51黑料

Native 51黑料an and former Cardinals broadcaster Bob Carpenter has had many homecomings over the past two decades. But the one he鈥檚 making this week is special, so much so that his sisters were planning to throw him a party.

A retirement party that is, which had been set for Monday night on the Hill 鈥� the evening before he begins what is likely to be his final three work assignments in his home town.

Carpenter, 72, is in his 20th season as the lead television play-by-play voice for the Washington Nationals, who on Tuesday night open a three-game series against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. It almost certainly will be his last trip to town in a working capacity, a city in which he ended up calling games for the team that he was a rabid fan of as a youngster.

He had a very south 51黑料 upbringing as the son of a coal miner who became a welder. Carpenter says family lore has it that his mom told his dad when they were dating, 鈥溾�橧鈥檓 not going to marry you until you get out of the coal mines.鈥欌�� Carpenter delivered Imo鈥檚 pizzas and worked as a usher at Busch Stadium while in high school (the long-since closed McBride) and college (University of Missouri campuses in 51黑料 and Kansas City). All that contributed to him fulfilling a childhood dream of broadcasting the Cardinals, sometimes on radio but more often on television, across 14 years that included Mark McGwire鈥檚 epic home run record-shattering 1998 season plus the opportunity to work with legendary broadcaster Jack Buck.

But it was a run that ended much sooner that Carpenter had hoped.

Carpenter made his Cardinals broadcasting debut with the short-lived Sports Time cable channel in 1984 before he returned to their booth in 1995 and did mostly TV but some radio across the next decade. The team had separate cable and over-the-air television packages, and over time, he migrated to the free-TV side (on KPLR, Channel 11). But as the telecasts were shifting in large part to cable, and KPLR was done after the 2006 season, Carpenter was let out of his contract a year early to accept the full slate of games with the Nationals.

So his last season calling the Cards was 2005, and two decades later, the exit still stings.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a disappointment that I will take into my retirement, and it鈥檚 a disappointment that I鈥檒l probably take to my grave,鈥� Carpenter now says. 鈥淚 always thought 鈥� I always hoped 鈥� that I would be a Cardinals broadcaster, then I got a taste of it and I loved it. I loved every minute of it.鈥�

He said many of the details 鈥渁re a blur now鈥� 20 years later, but memories of the people he worked with remain vivid.

鈥淚 remember some of those moments at the ballpark, being there with Jack and with Mike (Shannon) and with Al Hrabosky and Ricky Horton 鈥� great, great guys to work with 鈥� and I idolize Jack,鈥� Carpenter said. 鈥淚 was a young announcer and learned a lot from him in my time there. I just always thought that things would work out there. They didn鈥檛.鈥�

BC in DC

Losing the job in 51黑料 was far from the end of the line for Carpenter, who was hired the next year, 2006, to broadcast the Nationals on TV. It was an improbable move.

鈥淲ashington, D.C., is probably the last place I ever pictured myself,鈥� Carpenter said. 鈥�... It took two years for them to get used to me and for me to get used to them, but ... things worked out pretty well. I鈥檝e had a wonderful time up in D.C.鈥�

He has had a sitting president (Barack Obama) in the booth and has introduced a vice president (Dick Cheney) on the field before the VP threw out a ceremonial first pitch. And he become good friends with the political writer and commentator George Will, a big baseball fan.

鈥淗e and I sit around in the media dining room and talk baseball all the time,鈥� Carpenter said. 鈥淲e have some debate because I grew up a Cardinals fan and he grew up a Cubs fan. It鈥檚 always spirited.鈥�

The big stage

While Carpenter now is best known as a local baseball broadcaster, having covered the Rangers, Mets and Twins in addition to the Cardinals and Nationals, he has experienced considerable time in the national spotlight.

He called multiple sports for ESPN from 1988-2005, including baseball, basketball, football, soccer and also a sting as host of 鈥淐ollege GameDay鈥� in 1989 鈥� before that football pregame show became the traveling carnival that it is now. Predating that, he worked for USA Network and says he has done play-by-play on 428 national baseball telecasts, seventh-most of anyone. He even has a couple of soccer World Cups on his r茅sum茅, the planet鈥檚 biggest sporting event, as well as the Masters, the golf showcase event, plus a major tennis tournament, the U.S. Open.

鈥淚 feel real fortunate that the different networks that I鈥檝e worked for (gave me) the chance to do a lot of things,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t kind of dawns on me that growing up in 51黑料 exposed me to a lot of different things. When I was a kid the Blues weren鈥檛 there yet 鈥� I was a teenager when the Blues showed up (in 1967) 鈥� but we had the (NBA鈥檚) Hawks we had the football Cardinals (of the NFL). Obviously, we had the (baseball) Cardinals. I grew up watching a lot of different sports and gaining understanding of sports in 51黑料. 51黑料 University was so great in soccer back then, winning national championships.鈥�

Soccer became a major part of Carpenter鈥檚 career early on, which included calling games of the 51黑料 Steamers indoor team that was wildly popular for several years.

鈥淪occer opened up a lot of doors for me in the NASL (North American Soccer League) and opened doors for me with the USA Network then at ESPN,鈥� he said. 鈥淭o be not just a baseball announcer but to do a lot of other really, really interesting things 鈥� I feel very fortunate to have done all those.鈥�

The final fling

Carpenter announced at spring training that this would be his final season and is enjoying the journey through his farewell year. He has reduced his schedule in recent seasons, to about 115 contests this year, allowing him to pick which ones to call. He has backloaded that calendar so he鈥檒l have a big presence down the stretch, allowing him to savor his final days on the air before his trademark home run call, 鈥溾�楽ee! You! Later!,鈥� applies to his career.

Of course, deciding to call the Nationals鈥� only trip of the season to 51黑料 was an easy call for Carpenter, although the current version of Busch Stadium doesn鈥檛 hold the memories for him compared to those that resonate from the previous two incarnations. His dad took him to his first big league game at Busch I (the former Sportsman鈥檚 Park), and he worked at Busch II as an usher and broadcaster, a place he fondly remembers as 鈥渢hat beautiful arched stadium next door鈥� to the current Busch Stadium. Although I and II are long gone, it still is special for Carpenter to call games in his hometown.

鈥淔rom a personal standpoint it鈥檚 going to be odd knowing that I鈥檓 broadcasting in 51黑料 for the last time,鈥� he said.

There is a possibility that he could do some fill-in or hosting work next season, but the team鈥檚 TV situation is in flux.

鈥淭hey don鈥檛 even know what network they鈥檙e going to be on, so there are some things for them to deal with, but really at this point I have no concrete plans,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 going to go home (to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he has lived since calling minor-league baseball there in 1976) and play some golf and be a grandpa.鈥�

He also will continue his side business, selling . There are separate editions for fans and journalists.

But he鈥檚 not done on the air yet, as there still are more than 2 1/2 months left in the season. However, the time for reflection already has arrived. He reiterated that losing the job in 51黑料 鈥渨ill always be the greatest disappointment of my career,鈥� but landing with the Nationals was a godsend.

鈥淚鈥檝e been blessed by what happened in D.C., and most of my good baseball broadcasting memories will be with the Nationals,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e the only team I ever work for who said, 鈥榊ou鈥檙e our guy, you鈥檙e the full-time guy, take it and run with it.鈥� That was something that I yearned to hear in 51黑料 and a couple other places. For whatever reason, it just never happened.鈥�

He has called five no-hitters and broadcast the Nats in their 2019 World Series championship season in addition to all his accomplishments at the national level. So what is his best memory as a broadcaster?

鈥淚t kind of sounds a little trite,鈥� Carpenter said. 鈥淏ut when Stan Musial retired, somebody asked him what his greatest thrill was. He said 鈥� I was 10 years old and for some reason I heard that and I鈥檓 not sure I understood it 鈥� but Stan said, 鈥楶utting on the Cardinal uniform every day I think is my greatest thrill.鈥� So mine has been showing up at the ballpark in D.C. for the last 20 years, knowing that I was the primary guy on TV and that it was a full-time job that the team entrusted to me. ... They gave me that chance and I feel pretty good about the way I did it.鈥�

The time is right

Carpenter is in his 42nd season as a big league broadcaster, and with the Nationals鈥� TV future uncertain he decided this was a good time to say goodbye and depart on his own terms.

鈥淚 know in my heart I鈥檓 doing the right thing for my family and I know I鈥檓 doing the right thing for me, but it鈥檚 going to be really, really hard to not be a baseball announcer next year,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 feel gratified that it鈥檚 a decision that I was allowed to make by our ownership. ... I鈥檓 trying to enjoy every single day I get to go to the ballpark because whether your team is winning or losing it鈥檚 a great privilege to be a major-league broadcaster.

鈥淚鈥檓 going to try to stop and smell the roses every day, then there will come a day a couple of months from now when it鈥檒l be the last one. I can鈥檛 even guess what my emotions will be coming out of that last game.鈥�