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Washington Nationals: Carpenter, Santangelo, Kolko Return To MASN

By Ron Juckett

Apr 24, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals center fielder Chris Heisey (14) gets a bucket of ice water dumped on him by Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon (6) while being interviewed by MASN reporter Dan Kolko (L) after hitting a walk-off home run against the Minnesota Twins in the sixteenth inning at Nationals Park. The National won 5-4 in sixteen innings. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 24, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals center fielder Chris Heisey (14) gets a bucket of ice water dumped on him by Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon (6) while being interviewed by MASN reporter Dan Kolko (L) after hitting a walk-off home run against the Minnesota Twins in the sixteenth inning at Nationals Park. The National won 5-4 in sixteen innings. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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The broadcasters return to MASN and the Washington Nationals signing a multi-year contract with the cable channel. A move pleasing most fans.

The popular MASN broadcasters Bob Carpenter and F.P. Santangelo will be back in the booth for at least two more years of Washington Nationals games on television. Jayson Werth’s foil, sideline reporter Dan Kolko, will return too.

The duo, known for their gentle homerism, has been the voices of Washington summer together since 2011. Their new contract marks the first time both have received a multi-year offer. There is an option for a third season for Carpenter and Santangelo.

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Although the pair is not considered elite in Major League Baseball circles, they offer a fun overview of games on television. Carpenter is a grizzled veteran of St. Louis Cardinals games and spent years at ESPN covering baseball and college basketball before joining MASN Full-time.

Santangelo is the eternal optimist, offering gentle critiques mixed with enjoying himself in the press box way above Nationals Park. A player with the Montreal Expos, the 49-year-old spent seven seasons in the majors with stops in San Francisco, Oakland and Los Angles with the Dodgers thrown in.

A native of Livonia, MI, Santangelo has embraced the Washington area as his home. Telling DC Sports Bog’s Dan Steinberg after the news broke of the extension:

"“I plan on being here a long time. I love what I do, I love where I do it and I don’t want to be anywhere else, ever. My ideal scenario is 30 years from now they put one of those statues of me outside the stadium and I ride off into the sunset. I feel like I’m part of the community. I live here, I drink beers with Nats fans, I go to Caps games, I go to Redskins games. I live here. I love what I do so much and I respect it so much that I actually moved 3,000 miles away, and I’m a part of it now.”"

Santangelo reportedly had an offer from another unnamed team. The moment, however, you hear him on MASN, it is clear his love of the team and area is genuine. MASN stepped up to keep him by offering the first multi-year contract in the channel’s history. Prior to this, each deal was one-year with an option tucked on.

Sure, deep baseball conversation is something you will never hear from this pair. The broadcast lags in the quality you would expect in this day and age with a dated graphics look and a casual approach. Carpenter calls a decent game, but the overall approach is vanilla.

As the team continues to find success, the duo’s popularity continues to grow. Not the blatant homers you find elsewhere, Carpenter and Santangelo balance selling the product on the field with watching a game in the bleachers with two guys drinking an adult beverage.

Next: The DoDCast Looks At 2017

It is a formula that works.

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