Hazel Mae isn’t a big fan of attention, sports fans. In fact, the long-time Sportsnet broadcaster finds it “unsettling.”
Well, Mae is going to have to deal with some extra eyes on her for a while anyway, because on Wednesday she was announced as the winner of the Jack Graney Award, presented by the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum to a member of this country’s media for their incredible contributions to the game on home soil.
The award isn’t presented every year, only when the committee believes a candidate is worthy based on his or her life’s work thus far. Enter Mae, who is honoured to receive the recognition after a season for the ages as Sportsnet’s on-field reporter for the Toronto Blue Jays. In winning this award — she’ll receive the plaque in June, and give an induction speech, so more attention is coming — Mae follows in the footsteps of Sportsnet’s own Buck Martinez, the commentator who was the last recipient back in 2023. Play-by-play announcer Dan Shulman won it in 2020, while Sportsnet 590 The FAN host Jeff Blair captured it in 2018.
After a morning TV appearance on Wednesday — and before she’d even begun wading through the 92 text messages awaiting her in the wake of the announcement — Mae took some time to reflect on her career and the season that captured Canadians’ imaginations, and answered a few questions about herself because we made her.
SPORTSNET: You’re used to being the interviewer, but we’re changing things up. Congratulations! What does it mean to you to be recognized this way?
MAE: My heart is racing. [Laughs]. Thank you. It's almost a confirmation of the work I've put in, the relationships I've built, the sleepless nights, on planes, flying through different time zones, and at times putting my makeup on in lobby bathrooms because my hotel room's not ready — I think about these little things, that were worth it. I know people on the outside looking in may think what we do is maybe 'glamorous', and we absolutely are fortunate to do what we do, but when you peel back the curtains, there's a lot that goes into putting a broadcast together. My face may be on television, but at the end of the day, what I do does not happen without the work of many people behind the scenes. So, when you ask me what it means, it's recognition that everything we've done as a team ... we did OK.
What did your mom say when you told her?
My mom does not like to talk on the phone. She wants you to get to why you're calling. If we're sitting down at the dinner table and having a face-to-face conversation, she can talk all day. But when you call her, no.
I said, ‘Hi mom, I have something to tell you. I just won the Jack Graney Award given by the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.’ And she said, ‘Wow, that's amazing.’ And then she paused and asked, ‘Who's Jack Graney?’ So, I told her, and explained what the award meant. And she said, ‘I'm so happy for you. I know how hard you've worked.’ And that last line really got to me. Even now I'm getting a little choked up. But then right after she said, ‘OK, honey, talk to you tomorrow.’ [Laughs.] And that was the end of our conversation.
[Laughs.] That’s too good. Did you inherit your love of baseball from her? Or where did it come from?
I'm the daughter of immigrants, and this great country welcomed my parents in the early ’70s. My late father wanted to feel like a part of his new community, his country. He heard everybody who lived in Toronto were big Maple Leafs fans, so dad worked on the English language by watching sports on television. That way he could fit in and contribute to the discussions around the water cooler. He was a proud Canadian and that's how his passion for sports was passed down. Both my parents loved hockey, football baseball and basketball. Even today, my mom could tell you who recorded a double-double in the NBA last night, which is pretty entertaining coming from an 84-year-old Filipino woman.
I'm sad my dad's not here, but he was alive for the majority of my career and told me how proud he was of me. I really think he would have got such a big kick out of all this. He's probably looking down and thinking, ‘I wanted her to be a doctor or a lawyer, but this is kind of cool, too.’
Absolutely. Were you watching those sports as a kid thinking, ‘I want to be a sports broadcaster?’
No, because I mean, 30, 40 years ago, there weren't a lot of women in our field, much less someone who was also a visible minority. Growing up, I watched Teresa Hergert-Kruze and Kathryn Humphreys here in Canada, and then in the U.S., it was Michele Tafoya, Pam Oliver, Lisa Salters and Melissa Stark. I knew it was possible, but not for me, because no one who looked like me was working in sports at the time. Years later there were women anchoring the news and weather, but no one on the sidelines. It just wasn't an option for me, but my love of sports was always there.
I read that you first started doing sports updates at York University.
Yes, I heard York University had a sports director who happened to be a woman. Her name was Sunaya Sapurji [now a senior editor with The Athletic]. And I thought, ‘If there was a woman sports director, for sure she'd be open to a female reporter.’ And it so happened Andrea Goldstein [current VP of communications for the Blue Jays] was also a reporter at the campus radio station, CHRY 105.5 FM. Sunaya really welcomed me with open arms. When I received my first press pass, I thought it was just the coolest thing. Howard Starkman [long-time director of public relations for the Blue Jays] issued me passes to get into games at Rogers Centre and I thought, ‘I can't believe this. I'm legit. This is awesome.’
How good were you at interviews back then? Have you always been great, or did that take time?
That definitely took time, just getting more comfortable, more secure and confident in my abilities. Back then, I wanted to be like everyone else to fit in. I wanted to ask the same questions. I did not want to stick out like a sore thumb, which I did anyways because there were not a lot of women around the ballpark. Over time I settled into what I felt was an interview style that helped answer questions the average fan wanted to know. Eventually, I didn't want to be like everyone else — I wanted to be me. I try to ask simple questions that allow the player to do most of the talking. In the viral interview when Vladdy said, ‘I was born ready,’ that came from the question, ‘Are you ready?’ I often remind myself sometimes the simplest questions or shorter questions bring out the more memorable answers.
After the Blue Jays won the ALCS, there was a lot of talk among fellow media — and lots on social media — about how well you handled all those interviews with champagne and beer spraying everywhere, cruising through the party with your ballcap on. How much fun was that for you?
Enormously fun. I'm so lucky to be able to cover the post-season through the World Series every year, but when the team you covered during the regular season gets to the World Series, it's 20 times more fun. I get asked about those clubhouse celebrations all the time. The baseball cap really was born out of the fact that champagne stings your eyes and so the bill of my ballcap trickles some of that champagne away from my face. I have long hair, and the ballcap keeps me somewhat professional looking so you're not watching this drenched, stringy-wet hair-looking-lady on national television. Plus, my makeup is running down my face like crazy so I get to hide underneath the ballcap.
I used to wear a clear poncho, but players would take beer or champagne and pour it down the back of my neck, so my clothes ended up wet anyway. Why constrict yourself with a poncho then? The poncho is gone.
I try to remind myself the clubhouse is their space, it's their celebration. I'm trying to, as best I can, be incognito. I want the players to be the story. My job is to get as much out of them in order to connect them to the fans — that's the goal. You focus on what you need to do to get the job done, and not worry about the smoke, the cigars, the champagne and everything that comes with the celebration.
Have you ever seen the type of emotion the Blue Jays showed after Game 7 of the World Series, that level of heartbreak?
I was out on the field with [analysts] Caleb Joseph and Kevin Pillar because we had to come up moments after the loss. I haven't been able to watch any highlights or even Game 7, still. I can't bring myself to watch any of it. I'm still a bit shell-shocked they lost, even a month later, just because they were so close to winning it all. I'm sure the rest of the country feels the same way. It was heartbreaking and for the next two, three weeks afterwards, I did nothing but sit on the couch and sulk.
There are no guarantees they'll get back to a World Series — to me, that's the heartbreaking part. But I've come around to what a fun time it was, how fortunate I was to be there. That's my mindset now.
A lot of this country recognized how likeable this team was. How would you describe the 2025 Blue Jays, being so close to the action?
Absolutely likable. They play the game with so much joy and happiness. They're relatable. They were not shy about showing fans their personalities; that's what I really enjoyed. It was the perfect mix of veteran guys, guys that finally had their shot at the big leagues, and guys who had never tasted the big leagues before and/or the post-season. You had the right type of personalities, the perfect blend where everyone felt comfortable being themselves. For me and for my colleagues who worked daily covering the team, it was a joy to be around because their positivity and enthusiasm were really infectious. That's another reason why game 7 was so heartbreaking because you wanted it so badly for them and for the fans.
Do you think they can run it back? They signed Dylan Cease…
Yeah, and now they’ve signed Cody Ponce.
I think they can. There are still players from last season's team, and having covered this game over the years, I've learned you have to make tweaks. Until you win the World Series, you always need to improve — you didn't win for a reason.
They've addressed the starting pitching, there's some depth in that area. My colleagues, Shi Davidi and Ben Nicholson-Smith, reported that the Blue Jays are looking to bolster the bullpen. I’d personally like to see another big bat as well, but from what I've seen so far, the Blue Jays are addressing what they need to address heading into 2026.
A few more questions about you. Sorry.
Oh gawd…
What’s something sports fans should know about you that they probably don’t?
I love football as much as baseball. I've loved the Kansas City Chiefs long before Taylor Swift came on the scene, like since the late ’90s. For the longest time, the Chiefs were not very good, so I wasn't able to sport my Kansas City Chiefs gear proudly out in public. But it makes me happy Taylor Swift brought attention to my team.
Funny story. I wore my Chiefs hoodie through airport security one time, and the man looked at me and said, ‘Oh hey, you're a Taylor Swift fan.’ And I was just distraught he said that because I really wanted to tell him, ‘No, you don't understand. I was a fan when they were so bad, when they didn't have a good defence, when they didn't have a good quarterback.’ I wanted to go on and on about [former coaches] Gunther Cunningham and Dick Vermeil, but I didn't. I just smiled and replied, ‘Yeah, I'm a Swifty and I also like the Chiefs.’
When you tell people you're a Kansas City Chiefs fan these days, they automatically assume you're a front-runner. But no, I followed [Joe] Montana from the Niners to the Chiefs, and stuck with the Chiefs ever since.
Now people are going to want to talk football with you. Do you get recognized a lot, and do people always want to talk baseball?
Yes and yes. People stop me at the grocery store, stop me after Sunday mass even. In the restroom I've been asked for a selfie. I thought that was odd — I did it, but I asked if we could move over to the mirror and sink area as opposed to a selfie by the stalls.
Is Vladdy the No. 1 player they ask about?
Yes, Vladdy and Bo. Fans ask me what Vladdy is like. They ask what Bo's like. They want to know about Davis Schneider. They ask if Ernie Clement is as nice as he seems. After Sunday mass made me laugh. Forget about divine intervention, they just want to know what Vladdy's like.
Does your son know how cool you are?
[Laughs.] When we found out about the Graney news this weekend, I said to my son, ‘You can’t tell anybody about mommy’s news until Wednesday.’
He's playing his Nintendo Switch, he looks up and says, ‘OK,' and continues on with his Mario Go Kart game. On Monday morning, I receive an email from his [Grade 8] teacher: ‘Congratulations on your Hall of Fame induction! Chase told us during sharing circle today.’
I knew then that A) my son couldn't keep a secret, and B) he was proud of me. I didn't think the news really registered with him, because he was so into his Mario Kart, until his teacher wrote how he blabbed during sharing circle.
I hope this hasn’t been too painful for you to be on the other side of the interview. Is there anything you’d like to add?
I wanted to add, without Dan Shulman, Buck Martinez, Joe Siddall and the truck crew — I mean, my answer to what people don't know is, just being their colleague and watching them work, and the amount of prep they do, this award doesn’t happen. I joke I don't ever want to be the weak link on our broadcast, don't want to be the squeaky wheel. The crew drives me, and inspires me to do my best work. I want them to be proud to call me a teammate. That is really important to me. Sure, my name is going to be etched on a plaque, but that plaque really should have 50 names engraved on it.
There is no Jack Graney recognition without them. To me, that is the biggest thing I want people to know, outside of being a huge Kansas City Chiefs fan.
