Rob Dibble doesn’t work in baseball… even though he thinks he does. Once a feared pitcher and part of the Cincinnati Red’s “Nasty Boys” bullpen, Dibble seems to be more akin to participate in childish sandlot spats than doing his job as a baseball commentator for the Washington Nationals. In reality, Rob Dibble only works for the world of Rob Dibble.

Always quick to turn the situation to himself and highlight his career as a professional ballplayer, Dibble has become almost unbearable to listen to. If the conversation isn’t going Dibble’s way he will be the first to let you know that he’s not happy and bitch and moan for at least a few innings– so I am doing the same thing now. I have tried to like Dibble from the first exposure I had to him on Fox Sports. His direct and brash approach was an acceptable spice to a normal baseball coverage recipe, but when you give him 1/2 the spotlight the flavor just burns your nostrils.

I am not alone in this hate campaign either. Ever since Dibble took over for Don Sutton in the commentator’s booth at the start of the 2009 season I have watched as more and more writers have joined in this opinion. Although it is hard to put my finger on the exact reason for my animosity, I think it is a combination of Dibble’s unconvincing sincerity to the Nationals (and not to himself) and the uncontrollable anger that inevitably gets the best of him any time his boat is even remotely rocked. For now, it appears Dibble has settled in to an “understanding” with Bob Carpenter during the Nats’ broadcasts where his co-host knows just to stay clear of any kind of argument (let alone engaging conversation) with his color-man the entire broadcast. Speaking of color-man, cool purple shades Dibbs - I guess you never know when you might need to fight off glare when you are rocketing one past Steve Sax from the broadcast booth.

For me the real breaking point was last week: in perhaps the most disturbing display of his uncontrollable conniption-fits, Dibble got in to with his co-host Jody MacDonald on XM Radio’s The Show after a caller directly asked Dibble if he would have acted differently than Nats Manager Manny Acta in a questionable switch involving slugger Adam Dunn. Dibble was absolutely convinced that the caller was setting him up to second guess the Nats skipper - something he had been in hot water for earlier in the month. Instead of handling the situation like a professional and dismissing the caller as a potential heckler, Dibble ripped in to a calm and collected MacDonald as “not standing up” for his fellow man. Undertones of arrogance drenched Dibble’s microphone as he seemed to liken the situation to an on-field physical attack from an opposing batter who had rushed the mound. MacDonald pleaded with Dibble that the question may have been “legitimate” but Dibbs seemed determined to fester and whine about the caller for much of the show’s remaining hour. Since that afternoon The Show hasn’t seemed the same and I have noticed that MacDonald appears less frequently alongside Dibble. I hope that they aren’t trying to send off MacDonald, the bigger man in the whole situation, the same way they quietly said goodbye to Charlie Steiner (I think both men really connect well with baseball fans).

How did I miss this vote?

I will admit that Dibble is often times critical of the Nationals - and critical to a point that is necessary and refreshing for a team that is struggling to not only win games but also retain fans that may be yearning to hear someone close to the organization admit the club’s faults. I just can’t rationalize why Dibble then goes on the defensive as well, claiming that he is a part of the team and “we” as a “team” are doing “our” best to win and everyone should just back off the negative comments. If I didn’t know any better I would say this bicephalous behavior was the work of a control freak owner like Dan Snider wispering in his earpiece or that its just Dibble kicking and screaming when the situation isn’t focused enough on him.

In the end he may be one of only a select few pitchers to have stuck out 3 men in an inning using only 9 pitches - but it seems to me that all that remains of Rob Dibble is a nasty attitude.