Brothers soon to be Penn pals

Big Brother will soon be watching.

And as far as Joey DeBernardis is concerned, that's a good thing.

The Lake Zurich baseball star is one of seven DeBernardis children that range in age from 35 to 18. He's the 18-year-old and his brother Jon is the 35-year-old.

Despite the 17-year age gap, Joey is tightest with Jon.

Their common bond? Baseball.

They call each other nearly every day to banter about Joey's games, his ranking by a national scouting service as one of the top professional prospects in the country, their beloved Cubs. Anything baseball.

"Jon plays in a 30-and-over league and he'll call just to ask me what bat he should get. Stuff like that," said Joey, a senior. "We're always calling each other to talk about baseball."

Pretty soon, though, the two brothers will be able to have those conversations in person. In November, Joey DeBernardis, who recently was named to the prestigious Rawlings Regional High School baseball team, signed on to play baseball at Penn State, which is practically in Jon's backyard.

After playing baseball at Pitt, Jon, a 1990 Antioch graduate, made his home in Pennsylvania. He took a job with a medical sales company in Harrisburg, where he lives with his wife and three young children.

"It's a funny thing with Pitt and Penn State," Jon said. "It's like the Cubs and the White Sox. You're either a Cubs fan or you're a White Sox fan. Obviously, I've been a big Pitt fan all these years and now, I'm going to be cheering for Penn State. I had to go out and get some Penn State stuff. My buddies give me a hard time about that, but I don't care. I can't wait to for Joey to get here so that I can go to all of his games."

Jon has missed far more than he'd care to already.

He says he's Joey's biggest fan, but geography has prevented him from showing his support much in person.

It's too bad because what Jon has missed is the evolution of one of the best careers in Lake Zurich history.

DeBernardis was brought up to the varsity as a freshman when the Bears were decimated by injuries. He filled in at second base and wound up starting that season.

He's been a starter ever since and has been a jack-of-all-trades kind of player for the Bears.

Early on, DeBernardis also played some shortstop for Lake Zurich, but he wound up making the biggest impact on the mound and at third base. He's also been one of the Bears' best hitters over his career.

"It's tough coming in as a freshman because you've got to prove yourself," Lake Zurich coach Gary Simon said. "But Joey came in and really did a great job. I remember ... we took him on our spring trip that year and he did pretty well. I think he hit over .375 as a freshman.

"He's got a lot of power. He hits the ball well. And he can pitch. On the mound, he hits 86 (miles per hour). But I really like him at third base. He's got fantastic hands and is accurate with an exceptionally quick release. One time, this kid laid down the perfect bunt along the third base line and Joey kind of jogged up on it. I was just getting ready to yell at him but then he threw a bullet to first and it got the guy so I couldn't say anything."

Jon, who was also a third baseman in his day, doesn't hold his tongue when it comes to his brother.

He playfully pointed out that despite all of Joey's credentials and accolades, he is the reining home run king of the family.

"Every year Joey comes out here (to Pennsylvania) to visit and every year we have a home run derby competition at the high school field here," Jon said. "My dad (John) pitches and winner takes all."

"I've won it the past two years."

Is it possible that dad takes it easier on Jon, the old guy?

"No way," Jon said, laughing. "He takes it easier on Joey. I'm getting knuckleballs and curve balls to hit and Joey gets floaters right over the plate.

"But in all seriousness, Joey is really 10 times the player I ever was. It's killing me to say it, but it's true. (Laughs) He's got a much better glove, a much better swing and he's 10 times more focused than I ever was. I'm just proud to be a part of that in some way."

Joey says it's a big way.

Some of Joey's earliest baseball memories are of watching Jon play at Pitt. One year, when he was about 4 years old, Joey traveled with his parents to watch Jon play in a regional championship game in Tennessee.

Pitt lost the game and missed out on a spot in the College World Series, but Joey remembers the atmosphere being electric. And that's when he first fell in love with baseball and knew he wanted to be just like his big brother.

"I remember getting foul balls and meeting all the players and everything," Joey said. "I was a little kid, but I loved it. Jon was playing against guys who are in the Major Leagues now. That's something to look up to.

"I've always looked up to Jon and wanted to be just like him."

Pretty soon, little brother will get his chance.