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Is This A Great Game, Or What?

Is This A Great Game, Or What?
Author: Tim Kurkjian, Jeff Kurkjian
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Hall of Fame Baseball Writer Tim Kurkjian is joined by his son, Jeff, as they chat all things baseball. Each week you will hear from one of the sport's most storied experts on the history of the game and how it pertains to today. Plus, every week they will be joined by a guest. Without a question, there will be plenty of father-son prodding throughout the show!
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We are unbelievable impressed with our listeners, chiming in and chatting with us, it's incredible how passionate all of you are so for that we thank you. Due to the late nature of these games, we might be behind on potential clinching but we do our very best with Jeff's sleep schedule.The Blue Jays are in the ALCS, on the back of the great Vladdy Jr. What a series he has had! We are coming close to an end for From Ozzie To Orel, just a few more to go. We honor a couple greats with this one! Don't forget, we also grabbed some baseball cards from the basement bathroom for this segment, man is this a fun new one. Quirkjians are loaded with (potential) groundbreaking stats. Hey, you don't know unless you ask Frank from the Elias, right? On this date in baseball history sparked a hilarious conversation and Team Tim that Jeff's toddler could've seen coming but boy is it a great one. Thank you again for being so supportive of our show and remember, even though the schedule is off a bit during the playoffs, we still have three episodes a week so if you miss one, turnaround and bring it back!
Visit GreatGameOrWhat.com to contact the show with your questions, quips and insights. Joy Pop Productions LLC Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Caleb Joseph is our hilarious guest this week on the podcast. He's a former big leaguer turned broadcaster who has stories for days. He's currently a part of the Blue Jays broadcast team. He played catcher in his career in the big leagues and actually played on the same team as his brother. Tim and Caleb became friends after the first fan-less game at Camden Yards, with stories you really wouldn't believe. They talk about their mutual friend, Buck Showalter, who taught them both a bunch about baseball. Their shared love of the game is undeniable. Plus, how did this whole interview start? With perhaps the strangest hotel interaction ever for pool Caleb. We've never heard of this one before! Thanks for listening and make sure to share with a friend.
Visit GreatGameOrWhat.com to contact the show with your questions, quips and insights. Joy Pop Productions LLC Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Back at it again, Tim in the Bronx, Jeff in the basement during this exciting October in Major League Baseball. We get great insight from the Blue Jays-Yankees series because Tim is calling the games on ESPN Radio! But don't worry, we delve into each series matchup to talk about the ins and outs most shows probably glossed over. What makes this show great and different? The family aspect of it all!! Tim, in spirit of that and Vladdy, came up with a Father-Son Team Tim that is spectacular and very specific. We love getting yours too! Don't forget to send them, check out the GreatGameOrWhat.com for more info. We also hear some great notes On This Date in baseball history and the Quirkjians that occurred in the first week of the postseason. Tim is perplexed by AI and Jeff does his very best to explain it to him! Also, Jeff has big family news to share on this podcast, boy oh boy is this a good one!
Visit GreatGameOrWhat.com to contact the show with your questions, quips and insights. Joy Pop Productions LLC Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
We pushed this episode back an entire day JUST so we could be up as up to date as possible and boy oh boy are we. A late night recording session after the final games of the Wild Card week just to ensure we don't miss anything. Isn't October great? Man you will totally understand just how much we love it. The takeaways from each series, the Quirkjians as well including first postseason homers and first ever big league hits. We keep it business as usual around this podcast.We also wrapped up Best of All-Tim with the best players at each and every franchise. We round it all out with the Chicago White Sox. We also got two more numbers from Ozzie To Orel and in a shocking twist, Tim actually seems to ask Jeff for permission on number 51, which is not the order of how things should go down! Thank you for sharing the podcast, if you are new, WELCOME and don't forget to hit follow or subscribe!
Visit GreatGameOrWhat.com to contact the show with your questions, quips and insights. Joy Pop Productions LLC Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Jeremy Schaap is a wildly successful journalist, winning eleven Emmy Awards and entertaining millions over the years with his incredible writing and storytelling. If you’ve noticed, we’ve actually been quoting him on the show a whole lot lately because we found out that he’s a member of the family—just like YOU!That's right, Jeremy Schaap is a fan of the podcast, which is extremely flattering given his unbelievable ability to captivate an audience. We discuss his latest project on Jim Abbott (a former guest of our show) and his obsession with Bobby Fischer (there's a tie-in to Tim, of course).As a father-son show, of course we have to bring up his father, the legendary Dick Schaap. The stories that father-son pairing has are just out of this world. Reminiscing about the late, great Dick Schaap was a joy for all of us.Please let us know what you think of the show by taking a minute to write a quick review and give us a rating. Thank you for listening, and thanks for being a part of our family.
Visit GreatGameOrWhat.com to contact the show with your questions, quips and insights. Joy Pop Productions LLC Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Hall of Famer Tim Kurkjian gets us all excited for the 2025 postseason with his son, Jeff! Safe to say the ending of this regular season was SO exciting, last minute inclusions to the postseason and heartbreaking endings. We cover it all on this episode.Plus, Tim gives us not one but TWO Team Tim's that have had our audience captivated from the very beginning. They highlight the resilience of teams like the Guardians and Red Sox, delve into MVP candidates like Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge, and preview the Wild Card matchups. The conversation also touches on memorable moments in baseball history, quirky facts, and some really impactful On This Dates. As the playoffs begin, they express their anticipation for the thrilling moments that October will bring.Thanks for being with us throughout the season. The easiest way to support our show is SHARE with a friend or family member who loves this game or is just learning all about it. That goes a long way! Thank you for listening.
Visit GreatGameOrWhat.com to contact the show with your questions, quips and insights. Joy Pop Productions LLC Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Thanks for joining another edition of "Is This A Great Game, Or What?" Today, we are also joined by a live studio audience, which makes every episode even more exciting when we have a crowd to entertain. The pennant races are absolutely insane right now with Seattle, Detroit, Cleveland, New York, Toronto and so many other fans asking "what the heck is going on here??" Obviously, we keep you up to date with that but it's hard to believe that the next episode you will hear from us will be the first day of the playoffs (could not be more excited). Many of you sent in great Team Tims to either improve upon ours or to help enhance the show and for that we are eternally grateful! We knock off two more number from Ozzie to Orel in our list and discuss the greatest Athletics player of all time (keep in mind, that team has been around for a lot longer than just Oakland). Thank you for joining, make sure to subscribe on YouTube to watch every episode and follow wherever you're listening right now!
Visit GreatGameOrWhat.com to contact the show with your questions, quips and insights. Joy Pop Productions LLC Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Thank you to Kevin Brown for joining our podcast! We have talked about him enough to warrant an excellent appearance for all of you. Kevin and Jeff Kurkjian both attended Syracuse University however just missed each other by just one year. Imagine that dynamic duo working at the same station at the same time? Unstoppable. But nonetheless, Kevin Brown went from college to do big things as a broadcaster including calling games with our very own Tim Kurkjian, an even better duo we might add. He currently serves as the play-by-play broadcaster for the Baltimore Orioles working along side a former guest of ours, the great Jim Palmer. Let us just say, we've had a lot of guests at this point and his impression of Palmer might be the best impression we've had (Jason Benetti, you're in the conversation don't worry). We want to thank Kevin Brown for his time, yes, this is broadcaster Kevin Brown, not the former big leaguer (wait until you see the autographed ball Kevin Brown has). Thanks for taking the time to listen, make sure to share this episode with a friend who loves baseball and laughter as much as we do. And a special shoutout to the WJPZ family that took time to listen or watch this episode, it means a lot! If you would like to support more, hit the follow or subscribe button!
Visit GreatGameOrWhat.com to contact the show with your questions, quips and insights. Joy Pop Productions LLC Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Coming to you from beautiful Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, we are so happy to have you listening or watching. At the worst possible time during the baseball season, five families decided that the last week of the baseball regular season was the best time to travel. However, that doesn't mean we aren't podcasting, we are ALL over it in person, wait until you hear where we are inside this massive house. We open the takeaways with a couple of notes concerning no-doubt first ballot Hall of Famers, including one that might make you tear up. Some strange numbers games with Mike Trout and Francisco Lindor. Plus, what is going on with these pennant races? It's unbelievable what's happening to the Mets, Mariners, Guardians and more, hard to understand but we love it so so much!We will have episodes from the beach all week including an amazing interview with the amazing Kevin Brown, play-by-play broadcast for the Baltimore Orioles. So make sure to subscribe wherever you are listening or watching right now.
Visit GreatGameOrWhat.com to contact the show with your questions, quips and insights. Joy Pop Productions LLC Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Can you believe we are almost wrapped up with the regular season? This year has FLOWN by but boy is this an exciting time! We continue from Ozzie To Orel with numbers 46 and 47, plus the greatest Cleveland baseball player of all time, very much up for debate to many but Tim says he's nailed it. We also rake through some amazing Quirkjians and Takeaways including Shohei Ohtani madness and Cal Raleigh records. Plus maybe the biggest most complicated Team Tim of all time and Tim Kurkjian didn't even come up with this one. Shout out to Dan Simon for making this incredible effort, make sure to check him out!If you are considering becoming a part of our family, just make sure to hit subscribe and follow from wherever you watch or listen, that means a whole lot to us!
Visit GreatGameOrWhat.com to contact the show with your questions, quips and insights. Joy Pop Productions LLC Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Jane Leavy is quite the decorated author and journalist and we were so happy to have her join our show. Her new book, "Make Me Commissioner: I Know What's Wrong with Baseball and How to Fix It," is an ode to the sport she loves the absolute most. Don't be fooled, it doesn't trash baseball, it's a "love letter" to it. Thank you to Jane for her time, get the book now wherever books are sold!
Visit GreatGameOrWhat.com to contact the show with your questions, quips and insights. Joy Pop Productions LLC Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Welcome to another episode of our show, today we honor those who hit from both sides of the plate. Cal Raleigh and Mickey Mantle now have something in common, forever. Plus, another Team Tim about the dentist's office, trust me, we make it make sense. Will the New York Mets bounce back? Tim Kurkjian has a thought on their slump. On this date in baseball history, a whole lot happened including a homerun milestone and a couple big birthdays. But, almost most importantly, today Jeff's daughter starts something pretty amazing. Every parent has this moment with their kiddo, "it is time" as said in The Lion King!Thanks for listening, make sure to find the link below to message Tim directly with questions and comments! GreatGameOrWhat.com is the best place.
Visit GreatGameOrWhat.com to contact the show with your questions, quips and insights. Joy Pop Productions LLC Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Tim and Jeff Kurkjian talk baseball each and every week, thanks for joining. However, there is something much bigger than baseball kicking off this show, the anniversary of 9/11. How did baseball help the country heal? Tim has two great examples of that. We want to thank the brave men and women, our first responders, for putting their life on the line every single day so we can live our life. Thank you. We discuss Cade Horton's insane back half of his year. Walk off hits we didn't see coming. Plus, ladies you are going to love the Team Tim this week, that's for sure. Plus it involves Sandy Koufax, which is always a win. Speaking of great pitchers, we get the greatest number 45 of all time, which is a debate between two of the greatest. The best number 44 of all time, for Tim and pretty much everyone who has seen a baseball game, is super obvious so we do it, quickly. Plus, any Pirates fans? We've got you covered this week!
Visit GreatGameOrWhat.com to contact the show with your questions, quips and insights. Joy Pop Productions LLC Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Jim Abbott might be the greatest story in baseball history. His perseverance inspires us all and we couldn't be more grateful that he took the time for us. We discuss his no-hitter, a feat that is not easy to accomplishment. We also share with him a member of our family, McKinley Abbott (no relation), who was also born with arm differential and has taken to Jim's story for inspiration. At just nine years old, she has began playing softball and loves listening to our podcast with her dad, Andy. We discuss his time with some very big managers and also what it was like to represent the United States in the Olympics back in 1988. Of course, it wouldn't be our show if we didn't bring up OTHER sports, so we hear about his high school football career too and the importance of playing multiple sports. Leave it up to Tim Kurkjian to bring in the biggest guests and names, we recommend checking out "Southpaw: The Life and Legacy of Jim Abbott" streaming now because it's absolutely incredible. If you liked our interview, follow or subscribe wherever you are listening or watching right now and thank you for your support!
Visit GreatGameOrWhat.com to contact the show with your questions, quips and insights. Joy Pop Productions LLC Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
The 30th anniversary of Cal Ripken Jr.'s 2131 record-breaking game came with a fascinating finish as the Orioles hosted the Dodgers. This among so many other takeaway and Quirkjians. We have to say goodbye to one of the game's greats, Davey Johnson. Tim Kurkjian's stories about the (should be) Hall of Fame manager will make you smile and laugh through the difficult loss for the game of baseball. Just how good has Aroldis Chapman been these last couple months? Good enough for a Cy Young, we weigh in there. Walker vs Walker created a great moment for our show. And in honor of our guest for tomorrow's show, Jim Abbott, Tim created a team consisting only of big leaguers that never played a minor league game! Thanks for laughing with us and loving this game the way we do!
Visit GreatGameOrWhat.com to contact the show with your questions, quips and insights. Joy Pop Productions LLC Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
A special guest on a Thursday episode? Count us in! When it comes to On This Date in baseball history, we knew we had to bring this former big leaguer on the show to tell us about his biggest day in the big leagues. The greatest number 42 and 43 are in the mix today along with the best Expos/Nationals player of all time. We begin by reading all of your messages you have been sending us. Now that Tim can see and respond to them, reach out GreatGameOrWhat.com, he loves getting that's for sure. The All-Body Parts Team Tim is definitely not one we saw coming but maybe you can lend us a HAND with it (see what we did there).As we continue to grow our show, it is your support, the members of our family, that makes all of the difference. Sharing the show with a friend does wonders for us, take the time to do so. We love hearing from new people every week but it is, the ones who always come back, who we care for the most so thank you for being a part of our family.
Visit GreatGameOrWhat.com to contact the show with your questions, quips and insights. Joy Pop Productions LLC Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
We have been so excited to bring you the ringmaster behind one of the biggest phenomenons the sporting world has ever seen, Jesse Cole, the mind behind the Savannah Bananas. Now, this might not be your grandad's style of baseball but trust me when I say, these guys can just flat out play. Don't believe us? Well go to one of their sold out "shows" and you tell us what you think. They have been traveling across Major League stadiums all this year bringing the athleticism, comedy and bits to young and old from near and from far. Cole draws inspiration from minds like that of Walt Disney, Jeff Bezos and so many others, and you can tell when it comes to his leadership style. From overdrawing their bank account to creating the thing that everyone wants to see, Jesse and his wife have made it but have no plans on stopping. Thank you for taking some time for baseball from a different league, we really think what they are doing is fantastic and hope you get to see them in town near you soon. If you liked this interview, there are plenty more. Follow or subscribe right now so you know when the next one is out!
Visit GreatGameOrWhat.com to contact the show with your questions, quips and insights. Joy Pop Productions LLC Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Welcome to September, folks. The most exciting time of the regular season is upon us and you have a front row seat for it all. Cal Raleigh got a phone call from a legend, and a long time friend of the show. That story you can't miss. Fantasy football drafts aren't just big with you and your high school buddies, it's big for our big leaguers as well. They take this very seriously. NFL kicks off Thursday and the drafts are in, which players are on your team?Happy Birthdays and memories from our great game plus a Team Tim that was challenged by Jeff. If you love names, then you will absolutely love this! Thanks for listening and sharing the show with a friend, every new member of the family helps!
Visit GreatGameOrWhat.com to contact the show with your questions, quips and insights. Joy Pop Productions LLC Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Welcome to another episode and as you can tell from the title, we've got quite a bit of Tom Seaver in today's episode and for good reason. Also, a whole lot of Willie Mays including a story of what both Johnny Bench and Pete Rose thought of Mays. Trust me, if you don't know how good Mays was, maybe these two can help convince of it. Tim discusses the best number 40 and 41 in the history of our game outlining why one of those players had one of the biggest homers in baseball history (hint, they are both pitchers). Speaking of the mound, Tarik Skubal is just an animal out there and shows us once again how good he is. Plus, Clayton Kershaw hasn't taken his foot off the accelerator, are we sure he's going to retire at the end of this season!Tim also makes a correction to his Team Tim of All Actor names thanks to member of the family, Jeremy Schaap. We also hear about story from Schaap's dad about putting Muhammad Ali and Tom Seaver in a room together, just a knee slapper on this one. If you haven't taken the time to hit the follow or subscribe button, please do so because it really helps with the support of our show! Plus share it with a friend that loves this game as much as you do!
Visit GreatGameOrWhat.com to contact the show with your questions, quips and insights. Joy Pop Productions LLC Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Adnan Virk is back as a guest again on our show. The stories this man has from sports and Hollywood are just undeniably incredible. We sat in the pocket as he made us laugh and cry journeying down memory lane. Adnan just released his first book, "Cinephile: Interviews, Essays, and Tales from the Red Carpet," which is available now wherever books are sold. If you are a member of our family, please support Adnan because he's the absolute best. His stories in the book, if you can believe it, are better than even the ones you hear in this episode. Supporting Adnan is like supporting us, so we very much appreciate it! Thanks so much to Adnan for chatting with us during his vacation and to YOU for taking the time to listen and laugh with us! Remember to subscribe and follow wherever you are listening right now!
Visit GreatGameOrWhat.com to contact the show with your questions, quips and insights. Joy Pop Productions LLC Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.