Ex. 7340 would ring in the sports department of the Providence Journal about 45 minutes after every Red Sox game. The conversation would go like this:
“Hi, it’s Sean. Can you check Sox814?”
“Hi, Sean. It’s Joe. Yup, it reads, ‘The Boston Red Sox erased a three-run deficit...’ and ends with, ‘... said Hobson.’ It’s all here, Sean.”
“Thanks. Have the desk call if there are any questions.”
Countless times Sean McAdam and I had that conversation. It was the best part of the work night for an editorial assistant for a few reasons, but mainly because I was the first Red Sox fan in Rhode Island to read either Sean’s game story or column off that night’s game.
During the course of work night, the Red Sox game would be on one of the TVs in the sports department, so periodically you could catch a few plays while taking high school, college or golf scores over the phones.
As an aspiring sports writer, I would try to figure out Sean’s angle for his story and couldn’t wait to read if I was right. Sean started covering the Red Sox at the Journal on a full-time basis in 1989. By the time I was hired as an EA in sports department in 1995, Sean had quickly established himself as a must-read for Journal subscribers and brought the Red Sox coverage into the national spotlight for his ability to break news and analyze the team.
Finally, in the summer of 2001, I had a chance to cover my first Red Sox game with Sean. It was much different than answering his phone calls, but the education, experience and advice I took from Sean during a seven-year span on the beat helped guide my own career. I was fortunate to call him a co-worker and mentor until he left the Journal in 2008. Thankfully, we remained friends and now we’re co-workers once again.
Sean will be honored Thursday at the 79th annual Boston Baseball Writers dinner as this year’s recipient of the Dave O’Hara Award for long and meritorious service to the Boston chapter of the BBWAA.
The award is named after the former Associated Press who was extremely popular in the BBWAA. Sean is well respected for his tireless work ethic and passion for the game. It’s been an honor to see his work up close and learn from one of the best. He embodies what this award is all about.
On behalf of your all long-time colleagues and competitors, and your current teammates at BostonSportsJournal.com, congratulations Sean, on the richly deserved O’Hara Award. Next stop: Cooperstown and the J.G Taylor Spink Award.