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BOSTON – Jim Henneman, the longtime Baltimore sportswriter and Orioles official scorer affectionately known as “Henny,” passed away last night. He was 89.
Henneman has been battling health issues but he made it down to Sarasota again for spring training and attended home Opening Day. He was moved into hospice care this week.
The Orioles renamed the press box in Henneman’s honor in January 2024, a gesture that brought him to tears.
“I can’t imagine a better honor,” he said.
The team issued a statement this morning, saying it was “heartbroken” to share the news.
“Henny’s friendly demeanor, words of wisdom, and historical anecdotes will be dearly missed. We are all better for knowing him and are eternally grateful for his dedication to the Orioles for more than eight decades. The Camden Yards’ press box will forever bear his name and be a welcoming place to remember and recognize his life and legacy.”
Henneman was a Baltimore native who attended Calvert Hall College High School and Loyola College in Maryland. His love of the sport and his dedication to it dates back to games he attended long before the major league franchise moved from St. Louis to Baltimore in 1954, including the International League Orioles and Negro League Baltimore Elite Giants. He played baseball, coached it, and became a walking encyclopedia with a deep knowledge and passion.
A storied career included working as a beat writer at the now defunct Baltimore News American and Evening Sun before moving onto The Sun in 1995. He also wrote occasional columns for PressBoxOnline.com and became principal official scorer at Camden Yards from 1997-2019.
Henneman wrote “60 Years of Orioles Magic,” the team’s 60th anniversary book that was published in 2015.
He also served as public relations director with the NBA’s Baltimore Bullets from 1968-73, but he’ll forever be tied to baseball. And it allowed us to learn just how warm and friendly he was to everyone he encountered. Quick to offer help or encouragement, and it really resonated with young writers introduced to beat work.
Thoughts this morning carry me back to the day that Henneman learned about his name being attached to the press box. How the team surprised him with an invitation to lunch at the warehouse, where he found a room full of employees, writers and friends.
“Being able to hang with you guys this long is an unbelievable blessing,” he said. “I admire every one of you.”
The feeling was mutual.
Here’s hoping that the Baseball Writers’ Association of America gets Henneman’s name on the ballot for entrance into the writers’ wing of the Hall of Fame as a recipient of the Career Excellence Award. The Baltimore chapter tried to get it done while Henneman was alive to enjoy it and will continued to push for it on his behalf.
