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Judge, jury and jester for Nats

March 28, 2007 12:35 am

BY TODD JACOBSON

VIERA, Fla.--His hat is slightly askew and his oversized T-shirt hangs to his thighs as Robert Fick walks through the door of the Nationals' clubhouse.

It's quiet, but not for long.

"Everyone waits to see what he's going to say next," right-hander Jason Bergmann said.

He might chide reporters crowding a teammate's locker, mock someone's choice of attire, or complain about his lack of a contract extension with a healthy dose of "dude," "man" and four-letter words thrown in for good measure.

Nothing is out of bounds for Fick, a catcher/outfielder/first baseman who doubles as policeman and court jester in the Nationals' clubhouse.

"He kind of polices everybody, keeps everyone in check," first baseman Dmitri Young said, "and he's also a good player on the field."

Clubhouse chemistry is a difficult thing to quantify, but Nationals manager Manny Acta said teams often need someone like Fick to keep things light.

His value goes deeper than the jokes and one-liners he fires at teammates, however.

He'll make the Nationals' 25-man roster, thanks in large part to his experience coming off the bench and his versatility, which, when Fick began his professional career, was never part of the plan.

"I was always a catcher," Fick says, "since right after tee ball."

He still is. Just not the way he imagined when he was drafted by the Detroit Tigers out of high school in 1996.

When he was in minor leagues with the Detroit Tigers, he was asked to try first base with catching prospect Brandon Inge working his way through the system. After Fick reached the majors, he was asked to give the outfield a shot.

As much as he wanted to catch, he wanted to extend his career just as much.

"I thought of it as a way if you just hit they'll find a place for you to play," Fick said. "That kind of was my thinking. It kind of worked that way. Then the next year I went to Atlanta and played first and it's been downhill ever since."

His career path takes a healthy dose of self-deprecation. He was an all-star in 2002 with the Tigers, hitting .270 with 17 homers and 63 RBIs, but he's since bounced from team to team, from Atlanta to Tampa Bay to San Diego and finally to Washington, where he's in his second season.

He signed with the Nationals before last season, then missed the start of the season when bone spurs in his elbow had to be surgically removed. By the time he was healthy, Marlon Anderson and Daryle Ward had established themselves as the Nationals' top bench players. Fick played sparingly and finished the year with two homers and nine RBIs in 60 games.

He caught 26 games, but he may not play a game at catcher this season if Rule 5 draft pick Jesus Flores matures like the Nationals think he might. He could play plenty in relief of starter Brian Schneider if Flores struggles.

Either way, he'll be ready.

"When I'm back there, I can care less if I get a hit. I feel like when the guy gives up a hit that's my fault," Fick said. "It's a good feeling to have. There's nothing like calling pitches and being in control of the game that way."

And Washington's pitching staff has become comfortable with him behind the plate.

"He calls a great game and I am extremely comfortable with him catching me," Bergmann said. "There's just something about him. He's not afraid to chew you out. He'll come out there and yell at you."

This is where Fick's on-field persona meshes with his clubhouse character.

"I think it's my job to worry about what happens in this clubhouse because I'm not a starter," Fick said. "And when the clubhouse gets better, [stuff] on the field gets better."