I'm Fascinated by Sacrifice Flies: Inside the Game We All Love

by Tim Kurkjian, George F. Will (Foreword)

Hilarious and insightful tales from the world of professional baseball by ESPN baseball analyst Tim KurkjianThe New York Times Bestseller!In the aftermath of the Steroid Era that stained the game of baseball, at a time when so many players are so rich and therefore have a sense of entitlement that they haven't earned, ESPN baseball commentator Tim Kurkjian shows readers how to love the game more than ever, with incredible insight and stories that are hilarious, heartbreaking, and revealing.From what Pete Rose was doing in the batting cage a few minutes after getting out of prison, to why everyone strikes out these days and why no one seems to care, I'm Fascinated By Sacrifice Flies will surprise even longtime baseball fans. Tim explains the fear factor in the game, and what it feels like to get hit by a pitch; Adam LaRoche wanted to throw up in the batter's box. He examines the game's Eliot Johnson's choice of bubble gum, a poker chip in Sean Burnett's back pocket. He unearths the unwritten rules of the game, takes readers inside ESPN, and reveals how Tony Gwynn made baseball so much more fun to watch.And, of course, Tim will explain to readers why he is fascinated by sacrifice flies.

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Nonfiction, Essays

253 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 3, 2016

Reviews

[Brina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every year on July 4th I attempt to finish a book distinctly American whether it be about the bald eagle or a kids’ book celebrating America’s birthday, which is one of my favorites. There is nothing more American than baseball says the 1950s commercial “baseball, hotdogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet.” I live for baseball season, opening day being hope springs eternal every year, every team having an equal chance to win. But why do I love baseball? At this point it is inherent but if I were to quantify my love for the game, I’m unsure if I could. It’s the elevated train and walk to a ballpark, the distinct smells, and old school pa announcer reminding me to get those pencils and scorecards ready. Maybe I can’t quantify my love of baseball, but longtime ESPN reporter Tim Kurkjian attempts to just that as he regales his fans with stories from the last fifty years.

Kurkjian began his career as a writer for the Baltimore Sun. He wrote when the Orioles were one of the best teams in baseball during the late 1970s. The 1979 team went to the World Series and the 1980 team had four twenty game winners under the tutelage of gifted manager Earl Weaver. He could have filled a book with stories just about his time covering these teams and there are many anecdotes, but this book is about a love affair with baseball, not with the Orioles. It is about the rare stat line or why unknown players have a good time and achieve glory whereas hall of famers might never hit for the cycle or pitch a no hitter in twenty years. Being around baseball for over forty years will enable one to reach that intimacy and Kurkjian has a lifetime of stories to tell us. I could only sit back for the ride.

This book views 2014 as present and a lot has happened since then to the point of being dated. A pitch clock- current. Shifts- gone. Strikeouts- they were out of control ten years ago but due to banning the shift and the pitch clock, those are down. Kurkjian saved every box score from every game for a twenty year period from 1990-2009. He would review them en route to his assignments and be able to pull out a quirk to his viewers like 6547 or 900015 and think it is the coolest thing ever. Neediness aside, it takes perseverance to save box scores for that long, and he noted it was time to quit when newspapers went digital. The next year, a fan mailed him a giant box score from a Texas Rangers 30-3 victory, and Kurkjian thought it was the coolest thing ever. Fans like myself respect him as a reporter because of the preparedness but also because of these quirks that he calls Quirkjians. There is even a chapter devoted to these rare stats that will probably never pop up in baseball again.

There is a chapter devoted to baseball players’ superstitions, mentioning Turk Wendell’s idiosyncratic tendencies from thirty years ago. Players chew the same gum or wear the same clothes for each game if it means helping their team win. I get it: during the cubs World Series run everyone in my house had to sit on the same part of the couch for each game and eat the same brand of tortilla chips. The players make our quirks look like child’s play. There’s a chapter on score keeping and another one on why Kurkjian indeed loves sacrifice flies, causing his colleagues at ESPN to crack up every time. I can’t stand sacrifice flies if only that it means that it’s an out instead of a hit. Kurkjian dispels this myth and even cites a game won by the Cleveland Indians where every run batted in was via the sacrifice fly. I remember this game for its quirkiness and thought at the time how bad a team had to be if that is the only way they could drive in runs. This is what sets Kurkjian apart from other reporters, finding the little things about baseball and explaining to average and not so average fans what makes it great.

Kurkjian says the game is in good hands today. This was nearly ten years ago and the verdict is still out on that one. The pitch clock- i can’t stand it. I love how baseball is not timed. Getting rid of the shift- love it. Sabermetrics was getting to the point of ruining baseball. I hope baseball is in good hands. There are always kids coming up from the minors to play the game and leave their mark. I just hope that Kurkjian is around for another half century or so to report on it because there is nothing more inherently American than this great game that I love.

4.5 stars

[Mark Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best baseball book you will read this year and probably the best baseball book you will read until Tim writes another one in 5 years.

The book is simply a collection of stories and anecdotes, linked by common themes, filled with little details, designed to perk an emotion or two (you'll laugh or cry). The best chapter in the book is Tim's obituaries for some of his favorite (now-deceased) people he's met along the way in covering baseball.

To borrow a phrase from Bryce Harper: It's people like Tim Kurkjian who are making baseball fun ... not again, but always.

[Diz · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are some interesting baseball stories in this book, but it is in serious need of some editing. There doesn't seem to be any organization of the stories, so it comes across as a random collection of baseball stories. To make matters worse, stories frequently repeat--sometimes even in the same chapter.

[mitchell dwyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tim Kurkjian is my favorite person in baseball. There is nobody else in the wide landscape of sports commentary more knowledgeable, passionate, mystified, articulate, or amused by the game, and he is regularly cited as the person at ESPN most beloved by his colleagues. To hear him speak of the game, in either tree or forest view, is to be reminded of the boyish reverence many of us had as youngsters and to temper our sentimentality with the reality of millionaires playing a game in a park.

It’s far too easy to become cynical about professional sports, and baseball in particular, but Kurkjian refuses to go there, even while confronting the disheartening truths any honest fan faces. What I love most about him is the seriousness with which he talks about the game in its own context, while keeping the game in the larger context of real life. In I’m Fascinated by Sacrifice Flies, he begins with a treatise on why baseball is the best game, then follows it with chapters about how difficult it is, how tough the players are, the poetic and musical sounds of the game at the major league level, and other particular interests he has in the game’s deepest crevices.

Much of the book is delivered in quick hits of curious anecdotes: a quick item about a peculiar game’s finish, followed by something funny Buck Showalter once said, followed by a little-known fact about Fenway Park. Some of those quick hits are great:

The Phillies in the 1960s had shortstop Bobby Wine and second baseman Cookie Rojas, a period known as the Days of Wine and Rojas.

Infielder Craig Counsell played parts of sixteen years in the major leagues despite looking like a librarian.

To not look at the data is foolish, but to look at the data as having all the answers is even more foolish. It is a collision of new-school statistics and statisticians against old-school managers, coaches, and instructors. Neither side is right, neither is wrong; there is so much to be gained from listening to both sides.

However, it pains me to say this because there are few things I enjoy in my media consumption more than listening to Kurkjian talk about baseball, but while each little story is fascinating, as grouped together in this collection, they are not very good reading. They lack the rhythm and flow of good baseball writing, which at its best mimics the rising and receding action of a good baseball game. Sloppy editing exacerbates the problem.

There are exceptions. The chapters on superstition and baseball’s idiotic “unwritten rules” are much better structured, with nice progressions of thought and more reflective commentary. Especially strong is his “Obits” chapter, in which he pays tribute to the late Tony Gwynn, Don Zimmer, Earl Weaver, and Mike Flanagan, and I enjoyed an entire chapter about the inside look at the official scoring of baseball, an aspect of the game seldom covered in baseball books.

Tim Kurkjian is famous for being able to recite such painstakingly specific lists at his top ten shortstops in history, or his ten best Yankees of all time. I can relate to his geekiness, for I’ve spent quite a bit of time composing and revising my own lists. Alas, although this is a decent read with a plus fastball and a crippling curve, it has trouble establishing a rhythm and it gets too distracted by the runner at first. It won’t be cracking my list of top ten baseball books.

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

(I got about half way through then skimmed a couple other chapters) The 12 year old me would have loved this book. So would the 22 year old me. 30 years later and it's a whole lot different. I still enjoy baseball, I still enjoy good baseball stories. But I'm tired of reading about sports players that act like 12 year olds. Silly superstitions, pranks, how great they are compared to non-players, blah, blah, blah. Who cares. Plus, the editing in this book is horrendous. For example, he quotes a couple players named Baker (John, Dusty) at times. But there are some chapters where he won't mention their first name at all and then suddenly it's "...said Baker". Which one? Anyway, if you're 12 or 22 or care about sports/celebrities you'll enjoy this book.

[Michael Parkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a joy to read. Had to intentionally put it down from time to time so that I could savor it. More than a few passages essentially reflected specific conversations I had with my dad growing up. Fun to read, fun to reminisce.

[Paul Legere · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lot of great stories but sadly not a great book. Savagely bad editing. Multiple stories repeated in some cases within a few pages. Love Kurkjian but didn't love the book.

[Tom Barber · Rating 3 out of 5]

When you say, "Tim Kurkjian loves baseball," it is a complete understatement. I love baseball. Tim's on a completely different level. This is a book of stories about baseball. There are LOTS of stories and typically they are just a few sentences long. They are enjoyable, sometimes amazing stories, and fun to read.
So, yes, I enjoyed reading this book. What the book is not, however, is memorable. It's kind of like reading those "Amusing Anecdotes" in Readers Digest. Also, most of the stories are from about one 6-10 year period in baseball history, which is not enough, in my opinion. Those quirky little stats in baseball are fun, but when you read a bunch of them in a row, you understand why non baseball fans roll their eyes when a baseball fan tells them the amazing thing that had never happened in a game UNTIL yesterday!!!
I don't mean to be overly negative, because I did enjoy the book. I'm simply justifying my three star rating. There are too many GREAT baseball books for this one to get four or five stars.

[Chris Heim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a charmingly-written insider's look at pro baseball by one of it's most self-deprecating and devout enthusiasts, Rockville (MD) native Tim Kurkjian. He'd be the first to tell you that he's not a "writer", per se, but he is a good storyteller with a sense of humor and an abundance of material. Interviews with ballplayers from the past 20 years, in particular, help push each unique chapter forwards. I wouldn't categorize this as a "must read" (it might be more of a 3.5 stars book, were that an option), even for baseball fans, but if you love America's pastime and have read many of the classics of this genre, then you might enjoy this more recent addition, a quick and enjoyable read.

[Patrick Bowlby · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you give me a book of baseball oddities and stats, I will devour it in a few days every single time.

[Chuck Barber · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Barnes & Noble, looking for a beach read, I stumbled across this book. I knew Tim Kurkjian from Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN and always his self-deprecating height comments and goofy baseball knowledge…the “all fish team” anyone? (Mike Trout, Chris Bassett “C Bass,” etc.). This book is more of that. There’s a chapter on getting hit by a pitch. Spoiler alert: It really hurts, but you can’t let the pitcher know. How he keeps that interesting for 20 pages, I don’t know.

I now know that we probably saw a “Quirkjian” in April in Atlanta (vs. Marlins) when both lead off hitters homered on the first pitch! That hasn’t happened since????

Extra points for the Skip Bertman reference and numerous comments from Lance Berkman!

Perfect book for reading by the pool.

[Len Knighton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tim Kurkjian is a fellow native Marylander, but I have mixed feelings about this book. I learned a lot from reading his book but I found some errors. There were also some facts that I think should have been included in the book; maybe they were but were edited out.

My attention was immediately focused on something I often don’t read, the Forward of a book. In this case, it was written by George Will, an avid baseball fan. He mentioned a book I read about sixty years ago: THE THINKING MAN’S GUIDE TO BASEBALL by Leonard Koppett, and its first and only word in its first paragraph: FEAR. Will goes on to write,
“Sentimentalists may speak of ballplayers as ‘boys of summer’ but in fact they are men, and their work is dangerous. They are, as Tim says, ‘hard men playing a hard game.’
I very much appreciated this comment. For years I have heard commentators and fans speak of baseball as a child’s game played by overpaid men. It has been my contention for years that baseball is an adult game revised so that children could play it. Kurkjian addressed this near the end of the book.

The chapter SOUNDS OF THE GAME, from the mound in this case, hit home and is connected to the word FEAR. After playing Little League baseball for four seasons, I tried out for the teener team. It was the first time that I heard the ball coming toward me. FEAR immediately came back to me; I didn't make the team.

Instead of using nine quotations to illustrate the sound of a pitched ball, I think the chapter would have been enhanced if Kurkjian had used a story that was recorded in a record album celebrating Baseball’s one hundredth anniversary in 1969. The story is told by what we would call “an old timer,” (unidentified) about his first at bat against Washington Senators great Walter Johnson,
“The first time up I thought I was in a beehive. I heard three buzzes and the umpire said ‘You’re out.’ Just like three bees flying by. Buzz Buzz Buzz.”

In telling his readers about his fascination with sacrifice flies, Kurkjian omitted a little item that may never come into play but could make or break a record thought to be unbreakable. That record is Joe DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak, set in 1941. Kurkjian would find this box score line intriguing: 0-3-0-1; no at bats, three runs, no hits, one RBI. I exaggerated the numbers a bit, and one could interpret these numbers in at least three ways. In the context of a hitting streak, a streak would continue if every plate appearance resulted in a base on balls and/or a hit by pitch. But we are also looking at sacrifice flies and that would explain the RBI. It would also end the streak.

Kurkjian tells a story about Ken Griffey, Jr. and of his first time in the batting cage at the Kingdome after he had been drafted with the first overall pick by the Seattle Mariners,
“Most 18-year-olds would be nervous hitting in a big-league park in front of big leaguers, but Griffey was so talented, he was hitting line drives all over the field as he was carrying on a conversation with the media.” What Kurkjian does not mention is that Griffey is the son of Ken Griffey, Sr. who played for the Cincinnati Reds during some of their greatest years. Griffey, Sr. later played for the New York Yankees and the Atlanta Braves during his son’s growing-up years. He was with the Braves when Junior was drafted by the Mariners. I believe it is likely that Junior had a few batting practice sessions, perhaps at Riverfront Stadium but also in Atlanta, that his first time batting at the Kingdome was not his first in a major-league park.

Chapter 11, titled OBITS, was particularly touching. I met Earl Weaver, one of four baseball personalities highlighted, at the 1992 Orioles Fantasy Camp in Sarasota, Florida. A picture of us is prominently displayed in my bedroom.

Another of the four, Tony Gwynn, died much too early, age 54 from cancer. Kurkjian writes of Gwynn’s first hit, a double in 1982 against the Philles. In the same paragraph, he wrote,
“Gwynn didn’t become only the all-time hit leader, he became the best hitter since Ted Williams,…”
Gwynn did not become the all-time hit leader; Pete Rose still holds that honor.
Kurkjian wrote in the next paragraph,
“The day he was inducted into the Hall of Fame with Cal Ripken --- how appropriate is that?---…” Kurkjian does not explain why he thought this appropriate. Perhaps it is because Ripken had announced his retirement nine days before Gwynn; both were presented with the Commissioner’s Historic Achievement Award by Commissioner Bud Selig at the All Star Game; both played their entire careers with just one team; both were elected in their first year of eligibility; both appeared on Wheaties boxes. (a box with Ripken’s picture is in my den.)
Kurkjian does mention the attendance record at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony, but he does not tell us that it tripled the old record.

Don Zimmer and Mike Flanagan were the others profiled in the OBITS chapter. Kurkjian tells us of a story Flanagan told concerning the last Orioles game at Memorial Stadium, October 6, 1991. (Cal Ripken would retire exactly ten years later.) What Kurkjian does not tell us is that with one out in the top of the ninth inning, with the Orioles hopelessly behind, the sellout crowd, of which I was one of over fifty thousand there, chanted for manager Johnny Oates to bring Flanagan out of the bullpen to finish the inning. Oates did and Flanagan was lustily cheered as he walked in from the left field bullpen. He struck out the last two Tigers hitters.

Some sections in the book remind me of Yogi Berra’s response to the firing of long-time Yankees play-by-play voice Mel Allen in 1964: “Too many words.”

Four stars waning

[Vaughn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Kurkjian is always an enjoyable read or listen. I find this collections of anecdotes from his years observing Major League Baseball to be interesting and entertaining. There isn't really a theme to the book - it seemed like a collection of radio snippets and humorous recollections. But as always I admire his ability to put together names, places, numbers, etc. and create a narrative that engages and invites further consideration.

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some interesting tidbits, but overall too scattered. Anecdotes are sparse in their interesting detail, and the same handful of players come up over and over again. Adam Dunn should get a commission off this book since half of it is terrible quotes from him. I know Kurkjian loves the game, but he does not do a great job having his love jump off the page.

[Greg Zimmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I agree with Kurkjian: Baseball IS the best game. A fun read.

[Ken Heard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tim Kurkjian is the ultimate baseball fan in that he is geeky to the point of clipping box scores out of newspapers and keeping them in notebooks. Who didn't do that? I did. But when I was about 12. His enthusiasm for the game at his age is heartening and good.

He has scores of anecdotes to highlight his fascination with the obscure of baseball, including the sac flies reference. He also has fun with players' names, showing examples of odd pitcher and catcher combos, along with teammates, etc. It's a fun read.

However, and many have noted this in reviews here, there is some repetitiveness here. Some of the stories appear again almost in exact context in the same chapter. At first, I thought I had read an anecdote in a review of the book, or in the preface, or having skimmed through the book earlier. Instead, it is the same story again. He also uses the same player a lot for different chapters RE: Adam Dunn. It's like he saved all his notes taken while covering games during his career, filed them under players' names and then pulled them out for this book. Still, the access he has and the stories he shared are worth reading.

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have never seen or heard Tim Kurkjian on television, then you won't get some of the book. And I highly doubt you're a big baseball fan. Tim is one of the most well known baseball analysts, and it's no wonder he is fascinated by sacrifice flies.

There are some redundant facts and figures in the first part of the book. He simply repeats things almost word for word.

The personal stories are interesting to read, but the heart of the book is in the overall discussion about the game. My favorite baseball books are those which make you think twice about conventional baseball wisdom... This book has a few chapters that do that.

Quirkjians and Box Scores were two chapters I had to read slowly, because the numbers and field situations required thinking about what was really going on. Reading about rare event after rare event takes time to process mentally and visualize how it happened.

I enjoyed the entirety of the book, but if you aren't a baseball nut, it's probably boring in multiple chapters. This is Tim Kurkjian after all; one of the biggest baseball nuts out there.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an entertaining book on baseball full of amusing anecdotes and tales of major league baseball.

It is a fun book to read here and there on a lazy day.

Now, when I first picked it up, I was looking for a book on baseball full of insights only the most knowledgeable of this sport knew, but this book is not quite that. Kurkjian mentions numerous people with that ability, but rather than provide that sort of context, he instead offers well-researched factoids and tales that were not a disappointment.

Kurkjian breaks up chapters in the book to describe different aspects of baseball. For example, one chapter is on the unwritten rules of baseball and another on strikeouts and so on.

It is an enjoyable book.

[Chris Roundhill · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very fun memoir from a very positive mind in the baseball stratosphere. Lots of fun anecdotes, quotes and stories from all corners of baseball and covering a good number of subjects on the field, off the field, modern, and historical. Tim's book is hilarious. I found myself laughing out loud multiple times, something I haven't done in a long time with a book. Some topics have already dated themselves a tad. I skimmed through a chapter on unwritten rules because that topic the conversation on that topic has evolved in a post-Tatis world. But otherwise, the conversation and stories are as timeless as the Great American Pastime itself. Baseball fans of all kinds will find something new and enjoyable in this book.

[Chuck Neumann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tim Kurkjian's "I'm fascinated by sacrifice flies" is a fun book going over some aspects of baseball that you might not think that much about. One area he covered was the fear factor, while baseball is not considered a contact sport getting hit by a 95 mile per hour hardball is far more dangerous that getting tackled in football with pads and protective gear on. Also discussed were how difficult the game is, superstitions, unwritten rules, sacrifice flies (of course) and box scores. Tim uses many players for his humorous stories covering these subjects. I strongly recommend this book for any baseball fan. Not a classic like "Baseball is a Funny Game", but very good indeed.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a true baseball nerd's dream book. Full of fantastic stats and amazing stories from Tim. When Tim spoke at our SABR Chapter meeting earlier this month, he talked for over two hours about baseball. I could have listened to him for two weeks on the same topic. Tim really knows baseball and has met many of the stars and architects of the game. The book is chock full of fantastic stories from Buck Showalter's tips on picking a perfect draft pick to the (mostly crazy) superstitions of the players of today. A must read for the baseball geek and for someone wo truly loves the game of baseball.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tim Kurkjian's book was the first baseball book of my annual "baseball studies" that I do every spring in anticipation of the baseball season. (I'm a huge dork; I get it). I usually read 3 baseball books or so a year and this was a nice, easy read to get started. Kurkjian's breezes through a lot of stories from former players and managers on unwritten rules, today's high strike-out rates, and statistical oddities in the game throughout its history. The book doesn't focus on one topic for too long, so be prepared for it moving rather quickly from topic to topic which is the reason for my three-star rating. Check it out to get fired up for baseball season!

[Keegan Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a love letter to baseball and this review is a love letter to this book. Tim Kurkjian finds a way to talk about the other things of baseball. We all know the stats and typical stories. He makes it fresh, which is a remarkable feat considering how old baseball is. He talks the sounds, smells, and superstitions, making you feel like you’re at a ballpark on every page. I had a hard time each time I had to put it down, as I just wanted to continue learning and reminiscing on the names he includes. Makes you want to talk baseball with Mr. Kurkjian even more than you probably already wanted to.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a collection of mostly short anecdotes, strung together chapters that are theoretically focused ("hit by pitch," etc.) but not always. You can pick it up and read it for a while for an off season baseball fix, but I couldn't seem to stick with it, so I eventually stopped reading it.

There are plenty of baseball books that are largely a bunch of stories and they often work for me, but this one didn't. Perhaps the flow was too choppy, the typical stories too short? I'm not going to worry about it; on to the next book.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Tim's enthusiasm and passion for the game of baseball when he is on Baseball Tonight, and the same vibes come through in this book. What is also evident in the book is the mutual respect that the players, managers and other baseball luminaries referenced in the book have for Tim. Great anecdotes, wacky facts and conversations illustrate and help Tim make a case that baseball is the hardest sport to play. If you love baseball you will love this book.

[Chandler · Rating 2 out of 5]

Skip the Foreword. It is mostly just quotations from the first couple of chapters. It felt like I was rereading the same things (because I was).

This book is written in a stream of consciousness style. There isn't a lot of continuity; it's just Kurkjian's thoughts about different topics. There are some interesting tidbits and funny stories, and I feel like I got a little glimpse into Tim Kurkjian's mind. It's a quick read. I don't think I'll ever pick it up again though.

[Diener · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had to bail on this one before the 100 page mark. First time something like that has ever happened to me with respect to a baseball book. I like Tim Kurkjian as a TV and radio personality and appreciate his passion for the game. But this book was little more than a collection of quotes from ballplayers about various aspects of the game. I expected more from a legitimate print journalist. Sadly disappointing.

[Brett Healy · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a Baltimore native and orioles fan hearing the stories and perspectives from a Baltimore sports writer was fascinating and fun, however for someone not as well versed in baseball history or the Baltimore area may find it a little bit less entertaining. Aditionally, the players names(A lot of different players are mentioned and one may not know them all) can get confusing. Overall a fun and entertaining read.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable but in serious need of editing and organization. Kirkjian's love of baseball is contagious and an apt backdrop while watching the sorry politics and dysfunction of the current Red Sox; their behavior diminishes the starry eyed text Kirkjian espouses. Still, I was able to chuckle with fondness and appreciate this book.

[Joey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fantastic annecdotes, and I do love me some Timmy Kurkijan, but the style of the book, just 300 pages of single paragraph anecdotes, one after another in rapid succession, just wore me down. Not sure how I would have done it differently, and I did enjoy the book, just not my favorite method of delivery.