I saw Tim Kurkjian speak about his new book, Is This a Great Game, or What?: From A-Rod's Heart to Zim's Head--My 25 Years in Baseball, back in November at The Great Fenway Park Writers Series, and it was one of the better events I've been to. Tim's love for the game of baseball was ever apparent that night, and it was just as apparent when reading Is This a Great Game...
Kurkjian has a ton of great stories that you'd only know or hear from being so close to the game for such an extended period of time. Tim's very humble in his abilities and profession, and his passion for the game is unparalleled. He's long been one of my favorite talking heads on Baseball Tonight, and some of the stories that lie with in the book are absolutely golden.
A lot of Tim's stories involve the Baltimore Orioles since that's where he was on the beat for so long and is where he currently resides. This leads to some amazing stories on Cal Ripken that really shows his competitive nature and spirit. Another aspect I really like about Tim is his his ability to defend baseball against other sports.
He makes the great point that baseball is a sport more of a skill then just pure athleticism, unlike football or basketball which rely heavily on athleticism. I thought one of the most interesting points he made was in comparing baseball and basketball (another sport he loves). The point he made is the worse thing that can happen in basketball is that you'll get dunked on, and the worse thing that can happen to you in baseball is that you can die. He dedicates an entire chapter to how certain ballplayers dealt with, or didn't deal with, the effects of recovering from serious injuries involving baseballs. Which was truly fascinating.
The book is written simply, and is a fairly quick read. If I had to use one adjective to describe the book it'd be 'fun'. Tim's joy of covering the game truly shines through and that makes for a fun read. And that's what baseball's supposed to be right? Fun.
Overall: 7/10
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