Rob Dibble's Comments Embarrass MASN, Nationals

I've debated about writing on this topic for several reasons.  I didn't hear the original comments live, as I was doped up in a hospital bed with food poisoning this week and I'm just now catching up with what happened in the world while I was out.

This space usually concentrates on the on-field matters concerning the Washington Nationals, and I would really prefer to keep it that way.  We have a space for off-the-field content, but I don't think that is the proper forum for this discussion either. 

That space, by the way, is operated solely by my wife.  Who I started dating because I invited her to a baseball game because I knew how much of fan she was (is).

But the description of this blog in the masthead is "Dedicated to the constructive criticism of the Washington Nationals".  I believe some constructive criticism is in order.

By now, I'm sure you've heard or read what Rob Dibble, color commenter for MASN on Nationals games, said during Wednesday's broadcast, but I'll repeat it here.  His first comments came in the sixth inning, talking not about the game, but two women sitting in the front row of the $350 per seat President's club right behind home plate:

"Those ladies right behind there, they haven’t stopped talking the whole game.  They have some conversation going on. Right here [circling offenders with telestrator].  There must be a sale tomorrow going on here or something….Their husbands are going 'Man, don’t bring your wife next time.'”

In the eighth, Dibble revisited the subject:

"All right Bob, now they’re back there, they’re eating ice cream and talking at the same time." 

Veteran play-by-play man Bob Carpenter tried to give Dibble an out, but he wouldn't take it:

“I just got an e-mail that said there’s a lot of women who come to the games — while their husbands are the ones at home — because they love this game.  Tread carefully, Mr. Dibble."

Dibble replied:

“My wife loves to come to the game, but they’re right there, still talking.”

Later in the inning: 

"I was just thinking, those women, there's a new series Real Housewives of D.C. that just came out. Maybe they're filming an episode?"

Dibble's comments speak for themselves.  They are obviously sexist, demeaning and obnoxious.  But they aren't surprising. 

Since finishing his playing career, he's made a living saying outrageous things and getting paid for it.  He started on Fox's "The Best Damn Sports Show" then took his act to XM radio before landing the color gig at MASN, a job he's qualified for only because he once played Major League Baseball.

He usually keeps his ridiculous comments to baseball -- or bloggers -- but this time he's really stepped over the line.

All over the internet, Dibble is getting raked over the coals, and deservedly so.  Is what he said the worst thing that's ever been said about women on TV?  Surely not.  Probably doesn't even make the Top 100.  But does that make it any less insensitive, inappropriate or juvenile.  No.  It does not.

What's worse?  We're two games out now, and there's been no apology of any kind -- even a token -- by Dibble, MASN, or the organization.

I wouldn't be surprised if MASN has asked him to apologize -- since he's potentially offended a significant part of the viewing fan base -- and he declined.  MASN has long recognized the importance of embracing female viewers, blogs and social media, and they take new media seriously. 

However, the network has stayed quiet on this, shockingly. It's not like we should expect Dibble to apologize on his own accord.

So if Dibble isn't going to acknowledge his insensitive comments, either MASN or the Nationals need to do something.  Because silence condones his actions.

At this point, there have been scores of blogs that have written commentary on Dibble's screed.  Not just Nats blogs either.  But Orioles blogs.  And Mets blogs.  And Yankees blogs.  And Cubs blogs.  And many, many others.  All written by knowledgeable, educated baseball fans -- that happen to be women.

Just scroll through some of the comments on those links to see how his words have been received.

There are movements of protest, petition and boycott.  If there's one thing the Lerners know, it's money.  And if Dibble's words even threaten to keep fans away from the team and the broadcast, they will have to act.  It's too late to act quickly though, and that speaks to the situation in a bigger picture.

The organization likes Dibble.  They like the idea that people tune in to hear the outrageous things he says.  They like that he brings the voice of "the fan" into the broadcast booth, with his above-homeristic "we" and "us" descriptions of the team (despite the only affiliation he has ever had with the franchise is his paycheck) and his guttural open cheering for the team.

I'm on the record for not being a fan of his particular commenting style, but if you appreciate his "bonehead ex-jock" schtick, you apparently aren't alone.

They like him so much, the team now asks him to emcee public events, duties that once fell to the classy radio play-by-play voice of Charlie Slowes.  The team likes him so much that they probably won't ask him to apologize.

That's wrong, and it's a shame.  Because this team does a lot to cultivate female fans.  Every year they put on Baseball 101, a clinic for all experience levels of female baseball fans -- which Dibble participated in this season. 

They have women in places of high responsibility within the organization.  Half of the Principal Owners are women.  Marla Lerner Tanenbaum runs the Nats' charitable extension.  Wonder what they thought of Dibble's comments? 

And there are literally dozens of women that write about, photograph, comment and blog about the Nationals, all of them linked in the blogroll to the right of this column.  Including MASN's own Debbi Taylor and MASNSports.com's Kristen Hudak and Jen Royle.  Wonder what they thought of Dibble's comments?

Every TV station in town has at least one female sports reporter. Every cable outlet does too.

MLB estimates that 45% of the general baseball fan base is women.

This organization can't afford to alienate any segment of their possible fan base.  But Dibble's comments gave a significant portion of the fan base a reason to ignore the Nationals.  And MASN.