And, upon second thought, YES THAT WILL WORK!

WE'VE GOT HIM ON THE SPOT … WELCOME BACK

"Welcome Back"

Welcome back
Your dreams were your ticket out of here
Welcome back
To that same old place you laughed about
The names have all changed since you hung around

Kirk Gibson once visited the Tigers as a member of the Kansas City Royals. Don't ask him about his experience on in Missouri. 

If you've ever read my blog for a week, chances are you know that Kirk Gibson is one of my heroes. When I was a young, impressionable Tigers fan, Gibby was a young, impressionable Tiger. It was the late '70s and he was brash, cocky, and heralded as the "next Mickey Mantle" by his manager, Sparky Anderson.

In 1993, when he returned from an exodus that saw him spend time in Los Angeles, Kansas City, then Pittsburgh, Gibby enjoyed a two–and–a–half year renaissance in Detroit. He then went into the TV booth, then into the dugout, then he was fired. He did his best interpretation of Horace Greeley's quote and headed west once again, to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

I know at least a few people will understand the significance.  

Now, Gibby returns to the booth (as does Jack Morris, former Tiger stud pitcher from the '80s) more seasoned having spent several years as a manager. He even won Manager of the Year for the D'backs. Ironically, it was former Tiger manager Jim Leyland's good friend Tony LaRussa who jettisoned Gibby and Alan Trammell in the fall allowing both of them to return to the Tigers. (If you click on my headline above, it links to a story by Lynn Henning). I believe Gibby's experience in the dugout will certainly bring an added element to the telecasts.

When Chris Brown sent me the tweet asking What are your thoughts? I knew I had to figure out quickly what happened. At first I wasn't sure. At second glance, I thought Yeah that's the right thing to do.

Stories abound that Gibby was upset first at how Sparky Anderson was basically ushered out the door but even more upset with how he and Trammell were fired after the '05 season. And the renaissance of the organization began in 2006 — A REASON TO ROAR! had returned to Detroit. Apparently, according to Henning, some discussions have been ongoing between the Tigers, Fox Sports Detroit, and Gibby. (I'm sure Tram had an impact here, too).

Gibby, #23. 

So, without further delay, let's say Welcome Home to Kirk Gibson and Jack Morris.