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An ongoing feature on the TBBL web
site will include monthly
interviews with some of our
league members. Catching
up with Joe of the Smith Mills
Franchise.
TBBL: Hello and thanks for
taking the time to be
interviewed. How are you doing
today?
Joe: I’m okay; I am ready for
spring to arrive. The winters
here aren’t that bad compared to
some other places but I have
gotten to the point where I
don’t like cold weather at all.
TBBL: Please tell us a little
bit about yourself. Married?
Kids? Where did you grow up,
what college did you attend (if
you did), and where do you see
yourself in 10 years from now?
Joe: I am married and we
celebrated our 27th
wedding anniversary last
December; no children. I grew up
in Henderson, Kentucky and now
live in Evansville, Indiana,
which is just across the Ohio
River from Henderson. I actually
have credits from six different
colleges/universities, and have
a BA in Psychology from Chapman
University. In 10 years I should
be retired (I’m 61 now), and,
hopefully will still be in good
health.
TBBL: You were one of the
expansion teams in 2006. Can
you talk a little about your
thoughts of the talent in the
draft and your plans for the
first couple of years?
Joe: As I remember, the
expansion draft was notable for
not having much in the way of
power hitters available. One
thing I wish I could do over was
my draft; I wanted to make sure
that my team was at least
competitive so I went with more
experienced players. Looking
back I would have been better
off concentrating on younger
players, ones with a longer
future than the veterans I took.
As a result I am still in the
process of trying to catch up to
the rest of the league.
TBBL: Do you have any
players on the trading block
currently or are you looking to
acquire any specific position?
Joe: I don’t really have
anyone specific I want to try
and move or acquire. I am trying
to shore up my middle infield as
I think that is the key to
having a successful team.
TBBL: Can you tell us a little
about your home town?
Joe: Evansville is a city of
about 130,000 people, located in
the southwestern part of
Indiana. It is a small enough
place that I can get to work in
15-20 minutes, depending on how
many traffic lights are red on
the way. It is only about 2.5
hours from here to St. Louis,
about 4 hours to Cincinnati and
maybe 6 hours to Chicago, so
major league baseball is fairly
close.
TBBL: Shifting to the MLB now,
who's your favorite team and
why?
Joe I don’t really have a
favorite MLB team, but I tend to
watch more Cardinals’ games than
any others because they are on
TV here. I used to be a Cubs fan
but I gave up on them after
Harry Caray died and they hired
his grandson to replace him.
TBBL: Which baseball stadiums
have you visited and which is
your favorite?
Joe: I have been to the
following MLB parks: Wrigley
Field, Comiskey Park (old &
new), Busch Stadium (all three
versions), Crosley Field,
Riverfront Stadium, Fulton
County Stadium, Tropicana Field,
the Astrodome, Candlestick Park,
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum,
Metrodome, Exhibition Stadium
and Fenway Park. We had a trip
planned to New York to see
Yankee Stadium before it closed
but things came up and we
couldn’t go.
TBBL: Who is your favorite
baseball player, both current
and all time?
Joe: My favorite player of all
time has to be Willie Mays, I
don’t think there was anything
he could not do on a baseball
field.
TBBL: What is your favorite
movie of all time?
Joe: I’m not really much of
a movie watcher but if I had to
choose one movie to see over and
over, it would be “Animal
House”. There is something about
it that keeps me laughing.
TBBL: Tell us something about
yourself that may surprise us.
Joe: Several lifetimes ago
(early seventies) I played the
drums in our garage band, The
Electric Train Ride.
Surprisingly enough fame and
fortune (and women) did not come
our way J
TBBL: Who do you have the
biggest rivalry with in the TBBL
and why?
Joe: Probably Stone Mountain; I
would have to look it up but it
seems like the Confederates are
the team that we have the most
trouble beating, year after
year.
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