Tim McCarver has finally had enough.
The longtime broadcaster has decided to leave the booth when this season ends after 34 years calling major league games. He would later say in a WFAN interview that he is not officially retiring, but will at least be taking a major step back from the game that he has been a part of for 55 years.
“I wanted to step down while I know I can still do the job and be proud of the job I’ve done,” said McCarver on a FOX conference call.
“I am a grandfather now. I have homes in Florida and California, and I have many outside interests. More than anything, timing is everything. I thought it would be appropriate to announce it now. It’s not a tough call. It’s not a sad thing for me.”
FOX said the search for a replacement as their lead analyst has not begun, though one name that constantly surfaces is SNY and TBS analyst Ron Darling.
McCarver, 71, has worked for all four major networks – FOX, CBS, NBC, ABC – and has been with FOX since 1996. He has called 28 straight postseasons and a record 23 World Series. McCarver is entering the final year of his contract and told FOX execs of the news when they met with him at his Florida home in February.
“I’ve thought about it for the last two years when it’s going to end,” McCarver said. “I don’t know what (FOX) was going to offer me, but I said almost immediately that I have thought long and hard about this before we even talk about future negotiations. I don’t think, I know this is going to be my last year. The fact that I’ve thought about it long and hard, I knew my mind was made up.”
McCarver said he wanted to make the announcement now as opposed to letting speculation linger throughout the season. He would not rule out the possibility of working FOX’s new cable network FOX Sports 1 next season, but is done being the national voice of the national past time.
“There’s no plan in place right now,” said McCarver, who was awarded the Ford C. Frick Award for oustanding broadcasting from the Hall of Fame in 2012.
“I just don’t know. I don’t want to speculate on that because .. . I’ve never really been in a situation where I have to weigh whatever happens after this year whenever I step aside. “
McCarver started his second career with the Phillies in 1978 and spent time with the Mets (1983-98) and Yankees (1999-2001) during over three decades in the booth. He has worked alongside play-by-play man Joe Buck for the past 18 years.
Buck commended McCarver’s toughness on the conference call for the way he has dealt with criticism from the media, particularly on the internet. McCarver said he plans on spending more his new-found free time traveling and taking cooking classes.
“I know I am going to miss Joe a lot,” McCarver said of Buck. “He’s an extraordinary talent. And he’s very smart and very funny as all of you know. But more than anything his compassion as a friend, and sitting next to me for 18 years is one of the things I am going to miss a great deal when this thing is over.”