Tim Kurkjian Believes Josh Hamilton Had the Best Night in AL History
Whenever something big happens in baseball, it’s always a pleasure to hear Tim Kurkjian’s thoughts on the achievement regardless of whether or not you agree with him.
Thanks to Josh Hamilton and the Baltimore Orioles pitching staff, who joined forces for a total of four home runs last night, Kurkjian got excited again. The Baseball Tonight analyst stated that Hamilton experienced the best night of any player in the history of the American League, and he’s probably right.
The Rangers outfielder finished his evening going 5-for-5 to go along with 8 RBI, with the other hit of course being a double. That gave him 18 total bases for the game, setting an AL record and falling one shy of tying the major league record. So yes, technically, I suppose he did have the best night of any hitter in the history of the AL. It’s worth mentioning that the immortal Shawn Green holds the all-time mark of 19 total bases, so let’s do our best to keep our pants on. It’s probably also worth noting that Angels “slugger” Albert Pujols has 18 total bases in his last 19 games. Hilarious.
What is it about the Rangers at Camden Yards? Remember when they pasted the Orioles 30-3 in August of 2007? Timmy Kurkjian sure does. The following clip was a signature moment, and an especially squeaky one, for the affable Maryland native. Karl Ravech’s response of “well, Tim, your voice really … said it all,” was the perfect reaction.
If you don’t love Kurkjian after seeing this video, you’re probably more heartless than Bobby Heenan.
[Photo via David Joseph]
Previously: Josh Hamilton Hit Four Homers Against the Orioles, and Here’s Video of All of Them
Previously: Josh Hamilton, Who Recently Cut Off Contract Talks With Texas, Discusses His Relapse
Previously: Josh Hamilton, Still Battling Relapse Demons, Seen Drinking at Dallas Area Bar [UPDATE]

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63 Responses to “Tim Kurkjian Believes Josh Hamilton Had the Best Night in AL History”
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May 9th, 2012 at 10:02 AM
Back to back posts, huh?
May 9th, 2012 at 10:05 AM
so I take it the bat-phone at the TBL compound wasn’t working this morning?
I heard Josh Hamilton hit 4 home runs last night, can anyone confirm?
May 9th, 2012 at 10:06 AM
Hernia has hijacked http://www.thebiglead.com. He should have slapped a “Yardwork” on the top.
May 9th, 2012 at 10:06 AM
Some good TBL editing and production this morning. However, if ever something deserved back to back articles, it would Hamilton’s night last night.
/Will there be a 3rd and 4th too?
May 9th, 2012 at 10:10 AM
I heard the TBL guys talking about how they’ve never had back-to-back-to-back posts, and that they’d be pretty excited for their teammates if they could pull that off.
May 9th, 2012 at 11:23 AM
Get it together guys. None of these comments make any sense.
May 9th, 2012 at 11:26 AM
I dont think I love anything as much as Tim Kurkjian loves baseball.
May 9th, 2012 at 11:26 AM
Dudes. Let’s not complain here. We’re getting baseball posts. Keep ‘em coming, TBL staff!
Ibanez has been hot for the Yankees as of late. Wonder how they utilize him with Gardner likely being activated in the next day or so.
May 9th, 2012 at 11:27 AM
Those are the comments from the deleted duplicate Hamilton post. Somehow they made their way over here.
May 9th, 2012 at 11:28 AM
Lots of talk about Kemp and Hamilton off to great starts. There’s some other guys flying under the radar a bit. Not quite having the torrid starts of those two but Carlos Beltran, Jay Bruce, David Wright, Cap’n Jeets and Carlos Gonzalez are also tearing up the league right now.
May 9th, 2012 at 11:28 AM
Tim Kurkjian can’t even pronounce his own last name.
May 9th, 2012 at 11:28 AM
He really cannot believe it.
May 9th, 2012 at 11:30 AM
I feel like I am in the minority when I say I enjoy Kurkjian. dude really loves baseball.
May 9th, 2012 at 11:30 AM
The money shot of that Kurkjian video is him pointing out that the Rangers reliever that day got a Save in a 30-3 game. If that doesn’t thoroughly expose the uselessness of the Save as a statistic, then nothing will.
May 9th, 2012 at 11:31 AM
Oh, me too. His enthusiasm is infectious. I’ve already said I’d throw him a bone.
May 9th, 2012 at 11:31 AM
I think everyone loves Timmy. It’s hard not to. Jayson Stark seems to get most of the hipster hate as far as ESPN baseball guys go.
Now, saying you like John Kruk would probably put you in a minority.
/likes John Kruk
//in small doses
///just like Dan Plesac
////and Mitch Williams
May 9th, 2012 at 11:31 AM
+1 Are you kidding me!!!
May 9th, 2012 at 11:32 AM
When I hear his voice all I hear is michal j fox on “family ties”
/geez malorie!
May 9th, 2012 at 11:32 AM
Beltran & Wright are helping my offense just dominate currently. Oh and we can’t forget Stanton starting to get hot. He just crushes homers.
May 9th, 2012 at 11:32 AM
Actually, I don’t think that’s true at all. Kurkjian is extremely likable. Comes across very genuine. It would be a pretty big loss if he decided to leave like Gammons.
May 9th, 2012 at 11:32 AM
Buster Olney. Between his anti stats rants and overall smugness, easily hateable.
May 9th, 2012 at 11:32 AM
John McSherry Had the Worst Night in NL History.
May 9th, 2012 at 11:34 AM
Buster Olney. Between his anti stats rants and overall smugness, easily hateable.
Also, he’s a pretty transparent Yankees homer. That doesn’t help.
May 9th, 2012 at 11:34 AM
Gammons has been filling in on the Red Sox broadcasts lately. It’s a mixture of awesome and sad.
May 9th, 2012 at 11:34 AM
Better MLB Tonight anchor: Matt Vasgergian or Brian Kenny?
May 9th, 2012 at 11:35 AM
I think you have reached your quota of joking about dead guys, sir.
May 9th, 2012 at 11:36 AM
He wrote a great book about them. I think Buster is a Maryland native and an Orioles fan though. He also loves Vanderbilt and therefore is a huge Jay Cutler fan. Buster is just fine by me.
May 9th, 2012 at 11:36 AM
Aw, 2007. A great year and a much simplier time. Sox won the World Series; Tampa still sucked, Baltimore was still awful, and Toronto had no shot. I wish we could return to a time where we didn’t have to worry about “if” the Sox would make the playoffs and instead to a time where we wonder who they would play in the playoffs.
May 9th, 2012 at 11:36 AM
I’ve already said I’d throw him a bone. CJ
After compiling all the “try to get pregnant” advice given by what I am sure, are professional fertility physicians, in the AM round-up, you’d have a girl if he threw you his bone.
May 9th, 2012 at 11:36 AM
Brian Kenny hands down. Also like Leiter and Mike Lowell as well. (Lowell is my fave new player analyst)
May 9th, 2012 at 11:36 AM
I don’t know, this seems like a pretty good nite for Josh or at least in my eyes.
May 9th, 2012 at 11:36 AM
/sigh
May 9th, 2012 at 11:37 AM
Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty is a great book.
May 9th, 2012 at 11:38 AM
Thought he was from a farm in Vermont
May 9th, 2012 at 11:38 AM
Buster lived in New Hampshire but was born in D.C. He covered the Spanks for the Times.
May 9th, 2012 at 11:39 AM
/high fives Tim Ryan
I recently just moved on to The Captain in my bathroom reading tour. I read Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty a couple years ago.
Don’t worry Tim. I washed my hands
May 9th, 2012 at 11:39 AM
I thought he was from VT, or is that another ESPNer I’m thinking of?
May 9th, 2012 at 11:39 AM
/sigh
I got it, MP.
May 9th, 2012 at 11:40 AM
Can anyone explain this?
May 9th, 2012 at 11:40 AM
Robert Stanbury “Buster” Olney III (born February 17, 1964, in Washington, D.C.) is a columnist for ESPN: The Magazine, ESPN.com, and covered the New York Giants and New York Yankees for The New York Times. He is also a regular analyst for the ESPN’s Baseball Tonight. Olney is one of about 575 voters for the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Olney grew up on a dairy farm in Randolph Center, Vermont, which came in handy when he served as the “Cow Insider” for Mike Greenberg’s milking of a cow on “Mike and Mike in the Morning” on June 21, 2007. He was educated at Northfield Mount Hermon School and Vanderbilt University, where he majored in history. As a child Buster was an avid baseball fan. At age 8, he developed an affinity for the Los Angeles Dodgers after reading a book about Sandy Koufax. Buster would later attribute his fanship as a reason for his journalistic career.
/jmorris’d
//remember yesterday when I said I was wrong a lot?
May 9th, 2012 at 11:40 AM
shawn green was how i found out green was a jewish name
May 9th, 2012 at 11:42 AM
Help out YankeeMeginPHL will ya CJ? She wants to know about that banana bread beer. She’s a really nice Yankee fan. Promise.
May 9th, 2012 at 11:42 AM
Gammons has been filling in on the Red Sox broadcasts lately. It’s a mixture of awesome and sad.
Yeah – I saw a segment with him on MLB network and it was a bit sad. I love his stuff and his delivery, but he is struggling a bit lately.
Who could like anyone with a name like Buster? That’s a puppy name.
May 9th, 2012 at 11:42 AM
Can anyone explain this?
How the guy got the save in the first place or why it’s a case-in-point of how saves are stupid?
May 9th, 2012 at 11:43 AM
malorie
could get it
May 9th, 2012 at 11:44 AM
that banana bread beer
one of my rare tweets was to cj when she tweeted bout this a couple months back. i had it…it’s ok as a gimmick. in these cases, ABVs are a key stat
May 9th, 2012 at 11:45 AM
I know nothing about banana bread beer, but it sounds delicious.
May 9th, 2012 at 11:45 AM
remember yesterday when I said I was wrong a lot? SC
We didn’t need to be reminded yesterday or today.
/twirls bow tie
Who could like anyone with a name like Buster?
His middle name is Stanbury.
May 9th, 2012 at 11:45 AM
Can anyone explain this?
How the guy got the save in the first place or why it’s a case-in-point of how saves are stupid?
I’m not sure why I had this in my head, but I thought the run differential at the point a pitcher enters a game had to be less than a certain target in order to get a save. (Target established by some MLB deity of some sort). I had the number 5 in my head, so if a pitcher is the last pitcher that enters with a 4 run or less lead, he gets a save if his team wins.
May 9th, 2012 at 11:46 AM
Can anyone explain this?
He pitched 3 innings to end the game.
May 9th, 2012 at 11:46 AM
Without looking I’m guessing either a 3 inning save or when the reliever who got the save came in, the score was such that the tying run was in the on-deck circle. Then the Rangers went HAM in the later innings.
May 9th, 2012 at 11:46 AM
I can’t decide if it was that terrible or if Ben just thinks I’m a complete idiot. Actually I don’t want to know.
May 9th, 2012 at 11:46 AM
i loved this segment tim kurkjian broke the story about MLB’ers using steroids on sportscenter.
May 9th, 2012 at 11:47 AM
Who could like anyone with a name like Buster?
His middle name is Stanbury.
Good gawd, he must hate his parents.
May 9th, 2012 at 11:49 AM
3 ways to earn a save, 1. enters the game with no more than a 3 run lead and pitches at least an inning, 2. enters the game with the tying run on base, at bat, or on deck, regardless of the count, 3. pitches for at least 3 innings to end the game.
May 9th, 2012 at 11:50 AM
Thanks.
May 9th, 2012 at 11:58 AM
I know nothing about banana bread beer, but it sounds delicious.
you sure? coulda sworn it was you. was a pic of the bottles
May 9th, 2012 at 11:59 AM
I thought it was an honest question, nothing more. Upon further review, I should’ve figured out the original post.
May 9th, 2012 at 12:03 PM
No worries Ben. A free jar of next week’s haul will make up for it.
May 9th, 2012 at 12:05 PM
This recipe popped up in my Facebook feed and I was immediately intrigued.
May 9th, 2012 at 12:09 PM
Consider it done. The hive management class is going to lead to my best haul in years.
May 9th, 2012 at 12:09 PM
it was tasty john, but not a go-to
May 9th, 2012 at 12:33 PM
Olney and Skip Bayless both went there, IIRC