Minor League Baseball Umpires Ben Phillips, Shane Sullivan, William Paschal, Parker Powell, Allen Bryan and guest Elle Romano bowled in our annual Minor League Baseball Umpire charity tournament in Jupiter, Florida, earlier this week to support UMPS CARE Charities programs. Minor League Baseball Umpires hosted tournaments in Florida and Arizona this spring in what has become a welcome annual tradition.
UMPS CARE Charities is celebrating its 20th Anniversary this year. On the 20th of each month, we will share some stories and memories of the charity. This is the third installation in our series about the charity over the past two decades.
Twenty years ago, when UMPS CARE Charities was created, it was a passion project of the Major League Baseball Umpires. The umpires started the charity with the idea of giving back to the communities in which they worked, and it was pretty much a grassroots operation run by and for MLB Umpires.
Over the years, however, the organization expanded, and soon the Minor League Baseball Umpires wanted to get involved.
The one time of year when a large group of umpires are together is during Spring Training – with half of the crews in Florida, and the other half in Arizona. It turned out to be the perfect time for the Minor League Baseball Umpires to get together and support the charity. UMPS CARE worked in partnership with the AMLU – the Minor League Baseball Umpires Union – to get the umpires involved.
The idea of hosting bowling tournaments was born, and the events have become so popular that MLB Umpires and call-up umpires pop in to support the Minor League Umpires.
“At several of the bowling tournaments, I had the opportunity to meet (call-up) umpires and full-time MLB Umpires, and it showed their dedication to the charity and also gave me inspiration to keep moving forward in my career,” said Nick Mahrley, now a member of the full-time MLB Umpire staff.
For years, Minor League Baseball Umpires have circled the dates of these tournaments on their spring calendars, and the friendly competitions – umpires are a competitive group, after all – have become a welcome tradition. Each crew bands together to fundraise for the charity and then they celebrate with a night at the bowling lanes – rolling strikes instead of calling them.
Minor League Baseball Umpires started getting involved in UMPS CARE programming around nine years ago. Just as the MLB Umpires have done for the last two decades, the Triple-A and Class AA crews have taken time out throughout the season to meet with participants and give them VIP treatment at the ballpark.
Kids battling cancer or kids who face physical challenges get to go to a game, meet the umpires on the field and enjoy hot dogs and baseball snacks with their families. UMPS CARE invites participants from all sorts of youth-based organizations (Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boys and Girls Clubs, etc.) and military families for these outings.
MLB Umpire Brennan Miller often recalls when he and his crew visited with kids from The Miracle League – an organization that supports kids with physical and mental challenges play baseball. His crew was working a series in Lehigh, Pennsylvania. Brennan was joined by Shane Livensparger, another umpire who is now working full time in the majors, and former Minor League Baseball Umpire Blake Carnagan. MLB Umpire Supervisor Ed Rapuano also joined the visit. Read more about this special visit here
During their time as Minor League Baseball Umpires, Brennan Miller and Shane Livensparger participated in a special UMPS CARE Charities event with kids in The Miracle League in Lehigh, Pennsylvania.
Over the years, Minor League Baseball Umpires would fundraise in other ways, organizing efforts to run half marathons or set biking goals or by hosting umpiring clinics. When they were working in the minor leagues, umpires Nic Lentz, Brennan Miller, Chris Segal an Erich Bacchus participated in a “Run for Bears” event, running a half marathon to raise funds for our hospital program in which umpires deliver Build-A-Bear joy to young patients.
“One of the essential aspects to the sustainability of UMPS CARE’s future has undoubtedly been the involvement of the Minor League Umpires,” said UMPS CARE President D.J. Reyburn, a veteran MLB Umpire. “Some of them have run their own events and most have participated in an UMPS CARE event during their minor league career path. Because of this, those who do reach the Major League level are ready and able to jump in and contribute to UMPS CARE causes immediately. That benefit to UMPS CARE Charities is immeasurable.”
“I remember being a young umpire hanging out at charity events to volunteer and help out,” said Nick Mahrley said. “One golf tournament, I got placed to to play with (now retired veteran umpire) Joe West, and it was such a great day and really eye opening to what the charity represented and what it was to be an MLB Umpire.”
Major League Baseball Umpire Alex Tosi stopped by the tournament in Arizona last year to inspire the Minor League Baseball Umpires.
This season, minor league crews will host participants in all 30 Triple-A ballparks and between 10-12 Class AA markets.
Some crews have participated in visits at The Hope Lodge, a free residency for adult cancer patients run by the American Cancer Society. Umpires take time out to grill a ballpark meal for the residents and deliver baseball joy to folks who are undergoing medical treatment.
(Above) A Minor League Baseball Umpire crew took time out for kids before a game in Buffalo last season.
(Below) A crew gave these kids ballpark memories to remember in Salt Lake City.
