Are These The Good Old Days? Stephen Dunn/Getty ImagesWayne Gretzky's trade to the Kings before the 1988-89 season created buzz in L.A. and inspired fans to dream. Now probably is if you live in Pittsburgh. But every lucky fan has a magical year to treasure. For L.A.'s John Ondrasik of Five For Fighting, 1988 was full of legendary performances. Oct 9, 2009
Wayne Gretzky, Kirk Gibson, Magic Johnson in L.A.'s golden age - John Ondrasik - SI.com. Teams. (SportsIllustrated.CNN -- NHL)
Diamondbacks to replace coaches Hale, Bundy Oct 6, 2009
But the team gave a two-year contract extension to bench coach Kirk Gibson ... Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks gave a two-year contract extension to bench coach Kirk Gibson. (SportsIllustrated.CNN -- MLB)
Bad season means changes Oct 6, 2009
Bench coach Kirk Gibson gets two-year extension ... Bench coach Kirk Gibson agreed to a two-year extension; the team made public that hitting coach Jack Howell and pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. had been signed through 2010 ever since being promoted in May; and Hinch said bullpen coach Glenn Sherlock had been offered a one-year extension. (AZCentral -- Sports)
Gesture by Gibson a positive sign Oct 2, 2009
It was the game when one fan lost his marbles, picked a verbal fight with one of the grittier athletes in history and went home with Kirk Gibson's autograph. "He's going to be one heck of a manager," said Diamondbacks fan Larry Goldstein, 46. (AZCentral -- Sports)
'84 Tigers soak in emotional ceremony Sep 30, 2009
So, too, did D-backs coach Kirk Gibson, whose home run in Game 5 of the Fall Classic helped the Tigers put it away. Then there was Morris, whose no-hitter April 7 of that year stands as perhaps the defining highlight of Detroit's famous and unmatched 35-5 start. (MLB.com -- Detroit Tigers)
Sparky saluted with Tigers' 1984 championship team Sep 30, 2009
The most memorable moment of the 1984 World Series came in the fifth and final game when Kirk Gibson hit a three-run homer off Goose Gossage in the eighth inning to seal an 8-4 win. Tigers fans can close their eyes and still see Gibson thrusting his arms to the sky as the crowd roared at Tiger Stadium. (Ionia Sentinel-Standard, MI)
Bobby Cox a bad tactician? Because of Puckett? Come on Sep 26, 2009
Was Tony La Russa wrong for letting Dennis Eckersley pitch to Kirk Gibson in 1988. Was Sparky Anderson wrong for having Pat Darcy work to Carlton Fisk in 1975. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Sports)
Forget Hall of Fame, Lasorda is in Smithsonian Sep 25, 2009
He rattles them off like he rattles off stories about Kirk Gibson or the bulldog himself, Orel Hershisher. There's the seven honorary doctorates he's been given, the 13 different hall of fames he's been inducted into. (Muscatine Journal, IO)
Candidates for the next Braves' manager Sep 25, 2009
Kirk Gibson - Diamondbacks' bench coach 11. Ken Oberkfell - Mets' AAA manager, former Braves' third baseman 12. (Atlanta, TheInsiders.com)
Tigers to honor '84 world champions Sep 25, 2009
Hall of Fame manager Sparky Anderson, World Series MVP Alan Trammell, American League MVP and Cy Young Award winner Guillermo Hernandez, Kirk Gibson, Lance Parrish and Jack Morris will join Dan Petry, Milt Wilcox, Dave Rozema, Juan Berenguer, Rod Allen, Tom Brookens, Darrell Evans, Johnny Grubb, Larry Herndon, Rupert Jones, Barbaro Garbey and coaches Roger Craig, Dick Tracewski and Gates Brown for an evening to remember the wire-to-wire champions. The festivities begin soon after gates to the... (MLB.com -- Detroit Tigers)
Lasorda chats with fans on birthday Sep 23, 2009
I have always wondered, what made you decide to put Kirk Gibson in to pinch-hit in the bottom of the ninth in the World Series. Tommy Lasorda: Well, every inning I ran into the training room to see if there was anything he could do. (MLB.com -- Los Angeles Dodgers)
Where Is the Media? Sep 16, 2009
BREITBART: We're in day five here of the mainstream media ignoring the story and it comes on the heels of the Van Jones controversy where the analogy I would use is Kirk Gibson hit the homerun in the ninth inning but there weren't innings one through eight. Van Jones was, you know, fired at 9:00 in the evening and became an AP news alert, the standard of this is big news. (Fox News)
Reynolds not worried about Ks Sep 14, 2009
Reynolds, at 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, doesn't look like a basestealer, and he had just 11 steals last year, but this season, he has worked extensively with bench coach Kirk Gibson on the art of stealing bases. Reynolds' numbers. (MLB.com -- Arizona Diamondbacks)
Bo Jackson wouldn't change thing about career Aug 28, 2009
He made the "Bo Knows" commercial in which Michael Jordan, Kirk Gibson, and other sports stars attest that Bo knows their sport, then Wayne Gretzky skates up and says, "No." The commercial ends with Jackson trying to play a guitar on stage along with Bo Diddley. Jackson said his mother, uncles and aunts, all big fans of Diddley, wouldn't believe he was with the famous musician until they saw the commercial. (ESPN -- College Football News)
Are the Dodgers Broke? Aug 20, 2009
That being said, says here the Dodgers will advance only as far as some improbable folk pull off a Mike Scioscia end of the game homer of Doc Gooden and then is promptly backed up by a gimpy Kirk Gibson hitting that back door slider off Dennis Eckersley way back in 1988. There are young men going off to fight in Afghanistan who weren't even born, those great days of Dodgers past occurring so long ago. (Los Angeles, TheInsiders.com)
20-20 vision: Granderson hits milestone Aug 11, 2009
Kirk Gibson did it four times, and Alan Trammell accomplished it twice. Gibson is the only Tiger to have 25 homers and 25 steals in the same year, doing it three times. (MLB.com -- Detroit Tigers)
Jackson to face familiar foe at Fenway Aug 10, 2009
The Official Site of the Detroit Tigers. Detroit (59-51) at Boston (62-48), 7:10 p.m. ET. (MLB.com -- Detroit Tigers)
Dodgers win on Manny's pinch-slam Jul 23, 2009
Along the lines of Kirk Gibson or Steve Finley or the back-to-back-to-back-to-back jacks, Manny Ramirez outdid even himself Wednesday. Ramirez came off the bench on his Bobblehead Night on Wednesday and, with the crowd already in a frenzy merely from his appearance, slugged a pinch-hit grand slam into the Mannywood section of Dodger Stadium box seats to power the Dodgers to a 6-2 win over the Reds and a sweep of their series. (MLB.com -- Los Angeles Dodgers)
Around the USA: Citizens of Mannywood get cold shoulder Jul 18, 2009
"Twenty-one years is a long time - we can only live off Kirk Gibson for so long," said Brent Aguilar, a Mannywood visitor. "We've got to sell our souls to get another one.". (Hanford Sentinal, CA)
Column: Proceeding through pain Jul 16, 2009
There are countless other examples of athletes playing through pain, including Kirk Gibson, Isaiah Thomas and Willis Reed, to name just a few. I m reminded of the time I was able to display my toughness. (Lebanon Express, OR)
Problems run deeper than Hinch Jun 28, 2009
He had spoken about it with Kirk Gibson in the dugout before making the move. And even though that one backfired, like many of them do, Hall thinks Gibson's ongoing support of the new manager speaks volumes. (AZCentral -- Sports)
Trammell excited to go back to Detroit Jun 23, 2009
He remembers Kirk Gibson hitting a home run out of Tiger Stadium and onto a lumber company. The stadium used to be enclosed but now, because of the demolition, you can see the outside. (MLB.com -- Chi Cubs Cubs)
Simmons: The wonder years Jun 20, 2009
A one-legged Kirk Gibson defines what could be baseball's purest era ... The 1988 Dodgers were the worst on-paper champs of my lifetime: Basically, they won with Orel Hershiser, a one-legged Kirk Gibson and a couple of decent pitchers named Tim. (ESPN -- Baseball)
Oppenheimer chats with Yankees fans Jun 17, 2009
Oppenheimer: I try not to make comparisons, because that isn't fair to either party, but the one guy that I would compare his tools and skills to is a very young Kirk Gibson. coconutkid: What is a typical work day for you like. (MLB.com -- NY Yankees Yankees)
Cavs need to upgrade Jun 2, 2009
For me it's Dennis Eckersley after the homers by Kirk Gibson and Robby Alomar, Reggie Jackson coming into the visitors' clubhouse at Yankee Stadium after George Brett's epic homer off Goose Gossage, or the humbled but gracious Magic Johnson after Michael Jordan won his first NBA title in the Lakers' arena. Then again, for LeBron, that breakthrough championship must seem more distant than ever. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Curt Smith: Vin Scully, the voice of Americas pastime Jun 2, 2009
In 1988: Kirk Gibson heroically went deep. In a year that has been so implausible, the impossible has happened, said Vin. (Medfield Press, MA)
Powell powers A's with first MLB homer May 25, 2009
And moments after waving in Ryan Sweeney from third base with the tying run after a wild pitch with one out in sixth, hobbled rookie catcher Landon Powell did a passable Kirk Gibson, tagging his first career homer and hobbling slightly around the bases to provide all the support Outman would need ... "I was trying not to limp because I knew I'd hear a bunch of Kirk Gibson references when I got back to the dugout," Powell said with a smile. (MLB.com -- Oakland Athletics)
Beat: Powell takes the razzing, helps A's win May 25, 2009
(05-24) 20:48 PDT -- With bench coach Kirk Gibson sitting in the Arizona dugout, A's backup catcher Landon Powell knew he was going to get some grief from his teammates about his home run trot ... A'S BEAT / Powell plays it straight Articles With bench coach Kirk Gibson sitting in the Arizona dugout, A's backup catcher Landon Powell knew he was going to get some grief from his teammates about his home run trot. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Sports)
Red-hot Reynolds delivers victory May 22, 2009
"That's a surprise part of my game lately," he said, acknowledging that coach Kirk Gibson has been showing him helpful keys to running on video. "This series was huge," Snyder said. (MLB.com -- Arizona Diamondbacks)
Price is not a fan of D-Backs' Hinch May 18, 2009
"To me it was a slap in the face not only to Bob but to (coaches) Chip (Hale) and to Gibby (Kirk Gibson) and to anybody who has actually managed or coached in the past," Price said. "I thought it bypassed people who were more prepared to finish out the year.". (AZCentral -- Sports)
D-backs skipper Hinch shrugs off criticism May 18, 2009
Price told the newspaper that he might have stayed on had the team named third-base coach Chip Hale or bench coach Kirk Gibson as manager rather than Hinch. "To me, it was a slap in the face, not only to Bob, but to Chip and to Gibby and to anybody who has actually managed or coached in the past," Price said. (MLB.com -- Arizona Diamondbacks)
D-Backs make an odd pick with Hinch May 9, 2009
They would have gladly embraced a Mark Grace, a Kirk Gibson, and maybe even the volatile Chip Hale. "Why so unconventional? Why did we choose A.J.?" Byrnes said. (AZCentral -- Sports)
Melvin bids D-backs farewell with class May 9, 2009
Bullpen coach Glenn Sherlock, first-base coach Lorenzo Bundy, third-base coach Chip Hale and bench coach Kirk Gibson were retained. "I really don't know what I would have done without the coaching staff here," Melvin said. (MLB.com -- Arizona Diamondbacks)
Hinch elevated to manager May 8, 2009
Early speculation had centered on third-base coach Chip Hale or bench coach Kirk Gibson, but general manager Josh Byrnes preferred a non-traditional hire in an attempt to shake things up. The Diamondbacks are a very disappointing 12-17 this season. (SportsIllustrated.CNN)
Ward has been a diamond Apr 29, 2009
In addition to getting to know many of the Tigers while he was a Red Wing, Ward said he even played paintball against former World Series hero Kirk Gibson, a Michigan native ... "He and [Steve] Yzerman were great friends, so they were everywhere with us. I played paintball with him in California. He was the last guy sitting in the box, guarding his flag, and I snuck up and just lit it up. I covered Kirk Gibson with paintballs everywhere.". (Boston Globe)
Diamondbacks set for Giants rematch Apr 28, 2009
Bench coach Kirk Gibson missed Wednesday's game with the flu. Tickets. (MLB.com -- Arizona Diamondbacks)
Cast your vote/discuss:Most kooky character in sports Apr 20, 2009
It wasn't a show, former teammate Kirk Gibson had assured us. That was the real Bird. (AZCentral -- Sports)
Tigers legend Fidrych passes away Apr 14, 2009
" Just as sudden as his rise to fame was his struggle to repeat it. He suffered torn knee cartilage during Spring Training in 1977, costing him more than a month. He returned seemingly the same pitcher, racking up six straight complete-game victories in June, before his arm essentially gave out in a July game. Fidrych started just 16 more games for the Tigers from 1978-80, including his final big league appearance at age 25, then a season at Triple-A Evansville under then-manager Jim Leyland.... (MLB.com -- Detroit Tigers)
Fidrych stayed optimistic after career Apr 14, 2009
"He loved his farm, loved his dump truck," said Arizona Diamondbacks coach and former Tigers great Kirk Gibson, a teammate of Fidrych in Detroit's farm system. Former Alan Trammell said he last saw Fidrych when he was passing through Boston. (MLB.com -- Detroit Tigers)
SportsBeat: Some hearty congrats Apr 9, 2009
While Harry s heroics may not measure up to Bobby Thompson s Shot Heard Round the World (which I would rank No. 1), nor to Bill Mazeroski s, Kirk Gibson s and Carlton Fisk s famous home runs, nor to John Havlicek s and Larry Bird s sensational, game-saving steals, nor to Bobby s Orr s and Mile Eruzione s big game-winning goals, nor to Doug Flutie s Heisman-winning Hail Mary pass and Adam Vinatieri s Super Bowl-winning field goal in a blinding snowstorm, I would still put Wentzell s win, given... (Needham Tab, MA)
Upton in spring slump Mar 28, 2009
"Gibby (bench coach Kirk Gibson) was a lot like him when he was younger. He tended to get a little angry, too". Type Size. (AZCentral -- Sports)
The Secret to the Most Dramatic Hom... Mar 26, 2009
The Secret to the Most Dramatic Home Run Ever: A Dodger Scout Gave Kirk Gibson a Specific Tip on Dennis Eckersley ... A Dodger Scout Gave Kirk Gibson a Specific Tip on Dennis Eckersley ... After the dramatic conclusion of game one in the 1988 World Series, Kirk Gibson revealed the tip that led to his dramatic come from behind bottom of the 9th inning homer. (Suite101.com)
Youkilis back in Sox's lineup Monday Mar 23, 2009
"Kind of the joke around here is that he's Kirk Gibson when he's running around the bases -- one of those deals," said Red Sox ace Josh Beckett. Lowell's rebuttal to Beckett, his longtime teammate. (MLB.com -- Boston Red Sox)
Memories fill Kauffman Stadium Mar 6, 2009
Saberhagen's was controversial because left fielder Kirk Gibson missed a fifth-inning drive against the wall and the Sox thought they had a hit, but it was ruled an error. The stadium's first year, 1973, was marked the All-Star Game on July 24. (MLB.com -- Kansas City Royals)
Camp tour: D-Backs Mar 3, 2009
Kirk Gibson made it anyway ... Most of all, understand that Kirk Gibson goes into every spring believing in his team. (CBS News)
D-backs want aggressive baserunning Mar 3, 2009
Felipe Lopez (left), the projected leadoff man for the D-backs, practices baserunning drills with coach Kirk Gibson during Spring Training workouts. (AP). (MLB.com -- Arizona Diamondbacks)
Lasting images for BC Feb 26, 2009
When Guerrero returned to the dugout, he was greeted like Kirk Gibson after the World Series walkoff. Things were pretty loose on the other side as well. (Boston Globe -- Sports)
MELTDOWN in DODGERTOWN: Mighty Casey won't even get a chance to strike out in Florida this year Feb 14, 2009
Bob McLean, a seasonal Vero Beach resident who sneaked in to sit on a Dodgertown bleacher one recent afternoon to reminisce, will never forget the time he and his wife met slugger Kirk Gibson. My wife was standing right next to Kirk Gibson and said, My God, he s a hunk, McLean said. (Orangeburg Times and Democrat, SC)
Inbox: Who will emerge as a leader? Feb 8, 2009
(See Willie Stargell, 1979 Pirates; Keith Hernandez, '83-88 Mets; Kirk Gibson, '88 Dodgers; Darren Daulton, '97 Marlins; and, to a lesser degree perhaps, Kevin Millar, '04 Red Sox). Jose Valentin was invaluable to the '06 Mets in that way. (MLB.com -- NY Mets Mets)
D-backs Fan Fest set for Saturday Feb 8, 2009
Manger Bob Melvin will also be there along with bench coach Kirk Gibson, third-base coach Chip Hale, pitching coach Bryan Price and bullpen coach Glenn Sherlock. D-backs alumni Jay Bell, Matt Williams, Reggie Sanders, Omar Daal and Kelly Stinnett, along with broadcasters Daron Sutton, Mark Grace, Greg Schulte, Tom Candiotti, Jeff Munn, and Miguel Quintana have also said they will be there. (MLB.com -- Arizona Diamondbacks)
D-backs sign Gordon to one-year deal Feb 8, 2009
When asked if he had played with any of his new teammates, he said no, but he had played with Melvin and bench coach Kirk Gibson in Kansas City in the 90s. At that time, Melvin knew Gordon's stuff firsthand as his catcher. (MLB.com -- Arizona Diamondbacks)
