After his playing days, Jack Graney (St. Thomas, Ont.) became a legendary broadcaster with Cleveland from 1932 to 1953. Photo: Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame

November 29, 2022

By Kevin Glew

Canadian Baseball Network

The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame will announce the winner of its 2022 Jack Graney Award on Thursday.

This award is presented annually to a member of the media who has made significant contributions to the game of baseball in Canada through their life’s work.

Last year’s winner was John Lott, longtime baseball writer for The National Post and The Athletic. Previous winners include Tom Cheek, Jerry Howarth, Bob Elliott, Alison Gordon and Dan Shulman.

Born in St. Thomas, Ont., Jack Graney was a scrappy leadoff hitter in the big leagues for Cleveland. His big league resume boasts a number of firsts. When he walked to the plate in a game against the Boston Red Sox on July 11, 1914, he became the first batter to face Babe Ruth. Almost two years later, on June 26, 1916, he was the first major leaguer to bat wearing a number on his uniform. After hanging up his spikes, Graney became the first ex-player to make the transition to the broadcast booth, performing radio play-by-play for Cleveland from 1932 to 1953.

Previous Winners of the Jack Graney Award:

1987 – Neil MacCarl – Toronto Star

1988 – Milt Dunnell – Toronto Star

1990 – Austin “Dink” Carroll – Montreal Gazette

1991 – Joe Crysdale & Hal Kelly – CKEY

1996 – Dave Van Horne – Montreal Expos

2001 – Tom Cheek – Sportsnet 590/The Fan

2002 – Ernie Harwell – Detroit Tigers

2003 – Allan Simpson – Baseball America

2004 – Jacques Doucet – Montreal Expos

2005 – Len Bramson – TBS Sports

2009 – Ian MacDonald – Montreal Gazette

2010 – Bob Elliott – Sun Media & canadianbaseballnetwork.com

2011 – W. P. Kinsella – “Shoeless Joe” novel adapted to film “Field of Dreams”

2012 – Jerry Howarth – Sportsnet 590/The Fan

2013 – Rodger Brulotte – Montreal Expos, Toronto Blue Jays

2014 – Richard Griffin – Toronto Star

2015 – Serge Touchette – Le Journal de Montreal

2016 – Larry Millson – Globe and Mail

2017 – Alison Gordon – Toronto Star

2018 – Jeff Blair – Sportsnet

2019 – Ken Fidlin – Toronto Sun

2020 – Dan Shulman – Rogers Sportsnet, ESPN

2021 – John Lott, National Post, The Athletic