Memory Lane: Gil Joseph
Growing up Gil Joseph like a lot of youngsters had dreams of playing professional baseball. The Hiller, Pa., native is one of the few who saw the dream come true.
Joseph was a standout right-handed pitcher for Brownsville High School in the 1970s.
鈥淲e had a lot of good athletes, guys like Dan Mullen, Dave Rozak an excellent left-handed pitcher, and Lenny Pasquale,鈥� Joseph said. 鈥淲e competed for the section championship almost every year that I played.
鈥淪ection 15 was a tough section and there were a lot of good athletes. I remember Charleroi was the team to beat, they were a tough nemesis. We were 10-4 in the section my senior year, but we didn鈥檛 win the section. We didn鈥檛 win the section, but we were right there when I played.鈥�
Joseph has a lot of respect for his old baseball coach at Brownsville Melvin Ujachek.
鈥淐oach Ujachek was a great guy,鈥� Joseph stated. 鈥淚 made the varsity baseball team as a ninth grader, so in my senior year I had been with them for four years. Coach treated me very well, we had a great relationship. If you look back on your career as we all do as we get older. You look at some of the people that really had a lot of influence on your career, Melvin Ujachek was one of the guys that certainly helped me a lot.
鈥淭here was another guy that was not a baseball coach that helped me and that was Jack Henck. I was pleased to here that he was inducted into the Fayette County 缅北禁地 Hall of Fame, that is a well deserved honor.鈥�
Joseph concentrated on baseball when he was in high school.
鈥淚 wanted to play other sports,鈥� Joseph offered. 鈥淚 was a decent athlete, my father was one hundred percent against me playing football. I wanted to play football, I wanted to play quarterback. My father was against it, especially when he saw that I had some baseball talent.鈥�
Joseph had a good fastball, but he had a crackerjack curve ball and great control.
鈥淚 was a star in little league and I could throw the ball past anybody,鈥� Joseph said. 鈥淏ut I had a curve ball that was second to none. I always threw my curve behind the batter and that鈥檚 how much it broke. I had an above average major league curve ball. I had an above average fastball and I had exceptional control, I had a slider and a change up. As I got older out of little league I was more of a pitcher than a thrower.鈥�
When Joseph didn鈥檛 pitch he played first base, third base or in the outfield.
A couple of highlights stand out in Joseph鈥檚 high school career. On May 1, 1974 Joseph faced just one batter over the minimum as he no hit Ringgold in a 17-0 win. On May 14, 1975 he flirted with a perfect game again as he no hit Uniontown in a 3-0 win. Joseph walked a batter with two out in the seventh inning. He also hit a home run in the game.
鈥淚 had two no hitters in high school,鈥� Joseph recalled. 鈥淲hen I look back on my career and I look back on that Uniontown game, the number one thing was the team won. But after that one of the disappointing things was the walk in that game, actually the count went to 3 and 2. I remember that and that last pitch when I walked the batter, I wish I could have that pitch back. Of all of the pitches that I had in my career I wish I could have that one pitch back.鈥�
Joseph was awarded the Disey Simon Memorial Award in 1975, that award was given to the top baseball player in Fayette County.
鈥淭hat was a huge honor for me,鈥� Joseph stated. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 one of the memories that I鈥檒l always take with me. As you look back I didn鈥檛 realize it at the time, but I was a pretty good ballplayer.鈥�
American Legion baseball was also a big part of his development pitching two years for Republic. A big highlight was snapping Connellsville鈥檚 14-game winning streak streak on July 14, 1975 with a seven hit, 14 strikeout performance in a 6-3 victory.
鈥淚 was 8-1 was my last year of legion ball,鈥� Joseph said. 鈥淭he win over Connellsville was after I was drafted by the Mets and we were in negotiations and Ollie Vanek the supervising scout that drafted me was at that game and I think I hit a home run in that game.鈥�
The New York Mets drafted Joseph in the 20th round of the 1975 MLB Draft.
鈥淚 was 17-years old and I was drafted in June in the Major League Baseball Draft,鈥� Joseph recalled. 鈥淲hen I sat down with the scout to sign my contract obviously my parents were with me and they had to co-sign because I was not old enough and ironically they insisted that in the off season I would go to college and not play winter ball.鈥�
In 1976 Joseph was assigned to the Mets rookie legion team in the Appalachian League the Marion Mets in Virginia. He posted a record of 0-4 with a 3.55 ERA.
鈥淎 big part of that time I was a relief pitcher, I had 16 appearances and one start,鈥� Joseph said. 鈥淭hey had determined that because of my good control and good curve that I was geared toward relief pitching.鈥�
After that season, injury curtailed Joseph鈥檚 career.
鈥淚 was with the organization and I hurt my arm,鈥� Joseph explained. 鈥淚 had arm surgery towards the end of 1976 and really that was the end of my career. What percentage of the population gets to play minor league baseball? It was very difficult to deal with, my entire life up until that time I was going to be a professional baseball player and I had goals. But it didn鈥檛 happen, but several great things happened because of baseball. I met my wife when I was playing in the minor leagues and we got married in 1980 and we are still married.鈥�
Joseph went back to school at California University of Pennsylvania and graduated in 1980. He and his wife Leslie moved to Wytheville, VA. Joseph taught history and geography at George Wythe High School for four years. He also served as an assistant football and assistant baseball coach.
He entered the business world going to work for Roadway Express Trucking Company. He left Roadway after 22 years in 2006 as Director of Operations and Sales for the West. With Roadway he had moved seven times in 22 years. He eventually went back to work for Highway Technologies for four years he also moved around for that company. He now works with Clean Harbors a division called Thermo Fluids an oil company. He is in his fourth year and is a district manager.
Joseph,59, and his wife Leslie live in Las Vegas and they have a grown up daughter Karley.
George Von Benko鈥檚 鈥淢emory Lane鈥� column appears in the Monday editions of the 缅北禁地. He also hosts a sports talk show on WMBS-AM radio from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.