Imagine making the Major League Baseball All-Star Game every year. Picture what it would be like to be a part of 50 clinching celebratory moments. Envision hoisting a World Series championship trophy for your team. Now imagine doing it without even putting on a uniform.
For Joe Fitzgerald, it’s what he gets paid to do.
“I have to go to those games, it’s part of my job,” said Fitzgerald, a special events manager at the Major League Baseball Commissioner’s Office.
Working in event planning, Fitzgerald has been a recognizable face for many of the MLB players; they often know that when they see him, it usually means they’re a part of a major league-wide event.
“[They think] ‘we’re glad he’s here because it means they’re on the verge of clinching a division or title,’” said Fitzgerald, who has been a part of plenty of key clinching moments, including that of his beloved Red Sox. He was in charge of holding the 2004 World Series trophy before it was given to Boston on the field in St. Louis.
“Being a Red Sox fan and having that trophy in my hand before they won was pretty nerve-wracking,” said Fitzgerald, who got his first break in 1990 when he interned with the Red Sox in the Public Relations department. “You can’t really show your emotions, you have to do your job.”
That job entails planning All-Star Games, World Series ceremonies and coordinating the General Manager and Winter Meetings during the offseason. But before Fitzgerald found his way to the special events department (nicknamed “SPEV”), he made his impact felt when he worked in the licensing department and had helped establish uniform guidelines
“We were talking to the players before the guidelines were written and established to get their understanding and cooperation,” said Fitzgerald, who was a sport management major at UMass. But not every player was on board with Fitzgerald’s implementations. The first player who was addressed was Ken Griffey Jr.
In 1997, Griffey had a deal with Nike, and Fitzgerald noticed after a SportsCenter highlight that the Nike logo appeared roughly 17 times all over Griffey’s body (including the shoes, wristbands, armbands and turtleneck).
“I said you need to start writing uniform guidelines and you need to speak directly to the players to explain why it’s an issue,” said Fitzgerald.
The issue was that companies like Nike were reaping the benefits of free advertising and the exposure they were getting from athletes like Griffey who were showcasing their products. So Fitzgerald, after notifying Griffey of the potential concern, approached him when the Mariners came into New York. He said that MLB didn’t have a problem with him wearing the product; it was the logo placement.
“I was shocked he remembered my name,” he said of Griffey, who had a friendly discussion about the issue. “I told him to tell Nike to make him a new one without the logo on the neck, and then it’s not a problem.” He explained that it was a special fabric that Nike was designing (now called Nike Drifit) It was a good discussion and exchange of information. It was not a hard line approach with Griffey but a simple discussion on why the logo is a problem and he shared his view on what he was wearing. That discussion led to further talks and what it took in order to earn the respect of an All-Star players like Ken Griffey, Jr.
“When you’re dealing with athletes, treat them like you treat normal people and you don’t have any issues,” said Fitzgerald. They have a job to do and so do I.”
Now working in special events, Fitzgerald takes pride in working on two major MLB events: the All-Star Game and the World Series.
Everything from transportation, hotel accommodations, setting up the field for pre-game ceremonies, coordinating uniforms and hiring outside vendors are things that need planning. Even selecting the musical talent for the National Anthem comes out of the department.
“We get to help shape the [All-Star] event on the field and knowing that 40,000 to 50,000 people in the park and millions worldwide get to see what we do is pretty satisfying at the end,” said Fitzgerald, who works on the actual game, as well as the Legends & Celebrity Softball Game, the Futures Game and the Home Run Derby.
“The job is to make sure everything goes smooth for TV, in park entertainment and coordinating flyover with the flag and television to make sure elements happen on time,” he said.
There are plenty of perks to the job besides attending MLB events for a living. When Fitzgerald needed help fixing his golf swing, he received tips from Hall of Famer Wade Boggs.
But working for MLB events requires a lot of travel, and according to Fitzgerald, who has three young children at home, it’s “not as much as it’s cracked up to be.”
Now that the 2008 All-Star Game will be in New York, it means a lot less time spent away from his family. But while the travel is lessened, few people may realize the difficulties of holding the large-scale event in Yankee Stadium.
“[Yankee Stadium] is an older stadium, so you have a lot of unconventional space,” said Fitzgerald, who goes roughly two to three times a month to check out the stadium operations and feasibility of the plans. “You have a new stadium across the street that you might have been able to use for more parking.”
Even during the offseason, Fitzgerald is working diligently on the General Manager Meetings, where GMs decide on potential rule changes and what to work on for the upcoming season, and the Winter Meetings, where trade talk and free agent signings begin.
But for a fan of the game like Fitzgerald, he doesn’t just get the pleasure of watching the sport, but knows that he plays a part in the planning of a MLB event from start to finish.
“It’s satisfying to see the ideas you work on all year come to fruition,” said Fitzgerald.
Imagine that.
Published Oct. 27, 2007 in Binghamton University's "Pipe Dream" Newspaper.
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