Business as usual.
That's how the Phillies television broadcasters plan to approach the final two months of the season even with the team unlikely to get itself in position for a playoff run.
Barring an amazing turnaround, this will be the first stretch run since 2002 — their last losing season when they finished 211/2 games behind the Braves — that the Phillies will be merely playing out the string.
Still, don't anticipate anything different in the booth.
"We kind of approach it as every game is different and the slate is clean," play-by-play man Tom McCarthy said earlier this week at Citizens Bank Park. "With 50 games or so left in the season, you try to remain positive and you have to be able to find the individual and collective story lines that will make it an interesting telecast."
The 44-year-old McCarthy said he has yet to have a situation this season where he was looking for a filler because the game wasn't compelling.
"There are moments where you can be light-hearted," he said. "But I haven't struggled or stretched to find things to talk about, like with other teams. There are still some interesting components with this team to discuss whether it's how Domonic Brown is doing, or what the 2013 lineup is going to look like.
"There's still something special that could happen to this team individually or collectively before the end of the year. There's still a baseball game, there's still entertainment and components of this team to talk about and pass along to the viewers. We won't lose sight of that."
So, don't look for a return visit by "Joe the Accordion Player" who spruced up a recent Phillies-Brewers game by stopping by the booth to serenade McCarthy and Gary "Sarge" Matthews on Italian Heritage Night.
McCarthy, 44, who first worked Phillies games in 2001 and then left for two years to do Mets games in 2006 and 2007 before returning, said it has been a long time since there's been a September without significance.
"We've been really lucky, like a lot of fans have, in having successful runs to follow," he said. "That may end this year, but there will still be a long list of viewers out there who are true diehards who will want to know what's going on with this team until the end of the season."
Matthews, 62, who will celebrate the 40th anniversary of his MLB debut on Sept. 6, also feels there will be no dead air on the telecasts between now and the Oct. 3 finale in Washington.
"There's a lot of things to talk about and a chance to educate our fans about different players," Matthews said. "There are other teams, other races and different stories to talk about. I have gone through a similar situation in my career.
"No one is going to feel sorry for you. There are no excuses, there's no crying. It's just the way it is. The formula for next year starts with having those No. 3 and No. 4 hitters [Chase Utley and Ryan Howard] healthy for the whole year. If so, they'll be one of the teams to beat."
Matthews pointed out that many of the games that are left will be important for the opposing teams, if not for the Phillies.
"The Reds will be coming in here needing to win, the Braves are back here … there are a lot of meaningful games," Matthews said. "And any time you have a guy like Roy Halladay taking the mound, there's the potential for a no-hitter or something special. It may not be fighting for that pennant every single day, but the games will be meaningful."
Matthews is in his sixth season with the Phillies and feels he has grown in the role doing the middle three innings with McCarthy.
"You can't make everybody happy, but when I've been out doing book signings many people come up and say they enjoy it and that's what matters most to me," he said
McCarthy, by the way, will be doing NFL games on Westwood One radio this fall, usually the 1 p.m. Sunday contests.
THUMBS UP
To the media's general handling of the death of Garrett Reid. Sensitivity, rather than sensationalism, summed up the coverage. The whole situation may change perceptions about Andy Reid and this tragedy also showed how much Reid is admired and respected by his players, and, really, the rest of the NFL.
Maybe Reid's relationship with the media will change and some of the contentiousness will subside, at least until he makes a bonehead call in the fourth quarter of a big game.
THUMBS DOWN
The much-anticipated return of HBO's "Hard Knocks" delivered plenty of nice scenery and we're not talking about South Beach. Let's just say that no one should feel too sorry for any of the three Dolphins quarterbacks should they get cut. But there was too much Chad Johnson in the first episode. Whether he's Ochocinco or Johnson, he's an overbearing Chad.
