The All-Star Game is expected to bring tens of thousands of baseball fans to Cincinnati next year. And to assist those visitors, Major League Baseball is looking for help.

Baseball's mid-summer classic is more than just the All-Star Game. There's also the Home Run Derby, the Futures Game, celebrity softball, a red carpet parade, and the Fan Fest. And Major League Baseball wants volunteers to make the events run smoothly. Jackie Secaira-Cotto is the director of special events for Major League Baseball. She says they need about 2,000 volunteers. Those volunteers will act as ticket takers, ambassadors, and sometimes as parking lot attendants.

There is some training involved. She says they will have an orientation session as well, at Great American Ball Park, in late May or early June.

Volunteers will have a chance to win tickets to the game and to the home run derby. But Secaira-Cotto says they could be up close and personal with the players outside of Great American Ballpark, especially at the Fan Fest, and before the red carpet parade.

Secaira-Cotto says they sent out a recruitment pitch to people on the Reds' e-mail list last week, and already have about 3,000 volunteers signed up. About 6,000 people signed up two years ago when Kansas City hosted the All-Star Game. Secaira-Cotto says they're keeping the registration open, because they expect about half of those who were interested to drop off, often because of scheduling problems.

Secaira-Cotto says Cincinnati will be on the world's stage during the All-Star Game, and they want the events and the city to look good.