John Kruk sounded like Tony Romo during Phillies’ win on NBC Sports Philadelphia
“I tell you what, you didn’t need good eyes to know that one was gone,” John Kruk said following Kyle Schwarber's home run.
Former Phillies great John Kruk often jokes about his intelligence during his NBC Sports Philadelphia broadcasts. But Monday night, he was downright clairvoyant during the Phillies win against the San Francisco Giants.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, with the Phillies comfortably up 8-2, Kyle Schwarber stepped to the plate. After taking the first pitch for a strike, Kruk — who was calling his first game since Aug. 13 — wistfully forecast the future.
“I got a feeling this ball could travel long distances here,” Kruk said.
The next pitch, Schwarber blasted the Schwarbomb into the second deck of right field as Giants manager (and former Phillies skipper) Gabe Kapler looked on. It was Schwarber’s 33rd home run of the season, traveling 444 feet at 111 miles per hour.
“There you go John,” play-by-play announcer Tom McCarthy said as the ball made its way to the stands. “It’s traveling a loooooong distance!”
“I tell you what, you didn’t need good eyes to know that one was gone,” Kruk said in the broadcast. “All you had to do was hear that one.”
Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, who will call the Eagles’ Week 1 matchup against the New England Patriots on CBS on Sept. 10, has garnered widespread praise for his eerie ability to predict plays. A 2019 review by the Wall Street Journal found that Romo got 68% of his predictions correct that season, earning him the nickname “Romostradamus.” Though in recent seasons, Romo has turned down the soothsaying and turned up the enthusiasm, to mixed results.
“Yeah, I think I’ve probably done it less on purpose a little bit,” Romo told The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch prior to the 2021 Super Bowl. “I don’t consciously try and do it or not do it. I like to be able to do multiple things. … You might be right in the sense that I probably have throttled that back a little bit.”
Kruk will be back on the broadcast Tuesday night, but he won’t be the only analyst on. Both Ben Davis and Rubén Amaro Jr. will call the game alongside McCarthy and Kruk from Ashburn Alley. It will be the eighth time NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Phillies broadcast will venture into the stands, dating back to 2014.
The network is tight-lipped about any cameo appearances (last year, Sixers phenom Tyrese Maxey sat in on the broadcast) but sources at the network say the crew has booked a “high-profile guest” who will appear during Tuesday’s game.
Kruk wasn’t the only MLB announcer to predict a home run during a broadcast Monday. In Houston, former World Series champion and NESN analyst Kevin Millar predicted a three-run shot from Boston Red Sox slugger Adam Duvall.
“I know it felt weird. It was the first inning with two outs,” Millar said following the blast. “But I had to go out there and do it.”
97.5 The Fanatic loses another host
It looks like 97.5 The Fanatic is losing another voice.
Devon Givens, the station’s well-liked evening host and one of the city’s most knowledgeable basketball voices, is leaving the station, according to Crossing Broad’s Kevin Kinkead.
Givens wasn’t on air during his normal show hours Monday night, replaced instead by weekend host Ray Dunne and producer Tom Alvord. Givens did not respond to a request for comment.
In addition to The Fanatic, Givens hosts the Locked on Sixers podcast with Inquirer beat writer Keith Pompey.
Givens would be the latest in an exodus of talent from The Fanatic amid cutbacks at parent company Beasley Media Group. Last month, The Best Show Ever? cohost Hunter Brody was let go by the station, which also said goodbye to Eric Camille, the assistant program director.
In October, the station parted ways with Jamie Lynch, known to Philly sports fans as “The Bro.” Lynch had been a cohost on The Fanatic’s morning show alongside John Kincade, Bob Cooney, and producer Pat Egan.
The biggest departure has been Mike Missanelli, who was forced out in July 2022 after having spent 15 years as the station’s most-popular host. He has since landed several gigs, including his own podcast on BetRivers as well as cohosting an Eagles postgame show alongside Seth Joyner, Derrick Gunn, and Devan Kaney for JAKIB Sports.
Quick hits
In the NFL, it’s the preseason for everyone. New Washington Commanders owner (and Sixers managing partner) Josh Harris drew widespread chuckling on social media during an awkward exchange with ESPN announcer Joe Buck during Monday’s Ravens-Commanders preseason game.
Speaking of ESPN, the network rolled out its new-look pregame and halftime crew on Monday Night Football. The biggest change is SportsCenter host Scott Van Pelt taking over hosting duties of Monday Night Countdown from Suzy Kolber, who was let go last month as part of larger cutbacks at parent company Disney. Also gone is Hall of Famer Steve Young, who has been replaced by Ryan Clark and Marcus Spears. Back this season is former Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III.
Ahead of its NFL talent rollout, ESPN let go longtime executive Lee Fitting, according to multiple reports. Fitting has spent the past 25 years at ESPN, overseeing the network’s college football and NFL coverage. John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal wrote that Fitting’s sudden departure — just five days before the start of the college football season — “shocked staffers and media alike.”
Over the weekend, images of Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles appearing to be flooding by Tropical Storm Hilary went viral on social media. But according to Los Angeles Times photographer Robert Gauthier, it was just an optical illusion caused by “the interplay of water and light on a wet surface.” By Monday morning, Gauthier said the parking lot was “dry as a bone.”
Jalen Hurts keeps wracking up the endorsement deals, which includes Nike, Pepsi, Accelerator Energy Drink, Lemon Perfect, Columbia, and Kellogg’s, to name a few. The latest is Hulu, which has turned to the Eagles quarterback to help promote its Hulu + Live TV skinny bundle (which includes NBC Sports Philadelphia). The spot will make its broadcast TV debut during the NFL kickoff game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions on Sept. 7.