Fun With The Suns

He has spent time selling tickets, working with stadium promotions and fixing things around the stadium. He's even donned a mascot costume on several occasions.

And Joe Vitale has loved everything about it. The Springstead High graduate will complete a season-long internship next week with the Jacksonville Suns, a Class AA affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"It's been a great experience all the way around," Vitale said.

Leaving JU

So how did the 22-year-old son of Spring Hill's Frank and Marci Vitale, who started at center for the Eagles for 3 1/2 seasons before graduating in 2004, end up working in the front office of a Minor League baseball team?

It goes back to last year, when Vitale had an important decision to make: to use or not use his final year of eligibility playing football at Jacksonville University.

Vitale earned his degree in sports administration within the customary four years, graduating from JU in May.

Because Vitale redshirted his freshman year, he had the option of returning to the Dolphins for one last campaign. However, Vitale never held down a regular starting position along the offensive line.

"I knew I wasn't getting the playing time I wanted to at JU," Vitale said. "It was a great experience playing there four years, but it didn't go the way I thought.

"Once the internship was offered to me, I went with that hands down. I played football for 10 years. I was ready to do something new. Baseball is still my passion. I wanted to give that a shot. I'm glad it worked out the way it did. I have no regrets."

Vitale never played baseball at Springstead, though his father has served as the school's head baseball coach since his senior year.

This opportunity allowed him to combine something he loved with what he had studied at JU. One of his favorite things to do was interact with fans, which sometimes meant working as various mascots.

Yet that only covered a part of his duties and represented just a portion of the overall experience.

"I worked in media relations at JU, but this was my first real hands-on experience in what my degree can get for me," said Vitale, who had to finish his final semester during the internship. "It really opened my eyes.

"I learned there's a lot of sales involved. I wasn't expecting that. You've got to be prepared to pull long days. It's fun because you get to interact with the players, be part of a total team environment.

"I made a lot of friends here, met a lot of good people. It was a lot of fun from start to finish."

The next step

With his time with the Suns about to come to a close, Vitale has plans to return to Spring Hill as he works on finding his next job.

"I've applied to a lot of different places," Vitale said. "I have my resume out there. I've interviewed at a few places. I'm hoping it will be a pretty good transition into another job.

"I want to put my degree to use. I want to find a way to put my degree to use."

Vitale maintains an open mind about his next opportunity, realizing it might not be sports-related. But he has dreams of one day becoming a high-ranking official within a sports organization, perhaps a general manager.

"It's nerve-racking," Vitale said. "It's fun because I see myself growing into a professional. I think the internship helped me out an awful lot. I hope for the best. I hope to live up to my potential and goals of being high-level management.

"...I'm very eager to keep on working and see where my career takes me. I look forward to one day realizing those goals, gaining more professional experience and seeing where my career takes me. I have a long road ahead of me.

"I think the people here (with the Suns) are phenomenal and so great. And my parents, they're my support system, my rock. I wouldn't be where I am today without that."