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

~ (Author) "At is the best game..." (more)
Key Phrases: funniest game, stealing signs, scouting director, World Series, Red Sox, Hall of Fame (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

ESPN commentator Kurkjian waxes nostalgic about baseball and his career covering the major leagues. Much in the style of a broadcaster's chatter during a game or the baseball notes columns in newspaper sports pages, Kurkjian peppers the reader with a succession of stories, many no longer than a paragraph. He argues that baseball is the "ultimate skill sport," far superior to football, basketball and all other sports, as well as being the game where players have the most fear of being hurt (by the ball, in this case). He goes on to say that baseball is the funniest game, its stats are the most significant, it has the best preseason, and it is the best game for kids. His rapid-fire stories in support of baseball deification sometimes come at an ad nauseam pace, but there are many entertaining ones in the bunch, including a player who confused the words "erudite" and "hermaphrodite" and another player who brought a live ostrich into a team meeting. His chapters on scouts, stats and spring training are among the best, while the behind-the-scenes chapter about ESPN's Baseball Tonight will be too much insider baseball for most readers. For a book that covers almost all angles of the major leagues, Kurkjian writes only briefly in his final chapter about the recent steroids scandals, a glaring oversight when discussing the modern game. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Kurkjian, who has covered major-league baseball for 25 years, was the little kid with a million baseball cards who couldn't play a lick, but he found a career in the game anyway. This is a collection of mostly humorous anecdotes collected on the baseball beat, but the standout chapter is a serious examination of the element of fear in the game. A baseball traveling at the speed it does--either pitched or hit--can do considerable damage when it comes in contact with an unprotected body part. Kurkjian interviewed many players who have sustained serious injuries when hit by a ball. Some recover physically but not mentally. Others overcome the fear but can't compensate for permanently altered vision. Kurkjian also has a wonderful chapter on baseball's unsung heroes, the scouts, underpaid lifers who travel thousands of backroad miles per year to find the next-best version of Mickey Mantle or Roger Clemens. Kurkjian is a fine writer who absolutely loves his work. Even as they savor every word, readers will be jealous: Why can't we love our jobs as much as this guy does? Wes Lukowsky
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press (May 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312362234
• ISBN-13: 978-0312362232
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #338,099 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Is this a great book or what?, May 4, 2007

By	Peter A. Henderson "A Partisan Reviewer" (Pomona, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great read, but could have been better, July 9, 2007

By	Craig (Ohio) - See all my reviews

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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW!!! What a fun ride., July 22, 2007

By	William G. Straub "Bill" (Silver Spring, MD) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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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!!"