Marines Take the Field
as Umps
San Diego event brings Marines, MLB
umps together

Last Edited: Tuesday, 17 Mar 2009, 1:12 PM CDT
Created On: Tuesday, 17 Mar 2009, 10:41 AM CDT
MyFox National reports

MYFOX NATIONAL - From the battlefield to the ball field, Major League Baseball is making a pitch to U.S. Marines.

"The bulb just went on, I thought hey, they are looking for Marines. That's exactly who they are looking for," said Marine Major Michael Gervasoni.

The idea came when Gervasoni completed his stint at the Major League Baseball umpiring academy. Four months later there were 125 Marines, some just back from deployment, on the field in San Diego, Calif. learning to keep the peace between the white lines.

"The fact is we know what we do is trivial compared to what [the Marines] do. [It's an] untapped talent pool for amateur and professional baseball," said Rich Rieker, a MLB umpire.

"High school, college, I wouldn't mind doing [high school or college] and eventually the major leagues. It depends on how successful I am at the lower level." said Marine Lt. Col. Eddie Fox. "I understand I need to work my way up."

"What they are doing is going back to their communities with a valuable set of skills that communities around the country are hurting for. As I talk to more and more places it's tough for them to find little league umpires, it's tough for them to find high school umpires." Gervasoni said.

So whether one of these men end up in the big leagues or not, the umpires and Marines hope this one day camp becomes more than a one-day stint calling balls and strikes, even possibly expanding to other members of our armed forces.

Video

http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news...As_Umps2259959

Ellie