Yes, it's true. For 11 games at the end of 1974 season and 12 games at the beginning of the 1975 season, Tim "Awesomest Broadcaster Ever" McCarver was a member of the Boston Red Sox.

The Sox purchased McCarver's contract from the Cardinals for a very modest amount on September 1, 1974, with the intent to use him as a backup catcher (they already had Bob Montgomery and Carlton Fisk- but Fisk suffered a knee injury that ended his '74 season). McCarver managed to get 12 games worth of playing time in over the final weeks of 1974. But the following season, McCarver played in just 11 games during the first 3 months of the '75 season. Then at the end of June, the day before Carlton Fisk (6 years his junior) returned from the DL, McCarver was unconditionally released by the Sox. I suppose it's no surprise then he developed his odd anti-Sox slant - an unconditional and unceremonious release must have been pretty embarrassing. The Phillies ended up signing him as a free agent at the beginning of July 1975 (at the behest of his woobie, Steve Carlton). McCarver is totally the Mirabelli to Carlton's Wakefield, except that no one wants to rip the ears off their head after listening to Mirabelli.

The only good thing I have to say about McCarver is that he gave us the awesome phrase "cobra in a basket". That's it. Please don't say I have to somehow give him some small measure of credit for the Sox appearance in the '75 Series... I refuse.

Thanks to Meredith for the card scan!