The snapshot of Tim McCarver penetrating our mind when we heard of his death at the age of 81 Thursday afternoon, was first meeting him while he was standing on the press level of Shea Stadium squinting out at the sun while spitting tobacco juice into a Styrofoam coffee cup.
We listened to that Memphis twang reach a higher pitch when a point needed to be made. Between spits, Tim McCarver had a lot to say. It was always better to concentrate on his words and not interrupt. It didn’t matter whether you caught his monologues in person or coming through a TV screen.
Simply put, Tim McCarver was the best analyst to ever grace a baseball microphone. Second place doesn’t matter.
