Tim Brown
New York Times bestselling author and
award-winning sports journalist
UPCOMING BOOK RELEASE - MAY 22, 2026
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Sports journalist Tim Brown (The Phenomenon, The Tao of the Backup Catcher) delivers a cinematic biography of Nolan Ryan, the former professional baseball pitcher who played for a record 27 seasons, first for the New York Mets, then the California Angels, Houston Astros, and Texas Rangers. Brown chronicles Ryan’s upbringing in the 1950s and ’60s in the small town of Alvin, Tex., detailing his parents’ humble beginnings, his largely unimpressive academic career, and the circumstances that pushed him toward baseball (his older brother was a catcher, so he, naturally, pitched). The scout John Robert “Red” Murff spotted Ryan’s talent during a high school game, writing in his notes: “This skinny high school junior has the best arm I have ever seen in my life.” Following Murff’s recommendation, the Mets drafted Ryan at 18 in 1965. Brown recounts Ryan’s Major League Baseball career, chronicling in detail his seven no-hitters, a record that still stands, along with his distinction as the oldest pitcher to ever throw a no-hitter (he was 44). Later chapters follow Ryan’s transition from player to president of the Rangers and, eventually, to retirement on his ranch. The narrative moves slowly and deliberately, but Brown’s smart writing and reverent tone result in a rewarding and memorable tribute to a pitcher whose durability feels increasingly rare in the modern game.
- Publisher's Weekly, February 17, 2026
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REVIEWS
“This isn’t just a story about baseball. It’s about life and the beauty of knowing and accepting who you are.” - Jeff Passan, ESPN
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"If God is in the details, then what Tim Brown has done with the story of Eric Kratz is divine" - Mark Kriegel, sportswriter, broadcaster, and author of Namath: A Biography, Pistol: The Life of Pete Maravich, and The Good Son: The Life of Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini.
"This is a tale of ultimate grinders who toil in obscurity yet epitomize integrity." - Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times
"Each year lots of baseball books roll off the presses. Some are very good, a few are extraordinary. Rick Ankiel's memoir falls into the second category. A story of rare promise and bewildering pain. The heartbreak, the humiliation and the high points - fewer than expected, but memorable still. All told with honesty, humility, empathy and an eye for telling detail. A winding and often bumpy road that ends with perhaps that best of victories - good-natured acceptance and the personal understanding and insight that goes with it."-Bob Costas
"Rick Ankiel has always been a true phenomenon. He had phenomenal talent, and when he faced hardship, he proved he had phenomenal character too. His book is a candid and powerful story of his pitching success, his cruel and dramatic career derailment, and his historic resurrection as a power-hitting outfielder. Your lasting impression is of Rick the winner and champion husband, father, and person, with a story that impacts us all. - The Atlantic
“Terrific . . . Imperfect can teach all of us valuable lessons.”—Cal Ripken, Jr.
“Compelling . . . Imperfect is a big-hearted memoir.”—Los Angeles Times
“Honest, touching, and beautifully rendered . . . Far more than a book about baseball, it is a deeply felt story of triumph and failure, dreams and disappointments. Jim Abbott has hurled another gem.”—Jonathan Eig, New York Times bestselling author of Luckiest Man
BIOGRAPHY
Tim Brown is a New York Times bestselling author and an award-winning national sports columnist covering Major League Baseball, most recently at Yahoo! Sports for nearly 15 years. He formerly served as a national baseball columnist at The Los Angeles Times and freelanced for The Wall Street Journal. Earlier in his career, he worked as a sports reporter at The Star-Ledger, the Cincinnati Enquirer, and the Los Angeles Daily News.
Tim is a renowned, award-winning sportswriter with a national reputation for writing human interest stories, ranging from in-depth features on Mike Trout to Derek Jeter to Kim Ng throughout their careers, to covering broader cultural issues in sports, such as the controversy around steroid usage in the game, as well as the under-representation of Black baseball players. He has also written personal essays, highlighted local efforts to elevate underprivileged youth baseball players, and championed women as they rise through the ranks of the League. Earlier in his career, Tim covered the Los Angeles Lakers for the Los Angeles Times for five years, writing hundreds of stories and front-page features about the storied championship team in the era of Phil Jackson, Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O'Neal.
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As a revered sports expert and an animated storyteller, Tim is a popular and frequent contributor to national and local sports radio shows and podcasts. He has also served as the host of a podcast series at Yahoo! Sports and was a television broadcaster for the Major League Baseball Network.
He studied journalism at the University of Southern California and graduated from California State University, Northridge. He and his wife live in Raleigh, North Carolina, with their two Labrador retrievers Luna and Gracie.
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