“If I wasn’t working in baseball I don’t know what I’d do,” said Joe Hart president of the South Bend SilverHawks on July 18, 2014. Hart manages the team that is affiliated with the Arizona Diamondbacks. “Everything beyond the white lines is in my power, within the white lines is all the Arizona Diamondbacks.” He loves sports and always has, and it has taken him to good places.
In the beginning Mr. Hart loved sports with a great passion and played baseball, football and basketball. Then one day he injured his shoulder and unfortunately could no longer play his favorite sport: baseball.
“Sports is all I truly knew growing up.” Hart graduated from Blair Academy (wanting to be a physical education teacher) and coached sixteen, seventeen and eighteen year olds in his time. Then went on to work for the Charlotte Stone Crabs in Florida. “I’ve moved around a lot,” said Hart. Afterwords a friend of his had recommend him to the South Bend SilverHawks.
Hart and his wife and his two kids, who also play baseball, took the long road trip to Indiana in January. “People thought I was insane coming in January to Indiana.” He is currently the president of the South Bend Silver Hawks with 12 others on his staff. He and his team usually work from 9:00 a.m. to midnight almost everyday. However, it all pays off in the end because Mr. Hart went from 112,000 people at a game to 240,000. Hart wants to make memories for the fans and feels that publicity and entertainment are top priorities.
“The coolest thing is to come and see kids and families having a great time,” said Hart.
Mr. Hart loves what he does and dedicates so much time and effort to it.
“I truly plan on being here for a long time.”