County Firm to Back Games

The Upper Deck trading card company, which is based in Yorba Linda, has signed a five-year contract to sponsor the series of baseball old-timers’ games formerly sponsored by the Equitable.

As part of the agreement, Upper Deck will donate a minimum of $260,000 to the Baseball Assistance Team, an organization that helps former major and minor league baseball personnel who are in financial need.

Upper Deck has grown from a staff of seven people two years ago to 450 employees in four buildings.

The “Heroes of Baseball” series, which consists of one game at each of the 26 major league stadiums, will add events to make the games more attractive to young fans, according to Bodow.