RIP Tim McCarver

[Batman]

Another great baseball voice of our youths has been silenced.

 

[UPChip]

Best white Winter Olympics co-host not named Jim Nantz that CBS ever had.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

Tough week for St. Louis fans. He was a lot of fun listening to with Ralph Kiner with the 80s-era Mets. RIP

 

[BitterYoungMatador2]

Will Deion go to the funeral to toss dirt on the casket?

 

[Webster]

As a Mets fan, I learned a tremendous amount from him on those Channel 9 broadcasts. A real teacher and lover of the game.

 

[Regan MacNeil]

In my view, as good as Tim McCarver was at playing baseball was as bad as he was at announcing baseball. RIP.

 

[mateen]

It was a long time ago and my memory may be playing tricks, but my recollection is that McCarver was pretty widely (although certainly not universally) considered to be the gold standard for baseball color guys in the mid-80s. A combination of things - hearing the same guy too long, changing tastes, and a larger share of the baseball fan universe becoming more knowledgeable about analytics and the like - seemingly contributed to his rather steep decline in popularity towards the end.

 

[jr/shotglass]

One of the few major-league moments I'll always be able to say I witnessed in person.

July 4, 1976. Three Rivers Stadium. I'm sitting in right field as McCarver launches a grand slam. But wait, it wasn't. He passed Garry Maddox between first and second. Three-run single.

It was a long time ago and my memory may be playing tricks, but my recollection is that McCarver was pretty widely (although certainly not universally) considered to be the gold standard for baseball color guys in the mid-80s. A combination of things - hearing the same guy too long, changing tastes, and a larger share of the baseball fan universe becoming more knowledgeable about analytics and the like - seemingly contributed to his rather steep decline in popularity towards the end.

Very good take on it. People tiring of his broadcast delivery should never overshadow the fact that he was a damn good catcher and was on the receiving end of most of Gibson's great moments -- AND was ahead of the game when it came to intelligent in-game commentary.

RIP.

 

[HanSenSE]

My biggest problem with McCarver announcing was he never knew when to stop making his point. I recall one playoff game when he t[k a manager to task over not double switching (remember those kids?) four or five times over two half innings

The other question: How far is his grave from Strve Carlton's?

 

[jr/shotglass]

I think this is a thing with sports color men. When they're the hot new thing, everyone loves 'em. And then they get tired of 'em. And then they start picking 'em apart.

Collinsworth has lived through it. Romo is currently living through it. One of the few who overcame this was Madden; people never stopped loving his shtick.

 

[playthrough]

It was a long time ago and my memory may be playing tricks, but my recollection is that McCarver was pretty widely (although certainly not universally) considered to be the gold standard for baseball color guys in the mid-80s. A combination of things - hearing the same guy too long, changing tastes, and a larger share of the baseball fan universe becoming more knowledgeable about analytics and the like - seemingly contributed to his rather steep decline in popularity towards the end.

Worked for all four networks. Never gonna see that again ... well, because the networks don't want baseball anymore.

 

[Regan MacNeil]

Romo's living through it because he's become so obviously lazy. Americans usually don't like people who coast.

 

[jr/shotglass]

OK, chief!

 

[micropolitan guy]

Wow, I remember him hitting a 3-run homer to end a game in the 1964 series. Game 4 or 5, I think, Gibson vs. Bouton.

 

[mateen]

As a youngster, I knew of him not as a broadcaster but as Steve Carlton's personal catcher with the Phillies. Apparently he had a special ability to communicate with Carlton, which might not actually be something you'd want to brag about given how odd Carlton was.

I didn't realize how good he was at his peak - he hit .295/.369/.452 with 14 homers and was 2nd in MVP voting in 1967.

 

[playthrough]

Fantastic tribute from Verducci:

https://www.si.com/mlb/2023/02/16/tim-mccarver-dies-81-baseball-renaissance-man-catcher-broadcaster

 

[swingline]

Just read that.

 

[BitterYoungMatador2]

Remembered getting cable in summer of 1987 and thinking it was so cool the Mets had the Monday Night Baseball guy as their color commentator. And Deion is still a **** for dumping water on him. RIP.

 

[Regan MacNeil]

Deion is still a ****

'Twas ever thus.

 

[DanOregon]

I always liked McCarver - really did a great job explaining baseball - but thought he was a bit too cute at times when he ventured beyond that. Maybe the best part of the three-person teams he was part of - but when it was with Joe Buck, it became too much?