Kelley Millsap always wanted to be Chuck E. Cheese — at least that was the running joke.

Funny how things work out. Instead of becoming the face of a pizza chain, Millsap plays the role of Sox the Fox — the mascot and public persona of the Colorado Springs Sky Sox.

“When he puts on that costume, the costume comes to life,” Tony Ensor, the team’s general manager, said.

Millsap never was a gymnast or performance artist but rather a Sand Creek High School football player working concessions at Security Service Field when the previous Sox the Fox left during the middle of the 2004 season.

He asked team officials if he could give the part-time job a try and has donned the mask ever since.

“It’s just been learn as I go,” said Millsap, who is set to start graduate courses in sports health and wellness at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs. “I didn’t go to mascot camp or anything — although there are camps for that — I just watch other mascots and imitate them.”

In the world of minor league baseball where entertainment is key, Sox the Fox is a big part of the operation. Realizing this, Millsap takes the role seriously.

He never talks while wearing the mask and insists on a tail-wagging walk that leaves him consuming so many sports drinks during breaks that he dilutes them to save money.

“I try to do new things every game,” said Millsap, who learned to turn back flips and ride unicycles. “But at the same time, there’s only so many things I can do. And every game I keep in mind that there’s somebody out there who hasn’t seen it, so it’s new to somebody.”

The work is exhausting, even for the energetic 22-year-old who is a part-time personal trainer. Some days he’ll eat a Chipotle burrito before the game and another during the game before capping the night with a postgame meal.

The Sky Sox play 72 home games and Sox the Fox makes an additional 60-70 appearances at various functions so Millsap is well acquainted with the role. Still, he hasn’t harbored thoughts of making this a career.

Ensor thinks he could pull it off.

“I’ve been in the game for 24 years and I’ve seen a lot of different mascots for my teams and others,” Ensor said. “And I think he ranks right up there with the best. If he wanted to I think he could be a mascot character in the big leagues, he’s that good. And it’s because he cares about what he does and he really enjoys it.”

Sox the Fox entertains at the Sky Sox game against Nashville Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2009, at Security Service Field. KEVIN KRECK, THE GAZETTE Photo by KEVIN KRECK, THE GAZETTE

Kevin Kreck