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Fox's Joe Buck "salivating" at thought of calling Cubs games in World Series.
Joe Buck has called 17 World Series, 17 All-Star games and four Super Bowls for Fox Sports. Throw in numerous big national games as Fox's lead voice for Major League Baseball and the NFL, plus his first U.S. Open this year, and it is a robust resume.
Yet Buck says there still is one huge item on his wish list.
"If I could call Cubs games in the World Series, it would be the highlight of my career," Buck said.
When pressed if he wasn't being a bit hyperbolic given all that he has done at Fox, which includes being on the call for four World Series in his hometown of St. Louis, Buck reiterated his statement.
"When people say, 'What's the one thing you want to do?' that's my answer: Cubs in the World Series," Buck said. "I don't want to do an NBA Finals or a Kentucky Derby or moderate a presidential debate, as if that would happen. I want to sit at Wrigley Field, look out and know that a World Series game is about to start. It would be the cherry on top."
If Buck does call the Cubs during the 2015 postseason, it will be in the World Series. TBS will televise Wednesday's Cubs-Pirates wild-card game and the National League division and championship series. Buck, though, will be keeping a close eye on the Cubs while he concentrates on the American League playoffs for Fox.
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Buck thought he was on the verge of his ultimate assignment in 2003. He was assigned the Yankees-Red Sox AL Championship Series that year. He recalled being in a car with his Fox crew after a game in Boston, watching Game 6 of the Cubs-Marlins series.
"This was 2003, and somebody had this crappy TV," Buck said. "We're watching the game wind down, the Cubs are leading, and they show this shot of the crowd on Waveland outside the ballpark. I wish I had a picture of the faces of everyone in that car. It was like, 'Oh, my God, we're going to do a World Series at Wrigley. It's going to be insane.'"
Obviously, the dream was derailed with the epic Game 6 meltdown by the Cubs. However, the memory of that near-miss remains vivid for Buck.
"I've been salivating for that moment ever since," Buck said.
Buck hardly is alone with that sentiment at Fox. There's no such thing as objectivity for the networks when it comes to ratings. The Cubs would dramatically alter the arc of what has been a steady decline in World Series ratings over the last decade. Their presence would be a huge national story, attracting non-traditional viewers.
Photos: Cubs travel to Pittsburgh
The Cubs depart Wrigley Field for the airport Monday in advance of their wild-card game in Pittsburgh on Wednesday night.
"It would be old-school ratings," Buck said. "It would be back to where the other networks wouldn't want to program against the games. The Cubs cut through unlike any other team. It would be that big. It would be overwhelming."
Cubs coverage: Ernie Johnson, Cal Ripken Jr. and Ron Darling will be on TBS' call for the wild-card game Wednesday. Also, TBS will have a familiar face working as a studio analyst during the playoffs: former Cubs manager Dusty Baker.
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