MLB, PAL to host free Umpire Camp

Major League Baseball, in partnership with the Police Athletic League and the Brooklyn Cyclones, will host a free, one-day MLB Umpire Camp at M.C.U. Park in Brooklyn, New York on Sunday, June 3, from 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. The MLB Umpire Camp in Brooklyn is the latest in a series of free camps, with previous events held in San Diego, Houston and Cary, N.C.

Among those who will be on hand to train attendees are:
* MLB director of umpiring, Randy Marsh and MLB director of umpire development, Rich Rieker:
* Current MLB Umpire supervisors Chuck Meriwether, Charlie Reliford and Larry Young, all of whom are former Major League Umpires;
* MLB Umpire supervisor, Cris Jones;
* MLB special assistant for umpiring, Bruce Froemming, whose 37 years in the Majors are the longest period of consecutive service by an umpire in baseball history;
* MLB director of umpire medical services, Mark Letendre;
* MLB Umpire observers, Matt Malone, Mitch Mele and Kevin O'Connor; and
* Minor League Baseball executive director of The Umpire School, Justin Klemm, and medical coordinator, Mark Stubblefield.

The Major League Baseball Umpire Camps train aspiring umpires at all levels, and baseball fans as well. Launched in 2006, the MLB Umpire Camps feature on-field training and classroom instruction, as well as lessons on rules enforcement and interpretation, game management, conditioning, nutrition, safety and equipment needs. The 2012 MLB Umpire Camp, which is scheduled for Nov. 4-11, 2012, is held annually each November at the MLB Urban Youth Academy in Compton, Calif.

The free, one-day Umpire Camp at M.C.U. Park is the latest in a series of free umpire camps, many of which have been tailored for our nation's military. Last year, free one-day camps were held for the U.S. Marines Corps at PETCO Park in August and at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina in May. In 2010, a free one-day Umpire Camp was held at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego. Additionally, in March 2009, during the World Baseball Classic, MLB and the Department of Military Affairs of the San Diego Padres organized a free, one-day Umpire Camp for Marines at San Diego State University's Tony Gwynn Stadium. More than 100 Marines attended each of these special MLB Umpire Camps, receiving instruction from MLB staff on all facets of umpiring.

"Major League Baseball is excited to once again provide a fantastic day of baseball for the fans of Brooklyn," said Rieker. "The MLB Umpire Camp is a great way to connect with fans and we look forward to creating a memorable experience for all those in attendance."