Fox Sports announced today that longtime baseball analyst Tim McCarver is stepping down from his lead MLB on FOX position upon conclusion of this season’s World Series.
Here are the details from Fox PR:
“I’ve informed FOX Sports that I will not seek to extend my contract to broadcast baseball past the 2013 season,” said McCarver. “Although I am neither tired of broadcasting baseball nor have I in any way lost my interest in baseball, with which I have been associated as a player and broadcaster for 55 years, it’s time to cut back. Since 1996, my time with Joe Buck has been filled with some of the most memorable moments in the game’s magnificent history. I am very proud to have been a part of all the things that make this game so special for all of us who follow it day-to-day, week-to-week and year-to-year. Finally, to the gifted men and women at FOX with whom I’ve worked with over the last 17 years, your work has been exemplary and unmatched. You’re the best in the business and it has been a privilege.”
“Tim’s longevity as a lead network analyst is the result of hard work and his commitment to provide the best, honest analysis possible, and his decision to step down came as a surprise to us,” said FOX Sports Co-President and COO Eric Shanks. “On behalf of everyone at FOX Sports and generations of baseball fans, David (Hill), Ed (Goren), Randy (Freer) and I would like to thank Tim for everything he has done for FOX since 1996 and baseball over the last 55 years. We’re just glad we get to enjoy his friendship and savor his expertise one more season.”
McCarver, whose uninterrupted run as a major league player and broadcaster began in 1959, has worked 28 consecutive MLB postseasons on network television dating back to 1984, providing analysis for a record 23 World Series and 20 All-Star Games. His voice and spot-on analysis are synonymous with many of baseball’s biggest moments over the last 30 years, earning him wide critical acclaim, three straight Emmy Awards for “Outstanding Sports Event Analyst” (2000-02) and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s 2012 Ford C. Frick Award for his unparalleled broadcast career. McCarver has teamed with Joe Buck, his MLB on FOX play-by-play partner, a record 17 years as the network’s lead national baseball broadcast team. No baseball broadcasting tandem has called more World Series (15) and All-Star Games (14).
“It was my great fortune to be paired with Tim as a kid back in 1996,” said Buck. “It gave me instant credibility and helped shaped my career. Tim is the best ever to do what he does, the ultimate professional and the best first-guesser in the history of this business. I have always been proud to call him my partner, and I’m prouder still to call him my friend. I will be forever grateful to him for both parts of our relationship, and I’m going to miss him next year.”
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