Jay Gibbons: Fond Rembrances

by duck on Mar 30, 2008 10:00 PM EDT

Now that Jay Gibbons will no longer be an Orioles, we should look back fondly on his time with us. Use this space to post your well-wishes, fondest memories and hopes for the future for one Jay Jonathan Gibbons.

Ah, screw it - post the stupidest photos, the dumbest things he did in games, and any quotes of his that infuriated you in their cluelessness or undeserved sense of entitlement. Me? I want to see the PhotoShop of Jay and Danys Baez one last time...

Here's my favorite actual photo, though.

Pretty much wraps his usefulness to this team, doesn't it?

=-=-=-=-=-=

EDIT by Scott: As much guff as we've given Gibbons over the last couple of years, let's not forget that he IS a dude with a family and all that. I don't tend to get all sentimental or anything of the sort, but I thought it was worth sharing these quotes from the Sun article about the release:

"I'm shocked," said Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts, Gibbons' best friend on the team. "I didn't think it would actually happen, but that's part of the game."

Said first baseman Kevin Millar: "When you hear something like that, it's always emotional because it's like one of your family members. But you understand where that's coming from, you understand when you look around the roster. You look at the at-bat situation and it was going to be tough for Jay to get the at-bats. Obviously, it's been a dogfight the last couple of years for him. Tremendous teammate, tremendous guy. It's a sad time because you realize that hey, he's not going to be with us."

=-=-=-=
EDIT by duck: Thanks for the addition. I'm just a heartless bastard. :)

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It's not funny or anything, really, I just always found this picture to be hilarious.

Camden Chat
Bad Left Hook

by SC on Mar 30, 2008 10:14 PM EDT 0 recs

Good old Jay

How about that time he managed to hit his own wife with a foul ball? Good times.

Formerly known as Javylicious.

by Stacey on Mar 30, 2008 11:01 PM EDT 0 recs

And then bitched about the fencing

because nothing bad could EVER be his fault, you know...

Wishes do come true: "BALTIMORE - The Orioles cut ties with designated hitter Jay Gibbons on Sunday..."

by duck on Mar 30, 2008 11:13 PM EDT up 0 recs

Aw come on

Hitting any specific person with a foul ball cannot possibly be a player's fault. And the screen behind home plate at OPACY is (or was) pretty low by comparison to others.

by punkrawka on Mar 31, 2008 8:19 AM EDT up 0 recs

Something about his attitude

just struck me wrong in that situation. I lump him and Huff together on the overpaid-undertalented stiffs list.

Wishes do come true: "BALTIMORE - The Orioles cut ties with designated hitter Jay Gibbons on Sunday..."

by duck on Mar 31, 2008 9:13 AM EDT up 0 recs

Sure...

he was overpaid and untalented, but that doesn't mean he was wrong in this situation. I'd be pretty upset too under the circumstances. And the truth is, sitting behind home plate at OPACY can be a little scarier than it should be sometimes.

by rebop on Mar 31, 2008 9:49 AM EDT up 0 recs

I can't help but wonder if perhaps a better fielder's wife would've caught the ball.

Camden Chat
Bad Left Hook

by SC on Mar 31, 2008 9:51 AM EDT up 0 recs

+1 SC

by zknower on Mar 31, 2008 9:52 AM EDT up 0 recs

Good one!

Maybe.

by rebop on Mar 31, 2008 9:55 AM EDT up 0 recs

J.Gib - hope you get a job

Unlike most of my fellow posters here, I hold very few hard feelings towards Herr Gibbons. I recall his being Rule-5'ed and thinking he was going to put up some good numbers. Remember, these were the Chris Richard/Delino DeShields/Brook Fordyce O's of 2001...a much worse team than we're coming up with in 2008. For a few years, I felt like we could do a lot worse.

Not a ringing endorsement, but at FanFest Saturday, Jay Gib was probably the most pleasant player. I wish him the best. Hopefully he'll catch on somewhere and keep on playing.

What is best in life? To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of the women.

by Ghost of Floyd Rayford on Mar 31, 2008 9:15 AM EDT 0 recs

Don't get me wrong

I don't wish him any ill will personally.

I'm just thrilled he's not going to be in a Orioles uniform.

I hope he lives a long, healthy, enjoayble life with a happy marriage and great kids.

I just don't want to see him in orange and black again, unless it has DETROIT on the front.

Wishes do come true: "BALTIMORE - The Orioles cut ties with designated hitter Jay Gibbons on Sunday..."

by duck on Mar 31, 2008 9:36 AM EDT up 0 recs

he also deserves SOME credit

For not getting wind of Gary Thorne and Rick Dempsey with his wife last year and maybe slugging them one in their respective noses.

Camden Chat
Bad Left Hook

by SC on Mar 31, 2008 9:20 AM EDT 0 recs

I don't know...

I think maybe he should have slugged Dempsey.

by rebop on Mar 31, 2008 9:51 AM EDT up 0 recs

you mean...

domestically violated him?

by j.q. higgins on Mar 31, 2008 10:10 AM EDT up 0 recs

Duck... I have seen RobG around...

so this one's for you

Improving the ballclub: Not one of Peter Angelos' concerns.-SC Wed Jan 30, 2008

by dayzd toe on Mar 31, 2008 9:23 AM EDT 0 recs

more from RobG

Improving the ballclub: Not one of Peter Angelos' concerns.-SC Wed Jan 30, 2008

by dayzd toe on Mar 31, 2008 9:25 AM EDT 0 recs

No fond rememberences here

I'm glad he's not taking a roster spot. I can't begrudge him the $12 million (steroids or not). The Orioles were stupid enough to give it to him. He had his baseball career and walked away very wealthy. Now don't bother us any longer.

by drj on Mar 31, 2008 10:09 AM EDT 0 recs

It's like Christmas in March.

Jay Gibbons: Busted-ass ugly, drug user...Bad. At. Baseball.
But a nice enough guy, I'm sure. Always heard he was good with the fans. Said some snarky shit from time to time, which I can always appreciate.
And now that he's not wearing an Orioles uniform anymore, I can maybe stop hating him with the fire of a thousand suns.

Perhaps he won't even be unemployed that long. After all, there's always the Pirates.

"The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again."

by 2632 on Mar 31, 2008 10:09 AM EDT 0 recs

This X1000

And now that he's not wearing an Orioles uniform anymore, I can maybe stop hating him with the fire of a thousand suns.

Yeah, I'm totally there.

"I'd just like to point out that every newspaper in the country has picked us to finish last. The local press seems to think that we'd save everyone the time and trouble if we just went out and shot ourselves." - Major Leauge

by duck on Mar 31, 2008 10:27 AM EDT up 0 recs

He got to be in Wedding Crashers

Vince Vaughn was watching an O's game, and Gibbons had just hit a homer and was rounding third. At least he got to be in one of the most quotable movies ever.

by Cockeysville Rec Council on Mar 31, 2008 11:05 AM EDT 0 recs

that movie was great

For, like, 25 minutes. Then Owen Wilson took over.

Camden Chat
Bad Left Hook

by SC on Mar 31, 2008 11:29 AM EDT up 0 recs

Nothing against Gibbons personally

but I am, along with everyone else, delighted that he's gone. Not just because it allows Scott Moore a well-deserved roster spot (Melvin, he's coming for you...he'll have your job by August) but because it means that MacPhail is actually in charge, and isn't afraid to make the hard decision. We may have already known that with Bedard, but now we really know it.

by KenDixonFanClub on Mar 31, 2008 11:06 AM EDT 0 recs

Syd Thrift legacy

I think nabbing Gibbons was one of two good moves mood made by Thriftie (other being the Bordick trade, even if getting Mora was an accident). Plus he was a Rule 5 pickup, and I always like to see those guys succeed.

As much as I hate cheaters, if he could prove to the fans that he is clean, I wouldn't be opposed to keeping him on the roster. As a the left handed part of a DH platoon, he might have some value. The problem is that a team can only handle so much deadweight, with Huff, Millar, Payton, Mora, Baez, etc. Thos guys, combined with Gibbons represent, what, half the team's payroll? Talk about money poorly spent.

Librarians are hiding something

by dfa on Mar 31, 2008 8:50 PM EDT 0 recs

I'll try and keep this focused....

Jay Gibbons serves absolutely no purpose on this team as comprised now, and especially as it will be by August 1.

What position is he supposed to be? 1B? Have you SEEN him with a glove over there?

OF? Yeah, that'll work.

DH? Great, behind Huff and Millar.

That's before we get down to who helps the team more with that spot - Scott Moore, who CAN play 1B and 3B and possibly corner outfield and could catch if food poisoning hit everyone else, or Jay Gibbons, who demonstrated during ST that he can no longer going to do the one thing he must do to stay on this team - hit.

If Jay Gibbons can't hit, he is of negative value, not just zero value, because his presence in Baltimore would mean Scott Moore in Norfolk.

The Orioles are a better team today because Jay Gibbons is gone, and they will be a better team in the future due to his absence.

by duck on Mar 31, 2008 9:09 PM EDT up 0 recs

Gibby

Yep, he's one of two guys that worked out relative to what they cost in the Thrift era.

As much as I hate cheaters, if he could prove to the fans that he is clean, I wouldn't be opposed to keeping him on the roster.

Well, and this is being fair, not nitpicking...

Every scout that saw him play this spring and would say anything about it agreed that he was proving he was clean. They also agreed that he can't play. Maybe one has nothing to do with the other?

Camden Chat
Bad Left Hook

by SC on Apr 1, 2008 1:51 AM EDT up 0 recs