Buy a house. Get traded.
That was an adage among a different era of Major League Baseball players. Jay Gibbons figures he is exempt.
“Well, they gave me a four-year contract,” said Gibbons, of his new deal with the Orioles, which was signed on Jan. 24.
Gibbons closed on a house in Baltimore County in late March. He spent his first night in the new digs March 30, the day the Orioles flew north from spring training in Florida.
Gibbons was once a can?t-miss prospect in the Toronto farm system. He has now spent part of the past five seasons in the majors, and is a veteran at the age of 29.
“It just means you have outlasted a lot of people,” he said. “It feels good to have young players come up and ask you questions.”
A year ago the Oriole clubhouse included such veterans as Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro. They are gone, and now Gibbons is a veteran influence.
“I have never thought of myself as a vocal leader,” said Gibbons, though he noted he is a player representative for the Birds.
Gibbons battled injuries in 2005 to compile a batting average of .277 with 26 homers and 79 RBIs in 139 games.
The left-handed hitting outfielder hit a career-high 28 homers in 2002, then had a career-best 100 RBIs the next season.
He crushed his second homer of the season Monday night in Tampa Bay. He was hitting .370 with two homers and seven RBIs prior to Tuesday?s game against the Devil Rays.
Gibbons, off the field, has become a fixture in Charm City.
He has returned to Baltimore to be part of FanFest the past five seasons, and also co-hosted a holiday party at the ESPN Zonein December, 2005. Gibbons has participated in singer Garth Brooks? Teammates for Kids Foundation.
Gibbons was born in Michigan and grew up in California. He recently sold his house in Arizona, and moved to Baltimore County with his wife, Laura Giuliani. They were married Jan. 28, four days after he signed a four-year deal with the Orioles.
And they do not plan to be traded.
THE GIBBONS FILE
» Team: Orioles
» Position: Outfielder
» Age: 29
» Number: 31
» Did you know? Gibbons played three years of college ball at Cal State-Los Angeles, where he was a three-time all-conference and all-region player.
