MLSD Baseball Returns Saturday, March 12, 2022

Dear Daniel,

The Miracle League of San Diego is celebrating its fifteenth anniversary and will be opening the 2022 season with Opening Day events starting March 12th at Engel Family Field. Opening Day festivities will conclude at Bell Middle School on March 19th.

“We can't wait to see everyone back at the field” says Dan Engel, Miracle League Co-Founder. "We have so many exciting things in store as we begin our 15th year of operations."

Board President Mark Guglielmo said: “We are grateful to our many participants and volunteers who assisted us in implementing and adhering to our health and safety protocols as a result of the the Covid pandemic. We are also grateful to our participation level as this season's registration rivals last year's. We look forward to an enjoyable and smooth season for everyone.”

Please note an important change regarding team names. To acknowledge the tremendous partnership we have with the San Diego Padres, and to reflect the fact that all uniforms are now Padres replica jerseys, going forward, each team will be called by a famous Padres player. The schedule below reflects that change and we will have new team banners as well.

Engel Family Field Season Schedule

Bell Middle School Season Schedule

WHAT TO EXPECT AT OPENING DAY; APPROPRIATE ATTIRE

If your game is before the opening ceremonies, please arrive at least 30 minutes before game time to ensure you meet your team and receive your new uniform or buddy/coach shirt. All others should arrive at least 30 minutes before the opening ceremonies to likewise meet their team, receive new uniforms and buddy/coach shirts.

All players will receive new team uniforms that will be worn during both the 2022 Spring and Fall seasons. You will also receive new Padres baseball caps. Buddies and coaches will be expected to wear the official Miracle League of San Diego buddy and coach shirts (in sapphire and red). If you were a buddy or coach last season, please wear your old shirt as the colors have not changed. Due to supply chain issues, we may not have new shirts in time for Opening Day. We have some left overs from last season and hope we have enough properly sized shirts for all new buddies and coaches. If not, rest assured we will have them soon.

For all new players and buddies, the only real restrictions are no cleats and no open-toed shoes. These rules will be enforced at all times. Please wear comfortable clothing as you will be running around the field.

All games on opening day will be one-inning games to ensure we have maximum participation on field during the opening ceremonies.

TEAM AND INDIVIDUAL PHOTOS - APRIL 2, 2022

We have a new photographer again this season. Unfortunately, almost every sports team photographer is out of business or is unable to retain employees. We have scheduled photos on April 2nd at both fields and are confident with our vendor. We are implementing one key change to ensure we have as many players and buddies in the photos as possible. Instead of taking photos before or after games, we will take the team photos on the field in between innings of your game. For individual photos (with or without your buddy), we will take photos during the game for the team on the field for defense. We don't believe this will upset the flow of the game and we hope you all find this a better experience.

15-YEAR ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION - MAY 22, 2022

The final day of the spring season is May 21st. The following day, Sunday, May 22nd, will be an exciting event - a 15th Anniversary Exhibition Game and Celebrity Home Run Derby sponsored by the San Diego Padres. Beginning at 12:00 pm, local celebrities and MLSD players will be matched for two innings of play. Local celebrities will serve as buddies for teams comprised of one player from every team in the league and will provide support and encouragement to players during the game. Immediately following, some of these celebrities will compete in the Home Run Derby fundraiser, where over two rounds they will showcase their ability to hit 'em out of the park! The top two finalists will compete in the championship round. In addition to event sponsorship opportunities, donors will have the opportunity to pledge funds towards each home run hit by their favorite participating celebrity. Board & Brew in Del Mar has graciously agreed to provide sandwiches for the event. More information will be forthcoming as we confirm which celebrities will be participating.

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

I'd like to take the time to introduce you to three important volunteers helping out in the office and at the fields. Two you might have met last season and the third has been involved in a lot of family outreach the past month. We are lucky to have them on the team and hope you introduce yourselves when you see them at the field.

MLSD IS CASHLESS - WE ONLY ACCEPT VENMO

Please note that in an effort to reduce the number of human touches, and to facilitate quicker transactions, MLSD is cashless at both locations, whether buying snacks, gear (and we have a brand new t-shirt design in a unisex tee and a women's tank that we're sure you will love) or bricks.

The QR codes will be printed and easy to scan when you wish to pay. Once the volunteer tells you the price for your order, you will need to scan the QR code (or just enter the name), pay, and SHOW THE VOLUNTEER your phone with proof that you have processed your payment.

We greatly appreciate your cooperation and encourage you to have Venmo downloaded to your cell phone if you haven't already done so. You may visit the link below to prepare in advance.

Venmo-Miracle League of San Diego

ODDS AND ENDS

The past few months have had way more activity than I ever expected. As such, I am way behind in processing donor receipt letters for everyone who made a donation along with their registration, as well as another donations. Some of these donations were made and received in 2021. I expect to send all of those donor receipts to you by the end of next week.

I'm always grateful for kind coverage we get in the media and from friends and family. Deanna Murphy, Managing Editor of Ranch & Coast magazine just published a lovely story that you can read here.

An easy way to support the Miracle League of San Diego is to designate it as your charity when you shop on Amazon using Amazon Smile. Here is a link where you can begin designating MLSD as your charity of choice.

WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR OUR TEAM SPONSORS

We'd like to take the opportunity to recognize our team sponsors who have either donated $1,500 or provided services valued in excess of $1,500. These sponsorships cover both the spring and fall seasons.

BELL MIDDLE SCHOOL

Team Joe MUSGROVE - Junk King San Diego

Team Roberto ALOMAR - TEAM

Team Adrian GONZALEZ - Lockrul Construction

Team Manny MACHADO - Berry's Athletic Supply

Team Benito SANTIAGO - Fiduciary Management Associates

Team Fernando TATIS, JR - Ike's Love & Sandwiches

Team Garry TEMPLETON - Dentt Real Estate Services

Team Gregg VAUGHN - Miracle League Radio Network

ENGEL FAMILY FIELD

Team Andy ASHBY - Curebound

Team Heath BELL - Camera Guy

Team Jake CRONENWORTH - Del Mar Golf Center

Team Dave WINFIELD - Dunleer Strategies

Team Mark LORETTA - Villa de Vida

Team Randy JONES - MarshMcLellan Agency

Team Steve FINLEY - Boulevard Fitness

Team Trevor HOFFMAN - San Diego Padres

Team Jake PEAVY - CCA Miracle League Club

Team Steve GARVEY - Del Mar Jiu Jitsu

Team Rich GOSSAGE - Pi Kappa Alpha SDSU

Team Trent GRISHAM - Undefeated

Team Tony GWYNN - Petco

Team Ozzie SMITH - Del Mar-Solana Beach Optimist Club

MLSD BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Mark Guglielmo, President

Ashley Brooke Carlson, Vice President

Cheryl Gorman, Vice President of Communications

Marisa Valencia, Secretary

Dan Engel, Co-Founder & Treasurer

Nick Brumbach

Rodney Caudillo

Nick Chapman

Russell Coronado

Kyle O'Malley

Sheryl Reiner

With much gratitude and love,

Dan Engel

Co-Founder and Treasurer

danengel.mlsd@gmail.com