Thursday, August 12, 2010

Keeping Up With The Gibbons

Maybe it's because of the chimpanzee we keep around the SoSG offices, but we can't get enough of Jay Gibbons. Or at least, I can't get enough of Jay Gibbons. Which made today's LATimes feature article on Gibbons, by multimedia superstar Dylan Hernandez, a nice treat:

There was a time when Jay Gibbons was so desperate to find a job that he wrote a letter to every major league team promising to donate his salary to charity if they signed him to a contract.

That was in 2008.

Asked if he still intended to do so, Gibbons smiled.

"I'm going to hold on to my money now," the outfielder said. "I've got kids now. I think three years of not playing is punishment enough."

Gibbons' average may have dipped to .444 after his 0-for-4 showing Wednesday (his OPS is down about half, to 1.222), but it's still exciting to see a Dodger reserve outfielder up there who has a shot at actually hitting the ball. It's nice to see that he's making the most of this bonus opportunity and he's gibbon everything he's got. Keep up the hot bat, Jay!

photo: Barbara Johnston / U.S. Presswire

5 comments:

Paul said...

I watched Jay play and struggle in 07 at Camden. He went 0 for something but somehow still didn't kick me out of his house. (I am sure I was bad luck)

I wanted to see him play against the Dodgers when he was invited to Marlins spring training but despite hitting .300 plus he was cut pretty early.

I went to see him play against triple a Fresno but he didn't get in till the 8th which was past 10:30 and I had left. So despite hitting .300 plus the brewers never called him up when the rosters expanded that year despite every other player hitting .300 plus was called up.

I would have called it if I was him.

The after tearing it up in Winter ball. He picked up an invite for the Dodgers and months later he has made it back for how long who knows but what a story. He had to be away from his young family for months at a time. They supported him and he never gave up. Go Jay!

Paul said...

Damn typos. It is difficult trying to type a decent comment on my I phone quickly and without caffine yet.

Fred's Brim said...

This may be the greatest gibbon of all times, but Jay is working his way up the list

rbnlaw said...

I like Jay Gibbons much more than Mitch Jones, even if his story isn't as heartwarming.

If I'm not mistaken, he's given the Dodgers as many HR's from the LF position as a combination of 4 other players not named Manny.

MR.F said...

That is the greatest monkey of all time.