Former Philadelphia Phillies player John Kruk throws the ceremonial first pitch before game seven of the NLCS at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on Oct. 24, 2023. Credit: Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

John Kruk has no idea why his hotel room in Boston has a remote in the bathroom.

Completely baffled by his blinds opening up when his lights come on, Kruk mentioned their mysterious presence, among other things, during the ninth inning of Tuesday’s Phillies-Red Sox game.

Thankfully, his broadcasting partner, Tom McCarthy, cleared things up, revealing the existence of a hidden TV in Kruk’s hotel bathroom. Amused, McCarthy quipped that Kruk could finally combine his teeth-brushing routine with cartoon watching.

Kruk probably won’t get much cartoon-watching done unless it’s Caillou.

“I’m a big fan of that whiny kid,” he said.

Well, actually, the 63-year-old Kruk was only kidding. He has a bone to pick with Caillou and aired his grievances with the educational children’s television series, as Garrett Stubbs stepped up to the plate with Philly commanding a 4-1 lead.

“I wouldn’t let my kids watch it,” Kruk told McCarthy. “They watched it a couple of times, and I was like, ‘Why are you watching it? All he does is whine, complain, then they give him everything.'”

This isn’t the first time Kruk has expressed this sentiment. He’s long harbored a vendetta against the four-year-old cartoon character.

Kruk’s a big fan of SpongeBob SquarePants, particularly Squidward. But when it comes to Caillou? Forget it.

“I understand the TV thing if you’re going to the bathroom because that takes longer than brushing your teeth,” he said.

Upon finding out that the TV was above the sink and built into the mirror, Kruk was quite ready for the game to get on with.

So, if you were wondering how John Kruk spent his Tuesday night in Boston, he undoubtedly spent a few extra minutes in the bathroom. And even then, it may be just a little too late in the evening to listen to Caillou complain.

[Crossing Broad]

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.