Within media circles and hard corp fans of the Arizona Diamondbacks who watch every postgame interview with skipper Kirk Gibson there's a universal truth -- Gibby isn't the best interview. He doesn't give nice quotes. He doesn't seem to appreciate why writers ask dumb questions so his words can help tell the story of the game. He generally acts -- win or loss -- like he would rather be anywhere else but up on the podium taking questions.
↵It's not that Gibson is a bad guy. In fact, he's universally respected for the way he does he job. What Gibby has done with this young team and his overall approach to managing a baseball has earned him a ton of respect and a lot of leeway.
↵The best moments with Gibby in the press room come at those rare times when he cracks a smile. It's almost always wry and dry and the grin is always subdued. No hearty laugh lines and back slapping bonhomie like you will see from an Alvin Gentry or Ken Whisenhunt.
↵Gibby is all business and as dedicated and professional in his work as you could possibly imagine.
↵So, when Gibson delivered this line in Saturday's postgame press conference it came without even moment of hesitation. He was responding to a question about using reliever Brad Ziegler in the eighth inning after David Hernandez had been hit in the leg by a line drive.
↵"I told (Ziegler) that I wouldn't dry hump him like I did the inning before," Gibby said with no irony or sense of how that baseball term might be misunderstood by the Arizona fans not exactly known for their in-depth knowledge of the game.
↵The term "dry hump" refers warming up a pitcher and not bringing him in the game. It has an obvious parallel to certain sexual situations typically experienced in the front seat of a car during one's teenage years.
↵That's who Gibby is. All baseball. A true professional. He might not be as polished in front of the cameras as some of our other coaches in town and he might even offend sensitive ears, but if anything that's a refreshing change.
↵If you are going to build a gritty culture you are going to break a few eggs along the way both on the field and in front of the cameras.
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