Umpires brighten patients' day at Johns Hopkins Children's Center

By Pete Kerzel

Orioles

June 10, 2015, 1:05pm

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The men who decide whether a pitch is a ball or strike, whether a player is safe or out (and, more recently, who pore over video replays to determine the status of contested plays) have a whole bunch of new fans in Baltimore.

The four major league umpires - Cory Blaser, Laz Diaz, Chris Guccione and Jeff Nelson - working tonight's Orioles game spent part of Wednesday morning at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center as part of UMPS CARE Charities' Blue for Kids program.

The men in blue ditched their usual game-day attire for polo shirts, jeans and khakis, and visited with sick kids coping with cancer and other serious illnesses. Accompanied by The Oriole Bird, they offered words of encouragement and distributed Build-A-Bear stuffed animals to their new friends. Each child was able to choose from a variety of pre-stuffed animals and clothing for their new furry friends. Word on the street is that bear-sized Orioles uniforms were a favorite of the children.

Johns Hopkins Children's Center is a regular stop on the umpires' itinerary, the 103rd hospital that they've visited since the program began in 2006 (and the fourth of 13 scheduled visits this baseball season). The event was made possible by UMPS CARE Charities, a nonprofit founded by Major League Baseball umpires to enrich the lives of at-risk youth and children battling serious illnesses. The program is supported by Major League Baseball and Bristol-Myers Squibb.

MASNsports.com's Varun Raghupathi filed this report: