RIP Bob Gibson

[DanOregon]

I can't imagine what it must have been like for Gibson playing in Missouri during the '60s. Aaron and the Braves didn't hit Atlanta until '66, but those two being so dominant and playing in the South during that era must have been something.

 

[maumann]

The 1968 World Series is getting discussed in heaven. Kaline, Brock, Gibson all this year. Freehan barely hangs on.

RIP, original Gibby.

 

[Chef2]

Kurkjian on SC with the young Dusty Baker-Hank Aaron story on Gibson.
"Don't look at him. Don't talk to him. And if he hits you with a pitch, don't charge the mound cause he will kick your ass."

 

[Jake from State Farm]

The 1968 World Series is getting discussed in heaven. Kaline, Brock, Gibson all this year. Freehan barely hangs on.

RIP, original Gibby.

The late, great Norm Cash on finally getting to Gibson in Game 7
“It’s like trapshooting. You gotta start swinging at the top of the windup. If you wait he’s got you.”

 

[User 149557]

Who did you think he was referring to when he said Gibson was No. 2?

Tom Pagnozzi

 

[HanSenSE]

 

[Sea Bass]

Who did you think he was referring to when he said Gibson was No. 2?

Honest question. Where would Cardinals fans put McGwire? I get the drug thing taints him and I know they didn’t win anything when he was there, but for a few years it seemed like they liked him the most of anyone (from this outsider’s perspective).

 

[da man]

I would suggest Mel Blount and Martin Brodeur.

Lew Alcindor.

 

[da man]

Honest question. Where would Cardinals fans put McGwire? I get the drug thing taints him and I know they didn’t win anything when he was there, but for a few years it seemed like they liked him the most of anyone (from this outsider’s perspective).

I thought McGwire was the surly asshole and Sosa was the lovable fun guy.

 

[Azrael]

I'd venture the view from outside St. Louis is that Musial and Gibson are 1 and 1a in the college of Cardinals.

Some of that might be generational, though.

Not sure how folks in the city itself regard them.

 

[Captain_Kirk]

Life long Cardinal fan and born and raised in the St Louis area. I'm not sure Gibson even makes the top five. If you factor in both performance and likeability, I would say the general consensus of ranking all time Cardinals would fall along these lines:

1. Musial
2. Ozzie
3. Pujols
4. McGee
5. Molina
6. Brock
7. Gibson

And if you could have some of the long deceased old timers weigh in, they might put Dizzy Dean ahead of him too. Gibson was a fearsome competitor, but kind of gruff and quiet from a personality standpoint, where he's just not as beloved/revered as some of those above him. One man's take.

Pretty tough losing both Brock and Gibson so close to each other. Feels like chunks of childhood just being ripped away.

RIP Gibby.

 

[Azrael]

Much better list.

It's funny how mythology gets tangled up with affection when talking about ballplayers.

 

[heyabbott]

Game 7 - in their prime, who do you want; Koufax or Gibson?

Looked it up. Lefties hit Koufax @ .207 BA righties @ .205

Righties hit Gibson @.204 and lefties @.257

if you were a righty, it didn’t matter. Call in sick you didn’t have a prayer lefties had a prayer against Gibson. Slim difference. Gibson did it longer

 

[da man]

I would suggest Mel Blount and Martin Brodeur.

Wasn't Jean-Sebastien Giguere the guy who caused the NHL to reduce the size of the goalie pads?

 

[micropolitan guy]

Life long Cardinal fan and born and raised in the St Louis area. I'm not sure Gibson even makes the top five. If you factor in both performance and likeability, I would say the general consensus of ranking all time Cardinals would fall along these lines:

1. Musial
2. Ozzie
3. Pujols
4. McGee
5. Molina
6. Brock
7. Gibson

And if you could have some of the long deceased old timers weigh in, they might put Dizzy Dean ahead of him too. Gibson was a fearsome competitor, but kind of gruff and quiet from a personality standpoint, where he's just not as beloved/revered as some of those above him. One man's take.

Pretty tough losing both Brock and Gibson so close to each other. Feels like chunks of childhood just being ripped away.

RIP Gibby.

I would add Enos Slaughter,Ducky Medwick, Marty Marion and Pepper Martin in there along with Dean from the deceased old-timers. As much as I dislike the Cardinals they've had some tremendous players over the years and probably rank 2-3 with the Dodgers as to the best franchises (behind the Yankees) in the 100-plus years of MLB.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

Life long Cardinal fan and born and raised in the St Louis area. I'm not sure Gibson even makes the top five. If you factor in both performance and likeability, I would say the general consensus of ranking all time Cardinals would fall along these lines:

1. Musial
2. Ozzie
3. Pujols
4. McGee
5. Molina
6. Brock
7. Gibson

And if you could have some of the long deceased old timers weigh in, they might put Dizzy Dean ahead of him too. Gibson was a fearsome competitor, but kind of gruff and quiet from a personality standpoint, where he's just not as beloved/revered as some of those above him. One man's take.

Pretty tough losing both Brock and Gibson so close to each other. Feels like chunks of childhood just being ripped away.

RIP Gibby.

I know you mentioned generational, but I’d think Rogers Hornsby would be in that list. He’s only second all-time in career batting average.

 

[micropolitan guy]

I know you mentioned generational, but I’d think Rogers Hornsby would be in that list. He’s only second all-time in career batting average.

I didn't know he played his final six seasons with the Browns, as a part-timer. Averaged about .330 in that span. I'm not sure he was ever a very likeable player, though.

 

[Captain_Kirk]

I would add Enos Slaughter,Ducky Medwick, Marty Marion and Pepper Martin in there along with Dean from the deceased old-timers. As much as I dislike the Cardinals they've had some tremendous players over the years and probably rank 2-3 with the Dodgers as to the best franchises (behind the Yankees) in the 100-plus years of MLB.

I thought about mentioning Medwick as well. And you can add Frankie Frisch to that list as well.

And if you factor in managers: Red, Whitey, LaRussa; Gibson could fall outside the top 10.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

I didn't know he played his final six seasons with the Browns, as a part-timer. Averaged about .330 in that span. I'm not sure he was ever a very likeable player, though.

Well, he did call Jimmy Dugan a talking pile of pig**** after Jimmy’s parents had driven a long way to see him play.

 

[ChrisLong]

Geez, the contrarians take over, as usual. The longer this thread goes, the more Gibson becomes a POS. Nobody wanted to bat against him. That made him one of the greatest of all-time. Nobody wanted to bat against Nolan Ryan, that made him one of the greatest of all-time regardless of what Bill James and Buzzie Bavasi thought.