The Oriole Bird among finalists for Mascot Hall of Fame

By Pete Kerzel

Orioles

October 17, 2019, 11:48am

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Who doesn't love The Oriole Bird?

Well, if you're fond of the feathered one's antics and undying love for his namesake Orioles, you need to flex your fingers and exercise your right to vote.

The Oriole Bird is one of 10 finalists for this year's voting for the Mascot Hall of Fame, and between Oct. 20-26, you can vote once a day to send him to the 2020 induction class.

Really, casting a ballot for The Oriole Bird is a no-brainer. While there are some really strong nominees among the finalists, let's focus on the Baltimore rep - as opposed to, let's say, running down a blue, horseshoe-festooned thing of dubious equine distinction from a certain Midwest city that spirited away our football team in 1984.

The Oriole Bird is one of three finalists from Major League Baseball teams, joining the Twins' T.C. Bear and Milwaukee's own Bernie Brewer. The Bird has been entertaining Charm City baseball fans since he hatched to much fanfare on opening day, April 6, 1979, the day Earl Weaver won his 1,000th game as O's manager, a 5-3 victory over the White Sox that featured a complete-game three-hitter by Jim Palmer.

So how do you send The Bird to the Mascot Hall of Fame (which, by the way, lists Whiting, Ind., as its residence and is about 30 miles from downtown Chicago)?

Click here. You can vote once a day (if you happen to be a Mascot Hall of Fame member, your votes count on a 3-to-1 basis, while an executive committee member's votes get counted on a 9-to-1 basis, which seems to be a little unorthodox). And if you're interested in joining the Mascot Hall of Fame to enhance The Oriole Bird's chances, you can click here.

Those mascots with 65 percent or more of the votes will be part of the 2020 induction class.

According to its website, the Mascot Hall of Fame's mission is to honor mascot performers, performances and programs that have positively affected their communities through mascot-themed interactive exhibits for students from kindergarten to eighth grade and sports fans alike.