Major League Baseball Umpires (L to R) Carlos Torres, Bruce Dreckman and Nate Tomlinson are joined by UMPS CARE staff members and volunteers at Rady Children’s Hospital – San Diego (photo by Samantha Martinez). The following day, umpires working the Athletics-Angels game (Chris Guccione, David Rackley, Nestor Ceja and Louie Krupa) took time out to deliver Build-A-Bear Workshop joy to young patients at Rady Children’s Health Orange County.
The Major League Baseball umpire crews working games in San Diego and Anaheim this week pulled off a very different kind of doubleheader. Two crews took time out in tow days to deliver Build-A-Bear Workshop joy to children in two pediatric hospitals.
MLB Umpires Bruce Dreckman, Carlos Torres and Nate Tomlinson who were in San Diego for the Padres-Dodgers series, participated in the first visit at Rady Children’s Hospital – San Diego,. The next day, umpires Chris Guccione, David Rackley, Nestor Ceja and Louie Krupa, who were in the Golden State for the Athletics-Angels series, took time out from the ballpark to deliver more Build-A-Bear furry friends to young patients at Rady Children’s Health Orange County.
The back-to-back visits brought a lot of joy and also moved us ever so close to reaching a special milestone of delivering our 25,000th Build-A-Bear stuffed toy!
Next week, umpires working games in Pittsburgh will deliver the 25,000th Build-A-Bear furry friend to a child!
Special thanks to Major League Baseball, the Major League Baseball Umpire Association and longtime UMPS CARE supporter John Holmberg for their continued volunteer and financial support for our hospital program.
Longtime UMPS CARE supporter John Holmberg with MLB Umpires (L to R) Chris Guccione, Louie Krupa, Nestor Ceja and Dave Rackley during our visit at Rady Children’s Health Orange County. (Photo credit: Portsbyjay)
