"His unwavering positivity and kindness"

I'm sad to say that Mo Gaba passed away last night. The end came just a few hours after the announcement that Mo (born Mossila Gaba), 14, had been elected to the Orioles Hall of Fame. He was the second-ever recipient of the Wild Bill Hagy Award, named after the huge fan who drove a cab by day and drove attendance higher than ever in the 1970s and 1980s at old Memorial Stadium. The award is for fans "who have inspired others with their devotion to the team, and demonstrated an exceptional commitment in support of the Orioles."

If you listen to the sports talk radio shows in Baltimore, you heard Mo. He called in every day to share his vast knowledge and well-informed opinions about local sports. He knew what he was talking about, and radio was the perfect medium for Mo, who had lost his eyesight at the age of nine months, because of a cancerous tumor.

So he became quite the local celebrity with his phone calls. Soon he was at the games and special events, such as Orioles FanFest, where he was a special guest.

In 2017 he was there to throw out a ceremonial first pitch at "Kids' Opening Day, " and in 2019 when he doubled up on the first pitch by calling "PLAAAAAAAAY BALLLLLL!" on the mic to start the season.

Trey Mancini and Mo Gaba

Mo was named Press Box Magazine's Sportsperson of the Year for 2019, and even though the Orioles plumbed the depths of futility last year, the Ravens, with breakout star Lamar Jackson, had a terrific season, and still Mo got the nod as Sportsperson of the Year.

Quite a few of the local athletes really took to Mo. The football Ravens had him announce their 4th-round draft pick last year, making Mo the the first person to read the name of an NFL choice from a Braille selection card when he welcomed Ben Powers from the University of Oklahoma with the Ravens’ fourth-round pick.

But we seem to associate Mo with Orioles outfielder more than anyone else. They've been buddying around for years down at the ballpark. Mancini was probably the best player on the O's last year, and that represented a good comeback for someone who had a not-so-great season in 2018. Mancini credits Mo as the inspiration for getting his batting back on track, and as 2019 ended and the 2020 season was getting underway, Mancini himself was stricken with colon cancer, and had surgery in March to remove the tumor.

Trey had this to say yesterday as the announcement of the award was made, just hours before Mo left this vale:

“There is no one more deserving of this incredible honor than Mo. Throughout his battles with cancer, Mo never lost his kind spirit, his sense of humor, or his love of the Orioles. His tremendous courage and unwavering positivity in the face of such challenging circumstances have made him an inspiration to me and so many others,” shared Mancini. “It is fitting that Mo will now have a place in the Orioles Hall of Fame alongside some of the most iconic figures in franchise history, and for him to be honored as the recipient of the Wild Bill Hagy Award is truly special. I could not be happier for my friend, Mo, and his mother, Sonsy.”

The Orioles added this: "Mo’s positive energy has been constant throughout every battle and continues to bring the entire city of Baltimore together in the face of ongoing crisis. His unwavering positivity and kindness are qualities every Baltimorean aspires to emulate. Mo Gaba has impacted more people in his 14 years than most people do in an entire lifetime."

I've been saying this a lot lately: we'll be talking about 2020 for a long long time, and we'll remember Mo Gaba at least that long.