Joe Buck eyeing the end of his baseball broadcasting after Fox commitment expires

Fans who don’t think Joe Buck does a good job calling baseball games on Fox and would prefer to see him replaced might get their wish sooner than they realize.

During a long Q&A with 590 The Fan’s Tim McKiernan at The Improv Shop in St. Louis Tuesday night, Buck was asked about remarks he made in a podcast interview with Brad Straubinger that indicated he might like to step back from his baseball broadcasting obligations in the near future. Was that true? Or did McKiernan misinterpret Buck’s remarks?

Here was Buck’s response:

“Yeah, I think I — I love it — but I’ve been doing it for a long time and I feel like somebody else should do it. I’ve done enough. I’m signed for three more World Series, and that’ll be 22 — which is stupid to even think about. If somebody said right now, before I walk outta here, you’re done, I’ve had the greatest career miles beyond anything I could have ever dreamed.

But I would like to get some of my time back and be at home, be in St. Louis, be with my wife and watch my kids, even though they’re 20 and 17, and doing their own thing. I’ve been gone a lot this year, and I’m not crying about it. I love it. But I need to take stuff out.”

As Buck hinted at during his remarks, no one needs to feel sorry for him. He has a job a lot of people would love to have in a profession many dream of working in. But Buck being a year-round presence on Fox’s coverage of MLB and the NFL means that he doesn’t really have an offseason like most of his colleagues. When he’s not calling football, he’s working baseball games. After baseball season ends, it’s back to football.

Again, it’s a life many people would like to have. But someone in Buck’s position also doesn’t necessarily get to enjoy some of the things many of us take for granted, like spending time with our family, enjoying holidays at home, and not having to travel across the country throughout the year. That was apparent in his mentioning that his kids are older now. Maybe he feels like he missed a bit too much of them growing up.

Buck clearly has his eye on the end of his baseball duties, which might also be a natural progression to his career. Some of his detractors will surely read into that and let it fuel the perception that Buck doesn’t like calling baseball and is mailing in his broadcast. Maybe there will even be some truth to that. But anyone can likely relate to wanting to be at home more after dedicating so much time to work. Seeing the end of a long grind can be what keeps us going, and Buck probably isn’t any different.

You can listen to the entire show here, and the conversation about begins at the 1:40 mark.

[590 The Fan]