ESPN commentator Tim Kirkjian is interviewed by Gabe Sinicropi during the 2026 Williamsport Crosscutters Hot Stove Banquet at the Genetti Hotel in downtown Williamsport. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Tim Kirkjian’s overwhelming passion for baseball and self-deprecating humor was on display at the Williamsport Crosscutters Hot Stove Banquet this week. The ESPN broadcaster enthralled the audience at the Genetti Hotel with funny baseball stories, insights and little-known tidbits of the national pastime.

But he also made a sobering prediction that Major League Baseball likely faces a lockdown after this season over the question of a salary cap for players.

“We are headed for a work stoppage,” he said.

The sad reality, Kirkjian said, is that there is so much money in baseball. His hope is that the labor battle won’t set back the popularity of Major League Baseball as it did after previous strikes in 1994 when the season abruptly ended in August or in 1981 when the middle of the schedule was canceled.

“I covered the ’81 strike. It was horrendous,” he said.

Otherwise, the 69-year-old Kirkjian was on his usual game, poking fun at himself and offering insights into baseball and some of the game’s personalities.

Kirkjian is hardly a stranger to Williamsport.

His appearance at the annual Hot Stove Banquet in Williamsport was his sixth. He also is behind the microphone each year to call the Little League World Series for ESPN

“I love it here,” he said.

One of the reasons ESPN sends him to Williamsport for the Little League World Series, he said, is because of his short stature.

“I’m no taller than most of the players,” he quipped.

Is This a Great Game or What is a chatty baseball podcast he co-hosts with his son, Jeff, of whom he quipped, “I gave him no height and a terrible voice.”

Among the players and former players he’s covered over the years, he called Ted Williams, often considered the greatest hitter in baseball history, the most intimidating person he ever met.

“But boy did I love talking to him because you always learned something,” he said.

He recalled the time Texas Rangers outfielder Mickey Rivers, known for his gambling habits and losing at the racetracks, asked to borrow money from him. At the time, Kirkjian was a young reporter and not earning a big salary.

“Buddy Bell (a teammate) told me never to lend him money,” he said.

Kirkjian then recounted a story in which Rivers climbed an outfield fence to flee from a spectator he owed money.

Aside from the humor, Kirkjian had plenty of other baseball stuff to share. He called eight-time National League batting champion Tony Gwynn as the “nicest player” he knew.

“I could talk to him about anything,” he said.

Gwynn once went through an entire season using a single bat.

Kirkjian said the Los Angeles Dodgers have become a dynasty, piling up wins and World Series titles in recent years with Major League Baseball’s highest payroll.

“It’s just ridiculous how good the Dodgers are,” he said.

He said it was of benefit to the Philadelphia Phillies that they signed Kyle Schwarber.

“I can’t imagine moving on without him,” he added.

The Pittsburgh Pirates, he said, will perhaps be an improved team in 2026 and have the game’s best pitcher in Paul Skenes.

“They need to add punch to their lineup,” he said.

Kirkjian said writing has been his most fulfilling accomplishment.

“It’s really great when people read your book,” he said.

His one book with the quirky title “I’m Fascinated by Sacrifice Flies,” perhaps sums up Kirkjian’s unique insights into baseball and statistics.

“Dan Le Batard (sportswriter, podcast host and TV reporter) asked me what that book is about, if it’s about sacrifice flies,” he said with a grin.

Kirkjian said he likely got his love for baseball and statistics from his late father, an MIT-educated mathematics professor.

“My dad had a great feel for the game,” he said.