Your Orioles groundskeeper is leaving after 20 years

Listen— I'ma say this once. Twenty years, hon. Twenty. That’s how long Nicole Sherry has been keeping the grounds at Camden Yards lookin' like a dag-gone emerald city. She just announced she’s leaving the Orioles, and I gotta tell you, it hits different when it’s someone who’s been part of the fabric of your city’s team for that long.

Think about it:

* She started in 2004. Remember those teams? Lord help us.

* She was only the second female head groundskeeper in all of MLB. That's a huge deal, especially for a city that prides itself on breaking barriers.

* She’s seen more sunrises over the warehouse and Inner Harbor from that field than most of us see in a lifetime.

You ever walk past Camden Yards before a game, or even just on a quiet morning? That field, it ain't just grass, it's a dang work of art. The way the dirt is raked, the lines are cut, the whole thing. That’s Nicole Sherry’s touch, for two decades. She was there through the good, the bad, and the downright ugly years of the Orioles. She even saw 'em make a comeback, which is somethin' a lot of folks in Baltimore thought they'd never see again. That's Baltimore, hon — we don't break, we just bend loud.

Her leaving is more than just a personnel change; it's like a piece of the ballpark’s soul is walking out the door. She’s one of those unsung heroes that makes the whole machine run, the kind of person who deserves a Berger cookie and a proper thank you from every single fan who's ever enjoyed a game at that beautiful park right downtown.

Kee Rawlings-Dorsey, MiTL Sports Desk, Baltimore.

The crew on "The Morning Wire" is talkin' about this, I know it! Catch 'em live at mornings.live.