Maryland graduate (1978) and current ESPN reporter Tim Kurkjian spoke to a crowd of about 200 people at the University of Maryland Alumni Center.
Kurkjian, most famous for his work for "Baseball Tonight" on ESPN as well his contributions to ESPN flagship program "Sportscenter" as an MLB reporter, spoke briefly about his new book, "Is This A Great Game or What?" which consists of his experiences in the game for the past 25 years. He then fielded questions from the audience, primarily students, for about an hour. Questions ranged from how he got his start in the field to his stances on controversial issues in the game such as instant replay and steroids.
Kurkjian, who grew up in Montgomery County, Md., has been known for giving back to the area where he grew up. He was the keynote speaker at the 2007 Winter Commencement ceremony at the University of Maryland and has spoken on several occasions at Montgomery High School graduations.
He saved his most important message to the audience until the end of his speech, when he stated how unique and amazing the game of baseball was. Just a few weekends ago, Kurkjian completed covering his 30th World Series. While there, he interviewed San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum. He talked about how amazing it is that someone as small as Lincecum still throws in the upper 90s. His point was that only in baseball can someone with such a small stature be a standout in a professional sports league.
Kurkjian ended his speech by saying that he was living proof that anything can happen. He never expected to make it on television at all, as he began as a writer for "Sports Illustrated." Life throws you a few curves along the way, he said, but sometimes those curves put you on a path that you were destined for.
"Anything can happen," he said. "Just keep your eyes open."
