Longtime Orioles usher Charlie Zill, battling lung cancer, honored at first-pitch ceremony, 7th-inning stretch
Battling lung cancer, Charlie Zill, the longtime Orioles usher celebrated by fans for dressing up in overalls and “Zillbilly” teeth and twirling a fake orange fiddle during the 7th-inning-stretch playing of “Thank God I’m a Country Boy,” just wanted to attend one more game. Wednesday night, he got that and more, throwing out the ceremonial pitch prior to the Orioles’ contest with the Tampa Bay Rays.
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- Orioles public relations director Monica Barlow, who has been in a fight against cancer herself, chats with Zill before the game. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)
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- Zill in his trademark “Zillbilly” overalls. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)
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- Trudy Zill watches her husband get a baseball while nurse Christa Herrick buttons his jersey so he can throw out the first pitch. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)
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- Zill winds up for the ceremonial first pitch. “Sinkerball,” he said in a weak voice of the pitch that was low and away and drew a nice ovation from the crowd. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)
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- Zill’s wife Trudy records the first pitch ceremony, which Zill didn’t learn he was participating in until he arrived at the park. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)
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- Relief pitcher T.J. McFarland, who caught Zill’s “sinkerball,” and The Bird mascot greet Zill after he threw out the ceremonial first pitch. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)
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- The ballpark’s main video board cut to Zill several times during the 7th-inning stretch, when he “played” and twirled his fake fiddle along to “Thank God I’m a Country Boy.” (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)
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- Zill performs his 7th-inning stretch routine during an April 2010 game. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)
Zill, who wasn’t told he’d be taking the field until he arrived at the ballpark, received a nice ovation from the evening’s modest crowd, many of whom were still settling into their seats. Speaking even louder than their cheers was the reaction I got from two older men, scurrying up to the ledge over the out-of-town scoreboard like tweens chasing a batting practice homer, when I informed them they had just missed Zill’s big moment.
“Shoot! Darn! Really? We did? Darn!” they alternated, wrinkling their faces. Even in standing room’s carnival atmosphere, you don’t typically see indignation like that until at least the second inning. I don’t know whether they knew Zill personally, or just felt like they did, like thousands of Orioles fans, but clearly, the “self-professed born showman” who loves “making people smile” meant a lot to them. And that made me smile.
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neil
Apr 18, 2013 @ 18:26:09
Best wishes and a speedy recovery to Mr.Zill and family. May God be with you.