Does Rob Dibble still think Stephen Strasburg should “suck it up” and “stop crying”?

I hope Rob Dibble feels about as good as he announces right now. Dibble, who serves as the Nationals’ television analyst, made headlines for saying during a radio interview that Stephen Strasburg should “suck it up” and pitch through the arm pain that knocked him out of Saturday’s start. Dibble’s anti-Strasburg rant included all sorts of cringe-worthy statements--all of which were particularly absurd given his own lengthy injury history--but here are some of the “highlights":

OK, you throw a pitch, it bothers your arm, and you immediately call out the manager and the trainer? Suck it up, kid. This is your profession. You chose to be a baseball player. You can’t have the cavalry come in and save your butt every time you feel a little stiff shoulder, sore elbow. Stop crying. Go out there and pitch, period.

Turns out, that “little sore elbow” was a significantly torn UCL and requires Tommy John surgery. Of course, Dibble couldn’t have had any way of knowing that. Except he also claimed to know “exactly what the doctor who looked at Strasburg had said.” Later, after he’d been criticized for his comments, Dibble lashed out at “bloggers":

I’ve been playing baseball since I was six years old, so that’s 40 years I’ve been on a baseball field and around a baseball field, and so our opinions are formulated through facts, not fiction, not their little chat room jargon. And so they can try and twist it any way they want, and if a guy’s hurt, he’s hurt, he’s going to go on the disabled list, it’s a moot point, but if he’s not hurt get your butt out there and play. They’re two totally different scenarios, so, you know, stick to what you know, which is nothing, and stick to your little blogs.

To recap: Based on his 40 years of experience and opinions “formulated through facts, not fiction, not their little chat room jargon” Dibble concluded that a 21-year-old pitcher with a torn elbow ligament should “suck it up” and “stop crying” because “you can’t have the cavalry come in and save your butt every time you feel a little sore elbow.” My hope for Strasburg, the Nationals, and their fans is first and foremost that he makes a full recovery and comes back stronger than ever in 2012. Beyond that, it sure would be nice if by the time Strasburg does return Dibble isn’t still spewing his special brand of macho garbage and grunt-filled commentary from the broadcast booth.