Bringin' the Thunder

April 1, 2013

     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.