Rosenbaum commissioner of Senior Softball League

During Stephen Rosenbaum’s youth in Baltimore, like any young boy, he had enormous enthusiasm for sports.

“I played softball every day during the summer and tackle football (without equipment) every day during the winter,” said Rosenbaum, commissioner of the Fallbrook Senior Softball League.

Getting a team together was easy back in the day, said Rosenbaum. All it took was a phone call and about 20 guys would congregate at the schoolyard for a game.

Reminiscing about those days, combined with his memories of playing baseball in high school and college, are favorite topics of Rosenbaum’s.

These days, Rosenbaum is making new memories through his involvement in the senior league.

“The Senior Softball League is just great; it’s like being a kid again,” said Rosenbaum. “We have some amazing players.”

When Rosenbaum moved to Fallbrook in 1996, he played softball in the B League at Ingold Sports Park.

“There were these old guys [members of the senior league] playing over there,” he said with a smile, “and once in a while I would join them when they needed somebody during their practice.”

The year that Rosenbaum turned 55, he joined the senior league.

Each week, Rosenbaum plays about 15 hours of softball and loves it.

“Senior softball is huge all over the country; there are tournaments all over the country and even a world series,” he said. “There is a senior softball game at the Winter Olympics in St. George, [Utah].”

The Fallbrook Senior Softball league currently has five teams with a total of 50 players. There are 49 men and one woman “and she plays better than a lot of the men,” said Rosenbaum.

Rosenbaum explained that the league has 16 weeks of softball season and they play two games a week, Monday through Friday. As soon as one season ends, each team manager has a formal draft for players and then the next season starts. The draft, said Rosenbaum, is for the managers to assess player placement.

This league also has their own set of playing rules. “The rules are geared to avoid collisions so you don’t get hurt,” said Rosenbaum.

The players range in age from 54 to 74. “We are seniors, but we are very competitive,” noted Rosenbaum. “And then we take the best players and put together tournament teams.”

Rosenbaum claims that softball season never stops. “When you’re old, you’ve got to keep on playing. Otherwise, you’ll stiffen up,” he quipped.

For Rosenbaum, the health and brainpower benefits associated with playing softball are great. And in his opinion, it is a reason to stay in shape all year long. “We watch what we eat and we take care of ourselves.”

Softball has been a “win-win” in Rosenbaum’s life for many reasons. “It’s just great to get away from the pressures of the world and be a kid for a while.”

For any senior interested in learning more about the Fallbrook Senior Softball League, Rosenbaum extends an invitation to come to Ingold Sports Park and watch a game.

He can be reached at (760) 695-8485 or by e-mail at [email protected].