An estimated 2,500 Loma Linda University Health employees, students, volunteers, families and guests attended a game of the San Bernardino 66ers at San Manuel Stadium Monday evening, July 21.
It was Loma Linda University Health All Star Appreciation Day, and the 66ers hosted the Stockton Ports, who trounced the home team 11-4.
The picture-perfect evening began with Children’s Hospital pediatric GI nurse Samantha Stephenson singing the national anthem, and Mark Reeves, MD, director of the Cancer Center, threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Both were excellently “on pitch.”
Loma Linda was top-of-mind all evening, from the Children’s Hospital banner on the left outfield wall, to several LLUH Vision 2020 videos on the big screen during inning breaks.
Senior Vice President for Advancement Rachelle Bussell and LLUMC Chief Executive Officer Kerry Heinrich were interviewed during the third inning break by Steve Wendt on Internet radio 66ers.com. They presented details about Vision 2020 and how it will impact the region, including the San Bernardino community.
Watching the sun set on the San Bernardino Mountains was a beautiful accompaniment to the fast-paced game. DJs in the sound booth kept up an eclectic stream of music between every pitch, from 70s classic rock to a German oompah band playing “Roll Out the Barrel,” the Israeli Hava Nagilah, and Tiny Tim’s falsetto lyrics with ukulele.
And what’s not to like about a roster of players with fun, interesting names like Anthony Bemboom and Exicardo Cayones?
Customer Care Center employee Hilda Valladolid won the Hawaii vacation package drawing during the eighth inning break. Other employees won a 70-inch TV, a Vita-Mix blender, a stainless-steel mixer and trips to Disneyland and Sea World, among others.
While one could perhaps shed a figurative tear for the beer concessionaires, whose sales must have taken a dip that night, it was a happy, celebratory event for members of the greater LLUH family as they enjoyed an evening of America’s Pastime.