Saints To Honor Jimmy Lee, Local Umpires As Part of Major League Baseball's "The Nine" Initiative On August 9

ST. PAUL, MN (July 21, 2022) - Umpires hear the boos and jeers from the crowd. They are yelled at from both dugouts. You know an umpire has done a great job if nobody notices them. The St. Paul Saints believe umpires should be lauded and respected for all their hard work just like one of the most well-known umpires in Minnesota was often observed for the amazing job he did. As part of Major League Baseball’s “The Nine” initiative, the Saints will honor Jimmy Lee, presented by St. Paul College, and create an annual program in his name honoring local umpires.

On Tuesday, August 9 the Saints will honor the hard-working men and women in blue kicking off an annual tradition that will be known as The Jimmy Lee Umpire Awards. Both baseball and softball umpires will be nominated by their league’s assignors in five different categories: Top Rookie Umpire (first year ump), Top Young Umpire (ages 12-18), Most Dedicated Umpire, Most Improved Umpire, and Lifetime Achieve Award. The winners will be chosen by a panel of Saints staff and will be honored at CHS Field prior to the August 9 game against the Columbus Clippers.

Jim “Jimmy” Lee was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, moved to St. Paul when he was 23, and got a job with a downtown bank. He was involved in sports and played on the Uptown Sanitary Shop and the Twin Cities Colored Gophers, two of the most renowned Black baseball teams at the time. He became a local referee in both football and basketball and an umpire in baseball, considered by many the greatest official in the area at all three sports. He was the first black baseball umpire in the Big 10. He wrote columns for the Minneapolis Spokesman for over a decade. Lee was inducted into the Minnesota High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame (1972), the Minnesota Softball Hall of Fame (1982) and posthumously into the Minnesota State High School League Hall of Fame in 2013.

This is the second of two nights promoting “The Nine,” a new, Black-community focused outreach platform specifically designed to honor and celebrate the historic impact numerous Black baseball pioneers made on the sport, provide new opportunities for youth baseball and softball participation, further diversify the business of baseball, and embrace millions of passionate fans throughout MiLB’s 120 communities nationwide.

Saints tickets continue to be a tremendous value. Tickets begin at $5 for the Treasure Island berm seating, $6 bleacher seats, $15 for outfield reserved, $18 for drink rail, infield reserved, and home plate reserved. Friday home games with Post-Game Fireworks are an additional $2 per ticket. Post-Game Fireworks Supershows (September 4) are an additional $3 per ticket. Tickets purchased on the day of the game are an additional $2 per ticket. Children under the age of 12 and seniors 65 and older receive $1 off the admission price. Children under 2 that don't require a seat are free.