The Howard County
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VOL.15, NO.6
F O R
P E O P L E
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For Neville, baseball has always been about fun and fellowship. She admits she’s never thrown a ball in her life, but like many Marylanders, she grew up cheering for the Orioles. “As a kid, back in the ‘60s, I remember us listening to the games on the transistor radio, listening to Chuck Thompson and Bill O’Donnell, hearing Brooks Robinson got a hit
Bears, elk, fireflies and hikes in Great Smoky Mountains National Park page 10 Mary Jo Neville is president of the Oriole Advocates. Founded in 1960, the volunteer group hands out freebies at every game, ships used baseball gear abroad, organizes games for children with disabilities at Camden Yards and more. “I just love being at the ballpark,” Neville said.
or Frank Robinson just got a home run. It’s just been part of our lives forever,” she said. “It was the one thing everybody had in common. You might’ve been of a different religion or went to different schools, but everybody loved the Orioles.” Neville was introduced to the Oriole Advocates at an early age. In the early ‘70s, she won a Junior Oriole necklace at one of the organization’s giveaways. It’s a keepsake she continues to wear today. Years later, she realized the same group
stood outside the gates of Camden Yards, handing out free merchandise to the crowd. “I thought, ‘I’d like to do that sometime,’ and when I retired, I decided now’s the time. I became a member nine years ago.” She quickly fell in love with baseball all over again. “It’s so much fun. You get to meet people you never would meet otherwise — lots of people from various walks of life and all
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A lifetime love of baseball
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Oriole Advocates change lives
By Cathy Habas On a sunny spring day, an orange-clad crowd flows through the iron gates of Camden Yards. Ever y now and then, someone joins the line dressed as a cow. It’s baseball season in Baltimore, and Birdland is ready for some fun. Most folks know the drill. As they approach a cheerful volunteer at the gate, fans reach out for the day’s freebie. Today, it’s bobbleheads. “Kids love the bobbleheads,” says Howard County resident Mary Jo Neville. “We do a fair number of T-shirts as well: bowling shirts, Hawaiian shirts, the Cedric Mullins shirt. We have a straw hat, knit hats, bracelets, a barbecue spatula, a plushie.” Neville is decked out in black and orange gear, but you’d expect nothing less from the president of the Oriole Advocates, the 65year-old organization best known for handing out Orioles swag before every game. “I just love being at the ballpark. Being in the crowd, seeing people come in with crazy outfits, smelling the hot dogs, hearing the crowd cheering — if you’re a baseball person, it’s heaven,” Neville said. But there’s a lot more to the Oriole Advocates than just giving away free merchandise. The group spearheads multiple programs that preserve baseball history, help others and build the sport’s future.
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