Tim McCarver

James Timothy McCarver (born October 16, 1941 in Memphis, Tennessee) is an American former catcher in Major League Baseball and a current broadcaster for FOX Sports.

Playing career

He began his playing career after being signed by the St. Louis Cardinals from Christian Brothers High School in Memphis in 1959. He hit .359 that year while splitting time between the Cardinals' minor league teams in Keokuk and Rochester and, though just 17 years old, was briefly called up to the Cardinals.

He spent the 1960, 1961, and 1962 seasons shuttling between St. Louis and the minor leagues in places like Memphis, Charleston, West Virginia and Atlanta. In 1963, he was called up to the majors for good.

St. Louis Cardinals

McCarver's greatest playing success came with the Cardinals. In 1964, his tiebreaking home run in the 10th inning won Game 5 of the 1964 World Series. In 1966, McCarver was named to the All-Star Team, and led the National League in triples, with 13. In 1967, he finished second to teammate Orlando Cepeda for the National League Most Valuable Player award. McCarver was a member of two World Series championships during his time in St. Louis, and fostered a relationship with young pitcher Steve Carlton that would keep him in the major leagues later in his career.

Later career

After a trade to Philadelphia involving, among others, his teammate Curt Flood (which led to Flood's dramatic lawsuit challenging baseball's reserve clause) before the 1970 season, McCarver began a somewhat nomadic existence playing for the Phillies, Expos, Boston, and another brief stint with the Cardinals.

McCarver finished his career as the personal catcher for Steve Carlton for the Phillies in the late 1970s, which prompted some critics to remark that he is most known for "holding Carlton's jock strap". It was quipped that when Carlton and McCarver eventually died, they would be buried 60 feet, 6 inches apart.

He retired after the 1979 season to begin a broadcasting career. McCarver briefly returned to duty in September 1980 so he could play in four different decades.

Tim McCarver Stadium

The minor league baseball stadium in Memphis was christened Tim McCarver Stadium in 1978; it was replaced by a new downtown stadium (named AutoZone Park in a naming rights arrangement) in 2000.

McCarver currently resides in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.

Broadcasting career

Tim McCarver interviews Joe Carter following Carter's World Series clinching home run in 1993. Tim McCarver interviews Joe Carter following Carter's World Series clinching home run in 1993.

As a broadcaster, McCarver has enjoyed prominence as a color commentator on the network level. He has won three Emmy Awards for Sports Event Analyst.

He began his broadcasting career at WPHL (Channel 17) where he was paired with Richie Ashburn and Harry Kalas. He then moved on to a color commentator role with NBC Sports.

He is currently paired with Joe Buck on the Fox network's MLB telecasts, after previous stints with ABC (where he teamed with Al Michaels and Jim Palmer from 1985-1989 and again from 1994-1995) and CBS (where he teamed with Jack Buck from 1990-1991 and Sean McDonough from 1992-1993).

He has also called games locally for the Phillies, Mets, Yankees, and Giants. McCarver also co-hosted the 1992 Winter Olympics with Paula Zahn for CBS. Some refer to him as Chevrolet's Tim McCarver in reference to the sponsor of his nationally syndicated, sports talk show that is broadcast on network television. The Tim McCarver Show is enjoying its seventh season and has recently been signed for five additional seasons.

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