Santangelo on the microphone

[PC]

No mention of where he first heard the phrase, 'good, old-fashioned country hardball.'

One of the Giants announcers uses it constantly.

[welch]

FP is pleasant and lively. Soimetimes a bit too chirpy, but that's OK.

I do wish he would:

- forget "taters"

- forget the Montreal Expos. This is not Montreal. Nobody has an attachment to Rusty Staub,

- read some Shirley Povich. This is Washington, and Povich was the Post's Nats reporter from 1924. Bob Allison set the record for home-runs by a rookie, Frank Howard was the last HR champ, and Mickey Vernon was the last batting champ.

[Eddie the Expos fan]

Can never forget the MONTREAL EXPOS!!!  If not for the Expos there would be no Nationals!

[comish4lif]

I like him

I miss Dibble

But I like him

Dibble is on XM in the morning drive. He's still awful. He knows even less on a national level than he did at the Nats only level. He still contradicts himself, that hasn't changed.

[welch]

Can never forget the MONTREAL EXPOS!!!  If not for the Expos there would be no Nationals!

I honor and love the Expos, but this team is the Nationals. Washington has a baseball history that goes back to about 1860, and about 1870 as professionals. They were calld the Washington nationals...although fans persist in often calling them the Senators.

I hope FP learns Washington baseball tradition. When Ryan Zimmerman charges a slow-roller and bare-hands it and throws on the run, he's making the same play that awed fans watching Ken McMullen.

[Kevrock]

I would appreciate a balance of both. FP can talk about the Expos all he likes, but studying DC baseball history would be a welcome addition.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

I'm curious - at the end of the season STH picnic at the park, was there much of a line for Andre Dawson autographs?  Was he even recognized?  This town will never get a feel for the Expo history.  It really isn't in this city's consciousness. 

In terms of baseball consciousness, you have to be 50+ to really remember the Senators 2.0, and the first Nats / Senators is mostly a history book learning exercise, with some oral history from Phil Wood, Boz, Welch, Gleason, and few others. 

One reason FP is going to talk about Expo history is because he was an Expo.  This is like a Jerry Remy talking about playign with Nolan Ryan in California, or Jim Kaat talking about the Twins on NYY broadcasts.  It is his baseball frame of reference, as is his time with Oakland and his announcing / radio career covering the Giants.  What he needs to realize is L'Grande Orange is alien to most (not all) of his audience, that Rick Monday is a hero and not a villain, that Vladi is an AL player who can't run to most of his audience, and that the greatness of Rock Raines needs to be explained to anyone under 30.

[OldChelsea]

Quite a range of opinions here...but bottom line: have I really missed anything by never having heard/seen him, sticking with Slowes/Jageler instead?

[Kevrock]

No.

Edit: Well, some of his insight into hitting and the teams gameplans and preparations are interesting. Charlie and Dave are awesome, though.

[Baseball is Life]

FP is good but he talks way too much. His sense of humor started to show a bit as the season went along.  And he talks way too much about his playing days...

Dibble was and is still an idiot.

[Mathguy]

FP is too much of a cheerleader to be a good announcer

FP is good but he talks way too much. His sense of humor started to show a bit as the season went along.  And he talks way too much about his playing days...

Dibble was great.

[RL04]

FP is ok.  No better no worse than any other former jock.

But his zillion-times-repeated "FPisms" drive me nuts.

"Hands inside the baseball."

"That (hit) made a loud noise."

"Another knock."  (Meaning "hit.")

Explaining why a well-hit ball went over the fence for a home-run: "The ball had backspin."

Explaining why a fielder made an error: "The ball had topspin."

And on.

[Baseball is Life]

FP is too much of a cheerleader to be a good announcer

I think that's a fair comment. He is truly a Sunshine Squadder. He would be well served by balancing that with some criticism of the players, etc.,

But Dibble was an idiot. I guess to each his own but he was a vulgar, arrogant, inarticulate grandstander. Known as an idiot when he played and he continues to prove it every day over the airwaves.

[Obed_Marsh]

Dibble was and is still an idiot.

[Baseball is Life]

FP is ok.  No better no worse than any other former jock.

But his zillion-times-repeated "FPisms" drive me nuts.

"Hands inside the baseball."

"That (hit) made a loud noise."

"Another knock."  (Meaning "hit.")

Explaining why a well-hit ball went over the fence for a home-run: "The ball had backspin."

Explaining why a fielder made an error: "The ball had topspin."

And on.

He is also too obsessed with stats. As in, "that runner hustled to beat the force at second so the hitter gets credit for a hit." He seems like the kind of ballplayer who would have been happy if he got a couple of hits although the team lost by ten.

[Baseball is Life]

I didn't know Dibble's girlfriend was on the board. Women can be so sensitive.

[RL04]

I do wish he would:

- forget "taters"

Oh yeah, I forget about that one.   Hate "taters."

- forget the Montreal Expos. This is not Montreal. Nobody has an attachment to Rusty Staub,

Uhhh, actually, I do.  * But that is besides the point.

This team has no attachment to the Senators but that doesn't stop some people  from harping on them all the time.   


* Staub played for the Mets for seven seasons.

[mitlen]

This team has no attachment to the Senators but that doesn't stop some people  from harping on them all the time.   [/color]

Ouch

[Smithian]

I'm a huge FP Santangelo fan.

I do wish he'd talk a bit more about the Senators, less Expos

[spidernat]

I'm a huge FP Santangelo fan.

I do wish he'd talk a bit more about the Senators, less Expos

Or just treat the current Nats as separate from either of them. After seven seasons there is no need to connect them with the Expos.

[Kevrock]

FP is ok.  No better no worse than any other former jock.

But his zillion-times-repeated "FPisms" drive me nuts.

"Hands inside the baseball."

"That (hit) made a loud noise."

"Another knock."  (Meaning "hit.")

Explaining why a well-hit ball went over the fence for a home-run: "The ball had backspin."

Explaining why a fielder made an error: "The ball had topspin."

And on.

Topspin gets old, but this is all pretty standard baseball talk.

[GburgNatsFan]

Except that he was an Expo. Not a good reason, but a reason.

Or just treat the current Nats as separate from either of them. After seven seasons there is no need to connect them with the Expos.

[DPMOmaha]

Except that he was an Expo. Not a good reason, but a reason.

It's a perfectly fine reason. 

And, I would rather see them embrace their history, both with Washington and Montreal than ignore one or the other or both completely.  Like it or not, they are part of the history of the franchise and both legacies have things worth remembering.  It would be a shame to see them disappear forever.

[Obed_Marsh]

I didn't know Dibble's girlfriend was on the board. Women can be so sensitive.

The correct inference would be you both are idiots, you elected to elimate all doubt by resorting to misogyny.

[Baseball is Life]

The correct inference would be you both are idiots, you elected to elimate all doubt by resorting to misogyny.

So Dibble's mother is now on this board too?