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The Bob Elliott Media Recognition Award is named after Bob Elliott, a former winner (2012) of the BBWAA Career Excellence Award, the highest award given by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA), presented annually by the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Elliott covered both the Montréal Expos and Toronto Blue Jays during a distinguished career that spanned four decades, but it’s Bob’s long-lasting contributions to Canadian baseball and raising the profile of Canadians in the game and telling their stories which has resulted in this award being named after him. The Kingston, Ontario native’s Canadian Baseball Network website has been a go-to source for information for years from Canadian baseball sandlots all the way to the big leagues. When a Canadian reaches the majors, chances are the Canadian baseball community read about them years earlier via Elliott and the Canadian Baseball Network. His coverage of Canadian prospects eligible for the annual MLB Draft has must read material for years while his annual Top 100 Most Influential Canadians in Baseball list has provided deserved recognition for many year-over-year. It’s through Bob’s work that he’s forged relationships across Canada allowing him to tell great Canadian baseball stories to this very day.
He’s one of the most respected and influential baseball writers in the industry who’s become a must-read baseball insider for baseball fans in Canada a throughout the globe. Baseball Canada is thrilled to announce that Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi is the recipient of the Bob Elliott Media Recognition Award for 2023.
A graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University’s (formerly Ryerson University) Journalism Program, Davidi established himself in the sports journalism industry with the Canadian Press before moving onto to Sportsnet where he’s been an MLB insider, columnist, and TV analyst since 2011.
Davidi’s career has extended beyond the baseball field where he’s covered Olympic Games, Stanley Cup and NBA Finals along with the Grey Cup. He has also penned two books centred around the Toronto Blue Jays including Great Expectations (along with John Lott) in 2013 and recently The Big 50: Toronto Blue Jays in 2021.
Away from the baseball field, Davidi is an instructor at Centennial College’s Sports Journalism program in Toronto and just finished a one-year term as President of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) where he also serves as Chairman of the Toronto Chapter.
Beyond his regular MLB and Blue Jays duties, Davidi has also found time to provide consistent coverage of Baseball Canada and its three national teams while also using his platform to share Canadian baseball stories around the MLB Draft, Canadian minor leaguers and Women’s National Teams coaches and athletes.
In March 2023, Davidi was in Arizona at Team Canada’s training camp and the first round of the World Baseball Classic where he provided wall-to-wall coverage of the national team for Sportsnet. He, along with Bob Elliott, are the only two writers to have covered Team Canada at all five World Baseball Classic events dating back to the inaugural tournament in 2006.
Bob Elliott, the person behind the name of this award had this to say about Davidi:
“Not only was Shi the fourth Canadian president of the BBWAA as well as being head of the Toronto chapter -- in a very busy 2023, administrative-wise -- he managed to not miss a beat covering ball for Sportsnet whether it was Team Canada in the WBC, the Toronto Blue Jays or Canadians being drafted. And in his spare time he provided insight on TV as well."
Congratulations, Shi!
Bob Elliott Media Recognition Award recipients:
2020-Mike Wilner
2021-Alexis Brudnicki
2022-Kevin Glew
2023-Shi Davidi
