New faces and a familiar one for the New Year
Happy New Year! It's already starting to look that way for the Nats and our fans, with all the new faces Mike Rizzo is adding to the roster for 2010, and there may be more to come.
If it all starts with pitching, and we know it does, the Nationals have taken some great strides toward putting a good rotation and bullpen between the lines. !
I was with the Cardinals when we got Jason Marquis from the Braves, along with Adam Wainwright and ex-Nat Ray King. I liked him for his toughness and aggressiveness, and if Livan is with us this coming season, we'll have the best hitting rotation in baseball. The guy can hack!
By the way, Marquis pitched one of the great games of his career against the Nationals at RFK in '05.
Brian Bruney, Matt Capps and Eddie Guardado are all solid veterans who know what they're doing, and the bullpen competition will be good for the staff. Let's just hope the rotation is good enough that we don't see those guys until the seventh inning; our relievers have been in way too many games way too early the last two seasons.
It will be interesting to see what else our GM can do between now and spring training. I'm sure we're all hoping for that one more solid veteran starter. With a good lineup and bench, plus a defense that has to be better, I really believe we're in for a fun time with the Nationals in '10!
On a personal note, I'm thankful to the Nats and MASN that I will be there to enjoy it with you for the next few years, as I signed a new contract with MASN a few weeks ago. As I've said before, I feel our MASN production team is right there with the best in baseball, and Rob Dibble took us to another level last year. Debbi Taylor is back as well, and we all want you to know that we will work hard every day to bring you the best coverage of Nationals Baseball that we can. This year we are wall-to-wall HD!
As a play-by-play announcer in the major leagues since 1984, I know that it's a long season, and I can't make every one of you happy every inning of every game. Having done this for a long time, I'm always trying to get better at what I do, and I do notice your comments from time to time here on MASNsports.com and on Nationals.com. If your critiques are delivered in a sincere and courteous way, I promise I will pay attention to them and take them to heart.
Without revealing specifics, I have already changed a thing or two about how I do my job from comments I've read from you the last few years, and I will continue to try and do a better job every year. Baseball is a great game and, no matter how long you have been watching, you always learn something new. That includes us way up there in the booth.
I have also had several fans ask me about Nationals Scorebooks, and I'm pleased to tell you that a new batch was shipped to Nationals Park just before Christmas. They will be in the Team Store when it opens for Nats Fest on a date to be announced shortly. They cover 100 games and are priced the same as they have been the last four years, $29.99.
I can't wait for Nats Fest, Spring Training and Opening Day 2010. See you soon!
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Categories (click for archive)Bob Carpenter | MASNblogs |
Glad to hear that you'll be back in the booth! I thought that you and Dibble jelled nicely as a team last year and look forward to future broadcasts.
p.s. Was it the comments about jinxing the team? Dibbs got on you for that, right? Just kidding. hehe.
Bob- Great to hear you will be back this season.
Since moving to South Carolina this winter we my have ran into a delimia on our baseball coverage. I'm still trying to find out if MASN will be provided through my cable carrier. Otherwise I might be forced to return to the real roots of baseball coverage, the radio. My XM is setting charged in case the radio turns out to be my only path to the Nationals. I cut my teeth on listing to Harry Carey and Jack Buch on Cardinal Baseball (Radio) and have a nack of listening to the play by play through someone elses eyes. My family has a hard time understanding how I can get anything out of the radio coverage. Ole how times have changed.
Bob- Did you every do "Major League" baseball coverage on the radio side???
I hope to see or hear the Nationals real soon.
Go Nats!!! RR-Upstate South Carolina
Bob,
It's terrific to hear you'll be back--I hope for a long time.
I would put our TV crew up against any in baseball, and I've seen lots of them. Your group brings a degree of warmth and approachability that is unusual in sports broadcasting. It is very plain that you and Rob are having fun--and when you all have fun, it's fun for viewers.
Debbie comes across as very authentic on TV. Having met her a few times at the park, I find she's always wiling to take a photo with my group, which fans really appreciate and remember. You've got a Washington institution in Johnny Holliday--a truly decent and personable man who reflects the sports-madness of the whole DC area. And the pure expertise and experience of Ray Knight ties it all together.
We're also lucky to have Phil Wood on the broadcasts. He knows more about DC baseball, and DC sports in general, than anyone. He did a great job emceeing the statue-dedication ceremony, and you did a great job emceeing the Stephen Strasburg welcome at Nats Park.
One last thought if I could--and this applies to Dave and Charlie on the radio as well. I've never done sports broadcasting, but man, it has GOT to be harder to do that job when your team is losing 100-plus games two years in a row! Yet, you all did it, you made it fun (Dave and Charlie too), and lots of us appreciate how much harder that must be than calling win after win for a team that wins 95 games and goes to the playoffs.
Thanks again Bob for the outstanding work. Your team is building a Washington institution right before our eyes--and 20 years from now you'll be right there with Sonny and Sam!
KM
Bob-
I did not realize you had a blog on MASN. I will be visiting the MASN website more now. Please keep enthusiasm. The fans need to keep that up, even when times are bad but improving.
Thanks to all of you for your positive comments, and hopefully we'll all be in this together for a long time!
It has been (at times)tough for 4 years calling games for a losing team: our win totals since I got here are 66-72-59-59, but I truly have enjoyed every season I've been with the Nats/MASN and I think we have a good thing going. I tell some of my family and friends back in St. Louis that I never knew how easy it was calling games there, and they have no idea how good they have it with a contending team year after year.
But I can truly say that, as much fun as I had broadcasting baseball in my hometown, these last 4 years in DC have been the most gratifying of my career. I was never given the chance in STL to do every game every day, and I have relished that here. It's a challenge to keep things fresh, exciting and fun and I hope we have accomplished that. From your comments, we have ... just think of how cool it will be with a winning team, which isn't far off!
Rob Dibble was a breath of fresh air when he showed up last year, and I feel I have a partner that is pulling in the same direction as I am, and that the broadcast is the most important thing we do.
There have been times in my baseball career that I've been criticized for being too nice and folksy, but that's just a midwest boy being himself. I worked part time for the Mets for 2 years in the early '90s, and was told I wasn't harsh or "hard-hitting" enough. In my 18 years with ESPN, I also heard that a few times. I don't think you can "hard hit" your audience on the upside of their heads every night for 6 months ... baseball is different than other once-weekly or a-few-times-a-week sports. I'll leave the harsh stuff to the radio talk show hosts.
We're here to inform, entertain and have fun, and with Rob at my side and Debbi around the park with Johnny and Ray, I think we do that well.
So, to all from PA through MD, DC, VA to NC and all points in between, thanks for your kind words. Six weeks until pitchers and catchers ... sweeeeeeeeeet!!
BTW, my answer to natsfan1a is ... "maybe." BC
So nice of you to say, Mr. Carpenter about taking constructive criticism.
Although I wouldn't change a thing about your announcing, is there any way for you to influence the ballpark announcer? Especially now that Nyjer's will be back? Do you have any idea how painful it was to hear him say Nyjer Morgan's name the way he did?
Or Nyjer, if you're reading this, can YOU say something to him? You can't possibly like the way he says your name.
Anyway, thank you for your consideration.
=)
One thing I forgot on my reply above ... the great state of DE!
Regarding NatsNut's take on PA announcers, there seems to be a trend around baseball, which I always considered "above" such things, to make players names into a "showtime" sort of thing every time they are announced. It seems to me there has been an "NBA-type influence" on how MLB PA announcers have gone about their business in recent years. I also attended an arena football game a few years back and heard the same head-pounding, way-too-loud approach to putting on a game, and we've adopted some of that.
Walter O'Maley would spin in his grave if he heard how loud and irritating Dodger Stadium is these days. I'm not saying we shouldn't get rowdy now and then, but to announce a player's name in this fashion EVERY time he bats ... 4 at-bats times 75-80 home games: 300 to 320 Guuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuzman's.
How about just the first time, then let the game settle in? Interesting discussion on the heels of a good question, NatsNut. You'll have to take it up personally with our guy ... not my department, but I do have some opinions on this issue. And don't get me started on "a capella" National Anthem singers!
BC
... except for DC Washington, of course. That gentleman is awesome when he sings! Pardon the typo on the ex-Dodgers owner, O'Malley.
Bob - I am so relieved to see that you, Rob and Debbie will all be back this season. I have been listening and watching Washington Baseball since 1950 - beginning with the lowly but beloved Senators Beginning with the HOF announcer Bob Wolf, we have had some outstanding announcers over the years. They helped us thru the many losses and kept our love for the home team alive despite the odds. We even had the great Chuck Thompson for a year or two before the Orioles signed him up for life.
Bob - we also have had some announcers that made listening to games almost painful. In fact, since we also had 31 years without DC baseball, we also found ourselves listening to other teams on the radio. And one thing I learned is that even some of the best teams have announcers who basically have no clue how to tell the story.
You guys are as good as it gets in my opinion - and I'm sure that all Nat's fans have wondered at times how you and Rob kept the level of your performance up during the agonizing misplays and losing streaks.
But hope springs eternal - and we all think this year the team will start to blossum into a winner. Nobody deserves to be part of that more then you and the rest of the MASN Nats team. GO NATS!!!
Hi Bob,
It's GREAT to hear that you and Dibs will be back this year! I love the banter between the two of you. (I like the "jinks" rebutt from Dibs)
Some on this and other Nat's blogs talk about Dibs (and sometimes you) being "Homers" and say this is not the way the game should be presented. Well, I for one, STRONGLY disagree! I really like it when the announcers (you and Dibs) are talking like fans of the Nats. This makes the comments and banter seem more like you are in the house with me, watching the game. Once in a while, I will comment on a player or certain play, and you or Dibs will say the same thing. I like it that not only do both of you point out the good, but also the not so good. There is nothing wrong with some "root root root for the Home Team"!
Thanks for all of your hard work!
Nick
Agree that DC Washington is fantastic.
I've run into the same phenomenon when watching games, Nick. I'll be watching the tv and make a comment to my husband, and then one of the broadcasters says the same thing. I think that means that they owe us a Coke or something. :-)
Nick and natsfan1a,
Thanks for your comments. I think all of us know that Rob and I work for MASN/The Nats and that we're all on the Washington side here. But, as experienced broadcasters, we know there's a balance to be struck between wanting our team to win and telling it like it is. You all know that Rob is at his best when he's doing that.
There are some blatant homer telecasts/radio broadcasts out there, and we don't want to be like that because I think it's insulting to our knowledgeable fans. I do know that there are some major league clubs that want a total homer telecast, and I'm glad the Nationals aren't one of them. You may be interested to know that, during some of Rob's most critical times with our club in '09, his biggest fan was Mark Lerner, who encouraged the analysis and honesty. That tells us all something about our owners and how serious they are about baseball.
Anyone can sit up in a both and criticize the guys between the lines who have all that talent and skill, but make mistakes. As I often say, they're not robots and we need to remember that they're the best baseball players in the world, and this game isn't easy. It takes knowledge and class to announce and analyze it the right way, and that's what we're after on Nationals TV.
BTW, guys, when you say something at home about a play or players and we then say the same thing on TV, it proves how smart you are! Thanks.
BC
Good one! It would seem that you are in mid-season form already, Bob. :-)
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BTW, guys, when you say something at home about a play or players and we then say the same thing on TV, it proves how smart you are! Thanks.
BC
Congrats on the new contract Bob!
I think the contrast between yourself and Rob Dibble in the booth makes for entertaining commentary during some otherwise unentertaining play on the field. Hope you are still with MASN when the Nats finally become winners which I feel is on the way to happening in the next few years.
Good Luck!