Rob Dibble has a full day ahead of him when he gets to the ballpark.
Most days he arrives at 2:30 p.m. and goes right to the clubhouse to spend time talking to Nationals players about that night’s game or baseball in general.
At 3:45 p.m. he is in the MASN broadcast booth where he gets ready for his daily national radio program, “The Show” with co-host Jody MacDonald that airs weekdays from 4-6 p.m. on Sirius-XM radio. Then it is time for a MASN production meeting and perhaps a little dinner before he and partner Bob Carpenter bring fans Nationals baseball.
It is a demanding schedule for Dibble, who is just about halfway through season one as the color analyst for the MASN Nats’ TV broadcast, but, as he told me by phone from Yankee Stadium this week, he loves doing baseball in Washington.
JW » The Nationals have the worst record in baseball. It must be a challenge to do the games.
Dibble » Not really. This is a very young team and what fans are seeing day in day out is the growth of some kids who are going to be the centerpiece of a fine organization. It is going to take time. We have the youngest starting pitching staff in baseball at the moment and these guys go out and battle to become better — and they are getting better. We are seeing guys like Alberto Gonzalez at shortstop and Anderson Hernandez at second base improving. I think they are going to be one of the best double play duos in baseball in time. This team has so many young players on it that normally would be making mistakes in the minors, but since they are on the big league team their mistakes are on a bigger stage. It takes time — just ask the Rays’ fans.”
JW » You seem to have really made a connection with the fans. How did that happen in such a short time?
Dibble » Well the fans know that I am as invested in this team as they are. I am as mad as they are when the team loses and happy when they win. I am with these guys every day at home, on the road, I am part of the Nationals almost like when I was a player. I love taking baseball with these guys, helping them understand the game better if they ask for my advice. When I was with the Reds, Joe Nuxhall (a player-turned-broadcaster) did that for me and I hope to do it here in Washington. I think the viewers understand that I love the game; I enjoy the team and try to be honest and fair. Also, I have been given great trust and freedom from the Lerner family, Stan Kasten, Chris Glass and the people at MASN to simply be myself and have fun with the game. I am broadcasting for the fans of the Washington Nationals and I think that they get that.”
Dibble has been criticized by some in the press for being too much of a homer.
The best broadcasters, yes, the Hall of Fame broadcasters, have been homers. Harry Kalas of the Phillies, Harry Caray of the Cubs, Bob Prince of the Pirates, Bob Uecker, of the Brewers, and Ernie Harwell of the Tigers are just a few of the homers that I am proud to say that I have worked with over the years.
So I think being a homer is not a bad thing. As for who has been Washington’s favorite broadcasting team for the past thirty years? Sonny Jurgensen and Sam Huff, I rest my case.
Dibble gets a solid B- minus from me. He has great potential and along with his partner, Bob Carpenter, is very entertaining.
Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. Check out his blog, Watch this! on washingtonexaminer.com.
