Tom Romita

Writer. Director. Frustrated Human.

Tom has been successfully (not) writing “unscripted” television shows for twenty years. From the romantic comedy of “Blind Date” and “Matched in Manhattan,” to the family drama of “Wife Swap” and “Shalom in the Home,” to the workplace shenanigans of “Counting Cars” and “New York Ink,” Tom has crafted stories to the delight of millions of viewers over the years. He’s reached a level of success that has allowed him to live in the city he loves, New York, and secure a wife, son and daughter so beautiful, people think he’s adopted. But now, he’s doing it the right way. He’s writing stuff down.

Right here.

Please enjoy his website, and feel free to share, Tweet or contact Tom directly to say hi, exchange ideas, or introduce him to really rich people who might want to pay him to write.

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1000.00

Tom’s screenplays often start with a question. The genesis of “1000.00” was:

What would happen if a baseball player could hit every pitch out of the ballpark?

While this skill might seem like a dream come true, in the case of young Yankee third baseman Will Hobbs, it turns his life into a nightmare. “1000.00” is a baseball fantasy in the vein of “Field of Dreams,” and like that classic film, it’s about much more than just baseball.

Will is a pretty typical nine-year-old kid growing up in the suburbs of Boston.  One day, his adoptive parents decide it’s time to tell him that while his mother died in the car accident he survived as a baby, his father did not. He left nothing except one framed photo Will keeps on his nightstand. Will is shocked and hurt, and makes it his life’s goal to find his father.  In the photo, Will’s dad is wearing a New York Yankees baseball cap. Will knows what he must do. He vows to become a Yankee, and wait for his dad to find him. It’s a desperate plan, but the only one he has.

In his rookie season, Will suffers a horrific injury when a pitch hits him square in the temple. One year later, he triumphantly returns to the game with a small scar, and a new miraculous skill; he can hit any pitch out of the park.  Shortly into his second season, Will has 100 home runs.  He is batting 1000.00.

As the nation and the world are trying to make sense of this phenomenon, the game of baseball itself is figuring out how to deal with Will Hobbs. Knowing they have no chance, opposing teams eventually start to intentionally walk him. The Yankees are in first place, but the crowds are booing and bored. They win the World Series before empty seats.  After the season, Will eventually gets cut. The best player that ever lived has become what even his otherworldly skill couldn’t overcome – undesirable.

Will spirals into depression and despair.  He’s losing everything he’s lived for – his wife, baseball, and most of all, the chance to find his father. The game of baseball itself has been scarred, possibly beyond repair, by the biggest asterisk in history; the boy from Boston who could hit every pitch out of the park, but only played one season.

Then something happens that allows Will to return to the game, save his marriage and career, and regain his only chance at finding his father again – he loses his powers. Or does he?

To read an excerpt from the screenplay - Click Here