Cole Hamels\u2019 debut season as a Phillies announcer comes to an end Sunday, but Tom McCarthy won\u2019t be joining him. <\/p>\n
Instead, it will be longtime radio voice Scott Franzke<\/a> filling in for McCarthy, who will be on CBS<\/a> calling the Week 2 NFL matchup between the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens. John Kruk will round out the broadcast alongside Franzke and Hamels. <\/p>\n While the two have never called a game together, Franzke called all 10 seasons Hamels spent with the Phillies, including his two World Series starts in 2008 and his debut with the team in 2006. <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a good dude,\u201d Franzke said of Hamels. \u201cHe\u2019s been a good addition to the room. He\u2019s got a lot of energy, he\u2019s upbeat, and he has a lot of great stories and insights on the game.\u201d <\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t Hamels\u2019 goal to become a broadcaster once his playing days were done. Living in Texas with his wife and five kids, Hamels wanted a baseball job that allowed him to remain close to the game without sacrificing much time away from his family.<\/p>\n He got that with the Phillies, spending just about every other weekend with the team this season as a special adviser, where he\u2019s been able to work with players and learn how the front office works. Broadcasting is just another way for him to share his baseball knowledge with fans. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve thoroughly enjoyed it,\u201d Hamels said. \u201cEverybody in that crew and in that broadcast room are just really good people and fun to be around.\u201d<\/p>\n Not surprisingly, the man nicknamed \u201cHollywood\u201d has been something of a natural in the eight Phillies games he\u2019s called this season on NBC Sports Philadelphia. Hamels has been open, funny, and hasn\u2019t felt the need to overanalyze every pitch while still finding spots to slide in interesting nuggets. <\/p>\n \u201cI tried to tell myself, \u2018Don\u2019t over talk. Don\u2019t be long winded. Don\u2019t just talk to talk,\u2019\u201d Hamels said. \u201cI start watching the game and enjoying it, and I forget sometimes I have to talk.\u201d<\/p>\n A lot of Hamels\u2019 skills were on display last month during a Phillies\u2019 win against the Atlanta Braves. While ribbing the umpires over their shifting strikes zone, Hamels pointed out Atlanta Braves ace Chris Sale threw just one change-up his first time through the Phillies\u2019 lineup so he\u2019d have a new pitch the second time around. <\/p>\n He also needled Kruk by saying Sale\u2019s pitching release was similar to Hall of Famer Randy Johnson, who famously buzzed the former Phillies slugger\u2019s head<\/a> during the 1993 All-Star Game. <\/p>\n \u201cI think Cole\u2019s got a chance to be really<\/i> good at this,\u201d McCarthy said. \u201cI get the sense he\u2019s enjoying it.\u201d <\/p>\n That\u2019s not to say he\u2019s been perfect. One thing Hamels admitted he\u2019s struggled with at times is projecting his voice in the booth and drumming up the confidence to talk about a player or a situation. Then there\u2019s the struggle of getting players\u2019 names right. <\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t pronounce guys names very well, especially when you mix in some Japanese, some German names or some Canadian,\u201d Hamels said. \u201cSo I\u2019m very hesitant sometimes when I\u2019m trying to talk about a player, because I\u2019ve got to make sure I mentioned his name right.\u201d <\/p>\n There\u2019s also the obvious need for him to be attentive and alert for nine straight innings, something Hamels didn\u2019t always do as a player when he wasn\u2019t on the mound. <\/p>\n \u201cThere are times I would disappear, because it was hard to watch baseball for three and a half hours, before the pitch clock,\u201d Hamels said. \u201cI\u2019d go eat or go lift or do some stretching to just keep myself awake.\u201d<\/p>\n While stopping short of a full commitment, Hamels said it\u2019s \u201ca strong possibility\u201d he\u2019ll be back next season with the Phillies in both rolls, and maybe then he\u2019ll be able to decide which lane to pick \u2014 coaching or broadcasting. <\/p>\n \u201cI think this season was more like a crash course,\u201c Hamels said. \u201dI think next year will be more fine tuning, and then seeing where things are really setting in to where I fit the best.\u201d<\/p>\n Hamels will see a familiar face on the mound Sunday. <\/p>\n Aaron Nola (4-8, 6.24 ERA), who recently passed Hamels for the third-most strikeouts in Phillies history<\/a>, is scheduled to start Sunday against Kansas City Royals rookie Noah Cameron (7-7, 3.00 ERA) <\/p>\nHamels on Aaron Nola\u2019s struggles this season<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n