by Mari Radtke
Marcus Native Bruce Dreckman made a career of umpiring baseball games. Twenty five years ago he was good enough to be selected to officiate Major League Baseball. Generally, an umpire will officiate 135 to 140 games each year. A season plays 162 games, giving each umpire a week-long break during the season. Currently, Dreckman is in the DC area to officiate the unusual 4-game series between the Cardinals and the Nationals. The same officiating team works an entire series.
A standard team roster is 25 players. The All Star game allows more depth to the pitching squad. An All Star roster is 32 players, 20 position players and 12 pitchers for each team. Both rosters are complete, albeit could change. The All Star game team members are selected from an array of picks. Fans select 8 players, but no pitchers. AL players choose 16 of their own, while NL players choose 17. The Commissioners office chooses 6 AL players and 8 NL players according to foxsports.com.
The game is a fun, relaxed game of fan-favorites. The American League (ALB) and the National League (NLB) face off against each other. This year the contest will be held Tuesday July 16 in Arlington, TX at the Rangers’ Globe-Life Stadium.
The 2024 MLB All-Star game is Dreckman’s second to officiate. He explains that each play call is scored for correctness and other factors in every game. He went on to share the All-Star game officiating positions are generally given to the “local guys” from the area the game is being played. Getting a second time at the All-Star game, Dreckman says shows how long he’s been in his career. There are 76 umpires and a second All-Star game doesn’t come very often.
Games have 4 umpires, including the All-Star game. Until you get to the playoffs. Playoff games generally have six umpires. In addition to his second All-Star game Dreckman has officiated “a handful” of playoff games throughout his career. He’s still hopeful that he’ll get a World Series nod. “As long as I stay healthy, it remains a possibility,” he said.
“It is an honor to be an umpire at the All-Star game. You have to have good grade scores. Every play is graded, every game.” he said.
He gets to bring his family to this event. He is looking forward to the fun event. Monday is filled with activities. Tuesday is the game and he’ll return home Wednesday.