Now we know what Tim McCarver did on his winter vacation.
The ABC baseball commentator had his hand bitten by a sting ray, snorkeled with sea lions in the feeding grounds of the great white shark and almost had his skin ripped off in a wind tunnel.
But, hey, that`s show biz.
It also was a little more than the former catcher bargained for when he agreed to host ”Tim McCarver`s World of Adventure,” which will be seen at 3:30 p.m. March 26 on WLS-TV (Channel 7).
”The whole experience was really special,” McCarver says. ”The original theme was ordinary people doing extraordinary things. I`d never snorkeled, gone scuba diving, been in a submarine. I had a healthy fear of ocean waters. In truth, there is a first time for everything.”
Encouraging McCarver throughout the project was Pierre de Lespinois, the show`s producer-director who was responsible for ABC`s mini-camera, point-of- view photography at the Calgary Winter Olympics.
”There was a sense of wonder even among the people with whom I was working,” McCarver says. ”Sure, it was a job for them, but they genuinely loved what they were doing.”
De Lespinois and colleague Bob Rosen first approached McCarver about the adventure special right after the Calgary Games last year.
McCarver remembers telling them, ” `You`ll have to talk me into it.` I was not gung-ho. But then I figured, if I was ever going to do something like this, now, at the age of 47, was the time. In two or three years, the adventurous side of me probably won`t be there.
”So I took a deep breath and told Pierre and Bob, `Maybe.` ”
McCarver soon found that nothing in his 21 years in the major leagues prepared him for deep-sea diving.
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”You see, sports, especially the world of the professional athlete, is an insulating demand,” he says. ”As a professional baseball player, I did that for more than 20 years. I rarely had time for anything else.
”When I was a kid growing up in Memphis, I spent my time honing my skills in baseball and football. Consequently, this was all new to me. I`m proud of the result.”
Whether testing hurricane-force winds with speed skier Kirsten Culver on another segment of the show, or shark-hunting with Rodney Fox, McCarver says he`s grateful for the experience.
”One thing that surprised me was that, if there was any fear initially, fear leaves and curiosity takes over,” he says. ”Now I look back and say, `I can`t believe I did that.`
”I`m not 20 anymore, and the older you get, the more cautious you become about some things. To start out at this age was a big thing for me. It was fun, and it`s an experience I`ll have for the rest of my life.”
The real adventure, however, may be ABC`s slotting the show against the NCAA basketball regional finals on CBS that day.
– Walter Payton will go duck-hunting in his native Mississippi with host Curt Gowdy when ”The American Sportsman” makes a special appearance at 3 p.m. April 2 on WLS-TV. The longest-running network TV show devoted to the outdoors and conservation left the air in 1984 after winning more than 75 awards during its 20-year run.
– ESPN has added three outdoor shows to its Saturday morning lineup-”
Crooked Creek,” ”Sportsman`s Challenge” and ”Jimmy Houston Outdoors.”
They join two other shows to give ESPN 2 1/2 hours of outdoors programming from 6:30 a.m. on Saturdays.
– In addition to its NCAA men`s basketball tournament coverage, ESPN is presenting the National Invitation Tournament, culminating with the final at 8 p.m. March 29; six games leading to the NCAA women`s Division I championship, including the national semifinals at 8 p.m. March 31; and the NAIA championship at 8:30 p.m. Monday. . . . ESPN will televise same-day coverage of the NCAA Division I wrestling championships at 8 p.m. Saturday. It also will show the NCAA Division I hockey final live at 7 p.m. April 1.
– The nominations for this year`s Sports Emmy Awards are out, and ABC leads the way with 27, followed by NBC with 24 and CBS 21. ESPN has garnered seven nominations, including two for its America`s Cup coverage. The nominees for outstanding play-by-play host/personality are Bob Costas (last year`s winner) and Dick Enberg of NBC, Brent Musburger and Dick Stockton of CBS and Jack Whitaker of ABC. Conspicuously absent in that category is ABC`s Al Michaels. ”He`s our prime-time announcer,” said an ABC spokesman. . . . WLS- TV (Channel 7) will present a one-hour special on the awards, produced and distributed by Raycom, at 1 p.m. April 15. The awards dinner is April 10 in New York.
– ESPN will have nine straight days of live coverge of the Lipton International Players tennis championships, starting at 3 p.m. March 25 and culminating with the women`s final at 12:30 p.m. April 1 and the men`s final at 3:30 p.m. April 2.
– For all you Iditarod fans, ABC Sports will present the Alaskan dog-sled race as part of its ”Wide World of Sports” at 3:30 p.m. March 25 on WLS-TV
(Channel 7).
– Saddle up: ESPN will show 14 American Grand Prix Association Horseshow Jumping events and three World Cup events. The schedule begins Sunday with the Grand Prix of Palm Beach.