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ESPN baseball analyst Tim Kurkjian is headed to the Hall of Fame — and we could not be prouder.
We additionally could not miss the chance to specific simply how a lot he means to us round right here.
So, as Cooperstown requires our colleague, we wished to share just some of our favourite reminiscences from working alongside a legend.
This story initially posted on Dec. 7 2021. Kurkjian shall be honored in Cooperstown on July, 23, 2022.
Buster Olney, MLB author: I met Tim about 30 years in the past in Yuma, Arizona, in probably the most unlikely recreation of 21 — Tim (whose listed top in your recreation program is 5-foot-5) vs. fellow Padres beat author John Schlegel (a legit 6-7) vs. me (5-7 3/4, allegedly). In that point, we have spent hours collectively in studios, on ballfields, in clubhouses, in arguments about whether or not Mariano Rivera belongs on the Yankees’ Mount Rushmore (I say sure; Tim is incorrect), in cabs to and from airports, on flights. I can tackle all of the legends of my buddy and colleague, whose first title not too long ago modified — to Corridor of Famer Tim Kurkjian.
About his mood on the basketball courtroom: You’ve got seen the Unimaginable Hulk, sure? When anger turns Bruce Banner’s eyes inexperienced and he transforms right into a monster? Properly, that is what can occur to Corridor of Famer Tim, who can flip from the nicest human being you have ever met to Mr. Hyde by anyone’s unhealthy etiquette in a pickup recreation. Hit him with a very low-cost foul name or a grimy undercut at your individual peril. And sure, he is actually good. So far as we all know, he was the one sportswriter invited to take part in Cal Ripken’s full-court video games. The Iron Man doesn’t endure fools or basketball weak spot.
In regards to the Corridor of Famer’s lack of ability to remain heat: It is weird, however the man has been seen carrying a wool overcoat in July. The one conceivable clarification is that his massive coronary heart should draw warmth from the remainder of his physique.
About his anxiousness about being on time: You know the way your Uncle Joe and Aunt Betty head to the airport 4 hours earlier than their flight? Properly, he would already be on the airport two hours earlier than they arrived. He as soon as was scheduled to be a part of an early-season 1 p.m. broadcast from Yankee Stadium, and due to concern about doable snow and an enormous crowd, he arrived on the parking storage at Four a.m. — and did a podcast taping at 6 a.m. Because it turned out, the sport was postponed.
About his efficiency anxiousness: It is persistent. About 15 minutes earlier than each present, you could find Tim wandering within the neighborhood of no matter broadcast sales space or set that he’s presupposed to be a part of, speaking to himself, going over traces, rehearsing ideas, getting settled in his mind, typically with close by gamers questioning whether or not he was OK. “Yeah, he is simply working towards,” I’ve informed quite a lot of, including that Tony Gwynn, Jose Altuve and different greats additionally practiced loads.
About his humility: Greater than as soon as, Corridor of Famer Tim has referred to as with a easy query — “What’s it I am lacking about this case?” He is all the time conscious there might be loads he does not know.
About his complete oral historical past of anecdotes: It’s absurd, and a bit of bit horrifying. You’ll be able to choose the title of just about any semi-prominent participant in baseball historical past — like choosing a single card out of 10-deck set of taking part in playing cards — and he’ll have a narrative, well-paced, detailed and with a punctuating sentence that can you make you smile, on the very least, or possibly even snort out loud.
About his Lex Luthor: It’s Rick Sutcliffe, and no person is a detailed second. I’ve by no means seen one grown man emotionally hound one other man in the way in which that Sut goes after Timmy, principally about his top, and I assure you no person in our enterprise was happier for Tim’s election at this time than Rick Sutcliffe.
About his humanity: What separates Tim in our enterprise is admittedly, actually easy, a trait additionally possessed by Peter Gammons and Jayson Stark, two of our former ESPN colleagues who’re additionally Corridor of Fame writers: Tim appears to be like for the great in individuals. He is effectively conscious of the complexities of baseball and those that play it, however he appears to be like for the great, for the hope and marvel in each recreation, in every day, in every individual.
About how beloved he’s within the trade: That is true, all true. Baseball could be shut down, however the information about Tim is a brilliant mild in our enterprise.
Jeff Passan, MLB author: It is 2019, my first 12 months at ESPN, and I am about to make my first look on Baseball Tonight, a present I’ve watched since I used to be 8. Nervous doesn’t start to elucidate what I felt. I used to be going to fumble over my phrases. Say one thing silly. Get a reality incorrect. The studio lights have been brilliant, and this was going to be a catastrophe, and … abruptly a hand touched my left shoulder.
“That is going to be nice,” Tim Kurkjian stated.
Maybe you have heard that Tim is the best man. That really undersells him. In that second — in any second — somebody as completed as Tim may very simply maintain to himself, and no person would begrudge him for it. As an alternative, Tim is habitually beneficiant together with his time, his information, his phrases of knowledge. When his hand hit my shoulder, it was like a muscle relaxant. “Simply observe Ravy,” he stated, motioning to Karl Ravech, our indefatigable anchor who did, simply as Tim steered he would, lead us precisely the place we wanted to go.
I in all probability screwed up a number of occasions that day, however I do not keep in mind how. All I recall is the relentless positivity of Tim Kurkjian: elite teammate, nice buddy and, lastly, most deserving Corridor of Famer.
Jesse Rogers, MLB author: Tim has all the time been form and useful in any and all methods as a colleague at ESPN. He could be the very best recognized and appreciated baseball character within the nation as effectively. Throughout this 12 months’s World Sequence, he was having dinner in Houston at a desk subsequent to the nice Reggie Jackson’s desk. The tables have been shut to one another, however Reggie and Tim have been two seats aside — somebody was between them. As Tim went on the enterprise of ordering his meal, Reggie requested to modify seats with the individual subsequent to Kurkjian. He wished to speak with Tim. And the dialog commenced. In regards to the outdated days, the present World Sequence and the whole lot in between. It was fascinating. However what I will all the time keep in mind is Mr. October requested to modify seats to sit down subsequent to Tim, not the opposite means round. Now that is somebody with an actual presence in our recreation.
David Schoenfield, MLB author: Everybody is aware of how a lot Tim loves baseball. Heck, his second e-book was titled “Is This a Nice Recreation, or What?” and was filled with Tim’s great tales about his first 25 years masking baseball. However I actually discovered how a lot Tim beloved the game greater than 20 years in the past, after I was a baseball editor for ESPN.com. We had a softball league for ESPN workers and performed the video games within the late morning, since so many ESPN employees have been on the night time shift. Tim should have been on the town for Baseball Tonight, and having heard tales about his prowess on the basketball courtroom, I invited him to come back out and play softball with us. I figured we may use ringer. Tim declined to play, however he confirmed as much as watch the sport. I am positive if he remembered this story he would make a self-deprecating joke about how pathetic it was that he had nothing else to do. Possibly so, however I have a look at it as a person who could not go up the chance to see a recreation, any recreation — even what was undoubtedly a really unexciting recreation of softball.
Eduardo Perez, MLB analyst: He’s our Tim Kurkjian. The final word teammate from day one. At all times extending a hand to make us all higher. At all times offering honest recommendation and with a knack for getting the story with out chopping corners. Even when we’ve got to be on the ballpark at Three p.m., Tim is there at 1 as a result of he believes that is when you may get the very best tales out of the gamers. And higher but, even when there’s a “lockout,” Tim exhibits he has a means of getting the story.
Joon Lee, MLB author: After I began at ESPN, I had loads of doubts about whether or not I even deserved to be on a workforce filled with so many writers I grew up studying. Earlier than the pandemic modified our world, Tim got here as much as me at Pink Sox spring coaching and greeted me with the warmest of welcomes. As we walked across the facility, he informed me tales about his profession, how he transitioned from newspaper writing to tv and was in a position to preserve his ardour for his work over such a adorned profession.
My favourite Tim Kurkjian story got here on the 2021 American League Wild-Card Recreation. Bucky Dent was at Fenway Park getting interviewed by ESPN exhibits about his house run in 1978 that gave the Yankees the lead within the AL East division tiebreaker recreation. Whereas everybody wished to find out about Dent’s most well-known profession second, Tim as a substitute talked to him about his time with the Texas Rangers in 1982 and 1983. As I stood alongside the set, Tim got here as much as me and began recalling each element of the dialog he had with Bucky in regards to the trials and tribulations of these Rangers groups with the keenness of a child who had simply found their ardour and love of baseball for the primary time.
Watching somebody as completed as Tim nonetheless be this obsessed with random, mediocre groups from the ’80s was inspiring. That in spite of everything of this time, Tim nonetheless beloved storytelling and was not jaded by his years of seeing how the sausage will get made within the baseball trade.
That is what makes Tim Kurkjian, Tim Kurkjian.
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See what occurs when little leaguers be part of the published sales space and go toe-to-toe with Tim Kurkjian.
Doug Glanville, MLB analyst: You neglect that Tim is a fairly good athlete (regardless of what he says) and he really loves all sports activities. It has been a pleasure to work with him through the years. He’s the very best storyteller. He reminds us of the deep love we’ve got for sport not simply within the current however by means of its historical past. Our historical past. A nationwide treasure, and this honor is so effectively deserved.
Matt Marrone, MLB editor: I detest public talking, however there have been a number of occasions I’ve wanted to do it through the years at ESPN. Pre-pandemic, it had develop into my activity to handle a roomful of baseball scribes and analysts as a part of an annual MLB summit. I’ll do something to distract from the sound of my very own voice — I’ve gone as far as to toss wax packs of baseball playing cards throughout the room at individuals’s heads simply to get everybody laughing (and ducking). However the very best technique: Let Tim Kurkjian take over. Usually with little to no warning or preparation time, Tim has taken my matters and rapidly had the room captivated and cackling. Regardless of how foolish my setup — I’ve created PowerPoint video games of Household Feud for the group to play — he not solely hits the bottom working however has the proper anecdote to suit no matter ridiculous backdrop I’ve projected onto the display behind him. Within the pantheon of accomplishments in Tim’s now Corridor of Fame profession, this, effectively … after all it does not contact any of these. However possibly it helps shed even the smallest mild on his Cooperstown-caliber intangibles.
Peter Lawrence-Riddell, former MLB editor: Speaking about all of my favourite issues that Tim has executed for us through the years would take means too lengthy and take up means an excessive amount of area. However one mission does stand out, for its dimension, size, impressiveness and simply how effectively it exemplified what makes Tim nice.
It is the “Baseball Fix” series we ran through the pandemic with a day by day story from Tim every single day for 100 days.
When the pandemic first began and MLB (and the remainder of the sports activities world) stopped, none of us had any concept what would come subsequent or how lengthy it might be till sports activities began once more. With an enormous help from editor Nick Pietruszkiewicz, Tim jumped into one thing that in all probability solely he may have executed, telling day by day baseball tales for 100 straight days from March 27, 2020, to July 3, 2020. From what would have been opening day to the Fourth of July, Tim informed tales, beginning with “How do you spell Rob Zastryzny?“on Zastryzny’s birthday and ending with “100 reasons why it’s still OK to love baseball.”
Tim’s love of the sport, its historical past, its personalities, its tales, was on show every single day for greater than three months. And every single day it made me smile a bit of bit at a time when there wasn’t all the time a ton to smile about — and I believe it made different baseball followers smile, too. And that is the magic of Tim and his love for baseball — it is infectious. If you learn his tales, you learn them in his voice, and his love and appreciation of the sport is correct there on full show.
Nick Pietruszkiewicz, former MLB editor: Typically the telephone rings earlier than 7 a.m. It has gone on this fashion for greater than a decade. I have a look at the caller ID and simply smile, as a result of I do know what I’m about to listen to — that voice. Few issues make me smile or really feel higher at the beginning of a day fairly like Tim Kurkjian’s voice on the opposite finish of the telephone.
Sure days the decision is a few story concept, one he had kicking round in his head that the minute you hear it you simply know it will be memorable, as a result of, let’s be sincere, nobody tells a narrative — on any platform — fairly like or higher than Tim. Different days it is a thought — what if we did this or I might wish to take one other crack at that final draft — as a result of he cares a lot in regards to the work, about getting it proper. My favourite calls, although, are the cries for technological assist. “Now, Nick, I believe I tousled on Twitter.” After all, he by no means did, however that does not cease him from worrying about it.
Through the darkish days of the pandemic, when no sports activities have been being performed, collectively we got here up with an concept. The way in which it was pitched to others was, effectively, easy — “Story time with Uncle Timmy.” It become Tim Kurkjian’s “Baseball Fix.” The tales, like each one he has informed in what’s now rightfully a Corridor of Fame profession, are fascinating. “Nick, I believe individuals must smile proper now,” he informed me. “I wish to inform tales that make them smile.”
I’ve one hero on this enterprise — it is Tim Kurkjian. There’s not a greater storyteller, however extra importantly, not a greater individual. He cares about individuals — those he has recognized for many years and those he sees on the road or at a restaurant or on a golf course who acknowledge his voice and simply wish to say whats up.
John Updike wrote of Ted Williams “Gods don’t reply letters.” My hero does — to speak a few story, to ask about me and my household, to get assist attempting to determine use a godforsaken cellphone.
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