SABR 54: ‘A sincere acknowledgement of meaningful work’ — Brian Kenny honored with Henry Chadwick Award
On July 29, 2026, Brian Kenny was honored at SABR 54 at the Hilton Cleveland Downtown in Cleveland, Ohio, with the Henry Chadwick Award, which recognizes baseball’s great researchers — historians, statisticians, annalists, and archivists — for their invaluable contributions to the game. Kenny has served as a host and anchor at MLB Network and ESPN since 1997, bringing analytical insights to World Series coverage, All-Star Games, and the daily rhythms of baseball coverage on television. He helped create “Clubhouse Confidential,” the first television program devoted to sports analytics, and is the author of the award-winning “Ahead of the Curve: Inside the Baseball Revolution.” He was introduced by SABR Board President Dan Levitt. Listen to audio highlights or read a transcript of Kenny’s remarks below.
- Listen: Click here to listen to Brian Kenny’s remarks during the Henry Chadwick Award presentation at SABR 54 (MP3; 4:22)
I’m honored to be honored here by SABR, of course, along with Eugene Murdock, Allan Simpson, and Rob Ruck, to be included in this class. It’s fantastic.
The main thing, of course, is the journey. I’m sure most of you understand that in following baseball … these awards are important only for those you can share them with.
I share them with my wife, Coco. She’s right there taking a video. … She drove from Hall of Fame induction weekend from Cooperstown out here to Cleveland. She doesn’t like to be acknowledged, but the journey also for nearly four decades is with her. To be able to accept this award in front of her means everything to me. So thank you.
I have a real debt of gratitude to those from SABR. Even as a kid reading about baseball, I always thought baseball writing was better than everybody else’s writing. And I was right. I also found that it was not just a way of thinking about baseball, but those who were in the Society for American Baseball Research taught me not just how to think about baseball, but how to think, how to use critical thinking, how to use Socratic method. Those who led the way through this society really changed the way I think. And it was my honor and pleasure to to drive it home to a national audience once I got that opportunity, which I continue to this day.
So, again, I’m honored to be here. I have two notes that I can pass along. One is from Joey Votto, who texted me this week when I told him I was not coming in, couldn’t do his segment this week. He said, “Why are they giving you awards? Are you dying?” I’m not.
And this — “Congratulations on winning the Chadwick Award from SABR. That’s great. So many of the awards that are given out anymore are, ‘Come give a speech in a casino, please’ awards. This one is real. It’s a sincere acknowledgement of meaningful work. Well deserved.”
That was from Bill James. I’ll leave on that note. Thank you very much.
Originally published: August 25, 2026. Last Updated: August 27, 2026.