The plaque on the back wall of the press box at Oriole Park said it all, which was a good thing since longtime Baltimore baseball writer and Camden Yards official scorer Jim Henneman was struggling to find the words to describe what had just transpired.
The occasion was the official rededication of what is now known as The Jim Henneman Press Box, which brought friends, family and colleagues from far and wide to celebrate a career that spanned seven decades and the beloved 88-year-old local legend who’s still in the game.
“Words cannot possibly express the feelings that I have,’’ Henneman said, tears in his eyes. “I hope that, each and every one of you, some day, can have something like the feeling that I have right now and seeing all these people who have been here through this career – this journey – means the world to me.”
Henneman grew up not far from the site of Memorial Stadium and covered baseball for the old Baltimore News American, the Baltimore Evening Sun and the Baltimore Sun. He also mixed in a stint as PR director for the NBA’s Baltimore Bullets and spent 23 years (1997-2019) as the Orioles’ primary official scorer.
He still produces baseball analysis for Press Box Magazine and PressBoxOnline.com.
He also has retained his sense of humor through a series of serious health challenges.
“They have my name up there and I suggested to somebody that if they want to put an expiration date under it, I’ll understand,’’ he said, “just as long as it doesn’t expire before I do.”
Then Henny went downstairs and delivered the ceremonial first pitch before Saturday’s game against the Oakland Athletics.