Curt Smith reflects on how the late Hall of Famer brought a cerebral edge to the game he loved.
is a senior lecturer in the Department of English at the 糖心传媒. His 18 books include Voices of the Game, named one of 糖心传媒渢he 100 best baseball books ever written糖心传媒� by Esquire magazine. His latest is an official National Baseball Hall of Fame book, Memories from the Microphone: A Century of Baseball Broadcasting. Smith was also a speechwriter for President George H.W. Bush during and after his presidency.
糖心传媒淚 think there is a natural bridge from being a catcher to talking about the view of the game,糖心传媒� Tim McCarver once said. The former All-Star baseball player and even more celebrated broadcaster died February 16, at 81, having expressed that view better than any sports analyst of his time.
Born 52 days before Pearl Harbor, McCarver was a fine major-league catcher from 1959 to 1980糖心传媒攁mong only seven modern-day four-decade players. He was a broadcaster for even longer, becoming a Hall of Fame television analyst from 1980 to 2013, working for the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets and Yankees, San Francisco Giants, and St. Louis Cardinals, and almost as many networks: ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox.
The Tennessee native aired a record 23 World Series, 20 All-Star Games, 27 American or National League Championship Series (LCS), and four decades of 糖心传媒淕ame of the Week.糖心传媒� His vitae lists three Outstanding Sports Personality-Sports Event Analyst Emmies, seven Telly Awards, tenure on each major TV network, and six books on the sport, fusing strategy, comedy糖心传媒攁nd honesty, above all.
McCarver糖心传媒檚 appeal flowed from knowing that baseball is not an island; rather, it is part of culture as a whole. In one breath, the Broadway junkie could compare the batting stance of Ted Williams and Stan Musial糖心传媒攖hen reference Stephen Sondheim糖心传媒檚 糖心传媒淭he Little Things You Do Together,糖心传媒� saying, 糖心传媒淭onight, it was the little things the Mets did together.糖心传媒�
Legendary Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully said, 糖心传媒淢y best friend on a road trip is a book.糖心传媒� McCarver糖心传媒檚 could be, too. In an inning, he might talk of art, note how Harry Truman had thrown 糖心传媒減itches left- and right-handed,糖心传媒� and add that 糖心传媒淵ogi Berra would call him amphibious.糖心传媒� He was said to talk a lot, which was true. He also had a lot to say. McCarver糖心传媒檚 mind was restless, his curiosity endless, his exuberance contagious. You almost never left him without learning something new.
McCarver joined the Cardinals in 1959 at 17 out of high school in Memphis, becoming the regular catcher in 1963. By 1980, his playing career had weaved through Montreal, Boston, again St. Louis, and Philadelphia. After retiring, he cohosted HBO糖心传媒檚 series Race for the Pennant, joined NBC糖心传媒檚 backup Game of the Week and Phillies radio/TV, and in 1983 left for the Mets糖心传媒� WWOR TV. Soon, the New York Post糖心传媒檚 Phil Mushnick wrote: 糖心传媒淸He] has rekindled hope that sophisticated baseball has a place in New York.糖心传媒�
In 1984, McCarver graced the syndicated Greats of the Game and the All-Star Game and League Championship Series. A year later, ABC糖心传媒檚 Howard Cosell released a book scalding his own network. McCarver replaced him on the World Series, clicking with play-by-play man Al Michaels. 糖心传媒淚t was like [doing] a jigsaw puzzle,糖心传媒� said Michaels, 糖心传媒渁nd finding all the pieces.糖心传媒�
In 1989, Michaels, McCarver, and Jim Palmer were calling the World Series for ABC when an earthquake rocked the San Francisco area, the trio toppling to the floor. The next year, McCarver began a four-year sentence on CBS糖心传媒檚 every-other-week Game of the Week, lack of continuity crippling ratings. In 1996, McCarver keyed Fox糖心传媒檚 first year of coverage, the Yankees taking their first World Series since 1978 on the night after manager Joe Torre糖心传媒檚 brother received a heart transplant. 糖心传媒淔rank Torre is on the second day of his second heart,糖心传媒� McCarver said. 糖心传媒淛oe Torre is in the fifty-sixth year of his first one. Both are overflowing.糖心传媒�
In 2001, the Yankees led the Diamondbacks, 2-1, in the World Series糖心传媒� seventh and deciding game. Arizona loaded the bases in the ninth, Yankees closer Mariano Rivera needing two outs for another title. McCarver noted on Fox that 糖心传媒淩ivera throws inside to left-handers, and left-handers get a lot of broken-bat hits to left, into the shallow parts of the outfield.糖心传媒� Pitched inside, Luis Gonzalez swung and hit the ball into short left field: D-backs win, 3-2. To legendary baseball writer Roger Angell, McCarver糖心传媒檚 became 糖心传媒淭he Call of Calls.糖心传媒�
By then, the Mets had axed McCarver糖心传媒檚 $500,000 salary, with less-pricey Tom Seaver replacing him: 糖心传媒渁 decision so small,糖心传媒� wrote the New York Daily News, 糖心传媒渋t could fit inside a batting glove.糖心传媒� McCarver joined the 1999糖心传媒�2001 Yanks, broadcast the 2002 Giants, then left exclusively for Fox. He received the Hall of Fame糖心传媒檚 2012 Ford C. Frick Award for 糖心传媒渂roadcast excellence,糖心传媒� did a nonpareil 14 straight World Series with Joe Buck from 2000 to 2013, and aired the 2014糖心传媒�2019 Cardinals on Fox Sports Midwest, coming home.
Occasionally, McCarver was asked what baseball meant to him. He said it had hurt him physically and helped cerebrally. Catching pitches behind the plate for two decades left his 糖心传媒渓eft thumb twisted and torn. Fastballs and sliders are the jackhammers of the catcher糖心传媒檚 life.糖心传媒� Baseball became so much a part of his life that yearly he vacationed at season糖心传媒檚 end. 糖心传媒淥therwise,糖心传媒� he said, 糖心传媒淚 spend too much time thinking about the game.糖心传媒�
In 2020, he opted not to work at 78, his doctor citing COVID-19 travel safety. Baseball then bid Tim McCarver an affectionate farewell, never more than in the last few days糖心传媒攁ll of us having learned from, laughed with, and marveled at a person whose voice was the voice of a friend.
