MASN’s Rob Dibble was a guest yesterday of Rob Long on Fox 1370 here in Baltimore.

Dibble made the comment that an Oriole starter told Palmer he had reviewed Palmer’s numbers, and was not impressed.

http://www.roblongshow.com/blogs/Phil%20Backert/967

I did not hear the show, so I did not hear Dibble directly. Even if I did, it would not be right to speculate in public on whom made the comment. However, a complete dismissal of the comment would be odd.

While it is possible that Palmer misinterpreted the comment, it apparently bothered him to the point he turned and walked away. Nothing seems less likely to me than the idea that Palmer misinterpreted the comment. People can call him arrogant all they want (and that is overblown in my opinion) but he is obviously highly intelligent.

While many people complain of Dibble’s abilities as an announcer, I am not sure what that possibly have to do with his ability to relay comments he directly heard from Palmer?
Now is it possible that either Palmer misinterpreted the comment, or that Dibble lost the context in translation? Sure it is. Is that the most likely scenario? I think not.

There has been plenty of discussions throughout the City of just how good Palmer was, with many stating he was overrated due to the low K rate, and the spectacular defense behind him. If anything, I think he is underrated in baseball circles when you review his CG’s (211), Shutouts (53), Innings, number of 20 win seasons, the significant injuries and time lost in the ’67 and ’68 seasons, and when you add in his own Gold Gloves.

Regardless of where you personally rank Palmer on the All-Time list, the bottom-line is that he was on all 6 World Series teams this franchise has been to, and was a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer. The O’s have a statue of his number in-front of The Warehouse, and his number also hangs in LF. He has stayed as a broadcaster with this team, and clearly bleeds Orange & Black. His legacy with this franchise is secure.

If he offered advice to anyone in the O’s rotation and they were unwilling to listen to him, that is their loss. If anyone in that rotation compounded that loss by telling Palmer he was overrated – they should be ashamed.

If Palmer was offering unsolicited advice and a player did not want to listen to him, the only thing a player could say to him was: “Mr. Palmer I respect what you accomplished as a player, but I’m going to listen to the coaching staff.” It would be a missed opportunity on the part of the player, but at-least somewhat understandable. Insulting Palmer is just not.

Chris Stoner
Chris Stoner

Owner

Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.

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