Thomas Hauser on Sports: Remembering the Journey

Tim McCarver

Tim McCarver is one of the most articulate, knowledgeable, likeable men in sports. It was a pleasure to talk with him at the start of the 1999 baseball season. Tim McCarver Tim McCarver, the son of a policeman, was born and raised in Memphis. He was a multi-sport athlete in high school, and received football scholarship offers from dozens of colleges, including Notre Dame, Alabama, Kentucky, andTennessee.After graduating from high school, he signed with the St. Louis Cardinals and made his major league debut in 1959 at age seventeen. Over twenty-one seasons as a major-league catcher, McCarver developed a reputation as a fierce competitor. He was quick behind the plate, and his instinct for the game, combined with careful study, made him one of baseball’s most reliable catchers. The high point of McCarver’s major league career was the 1964 World Series, when the Cardinals beat the NewYorkYankees four games to three. McCarver caught every game, had 11 hits in 23 at bats, and blasted a three-run eleventh-inning home run that gave the Cards a 5–2 victory in the pivotal fifth game. He is the only catcher ever to lead the major leagues in triples, with thirteen in 1966.And he finished second in the 1967 National League MostValuable Player balloting behind teammate Orlando Cepeda. Perhaps more significantly in the overall fabric of sports,McCarver was one of a small group of players who helped reorganize the Major League Baseball Players Union in 1966 and choose Marvin Miller as its executive director.Thereafter,he was a member of the players negotiating committee that secured baseball’s first basic collective bargaining agreement. After retiring from the game as an active player in 1980, McCarver took a job as aTV commentator for the Philadelphia Phillies.Three years later, he brought his skills in the broadcast booth to the NewYork Mets. At the same time, he went national, calling games for CBS,ABC, and now Fox. THOMAS HAUSER ON SPORTS 127 Earlier this year, McCarver’s services were terminated by the Mets. Clearly, he ranked among the sports broadcasting elite. But his honest commentary and occasional criticism did not sit well with Mets management .A firestorm of controversy followed.The Mets were savaged by fans and the media.And McCarver was quickly signed to provide analysis for 42 of 50 Yankee games that will be televised by Fox’s local affiliate in NewYork. Meanwhile, McCarver remains a member of Fox’s broadcast team for national telecasts.And he remains both outspoken and candid. Q: How did you feel when you were terminated by the Mets? McCarver:I tried to view it from a business standpoint.Changes are made in corporations everyday.And from a personal standpoint, I told myself that change in life can be healthy and for the best.There were people in the Mets organization who thought I was overly critical for a local announcer.And if that filtered up—down, over, whatever—to the owners, then it was time for them to make a change and time for me to move on. I was surprised, and a little angry initially, but that’s gone now. Q:How involved was George Steinbrenner in your hiring by theYankees? And how do you think he’ll react if you criticize him? McCarver:There’s no question in my mind that George had to give his okay before I was accepted in theYankee booth. But I never met with him in conjunction with the job before my contract was signed.As for the second part of your question; I was amused to read where George said, “Yeah, McCarver has taken a few shots at me in the past, but it will be all right as long as he’s fair.” Now to George, it may be taking a few shots. To me, it’s balanced criticism.And that’s the way I’ll try to be as long as I’m on the air.The only time I can remember criticizing George on a national stage was in Game 4 of the 1996 World Series. Kenny Rogers, the starting pitcher for theYankees, was taken out in the third inning with Atlanta leading 6 to 0. And I said something to the effect that George Steinbrenner should be given a lot of credit for what he’d done with Darryl Strawberry and Doc Gooden, but that he’d been wrong in insisting that theYankees acquire...