Hall of Famer Tim Kurkjian Makes Highly-Anticpated Return to Shirley Povich Field

Team photo with Tim Kurkjian by Mark Thalman

ROCKVILLE, Md. - MLB Hall of Fame journalist Tim Kurkjian made his highly-anticipated return to Shirley Povich Field on Thursday. Right in front of the Shirley Povich and Walter Johnson statues, the ESPN analyst hosted his podcast episode with his son, Jeff Kurkjian, Is This a Great Game, or What? 

Tim Kurkjian explained that his dad taught him everything he knows about baseball. His dad loved baseball statistics. In addition to helping learn how to play the game, his dad would sit with him just going over the baseball encyclopedia. 

“I grew up in a house where baseball was the primary language," Kurkjian said. “I have loved this game as far back as I can remember, and it’s all because of my father.”

The longtime writer grew up in Maryland and attended Walter Johnson High School before attending the University of Maryland. When he entered college, Tim Kurkjian knew his playing days were numbered. He even admitted that he “was a terrible writer” when he was in high school. 

“My mother was a great writer, so the writing gene was inside of me,” Kurkjian said. “I just had to pull it out.”

The Hall of Fame writer compared writing to playing shortstop. He needed to write as much as possible just like a shortstop needs to take a million ground balls in order to improve.

Kurkjian has his own plaque on the wall. Founder Bruce Adams and the Big Train have named the media interns after Kurkjian, as the program is the Tim Kurkjian Journalism Fellowship. In addition to speaking with both the Big Train and Southern Maryland Senators, Kurkjian sat down with all seven of the media fellows. 

“You have to go and ask people questions,” Kurkjian said as his main advice. “Be curious, keep your eyes and ears open and ask as many questions as you can.”

Tim Kurkjian in the Big Train pregame team circle by Mark Thalman

On his podcast, the UMD alum discussed how he remembers chasing after foul balls at the Shirley Povich Field. Kurkjian also dipped his toe in the media landscape, as he would be the public address announcer for when the Industrial League played games at the field. Jeff Kurkjian discussed how he used to have birthday parties at the field growing up. Tim Kurkjian still can’t believe the Big Train has interns with his own name in their title. 

“It’s staggering. I still haven’t gotten my head around that,” Kurkjian said. “I am unbelievably honored that Bruce [Adams] would arrange this. Nothing is more important to me than helping a kid move along in their career.”

Kurkjian hosted Adams on the podcast episode. Adams talked about how he wanted to raise money to build baseball fields for kids, which led to the idea of hosting a college summer ball team. Kurkjian praised Adams and his work. It is a significant reason the journalist has made an effort to revisit the ballpark and talk with the Big Train’s newest players every year. 

“Somebody has to explain to them just how good they are,” Kurkjian said of his message to the players. “They are really good, and someone needs to make sure they know that.”

Tim Kurkjian talking to the Big Train by Mark Thalman

Kurkjian looked back on his illustrious baseball career. He has covered every World Series since 1981. Of all the fall classics he’s covered, there is one that he covered when he was at Sports Illustrated that will always stand out to him. 

“The 1991 World Series between the Twins and the Braves [was a highlight],” Kurkjian said. “The first six games were tremendous. Then game seven we get 1-0 in 10 innings, and Jack Morris pitches a shutout. That would never happen today. The level of excitement was unbelievable. I couldn’t sit still.”

As a Maryland native, another one of Kurkjian's favorite moments was when Cal Ripken Jr. broke the consecutive games streak for the Baltimore Orioles. 

“I could tell you hours worth of stories,” Kurkjian said about that game. “That night was more than baseball.” 

Tim Kurkjian (left) speaking with Sal Colangelo (middle) by Mark Thalman

Kurkjian is incredibly thankful for the career he has had and loves that he still gets to pursue his passion. If it were up to him, there might only be one other job that he would've liked to have had. 

“Other than maybe the shortstop of the Orioles, I have the greatest job in the world," Kurkjian said. "I’m just the luckiest guy in the world to have been there for all of that stuff.”

Click HERE for the link to the full podcast episode. The first and final nine minutes are focused on the Bethesda Big Train. Adams is on the podcast for the final nine minutes of the episode.