About the author ⁄ Kirby Barber

Kirby Barber is the co-founder of Sports UpFront. A graduate of the College of Sports Media in Toronto, he's spent the last several years covering practically every professional sport, as well as the Vancouver and London Olympics. When he's not working on UpFront or watching E60, 30 for 30, or 60 Minutes (the greatest show in the history of TV), Kirby's writing and editing sports highlights & features for a national TV audience. Kirby also attended Carleton University, where he was the radio voice of the Carleton Ravens basketball team. While passionate about all sports, his first love is baseball. His ultimate goal is to call MLB play by play nationally for either radio or television, and to die a happy man, on the set of 60 Minutes (hopefully without eyebrows like Andy Rooney's). Drop him a line at: kirby.barber@SportsUpFront.com or tweet him @kirbybarber

Baseball, Parkinson’s and Parenting: The Ben Petrick Story

Think you’ve experienced stress?

Imagine you’re in the middle of a baseball game, still just getting your feet wet in the big leagues, and nervous as hell. Not because you doubt your abilities on the diamond; when you were drafted out of high school, an MLB executive used your name and “Hall of Fame” in the same sentence. You don’t want people to discover your secret. You’ve worked your entire life to get here. Your body, once your greatest asset, is now on the verge of unraveling, along with your promising career. You’re a 23-year-old professional athlete with Parkinson’s disease. …

May 1, 2013 Posted by Kirby Barber In Baseball, Featured Tagged Alcoholism, baseball, Ben Petrick, Clint Hurdle, Colorado Rockies, Forty Thousand to One, hall of fame, Kirby Barber, Parkinson's Diease, parkinsonism, reqiup, Scott Brown, Vern Petrick, Wayne Gomes Comments 0

The Hottest Seat on Ice: The Surprising Firing of Lindy Ruff

Since July of 1997, there have been 170 coaching changes in the NHL, that’s 5.6 per team. Take a moment to let that sink in.

While many accomplished and respected hockey men have had to clean out their office over that time, Lindy Ruff was never among them—until this past week.

At risk of missing the playoffs for the fourth time in six seasons, thanks to a miserable 6-10-1 start to 2012-13, the Buffalo Sabres fired their coach of 15 seasons. Replacing him as interim coach is Ron Rolston, promoted from the Rochester Americans of the AHL. …

Feb 25, 2013 Posted by Kirby Barber In Featured, Hockey Tagged Barry Trotz, Bucky Gleason, Buffalo Sabres, Darcy Regier, Detroit Red Wings, Jim Devellano, Ken Holland, Kirby Barber, Lindy Ruff, Nashville Predators, NHL, Predators, Red Wings, Sabres Comments 0

Stan Musial: ‘The Man’ of a Generation

When baseball great Stan Musial passed away last month, many heartfelt tributes and obituaries poured in throughout the baseball world.

Sure, Stan “The Man” was one of the few remaining nonagenarian members of baseball’s Hall of Fame, but Musial is rarely among the short list of the sport’s most celebrated. “What was the hook with Stan Musial other than the distinctive stance and one of Baseball’s best nicknames?”, asked decorated broadcaster Bob Costas, while eulogizing his friend.

What are we losing with the passing of Musial? The answer is more complicated than a stat line or a trophy. …

Feb 4, 2013 Posted by Kirby Barber In Baseball Tagged Barber, baseball, Bob Feller, cardinals, Kirby, lance armstrong, musial, PEDs, stan musial, WWII Comments 0