Tim Kurkjian is a Hall of Famer! Here's what makes him so great

ESPN baseball analyst Tim Kurkjian is headed to the Hall of Fame — and we couldn't be prouder.

We also couldn't miss the opportunity to express just how much he means to us around here.

So, as Cooperstown calls for our colleague, we wanted to share just a few of our favorite memories from working alongside a legend.

This story originally posted on Dec. 7 2021. Kurkjian will be honored in Cooperstown on July, 23, 2022.

Buster Olney, MLB writer: I met Tim about 30 years ago in Yuma, Arizona, in the most unlikely game of 21 — Tim (whose listed height in your game program is 5-foot-5) vs. fellow Padres beat writer John Schlegel (a legit 6-7) vs. me (5-7 3/4, allegedly). In that time, we've spent hours together in studios, on ballfields, in clubhouses, in arguments about whether Mariano Rivera belongs on the Yankees' Mount Rushmore (I say yes; Tim is wrong), in cabs to and from airports, on flights. I can address all the legends of my friend and colleague, whose first name recently changed — to Hall of Famer Tim Kurkjian.

About his temper on the basketball court: You've seen the Incredible Hulk, yes? When anger turns Bruce Banner's eyes green and he transforms into a monster? Well, this is what can happen to Hall of Famer Tim, who can turn from the nicest human being you've ever met to Mr. Hyde by somebody's bad etiquette in a pickup game. Hit him with a really cheap foul call or a dirty undercut at your own peril. And yes, he's really good. As far as we know, he was the only sportswriter invited to participate in Cal Ripken's full-court games. The Iron Man does not suffer fools or basketball weakness.

About the Hall of Famer's inability to stay warm: It's bizarre, but the man has been seen wearing a wool overcoat in July.