SABR Nine: Bob DiBiasio
Editor’s note: This article by Rick Balazs was published in the September-October 2007 edition of the SABR Bulletin and is reprinted in its original form here. For more from the SABR Bulletin archives, click here.
By Rick Balazs
When asked the universal question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” many young men and women do not have an answer. By the time he entered college, though, SABR member Bob DiBiasio knew exactly who he wanted to be: the public relations director of the Cleveland Indians.
DiBiasio achieved this goal in 1979 and has worked for the Indians for nearly 30 years. During that time he has watched the Indians morph from a consistent loser playing in the old,cavernous Cleveland Municipal Stadium, into a perennial division contender with the opening of Jacobs Field and Cleveland’s baseball renaissance in the 1990s.
In this edition of the SABR Nine, DiBiasio tells the story of how he was hired by the Indians, one that shows the persistence he devoted toward achieving his dream. He also discusses some of the challenges of his job, how he measures success while working in public relations, as well as next year’s SABR 38, to be held in his native Cleveland.
1. How did you get your start with the Indians?
I was one of those young men who, when I went to college as a freshman at Ohio Wesleyan University, I had a focus of what I wanted to do, and that was to be the PR man of the Cleveland Indians. That was the job that I wanted. I researched how people who were in the business gravitated towards that position, and 90 percent of them in the late 1970s were products of the journalism profession. They were mostly sports writers who ended up becoming PR people. I went to Ohio Wesleyan to get my journalism degree to become a sports writer with the knowledge in the back of my mind that I was doing that to gain experience to become PR man of the Cleveland Indians. I wrote the PR man of the Indians at that time, Harry Jones, letters starting in freshman year telling him that I wanted his job some day,and here is what I am doing to gain experience in order to someday work for him. I don’t know how many letters I sent him, but there were many.
When I graduated from Ohio Wesleyan, I earned my Master’s Degree in journalism at Ohio State, and I kept on writing Harry. From there, I was the assistant sports editor of the Fremont News-Messenger in Fremont, Ohio. On one afternoon in the winter, I received a phone call from Harry Jones, asking me if I still wanted to work for the Indians and would I come to Cleveland for an interview. This was the first time I had heard from Harry. Obviously, I made the trip to Cleveland for the interview. It was scheduled for a Tuesday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. I showed up at noon, not taking any chances with this incredible opportunity. Unfortunately, Harry forgot about the interview and did not show up until 6:00 pm to the office. I was still there when he walked in. I thought my chances were slim.
When he came in, we had a five, ten-minute discussion, and then he asked me to get up and go into another room. Within minutes he enters the room where I was sitting, offers his hand and says, “Well, kid, welcome to the big leagues.” That was in 1979, and I’ve been enjoying this job ever since. Oddly enough, after three months, Harry retired, and I ended up being promoted to PR Director of the Cleveland Indians at the age of 23.
2. What was it about the PR position that you wanted it more any other position?
I believe an important element of doing well in your chosen profession is knowing who you are. Ohio Wesleyan afforded me the opportunity to be a journalist as well as a PR person, be cause I also worked in the sports information department. I was the one who wrote the news releases promoting our college sporting events, while, at the same time, being the sports editor of the newspaper. So I had the opportunity to learn both sides of the ball, if you will. I had the opportunity to write and experience the differences in the two crafts. I just felt that based on my personality, coming from a family with a father who was a teacher and a coach, two older brothers who played athletics, and the fact that I played both base ball and basketball in college, I wanted to be on the team side. I wanted to be on the inside, instead of being on the outside always questioning, or providing commentary.
3. What are some of the challenges that you face on a day-to-day basis?
With the plethora of sports talk on radio and the Internet—not to mention the blog phenomenon—there is more misinformation disseminated than ever before. The media is more concerned with being first, rather than accurate. You tend to be out there chasing that misinformation. The constant flow of information is another challenge, but not in the negative sense. We have so much going on, each and every homestand, from a baseball perspective, a personnel perspective, special events and promotions perspective, retail perspective, broadcasting perspective— many organizational messages that need to be managed and strategically and efficiently executed. The challenge of directing all of that is fun.
4. How do you measure success in your position?
We measure success in different ways. Ticket sales are certainly at the top of the list. That’s our core business, of course. TV ratings and radio ratings are right behind that. So are merchandise sales. How do people engage our product and at what level? These are very tangible measuring sticks of our success.
Another source of measurement is how much exposure we can generate for our organization in the non-sports media. That is a challenge that we have put forth to ourselves the last few years. We want stories in the Business Section, in the Arts & Life Section, in the Metro Section. We want stories in the TV newscasts, not just the sports reports. Our goal is to reach a larger audience with the hope it will grow our casual fan base. And then it’s our job to take that casual fan and turn him or her into a frequent fan, and then, hope fully, an avid fan.
5. What is it about your job that you enjoy the most? Like any other business, there is routine, but every year, there is a new flow, a new identity that is created. You’ll be blessed and go through a period like we did in the mid-1990s when you’re the king of the world, and then you’ll go through a period when no one wants to talk to you. Both present interesting challenges. That’s the beauty of this business.
The other thing that I love about the job is that I have a very healthy respect for the men and women in the news business. I enjoy dealing with them. I have a very healthy respect for what they do on a daily basis.
6. What is unique about Cleveland baseball that sets it apart?
The rich history. To be one of only four charter members in the American League, circa 1901 is special. Pro baseball has been in Cleveland since the late 1880s. We’re one of the oldest institutions in this city, so that alone puts us in a very special, unique place. As one of the oldest institutions in this city, we have a unique opportunity to make an impact in this community, helping those in need, providing educational and recreational resources to the youth to enhance their growth and development. That’s the special nature of what we can bring everyday.
The one thing that also sets us apart professionally is we have leadership that is progressive, innovative, creative; from Mark Shapiro and the culture that he has built within baseball operations, and Paul Dolan, our president and owner, and the approach that he takes in leading this company. It has a wonderful energy to it.
7. What can SABR chapters do to foster relationships with major league teams?
We’re extremely fortunate here at the Indians that SABR’s national headquarters are in town. In my 30 years, we’ve had an incredibly strong relationship with both the national organization and the local Jack Graney chapter. One example is the fact we open the ballpark to the local chapter for their annual meeting. We do so because we respect what SABR stands for, and the important role it plays in fostering the game of baseball. We have a wonderful partnership. SABR members need to keep on doing what they are doing— providing a remarkable service that separates baseball from all other sports.
8. What message would you send to SABR members visiting Cleveland next year?
I think that they need to, first, and I know they will, spend some time in Heritage Park in Jacobs Field, which you can access before, during, and after the game. The during-the-game access is extremely unique to Jacobs Field. Cleveland, with its rich baseball history, will provide a wonderful backdrop for next year’s convention. We’re in the process right now of hammering out some of the details without knowing what the Major League schedule will bring.
9. Did you expect to have the job that you wanted, with the team that you wanted to work for, as long as you have?
Your dreams and your expectations are two different things. As much as being the PR man for the Cleveland Indians was my “dream,” I understood the reality of the situation. But, I made sure I was prepared when the opportunity presented itself. I have enjoyed every day—well, maybe not every day. The ending of Game 7 of the 1997 World Series at Pro Player Stadium was not real fun.
Originally published: August 24, 2007. Last Updated: October 28, 2025.