair. This should be an open invitation for an easy Samet win. However, the Accountants are licking their wounds from two loses in a row and unless they can shake this bad omen off, the Campers may just yet steal a win. I'm betting on Samet to win, but I've been wrong before.

6th Place: Merockdim

I had high hopes for Merockdim when they tied Sterling 4-4. But, then Bubbas further demoralized the Campers on Monday, June 8th, by defeating them 8-4. So, Captain Effy, it's time to go back to the drawing board. What's that famous expression: "Let's go to the video tape"! During the last game against Bubbas, Merockdim had so many opportunities to score which were not capitalized on. That is a fundamental no-no. In terms of hitting, stick to the basics! Nice, strong level swings, keep your elbows up to avoid swinging up in the air, and don't take your eyes off the ball until you make solid contact. Although this team has both hitting and fielding problems, mandating that the Merockdim bench spend sufficient time at the batting cages is not too much to ask. In terms of infield fielding, do whatever it takes to get your best talent out there for every game. Be relentless in your influence and your coercion tactics. Don't be afraid to spend money for gas and tolls for the younger members of your team if that's what's required to get them to the games. Maybe I'm nuts but decide how badly you want to win and then act accordingly.

Unless Merockdim starts to take matters into their own hands, they don't stand a chance against Samet this Sunday. We believe in you Campers! Show us what you are really made of.

Sterling/Bubbas

Like Merockdim, these teams have simply failed to materialize during the first half of this season. Both forfeits and no-shows have significantly hurt these two talented teams with poor league standings and questionable moral. Although both teams, with a couple of strategically placed wins, could rocket up in the league standings. However, unless Sterling and Bubbas make their move soon, they are going to be stuck in the gutter. As of this writing, I do not have much encouragement in these team's future prospects. I will be diligently watching for any changes on the horizon which may occur. May the force be with you.

Steve Romer