Joe grew up on the Southside in Burnside. Thanks to his Dad he played at an early age using sewer lids on the corners for bases and played till dark. In 1975 he graduated from high school, and started playing softball with the Burnside Bums. They played at Calumet, Palmer and Mt. Greenwood Parks. His teammates were his Dad, Wally the Flea, Wally Filkins, Dave Bischoff. In 1977, Joe went to play with the Eastsiders. They played in local tournaments and parks such as Mann, Calumet, Dolton, and Bessemer Parks. In 1979, they moved on to playing Major ball in Blue Island and Harvey. He was an outstanding teammate, good hitter, played right field and 2nd base. In 1983, Joe went on to play with the Condors, Cougars, and Coopers for 2 years each. All 3 teams were successful and had many Hall of Famers on them. Joe took a few years off because of his son’s medical issues (RIP). In the late 90’s, Joe started playing again on the Hall of Fame Eastsidersuntilhe retired at age 58.
