Knight in shining .... eh, whatever
So there's all this talk about Rob Dibble. Should he stay? Should he go? Does anyone really care all that much? (My three cents are: eh; eh; I certainly hope not.)
But let's presume Dibble is gone after this season. Obviously, MASN will need to find a replacement. Now, there's a bit of a difference between "MASN" and "the Nationals" in this context, maybe, at least if I understand the situation correctly. As part of MLB's pact with the devil, TV game announcers might be less of the organization's call and more in the not-so-sound discretion of the Websterites. Or perhaps not. I don't know whose call that truly is, and I don't care. At any rate, the answer is on call tonight, and has been for a week or so. To borrow a phrase from Gary Templeton, if Dibble is departin', then Ray Knight should be startin'.
I can't believe I'm saying this. But I am. Ray Knight, who once wore (and I swear this is true) a pee-yellow blazer on the MASN set, should rightfully be the team's color commentator.
a) Knight comes across as a generally amiable guy -- a little bit of a dull knife perhaps, but it's hard to dislike him.
b) Knight works well with Bob Carpenter, another folksy/nice type, who seems to have been entrusted with the play-by-play role for the foreseeable future.
c) Knight seemingly has no contrived angle or persona. He's not Don Sutton (ivory-tower tone while clueing us into the merits of a so-called "Plan" that hadn't really hatched yet) or Rob Dibble (wannabe Hawk Harrelson with some 'tude and some bad excuses for jailhouse 'tats). Not everything has to be about the big picture or about some ideal of toughness. With Knight, things are pretty well on the ground.
d) Knight is actually a pretty good game analyst. He'll tell you what's happening and why, and he'll do so without much spin. I like that.
Add it all up, and the answer is sitting right in front of us, right now. I'm faily amazed that I've come to this conclusion, but I have. Go Ray.
But let's presume Dibble is gone after this season. Obviously, MASN will need to find a replacement. Now, there's a bit of a difference between "MASN" and "the Nationals" in this context, maybe, at least if I understand the situation correctly. As part of MLB's pact with the devil, TV game announcers might be less of the organization's call and more in the not-so-sound discretion of the Websterites. Or perhaps not. I don't know whose call that truly is, and I don't care. At any rate, the answer is on call tonight, and has been for a week or so. To borrow a phrase from Gary Templeton, if Dibble is departin', then Ray Knight should be startin'.
I can't believe I'm saying this. But I am. Ray Knight, who once wore (and I swear this is true) a pee-yellow blazer on the MASN set, should rightfully be the team's color commentator.
a) Knight comes across as a generally amiable guy -- a little bit of a dull knife perhaps, but it's hard to dislike him.
b) Knight works well with Bob Carpenter, another folksy/nice type, who seems to have been entrusted with the play-by-play role for the foreseeable future.
c) Knight seemingly has no contrived angle or persona. He's not Don Sutton (ivory-tower tone while clueing us into the merits of a so-called "Plan" that hadn't really hatched yet) or Rob Dibble (wannabe Hawk Harrelson with some 'tude and some bad excuses for jailhouse 'tats). Not everything has to be about the big picture or about some ideal of toughness. With Knight, things are pretty well on the ground.
d) Knight is actually a pretty good game analyst. He'll tell you what's happening and why, and he'll do so without much spin. I like that.
Add it all up, and the answer is sitting right in front of us, right now. I'm faily amazed that I've come to this conclusion, but I have. Go Ray.
posted by Basil at
8:27 PM
10 Comments:
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
By
logan, at 8/31/2010 10:01 PM
So if you put Ray Knight in the booth with Carpenter, who goes out in the tent with Johnny Holliday? Phil Wood or Debbi Taylor? You know they're gonna promote from within instead of spending money on someone new. Especially since they'll still be paying Dibble next year.
By
Anonymous, at 9/01/2010 8:52 AM
Who cares? Do more than 17 people actually watch the show from the tent?
But to answer you're question, let's go with oh, let's say ... Moe.
By
Basil, at 9/01/2010 10:19 AM
Whoops .... your, not you're.
By
Basil, at 9/01/2010 10:20 AM
I like Ray Knight - I really do - HOWEVER, can we please, PLEASE sever the Nationals/Reds connection??? Please? There's gotta be somebody good out there who isn't an ex-Red....
By
Andy, at 9/01/2010 10:51 AM
Knight never shuts up--he talks way too much. Bring on Phil Wood.
By
phil dunn, at 9/01/2010 7:22 PM
Knight never shuts up--he talks way too much. Bring on Phil Wood.
By
phil dunn, at 9/01/2010 7:23 PM
After Dibbs, Lee Boyd Malvo would be less irritating in the booth.
By
Sunshine_Bobby_Carpenter_Is_Too_Pessimistic_for_Me, at 9/01/2010 10:48 PM
How about someone who is a real student of the game? Dibble was NEVER that - all he ever seemed to be able to say was for a pitcher to go with his best pitch, and that a pitcher has to be able to find the strike zone. In-depth analysis it wasn't.
Don Sutton, on the other hand, knew his stuff, and not just about pitching, but about the myriad other things going on at any given time during a game. (and as a Big Red Machine fan, it hurts me to have to give Sutton the nod here, especially over Dibble!).
I don't know who's out there who fits the bill, but whoever it is, let's please make it someone with real knowledge of the game!
By
Anonymous, at 9/02/2010 12:50 PM
What is WRONG with you? Ray Knight is TERRIBLE! He was a terrible manager, yet he keeps talking about what he would do if he were manager. His comments are insipid and he is constantly predicting plays, etc that one minute later prove to be WRONG. I'm horrified that he'd even be considered.
By
Anonymous, at 9/09/2010 9:16 AM
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