Customer Reviews

Is This a Great Game, or What?: From A-Rod's Heart to Zim's Head---My 25 Years in Baseball

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've always thought that Tim Kurkijan was the second-brightest mind on Baseball Tonight following the amazing Peter Gammons, and that's pretty much reaffirmed by this book. His insights and observations are excellent, and his discussion of the rightful place of statistics in the game is outstanding. He doesn't downplay the role of statistical analysis in baseball, but he does point out that the numbers should always be viewed in the proper context.

The book itself is written at times in what is almost a stream of consciousness format. The stories about individual players or personalities jump around at times, but they're still incredibly funny and poignant. TK also does a great job of throwing in little historical and statistical footnotes.

The book only got to me a couple of times. I felt myself bristle a little when he talked about how insightful John Kruk was on the show. Perhaps Kruk can be that way at times, but as a viewer I find him to be a senseless blowhard far too often. And while Gammons and Kruk are singled out for praise, little is said for the rest of the current crew. I'd like to know his true feelings on each of them, but I understand why he might not want to share those with everyone at this time. I also would have appreciated his thoughts on Harold Reynolds' firing - he praises Reynolds, but doesn't touch the topic of his dismissal. The other area where I would have liked a stronger view was the section on Selig.

Overall, this is an extremely enjoyable read. There are plenty of great stories to make you laugh, and most of us will come away having learned something. I'd recommend it for any baseball fan.

My wife picked up a copy of this book for me last weekend. I read it over the course of two days. What a great read. I've always enjoyed Tim Kurkjian's commentaries on baseball, be it on the radio, TV, or print and his take on the past twenty five years doesn't dissapoint. There are some really interesting stories that he shares, that you don't (at least I haven't) heard anywhere else.
There is a chapter about the fear of the baseball. Conversations with numerous players who were hit in the head with a pitch and how it affected them. There is a chapter called "Ambidextrous" that share funny stories about players like Mark Mulder, a left handed pitcher, who does everything below the waist (tie his shoe, golf, bowling) right handed.
The book was also very well written and well laid out. Very much an enjoyable read.

Baseball is a great game with a history to match. Some of the stories are legend and some only known to true fans. What Kurkjian does well is tell the stories. What is done poorly is the editing. I found myself re-reading passages that made no sense. For example in the chapter about Baseball Tonight there is a description about a heated argument about knockdown pitches. "Brian Kenny told Dibble, 'Now make sure you say on TV what you said today in the meeting.' 'Don't worry' Dibble said. 'I will.' 'No, you won't,' Kenny said." (pg. 205). What is it? Say it or don't. This is typical of a fair amount of the book. Including the editing problems there are many factual errors. For instance he writes if Bill Buckner had not made the error and thrown out Mookie Wilson in game six of the 1986 World Series the game would have gone into extra innings (pg. 221 No. 8). The game was already in the 10th inning. Makes me wonder what other errors there are. If Kurkjian had been a baseball player writing his memoirs I'd be more forgiving. However he is a credentialed journalist, his job is to make write accurate , well written accounts of events.
For pure enjoyment of telling baseball stories, where accuracy may not be needed or wanted, you'll enjoy this book. Worth going to the library to check out.

Simply put, this is the best book about baseball that I have ever read. It kept me coming back for more. Kurkjian has a subtle tonque in cheek way of writing that make this book simply a joy to read. And to answer his question, yes it is the best game ever invented IMHO."PLAY BALL!!"

I like Tim Kurkjian. I listen to him on Mike & Mike in the Morning on ESPN radio. I see him on Baseball Tonight. He seems like an imminently likable guy. And, like another reviewer, I really wanted to like this book. I'd put off reading Game of Shadows until this summer and I thought, "What better book to read about the good side of baseball after reading about the, well, shadowy side of baseball of Barry Bonds and others cheating via steroids?"

That said, I tried three times to finish this book but just couldn't do it. The stories are just too rah-rah, sis-boom-bah for me.

Kurkjian clearly loves what he does and some of his stories are great. But others, whether they are true or not although I have no reason to doubt the gist of them, are just silly. For example, with a child's gleam Kurkjian goes on about how intensely competitive Cal Ripken, Jr. is; he's so competitive, in fact, that during his Iron Man streak he challenged steep steps in single bounds at the risk of turning an ankle and therefore ruining his consecutive-game streak. I'm not sure this story is one to be admired. Other stories include players that risk injury "for the love of the game." I shouldn't tell Ripken or any professional ballplayer what to do; my point is that Kurkjian's stories are so glossy that he fails to look objectively sometimes. Some of the stories of greatness could easily qualify the player for a diagnosis of OCD.

But then, maybe that's why I'm a schmuck and Kurkjian is on TV and Ripken's a Hall-of-Famer.

This is a great book to read, especially if you are a baseball fan. Tim Kurkjian is a very likeable writer and it shows in his writing. When reading his book it makes you feel like you are having a one on one personal conversation with him. It changes the whole aspect of the book because of how it is written. Recommend it to anyone!

If you like baseball you can't find a better book than this. Great, I mean GREAT baseball stories fill this book. What a fun read--and probably a terrific Fathers Day gift.

This book has as many misses as hits. I bought the Kindle version, which didn't seem to be edited. It had numerous punctuation errors. Most of the text was flat and forgettable, pretty much the same old stuff you can find in dozens of other books. Among the misses, the chapter on the "funny" side of baseball was filled with truly, truly unfunny stuff. Andy Van Slyke was quoted extensively, and I'm sorry, but a comic genius he is not. As for the hits: The chapter on major league scouts was exceptional. It was the one part of the book where you felt you really had an insider's perspective. Kirkjian is a veteran writer, with more than 30 years experience as a beat reporter and MLB correspondent. This book could have and should have been much better.

I really enjoy Tim on ESPN and on the radio; thus, I was eager to read this book. While entertaining in spots, it reads like one long stream of conscience starting with the many things Tim finds fascinating in the game (many with which I agree) and then deteriorating into a diatribe/rant on how kids should be more effectively taught the game and his list of pet peeves. At the end of the book, he credits the editor but I didn't get the sense the book had, in fact, been edited: typos, nonsensical sentences due to inadvertent duplication of words or dropping of verbs, etc. I pushed through the book because I had already bought it but I'd advise others to pass on this one. Sad effort by a good writer.

Tim Kurkjian had a name and face I recognized from a few appearances on ESPN but I really didn't know much about him until this book. Now, if I hear Kurkjian is going to be on shortly to talk baseball, I keep the channel where it is because I don't want to miss what he has to say. Suddenly, he was my favorite baseball commentator.

Not only is Kurkjian totally honest, but he's insightful, really knows the game, has a lot of common sense, and with this little kid-squeaky voice, he's fun to hear. There's only one thing better: this book, in which almost every page is entertaining, filled with short stories.

The more you love baseball, the more you'll enjoy this book and the author, who isn't afraid to say anything that pokes fun at himself, such as being such a statistics nerd. I mean, who else has clipped out all the boxscores of baseball games and kept them in a book for 30-plus years?

There is hardly a topic he doesn't discuss in here, from weird players to steroids. Some of the topics are ones I have never read elsewhere, such as ballplayers dealing with fear when coming to the plate, just like Little Leaguers. Still, most of the book is humorous and I lost count how many times I laughed out loud.

Kurkjian is someone who obviously loves his job, talking and writing about baseball.....and it shows on every page..