i remember when gibson brought his game

thanks to the lockout, the content on mlb.com has been solely focused on retired players and past events. without any free agent movement, i don't really spend much time on the site these days. however, i did check it the other day to see if there were any updates on negotiations between the owners and players. while i was disappointed to not see any new news in that regard, i did see an article that noted the dodgers had signed kirk gibson 34 years ago that day.

34 years?! how is that possible! well, it is possible because time marches on. we all know how that signing played out, and here is a card from 2006 upper deck sp legendary cuts

that only exists because "the impossible" happened. i realize that even though gibson was a good player, we wouldn't have post-career cards of him as a dodger if it weren't for his 1988 season and world series heroics. the card, by the way, is from the "when it was a game" insert set. usually that phrase applies to the pre-expansion era, and certainly pre-free agency. make no mistake, however; owners have known it was a business since day one.

back to gibson - i didn't recall the date of the signing (january 29), but i do remember the day itself. i heard about the gibson signing on the local news that evening. i was surprised because i felt like the dodgers had shied away from big name free agents after the dave goltz and don stanhouse signings earlier in the decade, but was excited because i had watched gibson closely in the 1984 postseason, and again in 1987, and he was an obvious talent.  a nieghborhood friend of mine happened to be hosting a house party that night, and i walked over with a smile on my face. i remember sitting on his kitchen counter and talking with friends about the signing, and really looking forward to baseball season. for one night, there was no teenage angst - just happiness, optimism, and enjoyment of the moment.

this year i am again looking forward to baseball season, but have no idea when it will arrive. it feels a bit different than it did 34 years ago.