Photo by Ryan MacReynolds for TalkNats
For humans, change can be the enemy. Change can be scary. Change can be viewed as something to be avoided, both big and small. In the 20 years of Washington Nationals baseball in DC, change is not something we’ve encountered when it comes to the voice we hear as we turn on our televisions to watch the team we love. Bob Carpenter was hired by the Nationals in 2006 to be the television voice of the team, a brand new team in our nation’s capital. No pressure! Bob took this job and ran with it — and on September 28, his final day on MASN, he will have 20 baseball years completed.
Unfortunately, I was only a year old at the time of his hire, but his legend, his unmistakable enthusiasm for the game, was one of the things that made me fall in love with Nationals baseball when I began watching in 2013. As a fan base, we’ve had it tough over the past five years or so; nobody will dispute that. But we keep the faith, mainly due to one thing: the joy we all experienced during that 2019 championship run. While some of us aren’t old enough to remember it, the years we’ve struggled through since the World Series are eerily similar to the early years of Nationals baseball in DC. Bob endured the six years of losing baseball, with no memories of past success in DC or any promise of things to come, and never wavered.
His enthusiasm is something that makes him distinct; it even served as a way of giving me some perspective from time to time. He’s always been the same guy, whether we’re up ten or down ten, whether we’ve won five in a row or haven’t won in a week. Over the years, I’ve found myself frustrated with this team pretty much weekly, but when I turn on the TV and listen to his steady, enthusiastic commentary, it’s impossible to stay frustrated. Many times I’ve thought to myself, “If this guy, whose life revolves around this team for nine months of the year, can be the same guy day in and day out regardless of score or standings, then why can’t I?”
The best compliment you can receive for your work, in my mind at least, is to hear the impact you’ve had on other people’s lives without even trying. I grew up in the Bob and FP Santangelo days, which was my first introduction to Nationals baseball. While the co-pilot position has switched hands a few times since then, the iconic “See-You-Later” home run calls that I used to yell along with him when I was a kid have never gone away.
The coolest story I have to share about what Bob has done for me is found in my relationship with my Grandma. She’s always been a six-hour drive away from me, so I never get to see her more than 1-2 times a year. But in 2018, we began watching games together from our respective states, and texting back and forth nearly every inning. It seemed like in every controversy, our first question to each other wasn’t “what do you think?” Instead, it was “What did Bob say about it?” Bob’s engaging manner of talking about baseball, helping you relate to the players you watch every day, and unwavering positivity gave us new talking points almost every game. Some days, it became less about watching the Nationals and more about going and spending time with Bob and FP. That tradition has endured from my middle school days to today, as I begin my sophomore year of college. For those reasons and many others, he’s a hero in my book. But don’t just take my word for it, I’ve asked some hardcore Nationals fans to tell me their favorite memory of Bob, and they did not disappoint.
Steve– “My favorite thing about Carp was how he became one of the kids in the World Series celebration in the clubhouse. We always saw this professional and calm demeanor, and it was good to see him being one of the boys. He had been a part of the team for almost as long as Zim. Congrats on a great career Carp!”
Paul– “My favorite Bob Carpenter call has gotta be the final out of the Jordan Zimmerman no-hitter. Just the pure excitement in his voice when Souza makes the diving catch is perfect and makes it so rewatchable. Bob has been calling Nats games practically as long as I’ve been alive and has been maybe the most consistent voice in my life outside of my immediate family. I’m going to miss him a lot.”
Patrick– “What I value about Bob Carpenter is not a single call, but rather the professionalism and consistency he has displayed for so many years – the same things we value in our players. Bob always brings insight, engages his colleagues, and always adds – never detracts from the broadcast. I have loved the interaction between him and Denard Span – wish we could have had more of that.”
Ginny– “Bob’s home run calls stick in my mind as well as his consistency in keeping score in his awesome scorebook.”
Don– “My favorite thing about him is not one event. It is how he regularly would go into some detail about scorekeeping. He would especially do that on unusual or complicated plays and would provide extra nuggets about how he noted something complex so he could recall it later.”
Kevin– “Growing up as a kid in the 2010s, Bob Carpenter’s iconic voice on the Nationals broadcasts became my daily listen for my summer evenings. Every game I watched just ignited my lifelong love for baseball and the Washington Nationals. As he retires after this 2025 season, I am grateful for the countless memories he created with us, Nationals fans throughout the years. I know his legacy will continue to inspire young fans, just like he did for me. Thank you, Bob, and I hope you have a happy retirement.”
Bob is hanging up the microphone at the end of this season after 20 years of faithful service to the Nationals and all of us who love this game and this city. As a man of extreme humility, he’ll never admit this, but I think we can all agree that the home TV booth at Nationals Park will never be the same again.
For me and many others, this is a bittersweet celebration. Sometimes I think back on my childhood, and it feels like Bob and I spent more time together than I spent with anyone else. I echo the words that Paul spoke when he said Bob’s been “maybe the most consistent voice in my life outside of my immediate family.” For that reason, it almost feels like losing a close friend, but the memories that we get to hang onto, all of those moments and qualities that our fans expressed above, will serve to honor him and our memories of his time with the Nationals. The tears I shed on his final broadcast will be out of gratitude for everything he’s meant to the Nationals, to me, to all of us, and gratitude for the fact that he’s off to enjoy a retirement that he’s more than earned.
Bob, I hope your family treasures every day they get to spend with the incredible man you are, and I hope you leave your career with all the fulfillment of a job well done and countless lives touched. Thank you for being a friend, a mentor, a shining example of a man, and a constant positive presence in my life. I pray that God will continue to work through you in your life after baseball and bring you continued happiness in whatever you pursue. We all hope this isn’t goodbye for good, but for now, we will raise a glass and all let out our best “SEE-YOU-LATER!”
