As a member of the Tigers, Fick was involved in two bench-clearing incidents that he now wished he stayed out of. He ended up being suspended both times by Frank Robinson, who was then the vice president of on-field operations for Major League Baseball.

When he was with the Braves in 2003, Fick was fined $25,000 by the league and another undisclosed amount by Atlanta after he collided with Cubs first baseman Eric Karros during Game 4 of the National League Division Series.

Karros ended up hurting his arm on the play, and a lot of people thought Fick was purposely trying to hurt Karros to get a base hit. Fick, who was called out for interference, now says the incident with Karros is something he is "not proud of."

Fick, 31, is not afraid to speak his mind. According to him, he once had an argument with former Devil Rays manager Lou Piniella over playing time in 2004.

"I got into a couple of [incidents]," Fick said. "I didn't start them. I should have stayed out of them. I speak my mind. That's another problem of mine -- I can't keep my mouth shut sometimes. I've learned some lessons in my career. I've learned to deal with situations when it's not going my way."

However, there is one person who has admired Fick for the last decade, and that's Robinson. The two first met in the Arizona Fall League in the mid-1990s, when Robinson was director of baseball operations and Fick was a prospect in the Tigers organization. Robinson took Fick under his wing after the latter became known for using foul language against umpires.

"He may have seen the things in me that he may have [had] in him -- not talent-wise, but attitude-wise," Fick said.

Robinson would often fine Fick for his vulgarities, but Robinson promised Fick he would get his money back if he would become a model citizen on the field. Robinson ended up keeping the money.

"A lot of guys said he was off the wall, he's crazy," Robinson said. "I found him to be a guy with a lot of energy. He played the game hard. He just wanted to go out and play. Sometimes his emotion got in the way. He would lose control and tear things. I talked to him and reasoned with him. I listened to him. We developed a fondness for each other. I admire him for the way he goes about his work."

Fick has had a respectable eight-year career, most of it with the Tigers. He has been a catcher, first baseman and outfielder. Over the years, both Fick and Robinson said that they would like to work together one day, and that time came on Dec. 13, when Fick signed a one-year, $850,000 deal with the Nationals.

"It's good to be around a guy of his caliber, especially what he has done in this game," Fick said. "I'm a big baseball fan myself. It's an honor to be on Frank Robinson's team."

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Washington is asking Fick to play three positions and be a valuable hitter off the bench like he was for the Padres in 2005. As a pinch-hitter, he hit .385 (10-for-26) for San Diego.

Fick also impressed Nationals general manager Jim Bowden during the interview process. Fick told Bowden that he wanted to be the No. 2 catcher, back up Nick Johnson at first base and be a fourth outfielder. Fick also told Bowden he learned to be a successful reserve because of former Padres teammate Mark Sweeney.

"Robert Fick has really embraced the new role," Bowden said. "Mark Sweeney helped him a lot last year, tutoring him how to prepare to pinch-hit. Fick can be our second or third catcher. Johnson has been injured a lot in his career; Fick has proven he can play every day at first base. He can give us the left-handed bat that we lost with Terrmel Sledge being traded to Texas. He has a little flair in the clubhouse."

Fick will not be 100 percent when the season starts. It was revealed on Wednesday that he has loose bodies in his right elbow. He feels that he can play the season with the injury, though he may require surgery after the season. He said the elbow became tight after lifting weights during the offseason.

"[The trainer] said I can play with the injury," Fick said. "Maybe at the end of the season, I'll get it cleaned out."