BALTIMORE -- Step right up to the 11th floor of the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. There you’ll find Mark Carlson, chief of an MLB umpiring crew, and the rest of his teammates spread out around the facility’s Great Room that overlooks the city.
Kind of feels like you’re a big leaguer, right?
That’s the experience that was shared Tuesday morning, Carlson and the rest of his umpiring crew paying the first visit to Johns Hopkins’ pediatric unit on behalf of Umps Care since before the pandemic. During the event, they delivered and decorated Build-A-Bears to children fighting a litany of illnesses and medical issues. Later that night, they would be at Camden Yards for the Orioles’ tilt against the Blue Jays.
“It means a little bit more, because in person -- when you do anything in person -- it seems to be a little bit nicer for everyone,” Carlson said. “You get to actually interact with the children. We're giving them Build-A-Bears and activity books and crayons and different things for them to be able to enjoy it. It's just nice to be in person compared to just virtual or like Zoom or something.”
It was, most importantly, a chance for the umpires to pay back to a community they have long visited but seldom gotten the chance -- especially over the last several years -- to more fully embed themselves in. And it was also an opportunity to take the umpiring masks off and give a friendly face to a group that can sometimes be the subject of fans' ire.
“It’s a different side,” Carlson said. “People always think we're the bad guys out there and we're not. We're out there doing our job, and when we have opportunities to come and be a part of the community, be a part of children in the community that are in tough situations, we like to show our other side that we’re there to bring smiles to the kids’ faces here.”
Carlson was joined by Ryan Additon, Jordan Baker and Nick Mahrley from his umpiring crew. Each brought their own personal flair -- Additon shared his Strike 3 call to the room and asked one patient, Ryan, to share his back -- en route to lifting the spirits of those battling illness and in recovery.
Umps Care is a charity founded and led by Major League Umpires that prioritizes “in-kind and emotional support for America’s youth and families in need.” Much of their work the past couple years came virtually due to the pandemic. Slowly, they have returned to in-person visits.
To feel like a big leaguer on Tuesday, all the children had to do was trade in batting gloves for markers and crayons, a bat and glove for a choice of stuffed animals, and a jersey for different costumes -- all helped picked out and decorated by Carlson and his crew.
Pick from a stuffed monkey, teddy bear, sloth, a dog, and then pick their outfits -- an Orioles jersey, Batman, Catwoman, Captain America, a firefighter, Spider-Man (with the mask and all) or a fairy princess.
“The dinosaur’s the hit so far,” Carlson said.
There was a Spider-Man dinosaur and another one in Captain America garb, a monkey in an Orioles jersey, and “Rex” the dinosaur in a white spa robe.
Along with them came the Oriole Bird paying a visit, as well as a room of smiles.
“I'd probably go with a puppy dog,” Carlson laughed. “I'd probably go with -- I might have to go with, like, Captain America or something.”