Dodgers umpires deliver 100 Build-a-Bears to children’s hospital

The umpires working the Dodgers-Giants series went to UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital to deliver 100 Build-a-Bear toys to kids.

Mark Carlson, who has been a major league umpire for 25 years, told KNX News’ Jon Baird about UMPS Care , the officially sponsored charity through Major League Baseball.

“We get out and we do blue crew where we have visits to the ballpark, where we'll take kids out onto the field, show them around, get pictures with them. We do an all-star scholarship program,” Carlson said.

He said they’re able to interact with the kids and tell them what umpires do. Some kids even ask them to act like an umpire at the hospital, Carlson said.

Kelly Carroll, the director of the Chase Child Life program at the hospital, said the umpires’ visit was a big hit with the kids.

“The hospital is not a place where kids are supposed to grow up. It's not a typical environment. So any kind of normalcy, any kind of outside people, events, organizations makes their day,” she said.

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Carroll said she loves that umpires go to the hospital and are so friendly with the kids.

This is part of a nationwide initiative that began as "100 Bears For The Holidays" in 2006, but has since turned into a year-round event. Umpires have delivered 21,165 stuffed toys since it started 18 years ago.

Umpires from UMPS Care have also visited hospitals in Pittsburgh and St. Louis this year.

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