N.C. Department of
Correction--Correction News--May 1998
JDM Inducted Into Baseball Hall of Fame
NEWTON — When you hear the words "Baseball
Hall of Fame," great icons of the game such as Babe Ruth,
Hank Aaron and Reggie Jackson immediately come to mind. Now
it’s time to add one more name to that list - Jeff Joines.
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Joines, the judicial district manager for the
Division of Adult Probation and Parole’s Judicial
District 25-B, was recently inducted into the N.C.
American Legion Baseball Hall of Fame. While it’s
not the National Baseball Hall of Fame which honors the
best Major League baseball has to offer, in Caldwell
County where American Legion baseball is almost a
religion, it’s pretty darn close. As the voice of
American Legion’s Post 29 baseball team in Caldwell
County, Joines played a major role in the county’s
baseball legacy. For more than 18 years, Joines attended
Post 29’s games, providing play-by-play coverage for
the fans listening at home on the radio.
"I’ve traveled all over the state to
broadcast games back to the community," he said.
"It was amazing the number of people that would
listen to the games on the radio. Back when the team was
traveling a lot, people used to gather in parking lots in
shopping centers and at the community college in Hudson
and would have tailgate parties while listening to the
game on the radio."
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To show their appreciation for all his hard work, Post 29
nominated Joines for induction into the Legion’s Hall of
Fame. Out of 11 nominees, Joines and four others were selected
for the honor.
"I’m truly humbled by this," he said.
"I’m not a member of the American Legion, and it’s
very unusual for someone not being a member to be singled out for
this honor. I’m very proud of it."
Radio broadcasting is a hobby for Joines that started back
when he was in high school. "While I was in high school, I
found out that I would be better off doing something other than
playing sports," he said. "I’m not gifted
athletically."
Joines continued doing local broadcasts while he was in
college at Appalachian State University. He had planned to go
into teaching following graduation, but his experiences as a
student teacher convinced him otherwise, so instead, Joines
decided to pursue a career as a probation officer.
While waiting for a position to open in Caldwell County,
Joines fell back on his broadcasting skills and went to work for
the local radio station in Lenoir for five years as the news and
sports director.
Joines eventually landed his first job with the Department of
Correction in 1977 as a probation and parole officer. Through the
years, as he was promoted to chief probation and parole officer
and then to judicial district manager, Joines continued to call
games on the side.
"The department was gracious enough to let me carry on at
the radio station," he said. "It continued on more as a
hobby."
Soon after becoming judicial district manager in 1995, Joines
decided to quit doing the broadcasts for Post 29 in order to
spend more time with his wife, Rita, and their two sons, Justin
and Wesley.
"I tried to keep doing the Legion games after I became
JDM, but I was finding that I was away from home 100 nights a
year," he said. "As much as I love baseball, I felt
like I could no longer make that kind of a commitment with my
responsibilities at work and home."
Despite giving up the American Legion games, Joines
didn’t completely give up his hobby. He can still be heard
on WHKY doing the play-by-play for Lenoir-Rhyne football and
basketball games.
And who knows, maybe one day when he finds that he has a
little more time on his hands, Joines may return as the voice of
Post 29. u
NC DOC Correction News- May 1998
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