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McCarver Heard On Lewinsky Tapes


Everyone wondering what Monica Lewinsky sounded like on the tapes secretly recorded by Linda Tripp got some unexpected voices as well -- Joe Buck and Tim McCarver.

As TV networks played excerpts of the Lewinsky-Tripp tapes Tuesday, McCarver and Buck could be heard in the background calling Game 5 of the 1997 division series between Cleveland and New York, which Tripp apparently had on during a phone call.

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  • "If this isn't the ultimate sign that baseball is back, I don't know what is," McCarver said. "I'm inquiring about residuals."

    Buck, who is interrupted at one point by Lewinsky referring to President Clinton as "the big creep," joked that this validates his career in the eyes of his wife.

    "The World Series was great, the All-Star Game wonderful and NFL terrific," he said. "But when she heard my voice this morning on the treadmill it was cause for celebration."

    Monica Lewinsky
    Baseball makes an appearance in the Monica Lewinsky saga. (AP)

    At one point in the tapes, McCarver is heard delivering a soliloquy about the strike zone in between bantering from Tripp and Lewinsky about the intern's future in the White House. Buck also can be heard saying, "There's a long fly to left ..." although it's not clear if the ball was eventually caught.

    "It brings a whole new level to the three-man booth," Buck said. "I think less is more and trying to get in an analyst and basically a spy is tough work for a play-by-play guy. If you heard it, I tried to let it breathe a little so Linda could talk."

    With all the coverage the tapes received, Buck is calling for a recount of the Nielsen ratings o account for the extra audience.

    "This will be one of the highest-rated playoff games of all time when you consider the crowd that heard it today," he said.

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