SMALLS TALK: Terry Francona on Baseball Tonight



Kurkjian can't even watch.


I love Terry Francona. I think he's a great manager and an even better guy.  I agree that it was time for him to part ways with the Red Sox, but his managerial career at Fenway will be argued as the best of all-time for years to come. As a broadcaster, however...

To put it delicately: the guy needs work. Alright forget delicate - I'd rather watch an NIT play-in game than listen to Tito interact with the rest of the Baseball Tonight crew.

Tito displayed his "gee, gosh" fumbling way of speaking and his funny voice over the countless interviews of his career, and the baseball world ate it up. What a down to earth guy... A real player's manager!... I'd love to play for a guy like that! ... And yes, that's all great and true, but not once did I hear a Tito presser and think: "Professional broadcasting, here he comes!"

Again, I like Francona, I really do, but it's downright painful to listen to him sometimes. He just feels so out of place, the second-hand embarrassment can get unbearable. He's that uncomfortable even-my-colleagues-know-I-stink level of bad. Every time he speaks, Karl Ravech's face reads, "Is this guy frickin kidding me? Do we pay him?" And the best part is, he doesn't even try to hide it.

Now maybe I'm being a little rough on Tito. I realize he's new to this gig, and the regular season has not yet even begun, but at this point I honestly expect more. This is his job now, after all. This is his profession - shouldn't he have had to display some qualifications before getting hired? (Aside from achieving success as a manager and being a good guy, of course.) But then again, what are Shannon Sharpe's broadcasting credentials - a Windsor tie knot the size of a New York pizza slice?

SMALLS TALK: Tim Kurkjian is a Man Among Boys

Tim Kurkjian is total baseball geek- and I mean that with the utmost respect. This guy is a human encyclopedia on all things baseball- even Hall of Famer Peter Gammons has been heard crediting Timmy as the most knowledgeable baseball person he knows. Having never played a second of competitive baseball after high school, TK has cemented himself as the go-to guy in the world of baseball media. Quite frankly, TK plays chess while everyone else is playing checkers.

Surrounded by former MLB stars and managers on the Baseball Tonight stage, Kurkjian is able to hold his own through research, experience, and love of the game. He is the definition of 'Stat Rat'- there's not a quirky stat out there he doesn't know, it's borderline embarrassing. Do you know Griffey's lifetime batting average during day games on turf after seeing a first pitch fastball? Kukjian does.

And 'Kurk Gems'- his segment on Baseball Tonight- is simply can't-miss television. Kurkijian uses about five minutes every week to cover the records, firsts, and otherwise strange happenings that occurred in the world of baseball over the previous seven days- bombarding you with so much useless knowledge and countless irrelevant stats that you can't even see straight. I once heard him go on a passionate rant about sacrifice flies- sacrifice flies! He was practically giddy discussing the numbers and record-holders of this rather unexciting, routine play- a topic that he claimed was his favorite to discuss. That's when you know you love baseball.

And it's that passion and hard work that has gotten this guy to where he is today. Little Tim Kurkjian has taken his love for baseball and become one of the most respected baseball personalities in the country. He has given hope to all unathletic pencil-necks out there who have a passion for sports. I like to think of him as baseball's more knowledgeable and likeable version of the NFL's John Clayton- too harsh? 

Timmy K, he's the best.

Book Shoutout: Is This a Great Game, or What? by Tim Kurkjian - 272 pages of Kurk Gems baby!

*I heard that while doing research for a story, Kurkjian spent a day in Big League camp and actually wasn't half bad.

SMALLS TALK Series
Baseball Movie All-Star Game: Starting Lineups
Walk-Out Music
Pre-Draft Medical Questionnaires
The Ryan Howard Namesake
The Magic of the Rally
Jeter and A-Rod, How Times Have Changed
Summer Leagues - Cape Still Cream of the Crop?
SportsCenter Commercials are Better Than Most Shows
Schilling's Bloody Sock
Red Sox Nation Goes Crazy, JD Drew Can't Be Bothered
Minor League Hats are the Way to Go
Who Has the Best Uniforms in College Baseball?