Why do so many people relate to baseball? Because it’s a game anyone can play regardless of size or strength or even talent. That’s the popular notion, anyway. But Tim Kurkjian, a baseball analyst for ESPN, points out the incredible complexities that separate the professional from those who merely think they know it all. His new book, I’M FASCINATED BY SACRIFICE FLIES, manages this in the manner of a humorous docent: exceptionally knowledgeable without pretension.

It’s been almost 10 years since Kurkjian released IS THIS A GREAT GAME, OR WHAT? He must have been chomping at the bit to share all these new stories, and the wait was worth it. He shares amusing stories about such topics as the odd superstitions players have, the unwritten rules of baseball, the propensity batters have for striking out (and how it’s no longer perceived as shameful), and the seemingly dull but potentially stressful work of an official scorer.

"It’s been almost 10 years since Kurkjian released IS THIS A GREAT GAME, OR WHAT? He must have been chomping at the bit to share all these new stories, and the wait was worth it."

He also offers myriad trivia, which can border on the ridiculous (most doubles on an odd-numbered Tuesday by a player with six letters, including four vowels in his middle name; I exaggerate but not by much). One marvels that there are legitimate business concerns that keep track of these kinds of things.

While the majority of the book is humorous, Kurkjian does take a semi-serious turn as he recalls a quartet of baseball personalities who have passed away in recent years, including Tony Gwynn, Earl Weaver, Don Zimmer and Mike Flanagan, in a chapter titled “Obits.” That fourth name might not appear familiar to many; Flanagan was a pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays, as well as a coach, front office executive and broadcaster who committed suicide shortly before turning 60. But that’s the everyman nature of Kurkjian’s interests --- it just shows him as someone who does not hob-nob only with the rich and famous (ok, almost everyone is rich compared to the average reader). In fact, even as much of a baseball fan as I am, I found myself scratching my head over a few of the players who appear in SACRIFICE FLIES. But Kurkjian knows those are the fellows with the interesting stories to tell.

He’s also not afraid to be the butt of those jokes, whether it’s ESPN giving air time to the best of his imitators or his wife puzzling over a grown man obsessed with collecting box scores in a notebook. He’s a good sport, which is probably why those in the baseball community feel so comfortable around him that he can collect all this material.

There are a couple of changes in the new book compared to IS THIS A GREAT GAME. The first thing I noticed was the dropping of a couple of swear words. Believe me, I’m certainly no prude, but I was curious about the editorial decision that went into this. If SACRIFICE FLIES was a movie, it would have received an “R” rating for brief, infrequent use of colorful language. Also, the game itself is slightly different from when he last published: additional playoffs, the continuation of performance-enhancing drug usage, and a new generation of stars such as Mike Trout, Andrew McCutchen and Bryce Harper, which he discusses in a “state of the game” final chapter.

I know Kurkjian is a busy guy, running around as he does for TV and radio, but let’s hope we don’t have to wait another 10 years for the next installment.