Jerome Williams, "You Rarely Get a Second Chance. I Got that Second Chance."

"I always tell people I had two careers. Had my first part of my career from 03 to 07. I don't really talk about 7 to 10 because that was 'The Grind Years,'" Jerome Williams says, " The second part of my career was from 11 to 16. You rarely get a second chance. I got that second chance." 

To begin the first phase, Williams was the 39th pick of the San Francisco Giants of the 1999 MLB Draft. He garnered a lot of praise and attention during his ascent to the big leagues. He was named the Giants' number 1 prospect prior to the 2000 and 2001 seasons. He was also named to the USA team for the 2001 Futures Game. Jerome made his Major League Debut on April 26 2003 at the young age of 21 years old. On June 27th of his rookie season he became the youngest Giant to throw a shutout since 1975. During those initial years, he showcased promise as a right-handed starter. 

2007 begins what Jerome Williams refers to as "The Grind Years." He usually choses to leave this era out when recalling his career. During this phase of his career, Jerome spent time bouncing between AA, AAA, two different independent leagues and Taiwan. "The Grind Years" ended when he was signed of the Atlantic League by the Los Angeles Angels in June of 2011. 

From 2011 to 2013, Jerome was, again, able to find success and comfort at the big league level. He appeared in 79 games with the Angels, 46 of which were starts. He would finish his Major League career with St. Louis Cardinals in 2016. Williams turned to coaching in 2019. As he reflects on his journey, Williams embodies important lessons about resilience and determination in the face of adversity. He continues to inspire aspiring players, reaffirming that with hard work and perseverance, they can achieve their goals.

In this conversation, Jerome Williams shares his journey from growing up in Hawaii and being drafted at a young age, to navigating the ups and downs of his professional career. He discusses the challenges he faced, including injuries and the grind of independent leagues, before transitioning into coaching. Jerome reflects on the importance of family, the lessons learned from his mother, and his current role as a pitching coach in the Pioneer League, emphasizing the significance of teaching baseball IQ to young players.

Transcript

Jeff Perro (00:35)
Hello, everybody. Welcome to the show today, Mr. Jerome Williams. Mr. Williams has spent a long time as a major league pitcher, and he is now pitching coach of the Yuba-Sutter High Wheelers of the Pioneer League. I'm looking forward to hearing about that. Mr. Williams, welcome to the show today. Thank you for your time.

So, you grew up in Hawaii. I hate to sound like using stereotypes, but were you the one guy who wanted to throw a little white ball instead of surf?

Jerome (01:08)
Yeah, actually, you know, my dad, my dad's originally from New York and he was a big basketball player. So my dad came out to Hawaii, but my mom there. And when I was learning to play basketball, I kind of got hit with the ball in my head because I was looking at the baseball field. And from that point on, I was four years old. My dad was like, "do you want to go play baseball." And I told him, yes. And, you know, from that point on,

started a long path of trying to reach the big leagues.

When I was growing up, baseball was actually hot at that time. it was either, you know, baseball, soccer or football. basketball wasn't really, really big, but, you know, those three sports was, was huge. in my town, we had, had the pony league and then we had a little league. ⁓ I played pony league until I was,

12 or 13 years old, then I went down and transferred over to Little League. We went to, at that time it was called senior majors. So basically it was real baseball. You know, could take leads, 60, 90. So, but yeah, I mean, the competition was actually really good. The year I got drafted out of high school, I think we had six high school, high school players get drafted that year.

Myself Shane Victorino, Rex Rundgren, ⁓ Kila Ka'aihue Jandon Thornton Murray and Chad Santos.

Jeff Perro (02:38)
Some solid careers came out of that draft out of that state.

Jerome (02:40)
Yeah.

it was pretty big. You know, after that year, you know, we had one of my friends, Kolten Wong, you know, we had Kurt Suzuki, went to Fullerton, but you know, he's from Hawaii, ⁓ Kila Ka'aihue Reid Santos. So we had some, you know, Brandon Lee, you know, we had some really good talent out there.

Jeff Perro (03:01)
Yeah, thanks for busting that stereotype that had, in my head. And sure, some people listening and watching also might have been like, "baseball in Hawaii?" you were drafted out of Hawaii out of high school, first round at 17 years old.

Jerome (03:13)
Mm-hmm.

Jeff Perro (03:17)
What was that experience like beginning your pro career?

Jerome (03:20)
it was scary for me personally. ⁓ you know, I never left the islands. So it was my first time in the mainland. ⁓ you know, my first trip on a plane for that long, ⁓ with my mom and dad. when I, when I got to the mainland, ⁓ I ran into my agent, my agent at that time was based on in San Diego. ⁓ went down to San Diego, watched the Padres game.

Jeff Perro (03:31)
Really?

Jerome (03:45)
against the Giants, ⁓ then went up to San Francisco, signed my contract. Then I went to Salem -Keizer to start my career. And then my mom and dad left and I was stuck. ⁓ 17 years old, don't have a license, didn't really understood what a checking account was. You know, I had to grow up, had to grow up really quick, know, stayed in a host family.

The host family has always taken me to and from the field. I had to grow up, I had to grow up really quick. it molded me to who I am today by learning how to survive on my

Jeff Perro (04:24)
So you worked your way up through the Giants system pretty quick. Futures game in 2001. You're number one prospect in the Giants chain.

And you reach the big leagues at 21 years old. That's a heck of a rocket, man. Climbing the ladder that quick and then being a major league pitcher at 21 years old.

Jerome (04:37)
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. It was it was.

It was cool, but it was tough at the same time. ⁓ you know, I remember, I had back to back years of being the number one prospect with, with the Giants and, you know, they never put me on the roster. they never gave me a 40 man spot or they never let me get to big league camp to be a non roster invitee. And I was getting frustrated. ⁓ so in 2002,

Jeff Perro (05:04)
Really?

Jerome (05:08)
I went down to Arizona fall league pitching the fall league for a little bit. kind of got injured because I threw a lot of innings that year. to talk about the innings thing, like it's kind of weird when you're 20 years old in AAA and you threw almost 200 innings. this day and age right now, mean, somebody's going to get fired.

Jeff Perro (05:27)
It doesn't happen

anymore.

Jerome (05:28)
somebody's gonna get fired, you know, so. But, you know, yeah, I was kind of frustrated because I wasn't gonna put on the 40 man or anything, but after that fall league, they put me on the 40 man. ⁓ So got to Big League camp, made my debut in Philly for ⁓ Jason Schmidt. He had a, he had a bereavement. So had my debut in Philly and yeah, was 21 years old, know.

Jeff Perro (05:28)
Yeah.

Jerome (05:53)
went through the rankings pretty quick.

Jeff Perro (05:56)
What was it like when you got the call saying, hey, you're going up, we'll see you in San Francisco.

Jerome (06:02)
it was a day off and my pitching coach, Brett Bradley, ⁓ he was my pitching coach since San Jose. So he was my pitching coach from San Jose to Shreveport to Fresno. he calls me and say, Hey, I need you in the clubhouse right now. I'm like, for what? Like, I'll tell you when I get there. And me and him were really, really tight. I knew his family and everything. And,

He's in the clubhouse with a Giants' hat. And I'm like, why are wearing a Giants' hat? It's like, that's not mine, it's yours. You're going up I'm like, what? Bert stopped playing with me and he's like, no, you're going up. I'm like, sweet. That was awesome. And then, you know, I called my dad because, my dad, my dad taught me everything with the baseball thing. And it was hard for him because he couldn't, he couldn't fly from Hawaii to go see my debut in Philly.

and it was hard for him to watch it. So I told him and, know, he was ecstatic and then he starts telling everybody in Hawaii. Now, like I'm, on the map in Hawaii again.

Jeff Perro (07:08)
That's cool. So after your debut at 21 years old, man, you had a solid start to your career. Up and down a little bit, big leagues and AAA. But you had a solid start to your career with the Giants.

Jerome (07:08)
Okay.

Yeah, it was pretty cool. you know, my rookie year, I

Jeff Perro (07:25)
You're the youngest

to do this, the youngest to do that. Yeah, you're doing well up there with the Giants.

Jerome (07:28)
Yeah.

I think my highlight was my rookie year was ⁓ I beat three teams back to back. ⁓ For my first win, I beat Oakland, came back, beat Oakland again for a complete game shutout. The next one I faced St. Louis came back threw a complete game.

And then the next one I faced Arizona and then right after that I faced Arizona again and got the win. So I ran off six straight, beating three teams back to back. And it was a highlight of my career, especially being 21 years old and pitching in the big leagues with all the guys I used to watch growing up. it was a great experience.

Jeff Perro (08:20)
Did you feel like you belonged there? you said, playing as those guys you saw on TV. when did that moment happen where you're like, I'm a big league pitcher and I belong here?

Jerome (08:29)
I want to say my second win. I threw a complete game shutout against Oakland at home. then after the game, I felt like I was a part of the team and I made it when Benito Santiago pied me.

Jeff Perro (08:34)
That'll do it.

Jerome (08:45)
And I was like, okay, I think I made it. the funniest thing is like, know, Benito Santiago, he was my catcher for that year and nobody knows about me, but I was, I was a catcher growing up and everything that I did as a catcher, mimicked like Benito. So I used to throw people out from my knees. I used to pick the baseball.

I used to try and do things like he did and for him to catch me that year, I'm looking at my idol when I was a catcher, I was looking at my idol catching me and like, wow, this is great. And when he pied me that after that game, I felt like I like, yeah, I belong here

Jeff Perro (09:27)
But you also felt like you were nine years old again. What would the nine-year-old Jerome Williams think about getting pied by Benito Santiago?

Jerome (09:35)
I would have never thought that would happen. I was thinking maybe I'll be catching maybe in the big leagues with him hitting. And it goes to Benito too. But Benito was getting up there in age and he was still playing at his highest level at that time. It gives a lot of people hindsight on how long his career was and what he's done.

and he still played at a high level.

Jeff Perro (10:07)
Yeah, absolutely. It makes you appreciate it now Looking back on it. So 2007 through 10, you gotta struggle a little bit. Spent some time in the Golden League before getting picked up. Spent some time in the Atlantic League. in Taiwan as well What was the difference between those successful years of the Giants and then what happened 2007 through 8, 9, 10?

Jerome (10:10)
Mm-hmm.

You know, when I was with the Giants, you know, I got traded over to Chicago, went to the Cubs, stayed there for, you know, 05, 06. And then I signed a contract with the Nationals, got hurt, and I got released. Signed with the Twins, went to Rochester, finished a year there. And then the next year, I couldn't find a job. So I went to the Golden League, played in Long Beach. It was rough, You know?

Jeff Perro (11:00)
The

Golden League isn't a, you you get the Atlantic League, spend some time there. That's supposed to be top quality baseball. You get the lower levels of independent ball, but the Golden League, know, kind of situated in the middle, I believe, as far as quality of play, facilities, all that kind of stuff. What was your time in the Golden League like? Was that something that I'd say you could recommend the guys kind of in your same situation to go spend some time in a league similar to that level of play?

Jerome (11:29)
It was to a point where it's like, okay, you gotta play your way out of here. I think that's what all independent ball is, especially for guys that already played in affiliate. It's like they gotta play their way out and that's what I wanted to try and do. Also too, I didn't want my family and my kids to look at me as a quitter, because I could have quit easily. I could have said, you know what, yes, played from '03 to '07

I'm set, I'm good, but I didn't want my family and kids think I was a quitter. So I kept on fighting and going forward and the only thing I do know is baseball. I don't know school. don't know anything else. So, you know, I just kept on fighting, you know, especially with, being in the Golden League, you know, traveling on a bus to St. George, Utah, traveling to, Yuma traveling to.

at that time, Reno, just going through that grind, being down there, knowing that, you're a call away. I got that call too, that, call from the Dodgers and, you know, went to.

Jeff Perro (12:34)
You got a call from

the Dodgers in a way. You spent some more time at Indy Ball in the Atlantic League in 2011. And you got a call from there as well. You say you played your way out,

Jerome (12:43)
Yeah Yep, play my way out, you know, especially from 10, you know being in Taiwan and then going over to Lancaster in the Atlantic League, know, I think I think 2011 was Combined the year the places I played at was my best year. I think I went 23 and 2 combined went 6-0

Went 7-2, went 4-0, and then I went to Winter Ball, and I went 5-0 there.

Jeff Perro (13:14)
It seems like you almost had three separate careers. had your early success with the Giants and you had that time bounce around in the ball in Asia. And then you had that third career where you brought yourself back to life or your major league career back to life with the Angels.

Jerome (13:30)
Yep, yep. I always tell people I had two careers. had my first part of my career from 03 to 07. I don't really talk about 7 to 10 because that was the grind years. When I'm talking about grind years, I'm talking about not having a house, moving from city to city.

Jeff Perro (13:42)
Sorry.

Jerome (13:55)
going to another country, ⁓ the family's doing homeschool. Shoot, I'll be honest, I got two cars repossessed. it's like, that was the grind years. And those were the years where me and my family, we had to grind. I'm talking about like grind, grind.

And then, you know, I always tell people my second part of my career was from 11 to 16. And, you know, that's the one thing that a lot of people don't know about baseball is like, you rarely get a second chance. You rarely get a second chance. I got that second chance.

Jeff Perro (14:40)
Now, you mentioned family. I'm not familiar. got a wife, kids?

Jerome (14:44)
I got a wife and four kids.

So my oldest, he lives up in Seattle. had my son with my previous relationship on my high school sweetheart that I had. He's 25. My oldest daughter, she's gonna be 21. I have an 18 year old that's gonna be graduating high school this year. And then I got a 15 year old boy that's a freshman in high school.

Jeff Perro (15:11)
I always think the family thing is interesting between some guys marry their high school sweetheart, have kids young. Some guys meet their woman while they're in AAA, wait after their career to have some kids. It's a different dynamic between all those things. Me, personally, I'm 46. I've got a three-year-old and a five-year-old.

I'm kind of on the opposite of the spectrum there. I waited and waited and waited. So the family thing and how baseball and family jive is always been kind of interest of mine. Not always. I was always the guy that didn't want to have kids. was like, I'm working baseball forever, Trevor. I'm not going have any kids. Kids are silly. And that was the greatest thing in the world. All right, so you had...

Jerome (15:35)
Mm-hmm.

Jeff Perro (15:56)
when did you finally decide enough's enough and it's time to hang them up and...

look for something else to do. then at the same time, the second part, guess, of that question is, how did you decide what to do?

Jerome (16:10)
So in 17, I was in the Atlantic League with Somerset. I got hurt. Tore both of my flexors in my forearm. So I did my PRP shot. They released me. And then I went to go play in Winter Ball down in Venezuela. Got hurt again. And I told myself I'm going to get one more chance. So I got another PRP shot.

And I decided to sign with in Mexico. Played in Monclova, played for the first half, played in the playoffs. And I had a bad game. And after that game, I was like, yeah, I'm done. I already knew. I was trying to hold on and hold on. But my body was like, you know what? You've done enough. I mean.

From 17 years old since 99 all the way until 2018, you've been playing baseball and I think it's enough. So yeah, I made that decision.

Jeff Perro (17:15)
Any

regrets on that? Do you wish you'd rehabbed it one more time and try to go back one more time? Probably not.

Jerome (17:21)
No,

no, because I already, mean, you know, when you're messing with flexers, you're messing with the elbow. And I don't want to go through a Tommy John. And, you know, my kids are getting older and I want to be there for my son because my son was playing baseball at that time. my family, went through, they went through a lot. I mean, since, you know, since my oldest, my oldest girl.

She was born into this game. mean, it's funny to say, but my daughter was two days old when Barry hit his 600 home run and she was at the field. it's like, she's been in this game since that day. So it's like, you know, they've been through a lot and I decided, you know, I got to hang it up. I got to be there for my family. I got to be there for the moments.

Jeff Perro (18:03)
my gosh.

Jerome (18:17)
I miss moments with my kids. I miss my second daughter walking. I miss my second daughter ⁓ speaking her first words. My son was sick when I was in Taiwan. He was in the hospital and he sent me a picture with needles in his body and smiling. And I missed that. So there's a lot of things that you miss that some people...

don't understand with the game of baseball that you miss a lot of things if you have a family. I miss funerals, miss funerals, I missed everything. So that's why I decided to hang it up.

Jeff Perro (18:46)
than the G.

So you hung up in 2018, in 2019 you end up pitching coach for the Kingsport Mets. I know that still, you're back in the minors again, the low, minors, but at least you have that stability, I guess, if you're going to be the pitching coach for that season. And as opposed to maybe I get released, maybe I get promoted, maybe I get traded. How was that life for you as a pitching coach in Kingsport and with the Mets?

Jerome (19:23)
It was my first first time coaching but you know, a lot of people said that I didn't have any experience But I think my my baseball career is experience so I used that as a motivation to understand how to coach you know, I I Learned how to do it when I was playing. I felt like my last couple years playing

I felt like I was a coach because I would help guys out and, you know, as a veteran player. So, you know, moving that transition to being, you know, a pitching coach out in Kingsport, it was great. It was a great experience for me. I had two great men of the game that taught me the game, Rich Donnelly and Mariano Duncan. So those two people, man, they molded me to who I am today.

Jeff Perro (20:19)
and you worked with the Mets but 2020 was the Covid year and then 21-22. why did you end up leaving the Mets?

Jerome (20:28)
I didn't leave. They let me go.

Jeff Perro (20:32)
I gotcha. I wasn't sure I didn't know the story what it was.

Jerome (20:33)
Yeah, they let me go

for reasons that I still don't understand, which I'm not going to get into. But yeah, I worked my way up. 2020, went to the alternate site with the Big League club out in Brooklyn, worked there. 2021, I was in St. Lucie in Low-A We won the championship there. 2022,

Actually, that 2021 offseason, I coached out in the fall league for a little bit. Then 2022 went to AA. So I was moving up pretty well. I had a good relationship with all the front office staff and the players, especially around that time from 19. When I was there until 22, we had so much change going on.

with the Mets, you we had multiple GMs and, you know, had a lot of movement within the organization. And, you know, after 2022 they let me go. you know, I had no...

Jeff Perro (21:40)
the different

management teams have their guys and they're not guys. The politics of it, that's another thing with the, I got it.

2023 end up in the state college spikes of the MLB Draft League Now, I just haven't talked to anybody really affiliated with the Draft League What was life like with that? was that?

Jerome (22:04)
You know, so the draft league is consisted of two seasons. The first part of the season, the first half is guys getting ready for the draft. I say it's the guys that not in the combine. So the guys that are in the combine are your top level, top tier players. The guys that go to the draft league are guys that are...

You know, maybe fifth, sixth round guys, ⁓ maybe bubble guys, ⁓ And then the second half is more of like an independent, independent ball. The one thing, the one thing I noticed about the draft league, like, especially for some, some players coming in in the first half, we figure out that there's a lot of coaches or a lot of teams in America.

that don't teach the game. They don't teach the actual game at all. You got some kids that don't really understand the part of game that's supposed to be simple. Like, baseball IQ.

Jeff Perro (23:07)
It's your job

to fill in the gaps there, guess, for the knowledge and experience.

Jerome (23:12)
Yeah, so it's like baseball IQ and knowing what to do with a guy on first up the middle, you gotta be in double play depth. Understanding, you know, there's a guy on second and you're a left-handed pitcher and there's a lefty on deck and there's a righty at the plate where you can pitch around this guy, right? So like those types of things, you really look at it, it's like, wow, nobody's really teaching the game.

And that's when, you know, we come in.

Jeff Perro (23:41)
that seems obvious

Jerome (23:42)
So it was kind of cool to have like coaches that was there. Like myself, I had Tim Battle, ⁓ Jesus Azuaje and then our manager, Dave Tremblay. that's a lot of knowledge, especially getting to these younger guys to understand like, okay, this is what you're gonna expect. This is what we're supposed to expect when you get to pro ball.

Jeff Perro (24:03)
And now I guess ⁓ you're with the Pioneer League now. Last year with the Yolo High Wheelers, who are now the Yuba Sutter High Wheelers. And the Pioneer League, I've been to games in Billings and Idaho Falls and Missoula back in the day when it was the affiliated Pioneer League. I imagine the job is probably pretty similar with that league now.

Jerome (24:19)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah, it's pretty similar, you know that actually last year when we when when we made the team half More than half of that team came from the draft league that I coached in. So I kind of knew half the team Already before our manager knew knew any of them. So he would ask me about some about some players I'm like, yeah, that's a that's a good pick right there. So you know, the Pioneer League is

Jeff Perro (24:36)
really?

Jerome (24:50)
For me, it's great. I'm in California, I'm in Northern California. I live in Southern California. Fam can come up and we can get these guys better and we can get these guys trying to get picked up by an affiliated team. And it's a great staff that we have. I have myself, we have Gary Davenport. Gary Davenport, people don't know.

Jeff Perro (25:15)
Was he

with the Giants When you were with the Giants?

Jerome (25:17)
Yeah, he was there. ⁓ but people don't know that that's the same Davenport that the Giants fans know Gary's dad was Jim and he's a legend with the giants. ⁓ and then our manager, Billy Horton, he's, he was with the Giants for a long time down in, ⁓ at the complex and down in Arizona. So we have a Giant connection up here.

And, it's great. I love it. ⁓ And it's all about experience too. Like these guys, think I'm just a coach and, you know, I played the game a little bit. Like, no guys, whatever you guys have done, I've done that and more. I've been in Indie Ball. I've been released. I've been overseas. I've been in the big leagues. So it's like,

I know what you guys are doing. I know.

Jeff Perro (26:13)
I imagine they

figured it out pretty quick. I think having a conversation with you for a couple of days in the bullpen, I think they probably figured it out pretty quick that Coach Williams knows his stuff.

Jerome (26:24)
and for me, like, I don't come out and...

tell you things straight from jump. Like, no, I'm not gonna do that. I like to observe first. I like to see things. like to, what I've learned from Rich Donnelly, I have to learn the learner first. So I got to understand who you are as a person first. Then I can get you as a player. And once I figure that out,

I have you in the palm of my hands. can actually tell you go jump off a bridge and you will. I'm gonna have that respect. And then also too, know, guys ask questions and when they ask questions, gonna give them, I'm gonna give them straight. And if you don't like it, well, you're not gonna hurt my feelings. All right.

Jeff Perro (27:17)
That's

a great phrase, learn the learner first. I've never heard it put that way, but it is absolutely true. And teaching any kind of management, any kind of career field, that phrase works.

Jerome (27:27)
Yep, you have to learn to learn

it because if you don't understand the learner then how are going to teach?

Jeff Perro (27:32)
Your words are just hitting a wall. if you use the wrong approach, you're just wasting your breath, wasting your time. Are you comfortable where you are right now? You're still trying get back to affiliated minors or affiliated baseball as a pitching coach?

Jerome (27:37)
Exactly.

I mean, yeah, that's my that's my main goal. You know, once I did get let go, you know, every year from 23 until till now, it's like, you know, I go to winter meetings, send out my resumes, you know, had a couple of interviews here and there. Yeah, my main goal is always trying to be always trying to get I want to try and get back to the big leagues either as a pitching coach or a bullpen coach. But, you know, if it doesn't happen, I always I always want to stay relevant. I don't want.

I don't want to go a year without doing something because now if I don't do it, now I'm off the map and.

Jeff Perro (28:21)
The

games moved ahead without you.

Jerome (28:23)
Yeah, and I don't want that to happen. Cuz like I told you earlier, baseball is all I know. I joke around with a lot of people and you're probably gonna laugh on this one, but you know I got three degrees,

I have three degrees and my degree ⁓ it's MLB, MILB, International.

Jeff Perro (28:39)
Wait, what's your three degrees?

Jerome (28:46)
It's all baseball. never, ⁓ and my school is the baseball field. That's my school. And I've learned so much in this game. And the day that I don't learn something new is the day I hang it up. So I'm still learning.

Every time I'm back at home, you know, I'm helping out with the local high school or my son goes to just this year. I was helping out the varsity team. I was a pitching coach there. I'm doing I'm doing a lot of lessons at a facility that I work out at. So, you know, I just I'm just keeping myself busy, man.

Jeff Perro (29:29)
One last thing for you, man. I know ⁓ we didn't touch on your mother. Much was made in your playing days in the media and stuff of she passed away before you. Redleaf to minor leagues, ⁓ breast cancer, and you've been involved with ⁓ breast cancer organizations and such and awareness ⁓ since you were a player.

Jerome (29:49)
I still have all my gloves. So ⁓ I got like four more left. So ⁓ my thing was when I was in the big leagues, ⁓ when we had Mother's Day, I used to catch the first pitch if we were at home and I'll catch it with a brand new paint glove and then I'll sign it and give it to the honorary ⁓ woman that actually threw out the first pitch.

Jeff Perro (30:16)
Also, I just want to add to it's just a weird coincidence that ⁓

I messaged you and you messaged me back and said Sunday, and here it is Mother's Day. And here we are talking about moms too. But I appreciate you, man. I lost my mom four years ago. She had some health problems and COVID was going on. And my son was one when she passed away and she never got a chance to meet him. And my wife got pregnant with our second kid after she had passed away. So Mother's Day is the tough day for me too. And I text my wife today, was like,

Jerome (30:25)
Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

No.

Jeff Perro (30:49)
She's at work. text her and I say, man, it's a good thing I have my kids and Jerome Williams, because Mother's Day is kind of tough.

Jerome (30:57)
Yeah,

it is tough. It's a tough day for me. know, there are two days that are tough for me, know, Mother's Day and then the day that my mom passed. you know, it's tough. ⁓ I lost my mom when I was 18 years old. it's tough. So, you know, just like today, I'm doing laundry and

I just remembered like, I can't put white with red. I couldn't put my white shirt with my red pants. And then all of a sudden, I thought about it. like, that's what my mom used to tell me. So I always tell people that for 18 years, I've learned so much from my mom and now I'm 43 and I still learning from my mom.

Jeff Perro (31:34)
How'd you learn that?

Jerome (31:54)
There's still stuff that I'm doing. I'm like, dang, that's what mom would have told me not to do. Thanks, mom. Appreciate it.

Jeff Perro (32:02)
But I just wanted to say, I really appreciate you.

Today, you gave me something to do and I'm gonna hang out my kiddos the rest of the day

Jerome (32:06)
No, no problem.

Yeah, no problem, man. No problem. I like to like people who who know me, they know I'm like this. People who don't know me, they don't know I'm like this. Like I'm a calm, relaxed guy.

Jeff Perro (32:26)
Well, I appreciate your time today. I wish you the best, man. I'll keep in touch with you. I'll be following you, Have a great season. Win another championship. ⁓ keep doing what you do and good things will happen, all right?

Jerome (32:37)
All right, thank you, sir. I appreciate that.

Jeff Perro (32:39)
Thank