Tim McCarver Will Leave FOX Booth After the Season

Tim McCarver (right) and Joe Buck have worked together since 1996. (Image Credit: nydailynews.com via Google Images search)

Baseball has been the center of Tim McCarver’s life for the past 55 seasons, first for 21 years as a player before a transition into the broadcast booth. 2013 will be his last season behind a microphone, as FOX Sports announced earlier this evening that the now 71 year old will retire at season’s end. There is no word who might be considered as a possible replacement.

McCarver’s playing career began when he signed as an amateur free agent with the St. Louis Cardinals. He was just 17. He’d appear in 82 games that season for two of the team’s minor league affiliates, hitting a combined .359/.384/.435 before making his debut in St. Louis. He’d split his time over the following three seasons between the minor leagues and the Cardinals bench before taking over the starting job behind the plate for good. He’d play in the All Star Game in 1966 and 1967 while hitting .276/.330/.398 over the next seven seasons. St. Louis went to three World Series during that stretch, winning twice.

Following the 1969 season the Cardinals traded McCarver to the Philadelphia Phillies. Midway through 1972 they sent him to the Montreal Expos, who’d turn around and trade him six months later to the Cardinals. After a year plus in St. Louis his contract was purchased by the Boston Red Sox. Less than a year later they’d release him, at which point he’d sign with the Phillies to finish out the final six seasons of his career.

In 1,909 career games he posted a .271/.337/.388 line. His 1967 campaign – in which he hit .295/.369/.452 with career highs of 14 HR and 69 RBI – was good enough to place him second in NL MVP voting. His career spanned long enough for him to catch a number of impressive hurlers, including both Bob Gibson and Steve Carlton during the 1968 season.

With the completion of his playing career, McCarver stepped into the broadcast booth beginning with a stint covering games in Philadelphia. He soon transitioned into a more national role, working with NBC, ABC, and CBS at various points. He’s been part of the FOX Sports baseball coverage since 1996, working alongside Joe Buck. In 2012 he was awarded with the Ford C. Frick Award from the Hall of Fame.

There will be a segment of the national fanbase that will miss McCarver’s stories and anecdotes on the key FOX broadcasts (mostly the Saturday national game). There will also, however, be a good amount of people who will welcome the change as McCarver’s nonsensical ramblings have been making us weary for years.

I fall into that latter group, as many of you who know me personally can attest to.

I have no problem acknowledging the accomplishments of his on-field career and have respect for what McCarver was able to accomplish. I also have to give him credit for sustaining such a lengthy career in the broadcast booth. However, in recent years he’s just simple become insufferable. He’s long winded and occasionally appears to almost get lost in his own stories. He’s an incredible homer for the National League. Every once in awhile he’ll start on a rant about something and he’ll keep going until Joe Buck reels him back in. McCaver’s time to retire came a few years ago.

Now, I can accept that not everyone falls under the same opinion as I with regards to McCarver, but I’m not exactly sorry to see that he’ll be stepping away from the booth following this coming season. What will be curious to see, however, is who ends up garnering consideration as his potential replacement. That could be an intriguing discussion. Who would you like to see replace him?