Orioles Director of PR, Monica Barlow, dies at 36

I want to be clear to start off: I never knew Monica Barlow. I didn’t know who she was, what she did, or anything regarding the circumstances of her story. She passed away today at the young age of 36. From the mourning and outpouring of grief from writers, media members, and representatives of every organization across Major League Baseball, it’s clear that this was a woman that influenced, uplifted, and inspired many souls. I count myself as one of those, even though I never knew her; the total unification of the beat writer circuit in sharing stories, jokes, and memories surrounding the Orioles’ Director of PR inspires me even further to be a part of this world.

It started with a vague, ominous tweet from Orioles’ starter Bud Norris this morning. He didn’t want to elaborate on its meaning, nor should he have at that point.

Then the outpouring of support came from the MLB community, and Monica’s story became revealed to me in small bits and pieces.

The Orioles released their official statement, which you can find on their homepage and on their Twitter page. In a pre-game news conference with Buck Showalter, Buck revealed one of the more heartwrenching, touching stories involving Mrs. Barlow.

Monica Barlow was 36, a non-smoker, and died of Stage IV Lung Cancer. Like I said, I never knew her, but she was clearly an admirable and courageous woman about whom enough good things cannot be said. People are trying, though, and they probably will be throughout the day. I felt compelled to write this as a thank you note to Monica, for inspiring everyone you interacted with, and by extension, those like me who interact with them.

You can also read Roch Kubatko’s tribute to his dear friend here.

On behalf of the FanSided.com staff, our heartfelt condolences go out to all of those who knew and were touched by Monica Barlow.