Jeff Kent thanks Chris Russo after Hall of Fame induction - Awful Announcing

What the report says

Awful Announcing reported that newly inducted Baseball Hall of Famer Jeff Kent publicly thanked Chris “Mad Dog” Russo after the former second baseman’s induction weekend in Cooperstown. Kent appeared on MLB Network’s “MLB Now,” where host Brian Kenny noted Russo’s years of on-air advocacy for Kent’s Hall of Fame case. Kent responded by thanking Russo and recalling that he knew the broadcaster before becoming a candidate, citing Russo’s San Francisco Giants fandom and high-energy sports commentary.

The report, by Brandon Contes, said Kent reached the Hall through the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee after falling short during 10 years on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot. According to the article, Kent never exceeded 46.5% support from BBWAA voters, despite holding the career record for home runs by a second baseman.

Russo, a longtime radio host and former MLB Network “High Heat” personality, had repeatedly argued that Kent deserved induction, the article said. Awful Announcing noted that Russo often pushed back against the idea that Kent was overlooked in San Francisco during the Barry Bonds era and ranked him among the greatest second basemen in baseball history.

The moment matters because it highlighted how media advocacy can remain part of a player’s public Hall of Fame narrative, even when formal selection is decided by voters and committees. Awful Announcing cautioned that Russo was likely not the reason Kent was elected, but Kent’s comments showed he remembered prominent supporters during a long and unsuccessful run on the writers’ ballot before his eventual selection.