Last night our Sports Legends Museum partnered with the
Baltimore Sun to present a Sports Writers Forum at Johns Hopkins University’s
Shriver Hall. Former and current Sun baseball writers Tim Kurkjian, Ken
Rosenthal, Roch Kubatko and Ed Encina entertained the 300 fans or so who braved Baltimore’s 102
degree heat assault to take in the more than 100 years of collective clubhouse
experience these four brought to the table.
And while they provided the expected behind-the-scenes
insight most everyone had anticipated, they also proved to be funny as all get
out. The diminutive Kurkjian, on one occasion, related how when he was a young
reporter working for a Dallas newspaper, he was sent to the home of the owner
of one of Dallas’ professional sports teams to try and scoop a breaking story. So
he knocks on the front door of the owner’s posh home, and when the guy answers,
Kurkjian says, “Hi, I’m Tim Kurkjian from the Dallas Morning News.” And,
without missing a beat, the guy responds to the teen-aged looking beat writer,
“Oh, gosh, l’m sorry, I forgot to pay this month’s bill. How much do I owe
you?”!!!
There were stories about certain players not liking certain
writers, about how a large number of big-leaguers make discreet use of pine
tar, about the impact social media has on their reporting careers, and about
the extraordinary deadline demands of their jobs.
But make no mistake, these extremely talented writers exuded
huge passion for what they do, and thank their lucky stars to be fortunate
enough to cover the game they’ve loved since childhood, up close and personal.
Great night, wish you could have been there!
Mike Gibbons
Executive Director
