Josh Fogel

Current Player at USC

You recently went to Yankee Stadium with your family. As a Yankee fan, tell us what it was like to visit one of the most famous stadiums in all of sport.

Any Baseball fan must see Yankee Stadium. Since I live and die by the Yankees, going to the stadium easily was the most fun I have ever had. I was able to see my favorite team play in their pinstripes. There is something special inside that stadium, something that just makes it great. Yankee Stadium is the place to watch baseball.

 

You live on-campus at USC with an Angel fan (Matt Underwood) and a Dodger fan (Nick Pellico), both of whom were your teammates in high school. Describe the friendly (or unfriendly) rivalries in that household.

Both of my roommates stop watching baseball in October. Their teams never make the playoffs, let alone winning a playoff game. Pelly likes the Dodgers, a team who pays Yhency Brazoban to throw a baseball. Does a man who starts his name with a Y and an H lead a team into the playoffs? Undy’s team stinks. I mean, they are just awful. They traded Jim Edmonds for Kent Bottenfield. Rivalry? HA!

 

Can you name the team that defeated the Yankees in the 2002 American League Playoffs?

The Angels; However, it took the Angels 44 years to win AWorld Series. In the amount of time it took for the Angels to win a World Series, there have been 9 Presidents, 13 Garth Brooks albums, and 263,639,692 big gulps sold in states WEST of the Rocky Mountains. With this being said, I feel it to be very unfair to ever mention the 26-time World Series champion New York Yankees with the Anaheim Angels in the same sentence ever again. (Editor’s note: The Angels are the only team in the AL with a winning record against the Yankees (46-45, including postseason) since the new Yankees dynasty was born in 1996. Their 23-19 record at Yankee Stadium over that period is even more impressive. Remember who loves ya Foges)

 

We all know that baseball is a great sport, but can anything rival the atmosphere of an English Premier League soccer match?

Many things rival any soccer match. Not to take anything away from the athletes, but soccer is nothing more than kick the can….with uniforms. I think an intense game of tetherball, coin flipping, or goat taming rivals soccer. However, I am fan of the Southampton Saints.

 

Tell us about your high school baseball experience.

High School baseball was the time of my life. Everyday you play ball with your buddies that you’ve grown up with. The fact that you are playing for coaches that you admire, respect, and pattern yourself after just makes the experience more enjoyable. The Saugus/Hart games, the Buenas, and hanging Underwood’s glove off the flagpole made my high school baseball experience an absolute blast.

 

What was your most memorable baseball moment and please don’t say it’s the homerun ball that Josh Satin (currently at Cal) hit off you at Oaks Christian that Burrill tells me is still traveling through space.

 

The winds were angry that day! My most memorable baseball moment is, without a doubt, my visit to Yankee Stadium. So many sagas have started there and it’s greatest stadium, for the greatest team.

 

As a walk-on at USC, you find yourself competing for some playing time this season against players on scholarship. How have you managed to catch the eye of the coaching staff there?

I like to think that I turned some heads by my work ethic and persistence. Many nights there are just a handful of guys still swinging in the cages. In order to be considered for playing time I have to be able to compete. Staying late and hitting in the cages gets me better than the next guy and maybe when we need a double in the gap to score two against the queebs from UCLA, I’m the one he calls on.

 

Your family and I were there at USC when you got your first hit as a Trojan. I was on the phone with Coach Burrill giving him the play-by-play and we were all so excited for you. We couldn’t be more proud. Describe your emotions that day.

I was thrilled. I was very excited to get my first hit in Cardinal and Gold. The hit was great, but afterward when my teammates shook my hand and congratulated me was awesome and having my family there and them being so excited for me was a better feeling that the hit…but Smocker, I smoked it!

 

When your high school coaches talk about you, they use words like ‘hard worker, baseball rat, intelligent, loves the game, and great character.’ Who has inspired you to draw on every ounce of your ability and instilled such a good work ethic?

I think that my ability is from my brother Brad. I learned how to play the game by watching his success. I definitely get my work ethic from my dad. To say that anyone works harder than him at anything is simply laughable. He was ALWAYS willing and able to work with me. I get my character from my mom. She is intelligent, professional, and the best baseball mom a player can ask for.

 

What advice would give a high school athlete that wanted to play baseball at a higher level?

For West Ranch players, I would suggest never wearing any clothes with the Red Sox insignia. That is an invitation for time on the bench. After avoiding the cursed, I would advise any high school athlete to get it done in the classroom. Collegiate coaches can’t help athletes that have poor grades. I would suggest working harder in the classroom than on the field.

 

You’re on the team bus heading to a road game and Coach says “Fogel, put on an inspirational sports movie to pump us up.” What do you put in the DVD player?

It’s a good question. In a heartbeat, I shove Hoosiers in the DVD player. I refuse to believe that there is a better inspirational sports movie. I know everything thing there is to know about the greatest movie ever invented.

 

If you could have dinner with any three people throughout the history of the world, who would they be?

With the first pick, Josh Fogel selects Chris Farley. He is my all time favorite actor. Chris was easily the funniest guy in the history of the world. Next, I would invite Babe Ruth. The Babe and I would “have a catch” before dinner and talk about the Bronx Bombers while we ate. The last invitation is sent to Mickey Mantle. Mickey just seems like too much fun. Since we are physically fit, we would have large American T-Bone steaks.

 

If you were having a concert in your backyard, what 3 bands would play?

Opening up my concert, would be the Dave Matthews band. I would demand that they play “Two Step” and “Tripping Billies”. Following Dave would be Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. There is no better rock and roll band than Tom. They would play their greatest hits and I may have to sing along. The next band would be The Outside. I would have them play “FIT” as the encore. You Rock Smock!