Longtime New York Yankees’ broadcaster Michael Kay will be honored with the Italian American Baseball Foundation Media Award at the annual IABF Gala in December 2022. Kay is Italian on his mother’s side.
A Bronx native, Kay is best known as the play-by-play broadcaster of the Yankees and host of CenterStage on the YES Network. He is also the host of The Michael Kay Show on ESPN Radio. IABF will announce its other 2022 gala honorees throughout the fall. Tickets and journal ad sales are available now here.
“This is such an incredible honor to receive this award,” said Kay. “I know that my Mom, Rose, with the maiden name of Aiello, is smiling down on me. As is my late uncle, Danny Aiello. It was from my mom’s side that I learned about my proud Italian heritage. It manifested itself most during holiday dinners where stories were told in loud decibels and dreams were articulated but never diminished. In an Italian family you were never mocked for aiming high. In fact, you were encouraged with cries of “why not you?” My mom and my dad, who was of Jewish heritage, never discouraged the hopes and dreams of me and my sister, but instead, encouraged us to work hard and try to do whatever we wanted. But my parents were of a certain time, always reminding us to ‘have something to fall back on.’ I wish all kids could have the love, laughter and encouragement that came from our house. I am one of the lucky ones, leading to me living my dream and achieving this awesome honor.”
This is just the second time IABF has given the Media Award honor after debuting it in 2021 with Tom Verducci as the inaugural recipient.
ABOUT IABF: Founded in 2016 with our inaugural dinner honoring Hall of Famer Mike Piazza, the Italian American Baseball Foundation (IABF) is a registered 501c3 charity that is committed to the future of baseball and softball for Italian & Italian–American youths on the high school, college and professional levels. While we move forward, we remember those who paved the way and brought us recognition and respect. Names like Dimaggio, Berra, Rizzuto, Righetti, and Franco still resonate today among the young students of the game. The IABF is adamant about adding new names to the list of Italian–American Baseball greats!
Our focus on developing young talent both in the US and Italy is top priority. Each year we sponsor several showcases and clinics that are conducted by former MLB players and top college coaches. We invite professional scouts and college recruiters to attend and evaluate the talent. We are working closely with several colleges and are deeply committed to helping those who qualify academically achieve a college education through baseball and softball. The IABF provides citizenship documentation assistance for Americans to play on the Italian Olympic and WBC Baseball teams. The IABF donates equipment to individuals, teams, and leagues that qualify. Helping families by giving their children the opportunity to have the proper equipment is as important to us as if it was our own children.
