Skip to content
Link copied to clipboard

John Kruk had fun in his final Phillies broadcast this season, while Merrill Reese was miserable

“Can’t beat fun at the old ball yard,” Kruk said after a move that left NBC Sports Philadelphia announcer Tom McCarthy wheezing from laughing so hard.

Former Phillies star turned NBC Sports Philadelphia announcer John Kruk had a bit of fun calling his final game of the season Sunday.
Former Phillies star turned NBC Sports Philadelphia announcer John Kruk had a bit of fun calling his final game of the season Sunday.Read moreElizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer / Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Phot

Sunday wasn’t only the final regular season game for the Phillies, it was the last chance for John Kruk to call a game until March.

The Phillies’ entire playoff run, which kicks off Saturday, will be broadcast by Fox. But that didn’t stop Kruk from having some fun in the booth at Nationals Park Sunday — despite promising to be on his best behavior.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, a bored Kruk decided to strike up a conversation with a young man who was leaning out of the booth of Nationals organist Matthew Van Hoose. But Phillies play-by-play announcer Tom McCarthy had another suggestion.

“See if you can scare him,” McCarthy said.

Moments later, Kruk let out a loud “Hey!” The young man nearly jumped out of his shirt, causing McCarthy to break down in a fit of laughter.

“Can’t beat fun at the old ball yard,” Kruk said.

Kruk had quite a season. His story about playing baseball on a prison team in Mexico was mocked by HBO’s John Oliver. He also told a terrific story in July about the time he was asked to pinch hit despite being benched by the team for “language that wasn’t conducive to a baseball environment” the night before. There’s also the St. Louis Arch, which Kruk has yet to visit, despite promises made during the broadcast.

Following the game, his colleague Taryn Hatcher thanked Kruk for an eventful season, and Rubén Amaro Jr. passed along thanks from Michael Barkann, who was stuck on Eagles hosting duties Sunday.

“I’ll make sure I call Michael, just to make him feel good about how much I dislike him,” Kruk joked.

The Phillies have off until Saturday, when they’ll take the field for the National League divisional series. They’ll face the winner of a wild-card matchup between the Milwaukee Brewers and whichever team ends up with the No. 6 seed, which could end up being the Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, or Arizona Diamondbacks.

While Kruk can go on vacation, McCarthy will join radio announcers Scott Franzke, Larry Anderson, and Kevin Stocker on 94.1 WIP, who will continue to broadcast Phillies games throughout the playoffs.

» READ MORE: NL wild-card madness: Mets and Braves will settle things in a doubleheader on Monday

Merrill Reese was miserable calling the Eagles’ loss

Eagles fans suffered through a terrible loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday, but no one was as miserable as Merrill Reese.

The longtime Eagles radio announcer didn’t even attempt to hide his disgust during the Birds’ lopsided loss to the Bucs, admitting the game was “discouraging” and “hard to watch.”

“I’ve never seen a worst start than this,” Reese said in the first half, when the Bucs took a 21-0 lead. At one point, the Bucs has 216 total yards while the Eagles had zero.

“If you are just tuning in, you’ve missed nothing. The score is 21-0 Buccaneers and yes, it’s as bad as it sounds,” Reese said.

“The Eagles defense looks absolutely overmatched,” Merrill added.

The Eagles were so thoroughly dominated that Reese suggested it was unfair for the officials to throw a flag at one point in the first half.

“I didn’t think the officials will be that heartless,” Reese said.

After the loss, the Eagles head into their bye week, their earliest since the Birds had a Week 4 bye in 2016. Their next game is on Sunday, Oct. 13, against the Cleveland Browns at 1 p.m.

Quick hits

  1. Philly sports villain Tom Brady called his first Eagles game on Fox Sunday and had some memorable moments, admitting he “seriously considered” signing with the Chicago Bears before ultimately landing in Tampa Bay. He also claimed he didn’t hate the Eagles or Nick Foles, but didn’t clarify whether he ever shook the hand of the Super Bowl LII MVP. Foles said a handshake never happened, and his name was edited out of Brady’s Apple TV+ documentary.

  2. Who will replace Adrian Wojnarowski as ESPN’s NBA news breaker? Most of the speculation centers around fellow NBA news breaker Shams Charania (whose contract is up at The Athletic), but a surprising name has emerged as a potential replacement — ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan, according to The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand. One potential reason citied by Marchand is ESPN isn’t locked into a long-term contract with MLB, while it just signed an 11-year extension with the NBA.

  3. Fox’s NFL pregame crew had a bit of fun at the expense of the newest addition to the Fox NFL Sunday roster, former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, who was convinced to speak highly of a Dallas Cowboys tight end that doesn’t exist.

  1. Former WIP host Chris Carlin told the story of being banned from a North Jersey Burger King following an argument in the drive-thru that included the phrase, “You’re a disgrace.” Following a stint at WFAN, Carlin currently cohosts ESPN Radio’s midday show alongside Joe Fortenbaugh and remains the voice for Rutgers football.