Bob CollinsI’ve said it before but it bears repeating today. Nothing makes you feel older than hearing of the infirmities and deaths of sports heroes from a younger time.
It was 1988 when Kirk Gibson of the Los Angeles Dodgers hit a pinch-hit game-winning homerun in the first game of the World Series. He was barely able to run the bases because of injuries to both legs.
Today, the Detroit Tigers announced that Gibson, who is on the team’s TV broadcast crew, has Parkinson’s.
“I have faced many different obstacles in my life, and have always maintained a strong belief that no matter the circumstances, I could overcome those obstacles,” Gibson, 57, said in a released statement. “While this diagnosis poses a new kind of challenge for me, I intend to stay true to my beliefs. With the support of my family and friends, I will meet this challenge with the same determination and unwavering intensity that I have displayed in all of my endeavors in life. I look forward to being back at the ballpark as soon as possible.”
