Philadelphia Phillies: I’m not really missing Tom McCarthy

No Philadelphia Phillies baseball right now means that we aren’t hearing the voice of Tom McCarthy, and I’m not really missing it all that much, even though my opinion is probably an unpopular one.

Full disclosure: I’ve never met Philadelphia Phillies broadcaster Tom McCarthy in person, if you don’t count a polite wave from across the way one time when I was walking into Wrigley Field. But everyone else I’ve heard from says that he is a very nice guy, someone whose success you can really be happy about.

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That being said, I’m just not a fan overall of hearing him on the broadcasts. And there are a couple of reasons for this.

First, nobody is going to be able to fill the shoes of the late Harry Kalas, which McCarthy immediately had to step in and do when Harry passed away literally at the ballpark during the first week of the 2009 season. I can go on and on forever about how great Harry was, which I have, and it was really an unenviable position for anyone who took over for him. McCarthy at least deserves credit for making the most of a terrible situation and still rolling with it over a decade later. Again, however, nobody is going to compare to a legend. Sorry, Tom.

I guess I’m also bitter, in a strange way, about loyalty. If you recall, McCarthy did radio for the Phils during the early 2000’s, as well as pre- and post-game. Then, he left to go to the New York Mets, returning to Philly two years later. I don’t pretend to know the reasons why he left and came back, and I won’t begrudge him for following any career advancement opportunities that came his way, but I have some kind of mental block that won’t let me get over it. Time with the Mets is a huge turnoff. Call me crazy.

The other point of contention I have is that I much would have much preferred Scott Graham to have become the voice of the Phillies as Harry Kalas’ successor. It’s my long-held conspiracy theory that Graham wanted this assurance, and that he and the Phillies parted ways because they couldn’t agree on it. I have no proof for this, but Graham’s time with the Phils ended after the 2006 season, regardless of why. I enjoyed him immensely as a Phils broadcaster, particularly for calls like this. And that Graham Slam tie-in was just too convenient. Don’t cry for him though; he’s done excellently since he left Philadelphia, especially in his work for the NFL. He’s now the voice of NFL Films and the Puppy Bowl, two jobs that Harry Kalas used to hold. I guess the last laugh went to Scott Graham.

Tom McCarthy isn’t a bad guy, and he’s fine as an announcer. He’s just not as good as Scott Graham would have been for all these years, and he’s certainly no Harry Kalas (nobody is). The Phillies’ broadcasts are at least better now than they were a few years ago, when they were an absolute trainwreck with the likes of Matt Stairs and Jamie Moyer. So maybe McCarthy was also “guilty by association” for that as well, which was another strike against him, fair or not.

In the end, though, I suppose I’m fine with Tom McCarthy if that means I can at least watch the Phillies again. We all need to take what we can get at this point.