Orioles name press box for Jim Henneman, in eighth decade covering team

Jim Henneman has been covering the Baltimore Orioles for a very, very long time.

Consider this: The first story Henneman covered as a sportswriter was on the 1958 MLB All-Star Game in Baltimore. A young player named Brooks Robinson was in his first year as a regular starter for the O’s.

Robinson retired in 1977 after a legendary 23-year career, but Henneman has kept on rolling through the years, and is now in his eighth decade covering the Orioles and Baltimore sports in general.

Now, the 88-year-old Henneman is being honored by the Orioles. The team unveiled “The Jim Henneman Press Box” during a ceremony Tuesday.

https://twitter.com/Orioles/status/1749884639676633344

Henneman served as the Orioles’ primary official scorer from 1997 until 2020. He’s a past president of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, and covered the O’s for the Baltimore News-American, The Evening Sun and The Baltimore Sun. He now writes for PressBoxOnline.com.

He’s been heavily involved in other sports through the years; he served as PR director for the NBA’s Baltimore Bullets (now the Washington Wizards) in the 1960s and early ’70s.

In short, everyone in the Baltimore sports community knows Henneman as a local icon.

Dan Connolly, a Baltimore area sportswriter and radio host noted, “So great for all of us who have dealt with Henny. Great job O’s. Couldn’t be more deserved.”

The @Orioles have announced that the Camden Yards press box is officially being named for longtime writer, scorekeeper and mentor to all, Jim Henneman. So great for @writerhenn So great for all of us who have dealt with Henny. Great job O’s. Couldn’t be more deserved. pic.twitter.com/Sb2vYljsHm

— Dan Connolly (@danconnolly2016) January 23, 2024

Others were equally pleased to see the veteran writer honored.

https://twitter.com/MarkWJZ/status/1749873158818087317

[Dan Connolly; Photo Credit: Dan Connolly]