Dibble, Robert Keith

The most intimidating right handed pitcher I ever saw. If his fastball regularly clocked at 97-101 MPH wasn’t scary enough, he had a menacing and mercurial attitude on the mound that left hitters uncertain about his mental stability while firing missiles in their direction. He could completely overmatch batters with his overpowering fastball, and biting slider. Despite the image he built of being a wild man, his control was actually quite excellent. When he did miss inside it was enough to make batters loose their legs, and their will to continue. I actually saw a teammate purposely swing and miss early to end his at bat after an inside pitch from Dibble, then take his jersey off and throw it in the trash declaring “I F***ing quit!” The player then challenged the manhood of our own pitching staff, which caused a skirmish and showdown in our clubhouse, which was defused by our manager. That was the kind of effect he had on batters. I hated playing against him, but a few years later I would be teammates with Dibs, and saw first hand his fierce desire to compete. Unfortunately by then his arm was ailing him, and his stuff no longer equalled his demeanor. None the less, during his prime years in Cincinnati when helped them win a championship as a member of their “Nasty Boys” bullpen, he was the most intimidating, and overpowering right hander I ever saw take the mound.