Tim McCarver, baseball player and broadcaster.
I apologize for linking directly to the NYT, but archive.is is not working well right now.
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In 1967, he hit .295, had career highs with 14 home runs and 69 runs batted in and finished second (behind his teammate Orlando Cepeda) in voting for the National League’s Most Valuable Player award. With McCarver in the lineup, the Cardinals won the pennant in 1964, 1967 and 1968. He was a leading figure in the Cards’ victory over the Yankees in the 1964 World Series, hitting safely in all seven games, batting .478 and blasting a 10th-inning three-run homer to win Game 5. McCarver hit poorly and was less of a factor in the Cards’ 1967 Series win over Boston, but he hit .333 in the ’68 Series against Detroit, though the Cardinals lost in seven games.
In 1967, he hit .295, had career highs with 14 home runs and 69 runs batted in and finished second (behind his teammate Orlando Cepeda) in voting for the National League’s Most Valuable Player award. With McCarver in the lineup, the Cardinals won the pennant in 1964, 1967 and 1968. He was a leading figure in the Cards’ victory over the Yankees in the 1964 World Series, hitting safely in all seven games, batting .478 and blasting a 10th-inning three-run homer to win Game 5. McCarver hit poorly and was less of a factor in the Cards’ 1967 Series win over Boston, but he hit .333 in the ’68 Series against Detroit, though the Cardinals lost in seven games.
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Over the years, McCarver’s prominence offered him other opportunities. Beyond his game-day appearances, he was host of “The Tim McCarver Show,” a long-running program, first on radio and later on television, in which he interviewed athletes and other sports celebrities. He was a co-anchor, with Paula Zahn, of the 1992 Winter Olympics for CBS.
His books, written with co-authors, consisted largely of tales from the locker room and the diamond and instructions to fans about how to watch a ballgame. He was a fine bridge player who was cited in the bridge column of The New York Times. He appeared in a handful of movies, including “Moneyball,” “Fever Pitch” and “The Naked Gun.” And he even recorded an album, “Tim McCarver Sings Songs From the Great American Songbook.”
McCarver co-wrote another book, “Baseball for Brain Surgeons and Other Fans,” that’s an excellent guide to the finer points of watching and understanding baseball. I own a hard copy that I read many years ago, probably in 2013 when it first came out. I need to re-read it. Highly recommended to any baseball fan.
Tim McCarver was one of the type of ball players that seemed to dominate baseball in my younger days growing up during the 60’s and 70’s. Not flashy, nor a great homerun hitter, but simply a solid player, who was always ready to play, gave his all every time he put on the uniform, and had the respect of all of his peers.
Of course, there were the greats as well, like Willie Stargill, Al Kaline, etc. And some of the others, who while great players, still kept that workman like ethic, such as Harmon Kilebrew, Carl Yastremski, Hank Aaron, Jim Thome, etc.
I played baseball in high school, as well as football, and a couple other sports. I loved football, and had several colleges that I could have attended, one on a full ride for the first year.
Baseball, I sat the bench for 3 years, on the varsity at least. I worked harder than anyone else, but there was always someone ahead of me. My senior year, I finally got to start and played every pitch. I batted a couple of points less than .400, coming in at .396. I was the #6 leading hitter in a 3 county area. I never got discouraged, and never quit.
I think that is part of the reason that I was awarded the Senior Athlete of the Year award. Not that I was all that great, but that I learned what you should learn from high school sports. Character, sportsmanship, and dedication, etc. As far as I know, I am still the only one who was voted for unanimously, by the teachers, staff and administration. Even my one brother who was a high school All American in football did not get voted in unanimously. The fact is, he was a jerk to people.
While I played some independent league baseball, and even a semi pro football league for one year, the fact is, once I got married and had a child, my priorities changed, and my family, and work became too important to play in such leagues anymore. I did play fastpitch softball for a few years, as it fit in with my schedule.
Wow, what a long screed about myself, when I meant it to be about Tim McCarver. Sorry, but at least you know more about me, if that means anything. Have a great and safe week.