Kirk Gibson can't be bothered to attend his son's HS graduation (SIAP)

Gibson was a legendary prick long before this story came out.

To hear longtime seamheads tell it, he was on the tier just below Albert Belle, Jim Rice...

As far as this story goes, I understand that graduating from high school is not "an accomplishment" for most... Should he have been there? Yeah. Is it the end of the world that he's not there? No... If it was the kid's wedding or a college graduation it would be far worse...

 

I met Brett twice when I was four and six (during his heyday of .390 and the Yankees Rivalry). Still remember both times and he was very respectful. That second time was at the KCI Airport bar before a roadie to Cleveland. He was cool.

Covered the Royals a few times and did a brief interview with him 20 years later right before his HOF call. You can see the years of being the face of the city wears on him.

I think it is this odd tug for Brett. He is tired of talking about 1980 or Pine Tar or "the old days" but he knows if he leaves KC, his daily existence is irrelevant. If you throw out the money and the adulation, I think it is kind of a sad existence.

 

Of all the jobs in the world that might be SO important that you can't take off one day, baseball manager isn't one of them.

 

Graduation ceremonies might be the most overrated rituals in American life.

I barely recall graduating from high school. I do have some photos to prove it happened. I remember being slightly annoyed in the hallways because a lot of the dumb-dumbs were joking with each other about how shocked they were that they actually made it to this point. I knew that there was so much more ahead, it wasn't a huge deal for me.

I remember the night before college graduation a lot more than the day. We hit it pretty hard, and the yard was a mess the next morning. I think a shower door got tossed off the balcony. I also remember my best friend, who is one of these guys with his own rigid, sometimes arbitrary set of values and is aghast when anyone else deviates from them, reading us the riot act multiple times for going out and having fun. I think he was one of these first-in-his-family-to-graduate guys, and he and his family went out for some fancy pants, solemn meal, and then he turned in at like 9 p.m.

"I can't fucking believe you guys are fucking going out drinking tonight. Tomorrow is one of the most important days of your life."

Law school graduation ... eh, you've still got the bar exam to take. Plus, I wasn't particularly close to my classmates because I was at a different stage of life than many of them. I was practically begging family members not to attend, including my parents, though they did anyway.

So, in conclusion ... no problem with Gibson's decision, if his son doesn't have one. These things feel like big dog-and-pony shows to me. I took a bath here for lambasting the go-through-the-motions ritual of the American Christian/Catholic funeral service, and I guess I feel the same about graduations. I suppose they mark the milestone, but the real memories are made along the way.

P.S. I concede that when it's my child, I might feel differently. But even now, I feel more emotional when, for example, I have to put an old toy into storage that he used to play with constantly than I do on, for example, birthdays. Perhaps I have the "Toy Story" trilogy to thank for that, though. There are things in life that happen organically and things that are contrived. I personally am far more affected by the organic occurrences. I like to be surprised by something that is particular to my own life or my child's life. Checking the boxes just doesn't do it for me as much.

 

Was the blonde a dude or a woman?

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

 

"Honey, are you ready? Little Dick's graduation starts in an hour."

"What the fuck? I don't work my ass off at my important job so I can waste time fulfilling some asshole's bullshit idea of a societal obligation. So the kid finished high school. I'm supposed to get all emotional and shit?"

 

not one comment until now. so now the two of you can kiss.

 

"I concede that when it's my child, I might feel differently."

For now, just not into the rituals. Just not. Just a bunch of waiting for Godot. Feels really contrived.

 

So, until you are there, you can't put yourself in the place of others emotionally? Might want to work on that empathy thing.

If the kid told him not to come, that's one thing. I still think Gibson should go. Even if it is meaningless. You go. Maybe his son doesn't care now, but will think differently later.

Hell, the only good part of my high school graduation was having my family there. And I made it impossible for them to go to my college graduation because I skipped it. I had a choice. Go visit my family and see my brother and his kids as well as my father or just have my father visit for the ceremony. I chose the option that gave me more time with more of the family members who I didn't get to see very often.

Of course, finding out later that a very attractive classmate of mine was upset that I didn't go because she wanted me to sit with her at the ceremony had nothing to do with me coming to regret missing it. Honest.

 

I don't know. I read the quote from Gibson's kid and see nothing but blue font.

"...has to pay the bills somehow" !??

If parents have any relationship at all with their kids, and barring being on their own deathbeds, I can't imagine them not attending a high school graduation. There are just some things for which you make time.

Sure, the kid says it's OK. But, what's he supposed to say, assuming he's trying not to be a dick in public (like his dad), that is?

Even if a kid could never see himself begging his dad to come to graduation, and even if he wouldn't do it in a million years, he shouldn't have to.

They're both kidding themselves by saying it doesn't mean much.

 

I'm amazed so many of you feel comfortable judging personal decisions made by a family without knowing any of the considerations that went into the decision.