Team Israel is heading to the European Championships in Bonn, Germany in early September, on the road to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Finishing in the top 5 in the tournament will take Team Israel straight through to the Olympics qualifiers in Italy.

Let's hear from team member Simon Rosenbaum, who has played for Team Israel since 2015.

Bio

Age: 25

Height: 6’7”

Weight: 220lb

Position: 1B

Throws/bats: R/R

Current Team: Works for the Tampa Bay Rays

A brief history

Played at Pomona-Pitzer and was an All-American in 2014. After college, I was a player/coach for the Brussels Kangaroos in Belgium. This is my third year playing for Israel, though my first since the B Pool in Vienna in 2015. I also played in the C Pool in Ljubljana in 2014, where I was named Tournament MVP.

Your standout moment as a player for Team Israel

Hitting the game-tying home run in the 2019 B Pool Championship game against Russia in the bottom of the 8th.

Your baseball mantra

Good enough isn’t

What you are most looking forward to in Germany

I've been lucky to  get the opportunity to meet such a great group of guys playing for Team Israel this year and I'm looking forward to meeting the new Olim. I expect to play against some good teams in the A Pool, and I'm just excited to go compete against them with a bunch of Mensches who have "Israel" written across our chests.

You’re a fan of…

A fan of baseball, basketball, soccer, and puns

Superstitions:

Too many to list. But one example: I always put on my socks and cleats the same way: Right sock on; left sock on; left stirrup on; right stirrup on; right cleat on; left cleat on; left cleat tied; right cleat tied.