Oh Baby, I Love It!: Baseball Summers, Hot Pennant Races, Grand Salamis, Jellylegs, El Swervos, Dingers and Dunkers, Etc, Etc, Etc

A baseball announcer who knows that pouilly-fuisse is not a ballet step and that Samuel Clemens is not the grandfather of the Red Sox star, but who is not above an atrocious pun about the stray pig in the outfield that gobbled up a line drive and so gave the batter an inside-the-pork home run: this is McCarver, among the best in the field. As a catcher, principally with the Cardinals and Phillies, he contributed to the success of Bob Gibson and Steve Carltonand has a ballpark named after him in Memphis. One of the voices of the Mets, he is respected for his close knowledge of the game. Here, with an assist from TV Guide contributing editor Robinson, he reviews his career on and off the diamond and recaps the Amazins' season of 1986. As a literary man, McCarver hits a .400. (April 30)