Editing Jack Buck (section)

===ABC and CBS baseball===
[[File:JackBuck.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Jack Buck (left) with [[Ralph Kiner]] at the [[1987 in baseball|1987]] [[Baseball Hall of Fame|Hall of Fame]] induction ceremony.]]
In {{baseball year|1960}}, Buck along with [[Carl Erskine]] broadcast a series of late-afternoon Saturday games on [[Major League Baseball season|ABC]].<ref>{{cite news|date=April 12, 1960|title=ABC Signs Erskine as TV Color Man|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|agency=Associated Press|page=C7}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Can't Hide No-Hitter From Fans&mdash;Erskine|date=June 5, 1960|agency=Associated Press|newspaper=The Miami News|page=2C}}</ref> They were the lead announcing crew for this series, which lasted one season.<ref>{{cite news|date=January 1, 1961|agency=Associated Press|newspaper=Hartford Courant|title=No Major Changes Loom in TV Sports During 1961}}</ref>

Despite temporarily losing the ''Game of the Week'' package in [[1961 in baseball|1961]], ABC still televised several games in prime time (with Buck returning to call the action). This occurred as [[Roger Maris]]<ref>{{cite news|title=NETWORKS PLAN WIDE U.N. REPORT|date=September 19, 1961|first=Val|last=Adams|newspaper=The New York Times|page=71}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=ABC-TV to Film Tilt 154|date=September 19, 1961|newspaper=Daytona Beach Morning Journal|agency=Associated Press}}</ref> was poised to tie and subsequently break [[Babe Ruth]]'s regular season home run record of 60.

For a number of years Buck called baseball events nationally for the [[Major League Baseball on CBS Radio|CBS Radio]] network, teaming with [[Brent Musburger]] to call the [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star Game]] in [[1976 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1976]] and with [[Jerry Coleman]] to call the [[National League Championship Series|NLCS]] from [[1979 National League Championship Series|1979]]–[[1982 National League Championship Series|1982]]. From [[1983 World Series|1983]]–[[1989 World Series|1989]], Buck variously teamed with [[Sparky Anderson]], [[Bill White (first baseman)|Bill White]], and [[Johnny Bench]] to call [[World Series]] radio broadcasts on [[Major League Baseball on CBS Radio|CBS Radio]], including appearances by the Cardinals in [[1985 World Series|1985]] and [[1987 World Series|1987]]. (As a Cardinals announcer, Buck had previously called the World Series in [[1968 World Series|1968]] (on [[Major League Baseball on NBC Radio|NBC Radio]]) and [[1982 World Series|1982]] (locally on KMOX).) Buck, along with his CBS Radio colleagues Johnny Bench and [[John Rooney (sportscaster)|John Rooney]], was on hand at San Francisco's [[Candlestick Park]] on October 17, 1989, when the [[1989 Loma Prieta earthquake|Loma Prieta earthquake]] hit. After the 6.9 magnitude quake rocked the [[San Francisco Bay Area|Bay Area]], Buck told the listening audience:

{{blockquote|I must say about Johnny Bench, folks, if he moved that fast when he played, he would have never hit into a double play. I never saw anybody move that fast in my life.}}

He is most famous for his coast-to-coast radio call of [[Kirk Gibson]]'s [[Kirk Gibson 1988 World Series home run|game-winning home run]] in the bottom of the 9th inning of Game 1 of the [[1988 World Series]] and his disbelief at Gibson knocking it out while hobbled by injuries to his right hamstring and left knee. His call of the play is so famous that it is sometimes played over the television footage of the play. The television call was handled by long-time Dodgers announcer [[Vin Scully]] on [[Major League Baseball on NBC|NBC]].

This was Buck's call. It begins here with Buck speculating on what might happen if Gibson manages to reach base:

{{blockquote|... then you would run for Gibson and have [[Steve Sax|Sax]] batting. But, we have a big 3&ndash;2 pitch coming here from [[Dennis Eckersley|Eckersley]]. Gibson ''swings'', and a fly ball to deep right field! ''This is gonna be a home run!'' Unbelievable! A home run for Gibson! And the [[1988 Los Angeles Dodgers season|Dodgers]] have won the game, five to four; I don't believe what I just saw!}}

The last sentence is often remembered and quoted by fans. Buck followed it with,

{{blockquote|I don't ''believe'' what I just saw! Is this really happening, Bill?}}

Buck concluded his comments on Gibson's amazing feat with this thought:

{{blockquote|One of the most remarkable finishes to any World Series Game ... a one-handed home run by Kirk Gibson! And the Dodgers have won it ... five to four; and I'm stunned, Bill. I have seen a lot of dramatic finishes in a lot of sports, but this one might top almost every other one.}}

Buck was not intended to be the main play-by-play announcer for [[Major League Baseball on CBS#1990–1993 version|CBS]] baseball telecasts when the network acquired the sport from NBC and [[Major League Baseball on ABC|ABC]]. Originally assigned to the network's #2 crew (and therefore, work with [[Jim Kaat]]), he was promoted at practically the last minute after [[Brent Musburger]]<ref>{{cite news|last=Rusnak|first=Jeff|date=April 6, 1990|title=Buck In Brent At Cbs|url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1990-04-06/sports/9001010646_1_ted-shaker-two-cbs-executives-brent-musburger|newspaper=Sun Sentinel|access-date=2017-01-26|archive-date=2017-02-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202025751/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1990-04-06/sports/9001010646_1_ted-shaker-two-cbs-executives-brent-musburger}}</ref>  was fired on [[April Fools' Day]] of [[1990 in baseball|1990]].

After two years of calling baseball telecasts (including the Saturday afternoon ''[[Major League Baseball Game of the Week|Game of the Week]]'', [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star Game]], [[National League Championship Series]], and [[World Series]]), Buck was dismissed by CBS. The official reasoning behind Buck's ouster was that he simply had poor chemistry with lead analyst [[Tim McCarver]].<ref>[http://www.freeinfosociety.com/site.php?postnum=781 Buck never could come to terms with emphasis on analysts in televised sports. He always believed that a good play-by-play broadcast is what the people wanted.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060721095439/http://freeinfosociety.com/site.php?postnum=781 |date=2006-07-21 }}, freeinfosociety.com; accessed April 3, 2018.</ref><ref>[https://archive.today/20120713034136/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/bostonherald/access/68809378.html?dids=68809378:68809378&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Oct+22,+1992&author=Jim+Baker&pub=Boston+Herald&desc=On+the+Air+Buck+out+but+not+down+at+CBS&pqatl=google I did get a nice note from Neal Pilson (CBS Sports head). And we did have a helluva World Series last year, didn't we?" One stated reason for the McDonough- for-Buck move was Buck and Tim McCarver didn't mix well on-air, that Buck's radio style didn't allow McCarver enough room. ...], pqarchiver.com/bostonheral, October 22, 1992.</ref><ref>[http://docs.newsbank.com/g/GooglePM/DN/lib00185,0EB2A381065E8597.html The network that three years ago didn't even have a sports department is televising its first World Series. ... When McCarver was paired with Jack during CBS's World Series broadcasts in 1990-91, they weren't great together, primarily because Jack had been trained in radio. ...], newsbank.com, October 18, 1996.</ref>

Buck was soon replaced by [[Boston Red Sox]] announcer [[Sean McDonough]]. Buck later noted that "CBS never got that baseball play-by-play draws word-pictures. All they knew was that football stars analysts. So they said, 'Let McCarver run the show ... In television, all they want you to do is shut up. I'm not very good at shutting up." Buck was criticized by some for his alleged habit of predicting plays on air.<ref>[http://www.freeinfosociety.com/site.php?postnum=781 Buck took a lot of criticism from national audiences, as well. Numerous critics pointed out his tendency of predicting plays on the air. This sometimes led to him making the wrong call, and confusing the listeners] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060721095439/http://freeinfosociety.com/site.php?postnum=781 |date=2006-07-21 }}, freeinfosociety.com; accessed April 3, 2018.</ref>

Buck made controversial statements about singer [[Bobby Vinton]] prior to Game 4 of the [[1990 National League Championship Series]]. After Vinton muffed the lyrics of "[[The Star-Spangled Banner]]" in his home town of [[Pittsburgh]], Buck lightly referenced Vinton's [[Polish culture|Polish]] heritage ("Well, when you're Polish & live in Pittsburgh, you can do anything you want with the words!").<ref>[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-10-11-sp-3218-story.html Vinton, Buck apologize for Wayward Words]</ref> Buck soon got death threats from [[1990 Pittsburgh Pirates season|Pittsburgh Pirates]] fans, who even went as far as leaving a footprint on Buck's hotel pillow.

The next day, [[CBS Sports]] executive producer Ted Shaker spotted Buck in the hotel lobby and told Buck that he was in trouble. The final baseball play that Jack Buck narrated for CBS television was [[Gene Larkin]]'s game winning bloop single in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series.

{{blockquote|The [[1991 Minnesota Twins season|Twins]] are going to win the World Series! The Twins have won it! It's a base hit! It's a 1–0 10th inning victory!}}