For the second straight weekend, the NFL has come calling for Phillies announcer Tom McCarthy.
McCarthy, in his 13th season as the team’s television voice on NBC Sports Philadelphia, was in the booth Friday to call Phillies-Braves. But he’ll miss Saturday’s and Sunday’s games because he’ll be broadcasting the Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars for CBS alongside former Giants running back Tiki Barber.
Once again, longtime Phillies radio announcer Scott Franzke will fill in for McCarthy on TV, calling both games alongside analyst Ben Davis. Saturday’s game will air on NBC10 at 7:20 p.m., while Sunday’s game at 1:35 p.m. will be on NBC Sports Philadelphia.
For the second straight week, triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs announcer Pat McCarthy, Tom’s 27-year-old son, will call the Phillies games on radio in Franzke’s place. Joining McCarthy will be Michael Bourn, one of four former players calling Phillies games on the radio this season after Larry Andersen took a step back to only call the team’s home weekend games.
McCarthy told The Inquirer this will be the last time this season he’ll miss a Phillies game to call the NFL. He’s scheduled to call a few NFL games on radio for Westwood One, including a Monday Night Football matchup between the Tennessee Titans and the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 19 (part of a doubleheader also featuring the Eagles’ home opener against the Minnesota Vikings). That happens to be an off day for the Phillies.
» READ MORE: The Phillies’ J.T. Realmuto is dominating the bases unlike any other player in baseball
On Wednesday, Conshohocken Brewing debuted its newest beer called The Merrill & Mike Philly Special, a hazy double IPA honoring longtime Eagles announcers Merrill Reese and Mike Quick.
Many familiar faces showed up to the party at Puddlers Kitchen & Tap in Bridgeport, which doubled as a fundraiser for First Tee of Greater Philadelphia. In addition to Reese and Quick, other notable guests included 94.1 WIP hosts Glen Macnow, Joe Giglio, and Jody McDonald; Inquirer columnist Mike Sielski; La Salle basketball coach Fran Dunphy; and Flyers legend Bernie Parent.
All told, Macnow said the event raised more than $16,000, and a portion of every beer sold will also go to First Tee.
So how can you get your own can? For now, Macnow said cans are available at Conshohocken Brewing Company’s five locations in Havertown, Conshohocken, Phoenixville, King of Prussia, and Bridgeport. The beer will be available in stores and bars stretching from the Lehigh Valley to Delaware in October.
Reese and Quick are in their 25th season calling Eagles games on WIP and radio stations across the region. Reese, who celebrated his 70th birthday earlier this month, signed a new deal in the offseason that will keep him in the booth through the 2024 season. Reese has been the voice of the Eagles since 1977, making him by far the longest-tenured announcer in the NFL.
“I feel like I can do this for a long time to come,” Reese told The Inquirer. “I just absolutely love every single second of it.”
» READ MORE: Amid NFL broadcasting shuffle, Eagles announcer Merrill Reese remains a familiar voice
With the Eagles playing on Monday Night Football in Week 2, here are the NFL games that will air on television in the Philadelphia market Sunday:
-
Patriots at Steelers, 1 p.m., CBS (Ian Eagles, Charles Davis, Evan Washburn)
-
Panthers at Giants, 4:05 p.m., Fox (Joe Davis, Daryl Johnston, Pam Oliver)
-
Bengals at Cowboys, 4:25 p.m., CBS (Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson)
-
Bears at Packers, 8:15 p.m., NBC (Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth, Melissa Stark)
» READ MORE: ESPN to experiment with Eagles-Vikings ‘Monday Night Football’ broadcast
-
Matthew Berry, the former ESPN fantasy football expert who joined NBC Sports last month, is launching a new pregame show that will air on NBC-owned stations, including NBC10. Fantasy Football Pregame with Matthew Berry will debut Sunday at noon. Berry will also continue to appear on Football Night in America each week leading up to Sunday Night Football.
-
The WFAN host and former WIP talker’s new morning show The Carton Show is averaging just 17,400 viewers through five episodes, according to Neilsen numbers reported by the New York Post. That’s down about 77% from the 76,400 viewers First Things First averaged this time last year. There are all sorts of caveats, and it’s obviously too early to make long-term predictions. After all, look at all the coverage ESPN’s Get Up received during its early ratings woes.
-
Both Amazon and Apple passed on LIV Golf media rights, according to the Wall Street Journal. So far, the Saudi-backed golf league also hasn’t been able to strike a deal with ESPN, CBS, NBC, or Fox.
-
On Nov. 12, Notre Dame and Cal will face off in the inaugural Shamrock Classic women’s basketball game in St. Louis. As Sports Business Journal’s Michale Smith reported, it’ll mark the first live broadcast of a women’s college basketball game on NBC. And cue the music:
