Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Rob Dibble


I don't know much about Rob Dibble in the broadcast booth. Followed his career with The Cincinnati Reds when he was part of "The Nasty Boys" bullpen, but don't recall having seen him much On-Air broadcasting baseball. I've never watched the Fox sports program he co-hosts. So, I really have no judgement to base his work on.

People tell me he is a 'tell it like it is" sort of analyst. And that Rob Dibble doesn't beat around the bush in giving his opinion.

Whether that's good or bad, I will find out soon enough. For as of today, Rob Dibble was named to replace Hall Of Famer Don Sutton in the broadcast both for MASN Nationals Television Games. Being a former Cincinnati Player, Dibble really made me chuckle upon hearing his name--figuring JimBo might well have had a hand in his signing here.

Meanwhile, Sohna and I will miss Don Sutton. We thought he provided an excellent level of baseball knowledge to each broadcast and was a really nice man too.

Good Luck Don--to you and your family--back in Atlanta.

Here is The MASN Press Release

MASN Names Rob Dibble As New Color Announcer for Nationals Baseball 2-Time All Star, World Series Champion, MVP of the NLCS, XM/Sirius Broadcaster

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) --- MASN has named Rob Dibble as the new color commentator for the Washington Nationals. He will join play-by-play man Bob Carpenter in the booth beginning with the 2009 season under a multi-year contract with MASN.

A 2-time All Star and MVP of the 1990 NLCS with the Cincinnati Reds, Dibble was part of the "Nasty Boys" bullpen which helped Cincinnati win the 1990 World Series. His broadcasting career includes stints at ESPN, Fox, and FoxSports.com.

"I'm excited to join MASN in covering one of the great new franchises in baseball, and I'm honored to be part of the MASN and Nationals' families. I will try to bring my experience as a pitcher, a ballplayer, and a broadcaster to the booth and bring fans a deeper understanding of what's happening on the field," said Dibble. "I've never been shy about sharing my opinion, so fans will know where I'm coming from."

"MASN has earned a national reputation for its commitment to the Nationals and to bringing fans inside the game, with features like Wired Wednesdays and pitch tracking. I'm looking forward to being part of the biggest baseball network in the country."

Dibble's arrival at Nationals Park will be a reunion in the broadcast booth, as he worked with Bob Carpenter at ESPN in the 1990s.

The Nationals' former color analyst, Don Sutton, who was halfway through a 4 year deal with MASN, had asked to be released from his contract for personal reasons.

"I have truly enjoyed the two years I had in Washington covering the Nationals and working for MASN. I will always be thankful that my wife Mary, my daughter Jackie and I had this experience. MASN is a first-class operation and deserves great credit for their pioneering success at presenting the Nationals games and effectively promoting the team. I appreciate that MASN has granted my request to be released for personal reasons, and I'm grateful for their understanding and cooperation," Sutton said. "I'm going to miss the class, the professionalism and the friendship of the folks who made sure we got good pictures on the air."

Dibble will make his high-energy debut in the MASN booth during Nationals spring training in March.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

When Dibble's weekday program comes on XM Radio's channel 175 at 3 pm, I shut the radio off. He is pompous and insufferable. When watching Nats games on TV this season, I suggest turning down the sound and turning on the radio. Carpenter is tough enough to take, but, combined with Dibble, you have a disaster.

Anonymous said...

Dibble needs to be educated. The Washingon Nationals are not a new franchise; they transferred here from Montreal. The franchise began operations as an NL expansion team in 1969.

Anonymous said...

You're not insinuating that Dibble being an Red had anything to do with him getting the job, are you? Sheesh! That's like saying that Tony Blanco, Wily Mo Pena, Austin Kearns, Aaron Boone, Bob Boone, Felipe Lopez, Charlie Manning, and many others were welcomed into the Nationals Family merely because they were former Reds rather than the superstars they are.

swiftbosox said...

Dibble is a dope that talks in circles. His tone is very peculiar for a big guy...it reminds me of a whining bully, if you can imagine the creep in ..."Back to the Future".
I've listened to him for hours and have spoken to him several times on XM, and it is really weird. Every time he speaks and tries to make one of his nonsensical points, he always sounds like he is whining. He’ll be very different than Sutton, but I am not sure if it will be in a rewarding way.

Anonymous said...

I think he and Bob Carpenter can click as Bob adapts well to just about anyone.

When Paciorek was here and clowned around it made some of those horrific games tolerable, that is until the end of the season when Paciorek started making no sense at all.

Charlie and Dave on the radio certainly is a good alternative.

Anonymous said...

If only I could get the radio broadcast to sync with the TV broadcast I get via DirecTV.

Edward J. Cunningham said...

Dibble needs to be educated. The Washingon Nationals are not a new franchise; they transferred here from Montreal. The franchise began operations as an NL expansion team in 1969.

From the point of view of Washington, the Nationals ARE new. Most Nats fans in this area consider Walter Johnson, Clark Griffith, Bucky Harris, Mickey Vernon, and Frank Howard part of our true history, NOT Rusty Staub, Gary Carter, or Vladimir Guerrero.

Anonymous said...

SBF,

This makes me sad. Dibble is a poor choice for a well-educated Washington market that cheers for its teams with passion, but respects the opponent and understands that games are not as important as other things like financial meltdowns, international terrorism and rampant unemployment.

Whoever made this decision has a "tin ear" for this market, but, then again, it's what I've come to expect from the "Bawlmer" guys who run MASN. Anything to denigrate the Nats and treat them like 2nd class citizens and make their tv ratings even lower. Chapter 11 can't come fast enough for the joke that is MASN!

Anonymous said...

I'm just going to cut to the chase and buy Reds tickets. Might as well get the real thing, not 2001 Reds v2.3.

Anonymous said...

I think that Don Sutton has done a smart thing in going back to his broadcast roots. The Nationals are lucky to have landed Rob Dibble. At least I kind of liked him when he co-hosted a talk show with Dan Patrick about five years ago. I'm willing to give him a chance. Frankly, Sutton was too good to be stuck out here in D.C. with this uninspiring team. I never really understood why he left Atlanta.

Anonymous said...

Absolutely Brilliant. Another masterpiece by the Nationals. The ownership and management group of the Nationals are a bunch of clowns. Thanks for another joke.

Anonymous said...

Edward Cunningham--Those franchises you mentioned moved to Minnesota and Texas. The current franchise has its orgin in Montreal, like it or not. The current DC franchise is 40 years old.

Unknown said...

Bo Zoe-

Please try to remember that the Nats do not run MASN and shouldn't be entirely blamed for their hiring practices.

swiftbosox said...

Please fans, if you love baseball ..get into XM..and listen to Dibble from 3 to 7. You can determine if he is a dope. Even if you think he is a dope you'll like mlb on XM. Inexpensive method to hear all the games. you get all the home bradcasts of all the MLB games. ...now let's see: Bowden has 7 MLB outfielders and wants X. Nady.
Look it up Bowden is the dopeyiest GM ...Dibble is a perfect fit. After the Nats draw 1.5 Mill in a 2 year old park.... it will persist why?..the Senators left twice!..look it up..Twins...Rangers.
omg ;-0

paul said...

He has a sense of humor, which was sorely lacking for two years. I think he will click with Bob and make him a little more "tell it like it is." But it will take me a lot to not listen to Charlie and Dave. They are really good.

BTW any other refugees of RCN out there? I just switched to Direct TV and am really impressed so far.

Anonymous said...

I have just finished watching the Mets defeat the Nats for the second day in a row on MASN. I must say Dibbs is the whiniest commentator I have ever heard. He constantly repeats his complaints excessively. Last night, he would not shut up about the visitor's bullpen location at the new Citi Field. Today and last night, he kept commenting on how the Nats did not take pre-game infield warmups. Alright already Dibbs! It did show with all the errors the Nats made today though. When I watch MASN in the future, I will try to keep the volume turned down!

swiftbosox said...

XM is going down for the count with non-talents like Dibble and "Daffy Duck" Jody Mc Donald..
I have always been in awe with how DC was awarded a franchise without a foundation of experienced success oriented management. Jim Bowden never did anything to justify his position, not to mention making him the initial hire...and lo and behold he may be in jail before Elijah Dukes! Hiring Dibble just reinforced the nonsensical direction the Nats have taken. He is certainly unlistenable for anyone with reason.

Baseballhasbeenverygoodto me said...

The only reason I watched the Nationls (DAILY) was of his comments of telling it like it is.I will miss the Nats and him.