Rob Dibble

Long before most teams had at least one reliever who could routinely hit 100 mph on the radar gun, the Cincinnati Reds had Rob Dibble.

In his first four full seasons in the majors (1989–92), the 6-foot-4, 240-pound right-hander had a strikeout-to-walk ratio of nearly 4-to-1 while setting a record for the fewest innings (368) to record 500 strikeouts.1 But as much as Dibble was in control when pitching, he could be out of control when things didn’t go his way. Dibble, who was suspended multiple times, was one of the most explosive personalities the game has seen. The passion that drove him to greatness was also his worst enemy.

“Rob Dibble is a man’s man, a really tough guy who always insisted on being as macho as he could be out there,” said sportswriter Tim Kurkjian.2 But it was more complicated than that. Dibble, one of six ultracompetitive siblings, was raised to hate to lose. “I expected the kids to be perfect,” said his mother, Barbara. “We never said, ‘better luck next time.’ We said, ‘Rob, how come you were so bad.’”3 That drove his anger. “Your fear of failure drives you to extremes,” Dibble said. “There was never anger, other than being angry at me.”4

Dibble channeled his anger enough to become a key member of a Reds bullpen nicknamed “The Nasty Boys,” which led an underdog Cincinnati team to a World Series sweep in 1990 over Oakland. That was the highlight of Dibble’s six years in the majors, five with Cincinnati (1989-93) and one final injury-shortened year (1995) with Milwaukee and the Chicago White Sox. A two-time All-Star, Dibble in 1990 became the first set-up man to be named to an All-Star team. That same year he was co-MVP of the National League Championship Series, sharing the honor with fellow Nasty Boy Randy Myers.

Robert Keith Dibble was born on January 24, 1964, in Bridgeport, Connecticut, to Walter and Barbara (Fredrickson), the fifth of six children. Walt Dibble was a highly respected radio newscaster who was inducted into the Connecticut Journalism Hall of Fame.5 Barbara was a dental hygienist.6 Rob’s older brothers, Lee and Chris, were standout prep school hockey players. “I never would have been the athlete I was if I hadn‘t had two tremendously athletic older brothers,“ Dibble said.7

Dibble first grew up in Monroe, Connecticut, a suburb of Bridgeport. However, the family moved to Southington, Connecticut, near Hartford, when Rob was 11. Walt had taken a job at WTIC, a Hartford station, which had the most powerful frequency in the state. Rob had followed in his brothers’ footsteps, playing hockey until the family moved. In Southington he also started playing soccer and continued to play basketball. The common thread throughout, however, was baseball. The family lived across the street from the Little League field, and Rob was coached until he was 15 by Walt. “I was always athletic,” Dibble said. “That’s what molded me. My brothers let me tag along with them and their teams. I was always playing up. I never thought playing with older kids was something difficult.”8

Dibble’s athletic prowess soon became known, along with his temper. When he was 11, he was passed over for the first overall pick in the Southington Western Little League draft, going second instead. The girl picked ahead of him, Jane Sepko, led the league in home runs. But Dibble used that snub as motivation. “It must have hurt Rob. He keeps bringing it up,” Walt Dibble said years later.9

As for Rob, he went on to win all 18 games he pitched for his team over the next two seasons, and as a 12-year-old, he hit .750, playing shortstop when not on the mound. Dibble already displayed a volatile temperament, though. His final season in Little League, he threw a tantrum after a 9-year-old batter got a hit off him with Dibble’s team ahead, 15–0. Later that season, he berated his teammates when many of them skipped practice ahead of the championship game.10

At the end of Dibble’s first season in Little League, parents circulated a petition with 2,500 names on it demanding that he be kept off the all-star team so he wouldn’t take the spot of a player who had grown up in Southington. “Going back to 11 years old, people hated me,” said Dibble, whose parents kept him from finding out about the petition.11 He made the all-star team anyway, helping Southington to within one win of the Little League World Series.12

One year, Dibble’s parents received a trophy calling them the worst Little League parents in history. “It was sort of a joke.” Barbara Dibble said, “We were terrible. We were bad fans.” Rob’s sister Laurie added, “Hot tempers run in the family—big time. In our family, any time you’re under pressure you don’t keep it to yourself. Screaming was what we did.”13

At Southington High School Dibble was an All-State soccer forward. On the baseball team, he played for legendary coach Joe Fontana, who, when he retired after 41 years, ranked fifth nationally with 669 wins.14 In his junior year, Dibble batted .330 in center field and was 8-2 on the mound. As a senior he was 10-2 with 124 strikeouts in 102 innings.

Fontana, who was also Dibble’s guidance counselor, knew how to deal with Dibble’s parents. Many years later, he recalled a game during Dibble’s senior season when with Southington ahead, 11–0, Fontana took Dibble out of the game to protect his arm. Barbara, whose son had 17 strikeouts at the time, was furious. “The game is over and his mother winds up in the corner of the dugout, screaming, yelling, ‘Why’d you take him out with all these scouts here,’” Fontana said. “I told her not to worry. They had seen what they came to see.”15

Even with his athletic success Dibble didn’t imagine becoming a baseball star. His family was focused on public service. Walt served in the U.S. Navy Reserves, Chris served on a submarine in the Navy, and Lee became a fireman. “I spent a lot of time in the school library reading about World War II,” Dibble said. “I would find myself lost in the pages of Life Magazine. If I had not been drafted by St. Louis out of high school, I would have gone into the Army.”16

Those plans changed when the Cardinals drafted Dibble in the 11th round of the 1982 June amateur draft. When their offer didn’t match Dibble’s expectations, he turned to college. Oklahoma State offered Dibble a scholarship, but he didn’t want to go so far from home. Instead, he enrolled at Division II national champion Florida Southern College in Lakeland. Dibble was there for only four months. “I played really well, but I just wasn’t loving the whole college experience,” he said.17 “School and baseball did not go hand in hand with Rob,” said Chuck Anderson, his college pitching coach.18

Dibble returned home, worked at a department store, and petitioned Commissioner Peter Ueberroth to be eligible for the 1983 secondary draft, giving up any remaining college eligibility and claiming hardship. “That six months was rough,” Dibble said. “I had no idea if I would be drafted again. I started thinking about joining the military again.”19 About half of the teams in MLB watched Dibble throw, and he was ruled eligible for the draft. Cincinnati, based on the recommendation of scout Mickey White, drafted him in the first round with the 20th overall pick and gave him what Dibble called “a sizable signing bonus.”20

Dibble, 19, had a rocky start to his pro career. He had an ERA of 6.26 while pitching 50 1/3 innings, first in Billings (Montana) of the Pioneer Rookie League and then in Eugene (Oregon) in the Low Class-A Northwest League. Things didn’t get any better in spring training the following year as Reds pitching coach Scott Breeden told Dibble he would never make it to the majors because of his poor mechanics.

“They sent me to extended spring training because Scott Breeden hated my high leg kick,” said Dibble, who had modeled his delivery motion on that of Dennis Eckersley, a star pitcher for the Red Sox while Dibble was growing up in Connecticut. “All that did was harden me and make me more determined to prove him wrong.”21 Dibble received encouragement, though, during extended spring training from Joe Altobelli (Orioles) and George Bamberger (Brewers). “I truly believed the positive message from two guys from other organizations,” he said. “The people that believed in me outweighed the guys like Scott Breeden .”22

Dibble spent the first half of 1984 in extended spring training before being assigned to Tampa in the Class A Florida State League, where he had a 2.92 ERA in 64 innings, mostly as a starter. The next season Jay Ward, his manager at Cedar Rapids (Iowa) in the Class A Midwest League, converted Dibble into a closer. Dibble had 12 saves in 45 games, averaging over a strikeout per inning. “Back then, bullpen guys were the guys who couldn’t cut it,” Dibble said. “I was not excited. At that time, I was feeling like my career was stalling. I did take a leap of faith, but it was only because I knew that Jay believed in me.”23

In 1986 Dibble was assigned to Vermont in the Double A Eastern League. While there he survived a near-death experience when the car he was in swerved off the road into a guardrail, which saved it from falling down a 50-foot ravine. “It was one of the scariest moments of my life,” said Dibble, who said the car was driven by an inebriated teammate.24

After saving 10 games for Vermont, Dibble was called up to Class AAA Denver, where he appeared in only five games before tearing the meniscus in his knee. He was operated on by the Denver Broncos team surgeon and returned in time for the playoffs, where Denver lost a seven-game series to Indianapolis for the American Association championship.25

The 1987 season was a disappointing one for Dibble, who spent the entire season with Class AAA Nashville, where he was the third man out of the bullpen for manager Jack Lind. Dibble registered just four saves in 44 games with a 4.72 ERA. The trajectory of his career changed that winter, though, when he pitched in Puerto Rico for Criollos de Caguas. His pitching coach, Ed Figueroa, taught him a new grip for his breaking ball and a new strategy for what to throw in certain counts. Pitching against major-leaguers including Ron Gant, Roberto Alomar and Benito Santiago, Dibble made the all-star team. “Until I went to winter ball in Puerto Rico, I didn’t think I was going to make it to the big leagues,” Dibble said. “They just thought I was a flake who threw hard.”26

Another highlight of 1987 was Dibble’s marriage to Joanne (Abate), his high school sweetheart. They went on to have two children, Ashley and Ryan, before divorcing in 2000.

At spring training in 1988 Dibble, who was destined to return to Nashville, had a sit-down with Lind to air his grievances. Lind told Dibble that the Reds’ organization had told Lind not to make him the team’s closer in 1987. But this season would be different. “He (Lind) told me, ‘You’re now my No. 1 guy,’” recalled Dibble.27

A confident Dibble was 13-for-13 in save chances when he was called up to Cincinnati in June to replace an injured Ron Robinson. Dibble made his big-league debut on June 29, retiring all six batters he faced in a 3–2 loss to San Diego. He fit right into the Reds’ bullpen, which was anchored by closer John Franco, giving up just 43 hits in 59 1/3 innings with a 1.82 ERA in 37 games, earning his first victory on July 9 with two shutout innings in a 6–3 victory over Philadelphia. “I had already pitched in Puerto Rico against big leaguers,” Dibble said. “I knew I belonged.” 28

It was in his first full season in the majors, 1989, that Dibble began making headlines for the wrong reasons. It started in spring training when after giving up a home run to Detroit’s Billy Beane, Dibble bashed several chairs outside the Reds’ clubhouse with a bat and then threw the chairs into a nearby pond. In April he was fined for throwing behind the Dodgers’ Willie Randolph after giving up four straight hits. In May Dibble was fined and suspended for throwing Terry Pendleton’s bat against the backstop after giving up an RBI single to the Cardinals batter. He was suspended again in July after he hit the Mets’ Tim Teufel between the shoulder blades, leading Teufel to charge the mound and the dugouts to empty. After the field was cleared Dibble started another brawl by leaving the dugout to charge Teufel. “I looked up and there he was spittin’ and grinnin’,” Teufel said.29

When not being suspended, Dibble was one of the best relievers in the game. He was 10-5 with two saves and a 2.09 ERA, and with 141 strikeouts in 99 innings, his ratio of 12.8 per nine innings set an MLB record, since broken. He fell 10 strikeouts short of tying Goose Gossage’s record for most by a reliever in a season and likely would have broken the record if he hadn’t missed two weeks in July with a sore elbow.30

It was also a turbulent season for the Reds. After four straight second-place finishes in the NL West under manager Pete Rose, they finished fifth as Rose was suspended for gambling on baseball and in August accepted a lifetime ban.31 During the ensuing offseason, the Reds made several significant moves, including hiring fiery Lou Piniella as their manager and trading Franco (and Don Brown) to the Mets for Randy Myers (and Kip Gross) in an exchange of closers.

The start of the 1990 season was delayed by a 32-day lockout by the owners. Heading into the season, Piniella knew that since most of his starters were coming back from injuries, he would need to rely heavily on his relievers.32 With the bullpen leading the way, the Reds won their first nine games en route to a 41-21 start. Even after splitting their last 100 games, they finished five games ahead of Los Angeles, becoming the first NL team to lead wire to wire in a 162-game season.33

Norm Charlton, Dibble, and Myers set the tone on Opening Day as the relief trio pitched six scoreless innings in an 11-inning victory over Houston, combining for 10 strikeouts on a barrage of fastballs that were all at least 96 mph.34 They soon became known as the “Nasty Boys,” a nickname Dibble said was originated by Myers in spring training.35 The national media quickly picked up on it, especially with the Reds’ hot start, and the team’s relievers embraced it. Two weeks into the season, an opposing coach said, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bullpen that good.”36

“Intimidation was part of our game. We didn’t actually hit that many batters, but we knocked down a lot of guys, which is harder to find in the stats,” Charlton said. “The ‘Nasty Boys’ thing played into our reputations well and we played it up, had T-shirts made. It was good for us, because on days when we didn’t have our best stuff, when Lou (Piniella) was putting us in 3-4 days in a row, it helped to have the ‘nasty’ persona in our backpack, because hitters were never sure how crazy we were, what we were willing to do.”37

The Nasty Boys combined for 44 saves (Myers 31, Dibble 11, Charlton 2), and Dibble finished the season 8-3 with a 1.74 ERA, averaging 12.5 strikeouts per nine innings, just shy of the record he had set the year before. Dibble and Myers were among five Reds selected to the All-Star team, with Dibble’s selection marking the first time a set-up man was chosen. Dibble was stunned when he heard the news. “It made me speechless for the first time in my life,” he said.38

It wasn’t a controversy-free season for Dibble, however. He was fined for an altercation with a security guard in San Francisco after a fan threw beer at some of the Reds.39 Otherwise it was a dream season for Dibble and the Reds, who looked like a dynasty in the making with every key player 30 or under, including stars Eric Davis and Barry Larkin. “It was magical,” Dibble said. “We were a complete team and a family. What we did off the field, we did as a team. Even the card games on the plane involved the entire team.”40

The Nasty Boys lived up to their nickname in the postseason, giving up just one run in 10 games. In the NLCS against Pittsburgh Dibble appeared in each of the first four games, striking out 10 in five hitless innings—tying the playoff record for strikeouts by a reliever.41 He saved Game Four, a 5–3 victory, helping the Reds win the series in six games. Dibble and Myers were co-MVPs of the NLCS, marking the first time a reliever had won the award and the first time the award was shared.

The Oakland A’s, led by the Bash Brothers—José Canseco and Mark McGwire—were heavy favorites going into the World Series. Another of the A’s stars, Rickey Henderson, told reporters that Dibble’s fastball was overrated. The Reds stunned the baseball world by sweeping the A’s, outscoring them 22-8 in the four games. Dibble pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings in the first three games, striking out Henderson in Game Three the only time he faced him. “After I struck Rickey out, I was the happiest guy around,” Dibble said.42

The Reds picked up where they had left off to start 1991 and were 10 games over .500 in July. But a 10-game losing streak sent them on a downward spiral, which saw them end with just 74 wins, finishing fifth, 20 games behind the Dodgers. Dibble also got off to a great start. He took over closer duties from a struggling Myers and converted his first 23 save opportunities, earning another All-Star selection. But in the second half he had only eight saves and pitched to a 5.13 ERA, although he did break his own record for most strikeouts per nine innings (13.6).

It was a tumultuous season for Dibble, who was suspended three different times by National League President Bill White.43 The first time was for throwing behind Houston’s Eric Yelding after giving up an RBI single to Curt Schilling, the opposing pitcher, on April 11. Just 17 days later after pitching poorly to close out a victory over the Cubs, Dibble got the game ball, turned, and threw it over the center field fence, hitting a first-grade teacher on her elbow as she was leaving.44 Finally, on July 23, in his first game back from serving a three-game suspension for throwing at Yelding, Dibble fielded a squeeze bunt attempt by the Cubs’ Doug Dascenzo and threw at Dascenzo’s legs as he was running down the first base line. Dibble claimed the throw that hit Dascenzo was an accident, but Dibble was ejected by home plate umpire Joe West, who said, “It was a blatant display of unsportsmanship (sic) to try and hurt another player.”45

Dibble, who stopped speaking to the Cincinnati press, agreed to seek professional counseling, while teammate Bill Doran gave him some friendly advice. “Rob is as big-hearted and as nice a guy as you’re ever going to meet . . . But sooner or later, if you keep making the same mistakes over and over again, ‘I’m sorry’ doesn’t mean anything.” Doran said. “The reason guys talk to him is because they like him. If he was a derelict and no one cared about him, we wouldn’t say anything.”46

Dibble’s poor second half from 1991 carried over into 1992—at the All-Star break, he was 0-4 with a 4.46 ERA and four blown saves in 12 chances. But after the break, he allowed a run in only four of his 30 appearances and struck out 63 of the last 117 batters he faced. He and Charlton combined to save 51 games and strike out 200 batters, and the Reds finished second with 90 wins. Dibble’s 25 saves set a record for the most by a pitcher who didn’t lead his team in that category. Opponents batted just .193 against him, and he set another record for most strikeouts (14.1) per nine innings. Dibble credited his success to not relying on his fastball as much. “I’m much more of a control pitcher now,” he said. “I learned to deal with the fact that I may not have the great fastball the rest of my career.”47

All of that was overshadowed, though, by an incident on September 17, when Dibble accused Piniella of misleading reporters about the condition of his injured right shoulder, prompting the 49-year-old Piniella to wrestle Dibble. The postgame fight was quickly broken up by coaches and players but was caught on camera by a local TV station. After a 30-minute meeting the next day with team officials, Dibble apologized, and Piniella said, “I don’t hold any grudges. I never did.”48 Neither did Dibble, recalling years later, “The next day, we were best of friends. I loved Lou. He was a father figure to me. We have similar personalities. We hate losing more than we like winning.”49

In November the Reds traded Charlton to Seattle, handing Dibble the closer’s job unshared. Piniella also was gone, having resigned. Dibble had a tough start to the 1993 season, though. First, he punctured his eardrum while diving into a swimming pool in spring training. No sooner than that healed, he broke his forearm covering home plate after a wild pitch. Dibble had a team-leading 19 saves, but he appeared in a career-low 45 games with a career-high 6.48 ERA. Dibble said his mechanics were “never the same” after he broke his arm.50 The Reds fell back to fifth place, winning only 73 games as team owner Marge Schott was suspended for the season for racist remarks.

Things didn’t get any better in 1994. Handed the closer’s role again, Dibble suffered a rotator cuff injury and was out for three months. That turned out to be a season-ending injury owing to the players’ strike that shut down the season in August. Dibble tried to resume his career in 1995, first with the Chicago White Sox and then with Milwaukee, but in 31 games, he had an ERA of 7.18, walking 46 batters in 21 1/3 innings. “My shoulder was shot,” Dibble said. “Since I was 8 years old, I could always throw the ball where I wanted to. It didn’t hurt after they fixed my rotator cuff, but I didn’t have command.”51

Dibble was suspended one final time after he fired a fastball at the head of Milwaukee’s Pat Listach, precipitating a bench-clearing brawl. The White Sox released Dibble before he could serve his suspension. When he later signed with Milwaukee and was called up, he had to serve his suspension then.

The end came quickly and quietly for Dibble, who pitched a few games in spring training in 1996 for the Chicago Cubs and then announced he was taking a “leave of absence.” He subsequently signed a minor-league contract with the Florida Marlins but never threw a pitch for them. In 1998 he made one final short-lived comeback attempt, this time with San Diego. “I’m not going to hang on just to play,” Dibble said.52

Once his pitching career ended, Dibble began studying for the state police exam, but his father encouraged him to go into broadcasting. “My dad worked with me in the studio a few times. He was very hard on me,” Dibble said.53

Starting in 1999 Dibble worked for the MLB Network and both ESPN radio and ESPN TV. When those contracts weren’t renewed, he began hosting a talk show on XM Satellite Radio. Controversy followed him into the broadcast booth, though, and a stint as a TV analyst for the Washington Nationals ended in 2010 after he made comments on his radio show disparaging Stephen Strasburg for complaining midgame of an arm injury.54 Dibble spent the next several years cohosting a morning sports talk show in Southern California before returning to Connecticut in 2014 to host a daily sports-talk radio show in Hartford.

In 2024, Dibble signed a five-year contract extension to continue hosting his show on Fox Radio. He was also coaching a youth baseball travel team and living in Connecticut with his second wife, Jono (Nocera), and their daughter, Coco.55

“I feel my dad every day,” Dibble said. “In 27 years of broadcasting, I can’t say there hasn’t been any day that hasn’t been exciting.”56

Last revised: September 25, 2024

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to Rob Dibble for his memories.

Also, thanks to Cassidy Lent at the Giamatti Research Center, National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Cooperstown, NY.

This biography was reviewed by Rory Costello and Will Christensen and fact-checked by Tony Oliver.

Photo credit: Rob Dibble, Trading Card Database.

Notes

1 Dibble’s record was broken twice, both times in 2015. First, Craig Kimbrel recorded his 500th strikeout in 305 innings. Then, Aroldis Chapman recorded his 500th strikeout in 292 innings.

2 J. Freedom du Lac, “Washington Nationals Fire TV Announcer Rob Dibble after His Remarks about Stephen Strasburg,” Washington Post, Sept. 2, 2010.

3 Greg Garber, “Homegrown Fury Drives Dibble’s Pitching Life,” Hartford Courant, June 23, 1991: A1C.

4 Rob Dibble, telephone interview with David Bilmes, June 6 and 7, 2024 (hereafter Dibble-Bilmes interview).

5 “CT Journalism Hall of Fame: Walt Dibble,” Connecticut SPJ, October 20, 2011, https://connecticutspj.org/ct-journalism-hall-of-fame-walt-dibble/ (last accessed June 24, 2024). Walt Dibble had a 50-year career as a radio journalist, won national honors, and was one of the original teachers at the Connecticut School of Broadcasting.

6 Dibble-Bilmes interview. Barbara Dibble had two relatives who played minor-league baseball.

7 Dibble-Bilmes interview. Rob’s other siblings were older sisters Sherrie and Laurie and his younger sister, Holly.

8 Dibble-Bilmes interview. Walter Dibble, who was also 6-foot-4, was described by Rob as having an “athletic build.”

9 Garber, “Hometown Fury Drives Dibble’s Pitching Life.”

10 Garber, “Hometown Fury Drives Dibble’s Pitching Life.”

11 Jerry Crasnick, “The Sports Q&A: Rob Dibble: Going Back to 11 Years Old, People Hated Me,” Sport, March 1991: 69.

12 Dibble-Bilmes interview

13 Garber, “Hometown Fury Drives Dibble’s Pitching Life.”

14 Jeff Jacobs, “For Dibble and All of Southington, Fond Memories of Coach,” Connecticut Post (Bridgeport, CT), Oct. 25, 2019, https://www.ctpost.com/gametimect/article/Jeff-Jacobs-For-Dibble-and-all-of-Southington-14563568.php (last accessed June 27, 2024). Fontana had nearly 200 players go on to play in college and sent four players, including Dibble, to the major leagues. The others were Carl Pavano, Chris Petersen, and Mike Raczka.

15 Garber, “Hometown Fury Drives Dibble’s Pitching Life.”

16 Dibble-Bilmes interview.

17 Dibble-Bilmes interview.

18 “Dibble Works Out at His Alma Mater,” The Sporting News, March 5, 1990: 5. Florida Southern’s campus contains the largest collection of buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in a single location.

19 Dibble-Bilmes interview.

20 Dibble-Bilmes interview.

21 Dibble-Bilmes interview. Breeden was the Reds’ pitching coach when Dibble was later called up to Cincinnati. One time when Dibble was in a jam, Breeden left the dugout for a mound visit. “I told him not to cross the foul line,” said Dibble, who was fined for his behavior by Reds manager Pete Rose.

22 Dibble-Bilmes interview.

23 Dibble-Bilmes interview. Ward may have had faith in Dibble, but he didn’t cut him any slack when Dibble dyed his hair white that season. Ward told Dibble he wouldn’t pitch again until he got rid of the white locks. Dibble, who had spent his last $60 getting his hair dyed, had a teammate shave his head with borrowed shears.

24 Dibble-Bilmes interview. Dibble said he and a teammate had been at the movies that night and made the mistake of letting a teammate who had been drinking drive them home. Dibble said he was diagnosed with a double concussion.

25 Dibble-Bilmes interview. “Losing Game 7 in Triple A – that haunts me,” Dibble said many years later.

26 Crasnick, “Rob Dibble: Going Back to 11 Years Old, People Hated Me.”

27 Dibble-Bilmes interview.

28 Dibble-Bilmes interview. Dibble was the subject of trade rumors during the 1988 season. The Reds, who were heading for a fourth consecutive second-place finish under manager Pete Rose, were rumored to be in trade talks with the Phillies for Mike Schmidt, who was going to be a free agent at the end of the season. In return, the Reds would have sent Dibble and Nick Esasky to Philadelphia.

29 Hal McCoy, “Dibble Trouble: Disabled List, Suspension for Hurler,” Dayton Daily News, July 24, 1989.

30 Hal McCoy, “Dibble Hopes to Avoid Suspension,” Dayton Daily News, June 5, 1989. Dibble said his elbow had been bothering him for a few weeks, but he believed it was getting better until he exacerbated the injury in the brawl.

31 Keith O’Brien, Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose and the Last Glory Days of Baseball, Pantheon Books: New York, 2024, 301. When a Cincinnati judge temporarily issued a restraining order forbidding Commissioner Bart Giamatti from issuing a suspension to Rose, Dibble was one of the Reds who spoke out for their beleaguered manager. “What do you expect when you’re dealing with a Yale yuppie,” Dibble said, referring to Giamatti. “You can’t trust those guys.”

32 Claire Smith, “Reds Find Relief with ‘Nasty’ Bunch, on and off Mound,” New York Times, April 23, 1990, https://www.nytimes.com/1990/04/23/sports/reds-find-relief-with-nasty-bunch-on-and-off-mound.html (last accessed July 5, 2024).

33 Jack Brennan, “Wire to Wire,” Cincinnati Enquirer, Sept. 30, 1990, https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-cincinnati-enquirer/34822711/ (last accessed July 5, 2024). The Brooklyn Dodgers were the first NL team to lead wire to wire, but that was in a 154-game season. In the AL, the 1927 Yankees, the 1984 Tigers, and the 2005 White Sox are the only teams to have led wire to wire.

34 Tip Wonhoff, “Norm Charlton,” SABR Biography Project, January 23, 2023, https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/Norm-Charlton/ (last accessed July 6, 2024). Dibble and Charlton became friends when they played together in Vermont and roomed together, in the minors and majors, for seven years.

35 Dibble-Bilmes interview. Dibble also included middle relievers Tim Birtsas and Tim Layana in the Nasty Boys, but as the season went on, the Nasty Boys designation was limited to Dibble, Charlton and Myers. The term “Nasty Boys” was part of popular culture at the time, as it was a nickname of the NBA’s Detroit Pistons and was also the name of a popular song by Janet Jackson.

36 Smith, “Reds Find Relief with ‘Nasty” Bunch, on and off the Mound.

37 Wonhoff, “Norm Charlton.” Dibble and Charlton roomed together for most of their careers, starting with when they were teammates at Vermont and continuing when they played for the Reds.

38 Jerry Crasnick, “Rob Dibble: Going Back to 11 Years Old, People Hated Me.” Jeff Brantley was the losing pitcher in the 1990 All-Star Game, but it was Dibble who gave up a two-run double to Julio Franco in the seventh inning that accounted for the only two runs of the game, which was played in Chicago’s Wrigley Field.

39 “Reds Expect Doran to be Scrappy Leader,” The Sporting News, Sept. 17, 1990: 15.

40 Dibble-Bilmes interview.

41 Jerome Holtzman, “Dibble Doubles Back on the Status of Those Stats,” Chicago Tribune, October 11, 1990: 4-5

42 Dibble-Bilmes interview. Oakland was Dibble’s favorite team growing up. He became an A’s fan after the first glove he received that wasn’t a hand-me-down from his older brothers had Bert Campaneris’s name on it. “The biggest irony of my baseball career was beating the Oakland A’s in the World Series,” Dibble said.

43 Hal Bodley, “Suspension Record Next for Dibble,” USA Today, Sept. 25, 1991.

44 “Dibble Could Be Hit with Ban, Fine,” New York Post, May 1, 1991. Dibble later visited the teacher, Meg Porter, in person to apologize and promised to cover her medical expenses, as well as to compensate her for the two days of work she had to miss due to the injury.

45 Jerry Crasnick, “Dibble: It Was an Accident,” Cincinnati Post, July 24, 1991: 1D.

46 Crasnick, “Dibble: It Was an Accident.”

47 “Dibble’s big numbers keep him with the Reds,” Albany (NY) Times Union, March 25, 1993.

48 Joe Kay, “Piniella, Dibble Settle Differences,” Albany (NY) Times-Union, Sept. 19, 1992: C-1. Dibble was upset that Piniella hadn’t used him in a save opportunity in the ninth inning of a 3–2 victory over the Giants. Piniella said afterward that Dibble had complained of a tight shoulder when trying to warm up the previous night, so he wasn’t available. Dibble said, “There’s nothing wrong with me,” and he could have pitched.

49 Dibble-Bilmes interview. Dibble, who was having marital problems that season, credited Piniella for giving him time to deal with it.

50 Dibble-Bilmes interview.

51 Dibble-Bilmes interview.

52 Dibble-Bilmes interview.

53 Dibble-Bilmes interview.

54 du Lac, “Washington Nationals Fire TV Announcer Rob Dibble after His Remarks about Stephen Strasburg.” Strasburg was later diagnosed as needing a new ligament in his pitching elbow.

55 Dibble-Bilmes interview. Dibble met Jono, who was an elementary school teacher, when he came to her class as a guest speaker.

56 Dibble-Bilmes interview.