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Legendary Baseball Broadcaster Retiring After 34 Years

Mar 28, 2013  •  Post A Comment

One of the fixtures of TV baseball has announced his plan to retire after 34 years in the broadcast booth and an 18-season run in his current job. USA Today reports that Fox lead analyst Tim McCarver will step down after this season.

McCarver is starting his 18th season with game announcer Joe Buck on Fox. McCarver said he informed Fox of his decision last month.

McCarver is quotes as saying he’s "not tired of the game," but he adds: "It’s time to cut back."

"’I want to take cooking classes in Italy,’ said McCarver, who spoke on a conference call from his home in Napa, Calif. ‘And I love to read, although I know reading gets old after a while,’" the story reports.

Buck, also on the call, joked: "How about painting?" To which McCarver said: "I’m not a painter."

McCarver added: "I wanted to step down while I could still do the job. It’s not a tough call, it’s not a sad thing for me. … But I’m going to miss Joe Buck a lot."

The report notes: “After 34 years in TV broadcast booths, McCarver isn’t sure if he wants or will be offered a role on the upcoming Fox Sports 1 cable channel. ‘There’s no plan in place right now. I just don’t know,’ he said. ‘I don’t want to speculate.’

“Fox has left open the possibility of using McCarver on the new channel, which debuts Aug. 17. ‘We’ll continue to do what we can to fit in his schedule,’ says Fox Sports co-president Eric Shanks, who added he has a ‘man crush’ on McCarver.”

McCarver moved into the broadcast booth after a career in the major leagues, playing from 1959 to 1980. Most of his career was spent as a catcher, mainly with the St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies.

tim-mccarver.jpgTim McCarver

One Comment

  1. Now we can only hope Joe Buck will follow suit immediately.

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