Matt is the strongest person I have ever met. We were both born in the same year. My parents decided to send me to kindergarten a year early because they didn't want to separate us. We shared a love of baseball and played on the same sports teams when we were young. "The Pride of the Yankees" was a favorite movie of ours as children. The movie was watched many times by us.
The Baseball Writers Association of America nominated me for a career excellence award. It was an incredibly proud moment for me and my family, and perhaps the only people to whom the honor meant more were my father, my mother and my brothers.
The best day of my career was followed by the worst day of my life. Matt was diagnosed with the disease on the very next day. I can't say those words without tears in my eyes. The family is distraught. The leader of our extended family is Matt.
Every time I break down, I look at my brother, who is 66 years old and is fighting this terrible disease, without pity, without tears. He can still command a room with his stories. He still mowed his lawn despite his mobility issues. He stood on a chair and made a repair to a curtain. His positive attitude has always been his biggest asset. When Matt sees my pain, he puts his hand on my shoulder and says, "Tim-o, don't worry about me." I'm happy all the time.
He has always been at his best when he was with his family or playing a sport. Baseball was the main language spoken in our house as a child. Jeff was a great player. He taught his boys to love the game. Joy became a believer as she shuttled her boys from field to field.
Andy is one of the greatest players ever to play at Catholic University and he is a power hitter. He was a member of the school's Hall of Fame. He played four years at Catholic. He was a 125-pound third baseman who could hit, run, take a walk and catch. He was a major league pitcher and even though he was kind and gentle, he wouldn't allow you to beat him or his team no matter what the competition was. Val Vandeventer said that they would win every game if they had nine MattKurkjians on their team.
The 1977CU team came within two games of going to the College World Series after winning the ECAC Division I Championship. Everyone knows the guts of the team that is in the Hall of Fame.
The first fall game after Matt's diagnosis was at Mount Saint Mary's on October 1st. Ross Natoli, who has won nearly 750 games as the head coach of the CU team, called me last September to ask if Matt could come to the game and throw out the ceremonial first pitch. The ceremonial first pitch is thrown out by someone representing the visiting team, but Coach Natoli had no problem convincing Mount Saint Mary's coach, Frank Leoni, to allow Matt to do the honors.
Natoli was a teammate of Matt's for six years in the Maryland Industrial League. To be a great teammate is one of the most important things in sports.
Coach Natoli says that his teammate is the greatest teammate ever.
He was confused when he heard he was supposed to throw the first ball. Matt has lost the strength and dexterity of his thumb and index finger due to his illness. He had to relearn how to throw a ball after being born to do so. I played catch with him in the front yard as a kid. He wrapped his fingers around the ball, and within a few minutes he was throwing a ball.
When we arrived at Mount Saint Mary's, Matt was surprised to see his partner, his son, and his daughter. My daughter, Kelly, as well as our family friend, Mike Toomey, a former player, coach and scout, were there. Matt wanted to know why they were here.
The coach presented Matt with a jersey before the game. There was a name and number on the back. It was a touching moment. matt was flattered and honored He put on the jersey, walked to the mound and threw a strike to the plate from the dirt at the back of the mound. He refused to fail on the baseball field.
One of the most powerful moments I've witnessed in 44 years of covering baseball was when Matt looked to his right and the members of his family were all wearing the same jersey. All 47 players on the Catholic University team were lined up, all wearing the same jersey. It was a great tribute. I hadn't seen Matt cry since he was diagnosed. As he cried, he hugged his family. The man hugged the coach. He said this was the best he had ever seen. I cannot believe they did this for me.
The greatest days of his life were when he was at the University of Colorado.
He was looking at the players on the team who wore jerseys with their names and numbers on it. The teams that wore those jerseys for the two games were the ones that won. Baseball works that way.
Prior to today's game, @CatholicU_BSB recognized the 1977 Cardinals who was the only team to qualify for an NCAA Division I tournament. Matt Kurkjian, a third baseman on the team, threw out the first pitch.#ThisIsCatholicU #d3baseball pic.twitter.com/XVYRl2WVig
— Catholic University Athletics (@CatholicU_Cards) April 3, 2022
The coach did it again on April 2. The first ball was thrown to Coach Natoli by Matt at the first game. Most of the players from the 1977 championship team stood next to Matt. The second ball ceremony was almost as uplifting as the first because he was surrounded by his teammates and his boys.
Mark said that he was his best friend. Matthew is a better teammate.
Baseball is a great game. The big moments are recognized by it. The players are celebrated and honored. It's important that they know how much people care. This has been done for my family for 50 years by the University of Colorado baseball team.
For a while, our family kept Matt's diagnosis a secret. He didn't want people to feel bad for him or sad about him. My son and I spoke at a charity event in Las Vegas in February. Mike Piscotty, the father of Oakland A's outfielder Stephen Piscotty, called me that day to let me know that his wife, Gretchin, had died of Lou Gehrig's disease. I got a call from Mike Crawford, the father of Brandon Crawford, who has been friends with the Piscotties for many years. There are many families in baseball that want to bring awareness to this horrible disease.
I met Teresa Thurtle at the charity event. She offered assistance to my family. Her father and her grandmother died of the disease. The two were 49 years old.
She said that this is the worst disease to be a part of. It has a great support system to be a part of.
Drew Robinson, a former minor league outfielder who survived a suicide attempt in 2020 and now helps others cope with mental health, illness and tragedy, is one of the many people who have offered help since Matt's diagnosis. Tom has a mom with the disease. An annual event in Major League Baseball was made possible by Tom. Chris Snow, a former baseball writer and now an executive for the Flames, told my brother to call him whenever he wanted. Jon is a friend of mine and he runs a charity called Project Main St. Tim Sheehy, Jon's best friend, died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease.
My brother and best friend are going to die soon. Our lives will never be the same. Everything changed on July 12th, 2011.
I want my brother to be healthy again. I will always remember the love and support he has received. My brother and his family have been helped by Coach Natoli. I will always remember the words of Natoli.
I've had great teammates.
The greatest teammate of all time.
My brother and best friend is called Matt.
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