President Autographs Items at All-Star Game for UMPS CARE Auction

President Obama visited with the Major League Baseball All-Star Umpiring Crew before the game in St. Louis this past week. President Obama, his aide Reggie Love, a few Secret Service personnel and five Major League Baseball officials — including Commissioner Bud Selig — squeezed into the umpires’ room to meet umpires Dana Demuth, Brian Gorman, Jeff Kellogg, Angel Hernandez, Tim Timmons, and Paul Nauert.

The President signed two commemorative jerseys and All-Star home plates that will be auctioned off in the upcoming months. All proceeds will benefit UMPS CARE Charities.

Alan Schwarz of the New York Times wrote a brief article about the President's meeting with umpires. Click for the New York Times article.

MLB San Francisco vs St. Louis

Umpire Todd Tichenor (R) gives home plate umpire Bob Davidson a hit on the chest for good luck before the San Francisco Giants- St. Louis Cardinals baseball game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on July 1, 2009. (UPI Photo/Bill Greenblatt)

MLB San Francisco vs St. Louis

Umpires (L to R) Todd Tichenor, Mark Carlson, Bob Davidson and Tim Tschida pose for a photograph before the San Francisco Giants- St. Louis Cardinals baseball game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on June 29, 2009. (UPI Photo/Bill Greenblatt)

MLB Minnesota vs St. Louis

Umpire Gerry Davis (L) gives homeplate umpire Brian Gorman a pat on the chest at the start of the Mnnesota Twins-St. Louis Cardinals baseball game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on June 28, 2009. (UPI Photo/Bill Greenblatt)

MLB Minnesota vs St. Louis

Homeplate umpire Mike Everitt tries to keep cool with a cold towel as temperatures reach 96 degrees during the Minnesota Twins - St. Louis Cardinals baseball game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on June 26, 2009. (UPI Photo/Bill Greenblatt)

MLB Colorado vs St. Louis

Homeplate umpire Bill Welke tries to cool down with a towel during a game between the Colorado Rockies and the St. Louis Cardinals as high humidity lingers at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on June 8, 2009. (UPI Photo/Bill Greenblatt)

MLB Chicago vs St. Louis

Umpires (R to L) Bill Welke, Tim Welke and Jim Reynolds pound the chest of homeplate umpire Angel Hernandez just before the start of the Colorado Rockies - St. Louis Cardinals baseball game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on June 7, 2009. Colorado beat St. Louis 7-2. (UPI Photo/Bill Greenblatt)

MLB Colorado vs St. Louis

Homeplate umpire Angel Hernandez signals a strikeout during the Colorado Rockies-St. Louis Cardinals baseball game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on June 7, 2009. (UPI Photo/Bill Greenblatt)

MLB Colorado vs St. Louis

First base umpire Bill Welke punches out Colorado Rockies baserunner Dexter Fowler after St. Louis Cardinals Albert Pujols makes a tag in the sixth inning at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on June 7, 2009. Colorado beat St. Louis 7-2. (UPI Photo/Bill Greenblatt)

MLB Colorado vs St. Louis

Homeplate umpire Jim Reynolds uses a brush to clean off homeplate during the Colorado Rockies-St. Louis Cardinals baseball game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on June 6, 2009. (UPI Photo/Bill Greenblatt)

MLB Colorado vs St. Louis

Umpires (L to R) Bill Welke, Tim Welke, Jim Reynolds and Angel Hernandez pose for a photograph before the start of the Colorado Rockies - St. Louis Cardinals baseball game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on June 5, 2009. (UPI Photo/Bill Greenblatt)

MLB Cincinnati vs St. Louis

Veteran umpires Jim Joyce (R) and Derryl Cousins (partally hidden) pound the chest of rookie homeplate umpire D.J. Reyburn for good luck before a game between the Cincinnati Reds and the St. Louis Cardinals Brian Runge has some fun with the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on June 4, 2009. (UPI Photo/Bill Greenblatt)

MLB Cincinnati vs St. Louis

Homeplate umpire Brian Runge waits for the start of the Cincinnati Reds-St. Louis Cardinals baseball game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on June 2, 2009. (UPI Photo/Bill Greenblatt)

MLB Chicago vs St. Louis

First base umpire CB Bucknor motions to the press box in an effort to get the music turned off so the first pitch between the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals can be thrown at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on May 20, 2009.  (UPI Photo/Bill Greenblatt)

MLB Chicago vs St. Louis

Umpire Gerry Davis stands at homeplate as St. Louis Cardinals Hal McRae (15) and Chicago Cubs Mike Quade exchange lineup cards before their game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on May 20, 2009. (UPI Photo/Bill Greenblatt)

MLB Chicago vs St. Louis

Major League umpires (L to R) Mike Everitt, Gerry Davis, Brian Gorman and CB Bucknor pose for a picture at homeplate before the Chicago Cubs-St. Louis Cardinals baseball game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on May 19, 2009. (UPI Photo/Bill Greenblatt)

MLB Umpires in St. Louis

MLB Umpires Jeff Kellogg, Gerry Davis, Tim Timmons, and Mark Wegner prepare to take to the field for a game bewteen the Brewers and Cardinals. (UPI Photo/Bill Greenblatt)

MLB Milwaukee vs St. Louis

Homeplate umpire Mark Wegner (L) shows 12-year-old Jeremay Faller how a line-up card is filled out as Milwaukee Brewers manager Ken Macha looks on before a game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on May 17, 2009.  (UPI Photo/Bill Greenblatt)

MLB Milwaukee vs St. Louis

Umpire Jeff Kellogg reaches out to pound the chest protector of homeplate umpire Tim Timmons as Jerry Davis (R) and Mark Wegner wait their turn before the Milwaukee Brewers - St. Louis Cardinals baseball game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on May 18, 2009. (UPI Photo/Bill Greenblatt)

BLUE Crew - Cardinals

Umpires Tim Timmons (L), Mark Wegner (R), Jeff Kellogg, and Gerry Davis welcome guests of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption to a Cardinals game.  Through the BLUE Crew Tickets program, umpires offer unique baseball experiences for children awaiting adoption and at-risk youth in mentoring programs.  (Photo/Connie Doty)

Wendy’s Wonderful Kids is a signature program of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption that combines fundraising, grants management, and the talent of experienced adoption professionals throughout the United States and Canada to move children from foster care into permanent, loving adoptive homes. Learn more at www.davethomasfoundation.org.

A special thanks to Jessica Illert and the entire Cardinals community relations staff for support of the umpire’s BLUE Crew Tickets program. Cardinals Community Overview

Learn more about UMPS CARE Charities and the BLUE Crew Tickets program at www.UmpsCare.com.

MLB Philadelphia vs St. Louis

Umpires Brian O'Nora (L) and Fieldin Culbreth point towards the press box before the first pitch of the Philadelphia Phillies - St. Louis Cardinals baseball game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on May 5, 2009. (UPI Photo/Bill Greenblatt)

MLB Chicago vs St. Louis

Home plate umpire Eric Cooper gives the ground rules to Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella before a game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Bush Stadium in St. Louis on April 24, 2009. Looking on is umpires Chuck Meriwether (L) and Laz Diaz. (UPI Photo/Bill Greenblatt)

MLB Umpires at Busch Stadium

Umpires Phil Cuzzi (10) Ed Hickox (15) Jerry Crawford (2) and Tom Hallion (R) say hello to 13-year-old Xavier Belagarza at homeplate during Easter holiday festivities before a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Houston Astros at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on April 12, 2009. (UPI Photo/Bill Greenblatt)

BLUE Crew - Cardinals

MLB Umpires Brian Knight, Gerry Davis, Brian Gorman and Bruce Dreckman welcome Lakeisha, Don, Connie, and Aaron to Busch Stadium for a Cardinals game. Through the UMPS CARE Charities BLUE Crew Tickets program, umpires provide VIP game experiences for children awaiting adoption and at-risk youth in mentoring programs.

MLB Umpires applaud the efforts of Wendy's Wonderful Kids adoption recruiters. Wendy's Wonderful Kids is the direct-service signature program of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption that combines the fundraising of Wendy's and its customers, aggressive grants management of the Foundation, and the talent of experienced adoption recruiters to move children from foster care into permanent, loving adoptive homes. Wendy's Wonderful Kids

A special thanks to Jessica Illert, Mark Taylor and the entire Cardinals community relations staff for support of BLUE Crew Tickets. See how the Cardinals are making a difference in the community. Cardinals Community Overview

GUEST COMMENTS (from Connie)

Lakeisha and Don had so much fun. They said "it was so cool going on the field." Our host umpire, Bruce Dreckman, was really nice and engaging. He spent a lot of time with the teens on the field, even though it was incredibly hot! After a come from behind win by the Cardinals on a sweltering Sunday afternoon, the teens said "This was so much fun! Thanks for bringing us." Thank you to the entire umpiring crew and the St. Louis Cardinals for offering such a special experience.

BLUE Crew - Cardinals

MLB Umpire Mike Di Muro welcomes Liz, Amber, Kendall, and Ricky to Busch Stadium for a game between the Cubs and Cardinals. Liz is a Wendy's Wonderful Kids (WWK) recruiter for Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition in St. Louis. She works to move children in the St. Louis area from foster care into permanent, loving adoptive homes.

Wendy's Wonderful Kids is the direct-service signature program of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption that combines the fundraising of Wendy's and its customers, aggressive grants management of the Foundation, and the talent of experienced adoption recruiters throughout the nation and in Canada to move children from foster care into permanent, loving adoptive homes. Learn More about the Wendy's Wonderful Kids program

Guest Comments:

"In one of the photos Fredbird paid us a visit as we were sitting in the waiting room for Jessica to take us back to meet with umpire Mike Di Muro. The kids absolutely loved it and thought his antics were one of the most hilarious things they've seen in a long time. Fredbird challenged Ricky to a dance off and when Ricky was a little hesitant to take on the challenge, Fredbird picked him up and dumped him in my lap on the sofa and then snapped a picture of us.

Kendall and Ricky said the best thing about the experience was getting to go out on the field before the game. They were in awe of the atmosphere! Meeting Mike and receiving a signed baseball from him was awesome. He was warm and welcoming and told the boys how he would look for them in the crowd during the game. Mike made us feel like he was lucky to meet us instead of us being lucky to meet him.

We all enjoyed meeting Jessica Illert of the Cardinals too! Jessica was great and had a lot of spunk and enthusiasm about showing us the pre-game ropes. Please pass along our thanks to Jessica and the Cardinals community relations group for helping create an incredible experience for the boys. " - Liz Johnson

Additional Photos:



Special thanks from the umpires to:

• Jessica Illert, St. Louis Cardinals Community Relations for taking part in BLUE Crew Tickets. Learn more about what the Cardinals do for nearby communities. Cardinals Community Overview


• Chaperones Liz Johnson and Amber Warren for helping provide an enjoyable day at the ballpark.


• The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption (DTFA) for your dedication toward dramatically increasing the adoptions of the more than 140,000 children in North America’s foster care systems waiting to be adopted. Learn More about DTFA

BLUE Crew - Cardinals

MLB Umpires Gerry Davis, Brian Gorman, Bruce Dreckman, and Sam Holbrook welcome Connie, Liz, Charles, and Johnetta to Busch Stadium for a Cardinals game. Through the UMPS CARE Charities BLUE Crew Tickets program, umpires provide VIP game experiences for children awaiting adoption and at-risk youth in mentoring programs.

MLB Umpires applaud the efforts of Wendy's Wonderful Kids adoption recruiters. Wendy's Wonderful Kids is the direct-service signature program of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption that combines the fundraising of Wendy's and its customers, aggressive grants management of the Foundation, and the talent of experienced adoption recruiters to move children from foster care into permanent, loving adoptive homes. Wendy's Wonderful Kids

GUEST COMMENTS (from Liz)

"Mr. Holbrook, the kids loved their experience and being able to see the umpires behind the scenes...all of the umpires and Mark Taylor (Cardinals Community Relations) were very engaging and friendly. Most important, the kids were made to feel very comfortable and special and will be able to keep these memories for a lifetime. Johnetta asked “when can we come back?” and Charles stated that he had a great time and loved having great seats to watch the game. Thank you so much!"

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS



SPECIAL THANKS TO

• Mark Taylor, St. Louis Cardinals Community Relations for taking part in BLUE Crew Tickets. Learn more about what the Cardinals do for nearby communities. Cardinals Community Overview


• Connie Doty and Liz Johnson of Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition for helping provide an enjoyable day at the ballpark and for all that you do to find loving homes for children in the St. Louis area.


• The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption (DTFA) for your dedication toward dramatically increasing the adoptions of the more than 140,000 children in North America's foster care systems waiting to be adopted. Learn More about DTFA