ST. MARYS, ONTARIO, CANADA — Longtime Canadian Press writer Richard Milo has been named the winner of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s 2022 Jack Graney Award.
The honour is given annually to a member of the media who has made significant contributions to baseball in Canada through their life’s work.
"I was speechless when I received the call. It is such a great honour," Milo said. "I was fortunate to cover two perfect games and now, this award.
"I fell in love with the game when I was young and ever since, it has been fun and rewarding."
Milo was a standout outfielder for Laval-Ahuntsic of the Montreal Junior Baseball League during his teens and was a member of the Quebec teams that won the Canadian Junior Championships in 1970 and 1971.
He was the only player from Quebec to suit up for Canada in the 1975 Intercontinental Cup which was held in Moncton, N.B., and Montreal. During that tournament, Milo batted against American pitcher Scott Sanderson, a right-hander he’d later cover on the Expos beat.
Canada lost in the bronze medal game to Nicaragua.
After his playing career ended, Milo became a sports writer for Le Petit Journal and La Patrie, before moving on to Le Devoir in 1978.
He started covering the Expos in 1977 and was present on Oct. 3, 1981 when the Expos clinched their first and only post-season berth with a 5-4 win over the New York Mets at Shea Stadium.
In 1985, Milo joined the French service of The Canadian Press, where he would cover the Expos until the club moved to Washington after the 2004 season.
"Richard Milo’s articles were essential reading for French-speaking baseball fans in our country," said Jeremy Diamond, chair of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s board of directors. "For more than two decades, he was one of the most talented and respected writers on the Expos’ beat and we’re proud to recognize him with this award."
Milo continued to be a prominent sports writer, covering hockey, soccer and the CFL in his home province. He retired from The Canadian Press in 2008 but later contributed to NHL.com in 2011 when they launched a French version of their site.
Milo was inducted in the Quebec Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 1, 2022.
The Canadian Press
