Triple-A Tradition? Young Umps Run for Charity

The 2019-2020 offseason may have established a new @UmpsCare tradition and possible fitness test for young umpires climbing the MiLB-to-MLB ladder as Nic Lentz, Brennan Miller, Erich Bacchus, and Chris Segal all ran half-marathons for charity over the winter months.

Bacchus, Lentz, and Miller each ran the Holly Springs Half Marathon in North Carolina in November while Segal took to the Colonial Half Marathon course (Williamsburg, Virginia) in February.

The professional umpires, all of whom will call MLB Spring Training games in 2020, ran to fundraise for UMPS CARE Charities under the heading "UMPS CARE Run for Bears," so-named for the charity's in-season Build-A-Bear Workshop experience for children.

In addition to helping to finance Umps Care's in-season programs such as Build-A-Bear, Blue for Kids hospital visits, and on-field events such as Blue Crew Tickets, the young umps coincidentally proved their physical fitness to baseball observers.

A traditional half-marathon is 13.1 miles (21 kilometers) in length.