By DAVID BERTOLA
dbertola@bizjournals.com | 716-541-1621

In 2001, Justin Santonocito stopped his pursuit of a Major League Baseball career. At 24, he gave up a monthly $850 salary as a pitcher in the minors to pursue small-business ownership.

Teaching kids to play the game would provide a brighter future, he thought. And after maxing out $35,000 in credit cards, he opened a baseball training facility in Blasdell.

But the first couple months, no one came. He was often alone, playing computer games, wondering if he had made the right decision. But he stuck it out and 10 years later is president of Academy Stars Baseball.

According to Santonocito, a competitive nature helped his transition from baseball player to baseball business owner.

"That was one of the things that got me to pro ball. I worked my tail off," said Santonocito, who grew up in South Buffalo and was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 1998. "But I always knew I would work for myself."

While in the minors, he taught clinics at baseball schools and inquired about how to run one. While he took a lot of notes and a leap of faith to open his, pro athletes take various approaches when transitioning to new careers.

Among them is former Buffalo Sabre Michael Peca, who thought retirement would mean he'd have more time to spend with his wife and two kids.

As a youth hockey volunteer and general manager of the Buffalo Junior Sabres, he learned otherwise.

"I miss more dinners these days than when I was playing," said Peca, 37, who retired after the 2008-09 season and will be the Junior Sabres head coach next season.

He also does TV work for TSN and is part of a group of retired athletes who work with former Buffalo Bill Thurman Thomas to sell energy.

Peca starred for six teams over 14 seasons and signed a few multimillion-dollar contracts along the way. Off the top of his head, he can't calculate what they'd total.

But he planned all along for a post-hockey life without needing a job, a goal he has achieved.

"My goal throughout my career was that I didn't want to work after hockey to finance our lifestyle," he said.

Brent Nowicki is of the same mind-set when it comes to life after sports. A lawyer at Hodgson Russ LLP and agent for New York Giants running back D.J. Ware, he said, "Some don't want to think about being out of the game by age 27."

But they should. According to the National Football League Players Association website (nflplayers.com), the average NFL career lasts three and a half seasons.

Nowicki mentions Buffalo Bills safety Jon Corto - who is not a client - as an example of a proactive player.

This fall was the first since Corto was 9 years old that he hasn't played football. After tearing the labrum in his right shoulder this past season, the Bills placed him on injured reserve, which meant he was not part of the active roster.

As a result, he has been able to devote more time to running two businesses. One is a vending machine company that dispenses healthy snacks. He also is landlord of an 8,000 square-foot commercial office building in Orchard Park, his hometown.

Corto, who has been with the  team since 2007, faces an uncertain future when his contract expires after this season.

But the 27-year-old isn't worried about what lies ahead. He said he would love to keep playing, but he isn't nervous about possibly being released or unsigned by the Bills.

"Everything is up in the air, but I'll be OK. I have these companies to sustain me," said Corto, whose lessons about being a business owner includes filling and repairing machines. With his shoulder healed, he began weight training again to prepare for next season. He usually is in the gym at 6:30 a.m. Then he begins his workday.

"My job doesn't stop; it's all day long and it's not easy," he said. "I need to meet the needs of customers and tenants and am always looking for ways to improve or do things better or more efficiently." 

Marlon Kerner has a few things in common with Corto. Both played defensive back and had  four-year careers with the Bills.

Kerner joined the Bills in 1995 as a third-round draft pick from Ohio State University. Toward the end of the 1997 season, he tore ligaments in one knee and rehabilitated it. The following pre-season, he tore ligaments in the other knee. Eventually, he was released.

"I had gone to a school that produced a lot of NFL players who walked away healthy," Kerner said. "I thought I could be one of them. I wasn't thinking I could be 25, 26, and out of football. The injury forced me to look at what I would do if I couldn't get back."

So, while rehabbing, he returned to Ohio State and earned a business degree.

"That was one of the smartest decisions I made," said Kerner.

Once healthy, he tried out for the Indianapolis Colts, who chose to not sign him because of his medical history.

At that point, he said, "I knew it was time to walk away from the game."

Kerner spends weekends in the fall broadcasting UB football games. In recent years, he has worked at Target Stores.

"I'm really enjoying my role," said Kerner, who oversees hiring for most positions at the store at Transit and Losson roads in Depew.

Santonocito said he loves his job, too. The academy topped $250,000 in revenues last year, he noted. His role allows him to balance a second job as a scout for the Minnesota Twins.

"It's a lot of fun," he said of his jobs. "Besides playing, this is the best."