Trey Mancini of the Baltimore Orioles is hosting this year’s Purple Tailgate in anticipation of this afternoon’s Ravens/49ers game at M & T Bank Stadium. This of course is a tradition that was started by former Oriole Adam Jones, who would donate the proceeds to The Boys and Girls Club of Baltimore. Mancini is donating the proceeds to the MoStrong initiative and Kamryn Lambert Foundation.
Mancini befriended Orioles and Ravens fan Mo Gaba, who is battling cancer for the fourth time. He’s also 13 years old. Speaking for myself, I’m glad that Mancini is picking up the mantle that Jones left. You could see this process beginning back in February when Mancini took on an obvious leadership role in spring training.
People can question moves the Orioles make or the manner in which they do things all they want. But the footprint they have in the community is impeccable. While this event isn’t through OriolesReach (the team’s charity wing), they do a lot in the community and ensure that the team has a positive reputation in that regard. And having guys like Mancini (and Jones before him) be so visible in the community doesn’t hurt.
Birdland Crush 