Dragon Closer Donnie Joseph and His Phiten Necklaces

Although Donnie Joseph was drafted in the third round of the 2009 draft by the Cincinnati Reds, he still remains a San Francisco Giants fan. Joseph really enjoys starting pitchers Tim Lincecum and Barry Zito. On a recent off day with the Dayton Dragons, Joseph was in Great American Ballpark watching Zito and the Giants take on the Reds. He sat pretty quietly in his seat watching the game, not cheering outwardly for either team. But before the ballgame, Joseph was hanging on the rail by the Giants bullpen watching Zito warmup and trying to catch a glimpse of Lincecum. I think Reds fans will agree that if Joseph turns out like either of those two, things will be going well for the Reds.

Joseph has an in-game routine that he owes in part to watching Lincecum pitch. In his early years, Lincecum would wear several Phiten necklaces around his neck while pitching, something Joseph noticed while watching on TV. Phiten is a Japanese company producing titanium-infused necklaces and bracelets which they claim are health-promoting.

“I would see Lincecum and other pitchers like Josh Beckett and Jon Lester of the Boston Red Sox wearing them and thought they looked cool,” Joseph said. His college roommate started to wear one, and then Joseph started his search for one to sport himself. The problem was he could not find one that he really liked.

After being drafted by the Reds and starting his professional career in Billings, with the Reds Rookie League team, Joseph’s agent send him two of the Phiten necklaces. He started to wear them during games and really liked the look and feel of them flapping around while pitching. Joseph never tucks them in, and allows them to hang around his neck. A short time later, he was promoted from Billings to Dayton.

On a recent road trip with the Dayton Dragons, to Lansing, Michigan, Joseph was walking around the mall with some teammates when he spotted a camouflage Phiten that caught his eye. It was then that Joseph added the third necklace to his ensemble. “I will definitely go to four or more if I find some that I like,” Joseph said.

After the game each night, Joseph will hang the Phiten necklaces on a hook in his locker, and will not put them on again until the next game. He does not wear them for batting practice or outside of the ballpark. “It has just become a habit and routine for me,” he said. “I am not into superstitions at all, so I would not say that wearing the necklaces is one of those.”

“These things are for style, not performance,” Joseph said. “If Phiten wants to sign me someday to be a spokesperson and model for them, I am all for it.” Joseph went on to say that as he moves up levels in the Reds system, he may need to think about other colors to match the uniforms of different teams. “I will always have to have a black one, because that goes with everything.”

Several fans at the ballpark will ask Joseph what they are for and if they can have them after the game. Joseph said his own dad asked what the necklaces were after watching him pitch recently.

“They look cool and I enjoy wearing them,” Joseph said. If he continues to pitch well like he has this season for Billings and Dayton, then it appears the Phiten necklaces are here to stay and will continue to grow in number.