This is nice. Shannon was great people.
Queens Baseball Convention Announces Shannon Forde as the 2021 Recipient of the Gil Hodges Unforgettable Fire Award
September 22, 2021 – Organizers of the Queens Baseball Convention revealed today that former New York Mets Senior Director of Media Relations Shannon Forde will be the recipient of the 2021 Gil Hodges Unforgettable Fire Award to be presented at 2021 QBC on November 13th.
Forde tragically passed away from breast cancer in 2016 at the age of 44.
A pioneer for women in baseball, Forde rose through the ranks in the Mets media department where she had worked for 22 years, establishing connections with players, reporters, and executives across all of baseball.
Her love of the Mets, and her love of baseball, was evident in everything she did throughout her career, from shepherding green- eyed rookies around Shea and CitiField, to running the 2013 All-Star Game, to being the point person on numerous charity endeavors (including Tuesday’s Children after 9/11).
Forde was also instrumental in getting the Mets media department to recognize non-traditional media outlets such as bloggers and independent websites.
“Without Shannon, there may not have been a QBC” stated co-founder Keith Blacknick. ”We were part of the extended Mets community and Shannon always treated us as such. She helped us establish our credibility and we will always be indebted to her for that.”
The Gil Hodges Unforgettable Fire Award was established in 2014 in cooperation with the Hodges family. Presented annually to a person whose memory eternally warms our hearts, brightens our spirits and lights our way, as well as brings together the best elements of sportsmanship and humanity. Past recipients have included Gil Hodges, Tom Seaver, Ed Charles, Bud Harrelson, Bobby Valentine, and David Wright.
A member of Forde’s family will be accepting on her behalf at the 2021 QBC to be held on Nov. 13th at Mulcahy’s Pub & Concert Hall. Tickets are expected to go on sale later this week.
For more information or for inquiries, please email us at [email protected], or follow us on social media (Twitter @QBConvention or Facebook www.facebook.com/QueensBaseballConvention )
ABOUT THE QBC
Founded in 2013, the Queens Baseball Convention was created as a mid-winter gathering of fans of the New York Mets. Our design is a combination of “Fan Fest” meets “Comic Con.” Since its start it has grown into the largest fan-run fan fest in the New York area.
