Ex-Mets Announcer Tim McCarver to Retire from Fox

Former Mets play-by-play announcer Tim McCarver has announced that this season, his 18th, will be his last with Fox Sports.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the 71-year-old McCarver said:

I’ve informed Fox Sports that I will not seek to extend my contract to broadcast baseball past the 2013 season. 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.

In a conference call, Tim McCarver said this has nothing to do with any health issues. He said he just wants to do other things, saying, “I want to take cooking classes in Italy.”

McCarver called Mets games from 1983 to 1998, doing an excellent job and really revitalizing the broadcasts. The Mets dropped him in favor of Tom Seaver, which was a huge mistake because Seaver is not even remotely as good a commentator as McCarver.

Tim McCarver has faced much criticism over the years, but except for annoyingly hammering home certain points from time to time, I think McCarver is one of the best baseball announcers out there, and will be missed.