ApL Princeton WhistlePigs

Local Fans And Ballpark Staff Recall The 1998 Princeton Debut Season of Joe Kennedy

December 10, 2007 - Appalachian League (ApL)
Princeton WhistlePigs News Release


The tragic news that rocketed throughout Major League Baseball in regards to the recent death of pitcher Joe Kennedy also reopened a flood of memories among those here who knew him as a young 19-year old pitcher beginning his professional career as a member of the 1998 Princeton Rays. Kennedy, 28, died in Florida during the early morning hours of November 23 with the cause of death still unknown at the time of this article. He is survived by his wife Jami and one-year old son Kaige.

His seven-year major league career totals saw him pitch in 222 MLB games with an overall 43-61 record and 4.79 earned run average. He made his MLB debut in 2001 with Tampa Bay and was their opening day starter in 2003. He also wore the colors of the Blue Jays, Rockies, Athletics, and Diamondbacks during his career. His best major league season was considered to be 2004 with the Rockies when he won nine games versus seven losses with a 3.66 ERA in 27 appearances. He also was had the lowest ERA (2.31) for the 2006 playoff-bound Oakland Athletics to go along with a 4-1 record in 39 relief appearances.

And once again, this all began in Princeton as a member of the 1998 Appalachian Eastern Division Champion P-Rays. Kennedy displayed during his pro debut campaign here of what was yet to come. He was a member of the P-Rays' rotation with 13 starts in which he was among the Appalachian League's top pitchers all season long with a 6-4 record and 3.74 earned run average. He also was the starting pitcher for the last event, game two of the 1998 Appalachian League Championship Series, to be conducted at the original Hunnicutt Field in Princeton just ten days before its demolition.

Princeton has always been well known for it's "Adopt-A-Player" program and the local adoptive family for Kennedy during the summer of 1998 was Ed and Sarah Whittaker and their sons.

"Joe was up here at our house after almost every game and sometimes stayed the night," commented Ed Whittaker, who added that Kennedy seemed to be a little quiet until they got to know each other and then he opened up.

"He played a lot of video games with the boys and we managed to find a lot of San Diego Padres' games for him to watch on television since they were especially good that year," said Whittaker in reference to the 1998 National League Champions from Joe's hometown area. He also recalled that the first P-Rays' teammate Kennedy brought to the Whittaker home for dinner was future Houston Astros' star pitcher Brandon Backe.

To follow are some other additional comments from those who knew and worked with Kennedy during his rookie stint in Princeton:

"Everyone knows we do the pre-game parties for groups before our games when one or two of our players will come out in uniform before the game and act as hosts for the party. We actually had our very first party ever in 1998 for the Iaeger Braves Little League team and Joe was the host. I remember how he went the extra mile in welcoming those kids and answering their questions. Since we had never conducted one of these parties before, seeing what a great job Joe did gave us the confidence that this was a good thing and we have never let up since."

-Jim Holland, current P-Rays General Manager who was also the GM of the 1998 P-Rays.

"I was away on Thanksgiving vacation when I heard the news. It made my heart sink. Joe was a competitor, he used to get all over me concerning earned runs but he handled it in a professional way and you could tell he cared about his career."

-Patrick Day, current General Manager of the Lansing Lugnuts, who was the official scorer for the 1998 P-Rays.

"He was a down to earth guy who was very competitive. I noticed when I worked in the Tampa Bay clubhouse during spring training in the late 90's that everyone liked him. He was a class act that is going to be missed by everyone in the big leagues."

-Allen Fisher, Princeton resident and current clubhouse manager for the P-Rays, who also worked at the Tampa Bay Minor League Complex in St. Petersburg, FL during the early years of Kennedy's career.

"The thing I remember most is when Joe told me he went to a Princeton steakhouse with his adoptive family and learned that he could specify how he wanted his steak cooked. He said mostly all he had ever had in the past was hamburgers. I verified this with the Whittakers who confirmed that this did happen. For him to come from such a challenging background and grow into such a great family man is compelling. The quality of him as a human being far exceeds the speed of his fastball."

-Jim Nelson, a sports reporter, who interviewed Kennedy several times for articles for the Bluefield Daily Telegraph.

"I remember Joe as being very driven and determined. In 1998, when the P-Rays were in the playoffs, Joe was starting pitcher for the game at Hunnicutt Field versus Bristol. He did very poorly and it seemed that every pitch he threw was hit. The opponents were quickly scoring and you could visibly see him getting more and more shaken. I remember that Joe was pulled out very early. I can still see his head hung and I recall him saying he felt really bad for the loss. I don't remember his exact words, but you could see the fire in his eyes and he made it clear he would improve and that he would make it to the big leagues. He did indeed make it and it didn't take him very long. I once saw him pitch at Yankee Stadium against my beloved Bronx Bombers. When he struck out Derek Jeter, I cheered. Quite a few hateful stares from fellow Yankees' fans were shot in my direction, especially since I was wearing a Yankee jersey. In this day of steroid cheaters and athletes who seem to have regular run-ins with the law, Joe Kennedy was a shining example of the All-American baseball player. He had heart, talent, and a determined spirit. He was in the majors because he worked hard to get there. Never once did anyone turn on a sports broadcast and hear a negative word about Joe Kennedy. I am truly sad for his parents, his family, his wife & son, and for the legions of baseball fans who will never get to be around Joe Kennedy."

-Melanie N. Oliver, P.A. Announcer for P-Rays' teams from 1998-2001.

"I remember Joe when he first came to Princeton as I was working in the clubhouse during that 1998 season. I am just a little over a year older than him so it comes as a shock to me of his passing. One memory I had of Joe was when we had that old ping pong table in the back of the clubhouse. We had a double elimination tournament and I had to play Joe in one of my rounds. He beat me pretty badly. I also remember when we came back from Bristol after losing to them in the first game of the playoffs. We were supposed to start Jeremy Robinson in game two but he got hurt and (P-Rays' manager) Dave Howard then turned the starting job over to Joe. I was asked to go pick him up at our home hotel. I remember he didn't really know why he was starting as he didn't know at the time about Jeremy's injury. He was excited about starting and just seeing how excited he was about starting that playoff game is something I will always remember."

-Tommy Thomason, who worked in clubhouse operations for the 1998 P-Rays and is still a member of the Princeton game day staff.

According to the official web site of the Tampa Bay Rays, private funeral services were conducted for Joe Kennedy on November 30 at Rockland Community Church in Golden, CO. The family has requested through the media that donations can be made in made in Joe's memory to the Joe Kennedy Family Memorial Fund. They can be made at any Bank of America branch or checks may be mailed to Brad Gallimore, 1013 16th Avenue South, Nashville, TN, 37212.

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