Джордж Гибсон: Канадский бейсболист и тренер

Canadian baseball player (1880 1967)

George C. Gibson (July 22, 1880 – January 25, 1967), nicknamed Mooney, was a Canadian professional baseball player, coach, scout, and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1905 to 1918, most prominently for the Pittsburgh Pirates where he played the bulk of his career and was a member of the 1909 World Series winning team. Gibson spent the final two years of his career as a player coach for the New York Giants. He later became a minor league manager for the Toronto Maple Leafs before returning to the major leagues as a manager for the Pirates and the Chicago Cubs. Gibson played during a period in baseball history known as the Dead ball era and, was regarded as one of the National League's premier catchers because of his impressive defensive skills and his strong, accurate throwing arm. He was also known for his smart pitch calling and his ability to hold runners on base. His reputation as a defensive stand out is enhanced because of the era in which he played. In the deadball era, catchers played a huge defensive role, given the large number of bunts and stolen base attempts, as well as the difficulty of handling the spitball pitchers who dominated pitching staffs. He had to catch every type of pitch imaginable, such as shine balls, spitballs, knuckleballs, and emory balls.

Born a stone's throw away from Tecumseh Park (today's Labatt Memorial Park) in London, Ontario, Gibson gained the nickname "Mooney" as a youngster. Some sources suggest that the nickname was inspired by his round, moon shaped face, while other sources claim he picked up the nickname because he had played on a sandlot team known as the Mooneys. Numerous sources still associate Gibson with the Kingston Colonials of the Hudson River League but in a 1919 article, journalist Edward F. Balinger discusses this topic. Relaying something said by Gibson days earlier, he suggests that "somebody got him mixed with some other player shortly after he broke into the big league." George spent parts of two seasons playing for the Montreal Royals before his contract was purchased by the Pittsburgh Pirates in June 1905. Gibson was in his prime during the 1909 season when he caught in 134 consecutive games, breaking the previous record of 133 consecutive games played as a catcher set by Deacon McGuire in 1895. He set another major league record for games played in a season by a catcher with 150, which was also previously held by McGuire since 1895. His games caught in a season record stood until 1920 when Ray Schalk caught 151 games. His record of 134 consecutive games caught would stand until 1940 when it was broken by Ray Mueller. Gibson hit a double for the final hit in the last game played at Pittsburgh's Exposition Park on June 29, 1909, and the following day had the first hit in the new Forbes Field. He also led National League catchers in fielding percentage, baserunners caught stealing and in caught stealing percentage. Gibson then went on to catch every game in the 1909 World Series as the Pirates defeated the Detroit Tigers in seven games to win the world championship. Gibson held Detroit's Ty Cobb, the premier base stealer of his era, to only one stolen base during the series (Cobb also stole home plate during the series which wasn't charged against Gibson). Arriving back at the train station in his hometown of London, Ontario, on October 27, 1909, after winning the World Series, Gibson found more than 7,000 cheering fans to greet him. As the sport evolved, teams began to field smaller, more agile players as catchers, typified by the emergence of Ray Schalk. Gibson returned to hit for a career high .285 batting average in 102 games during the 1914 season. Giants manager John McGraw persuaded him to join the Giants as a player coach in 1917. Gibson was the Pirates catcher on September 20, 1907, when pitcher Nick Maddox threw a no hitter against the Brooklyn Superbas. In his book, The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, baseball historian Bill James ranked Gibson 95th all time among major league catchers.

Gibson is also said to have accepted a coaching position with the Sacramento Solons of the Pacific Coast League in 1918. This isn't true, and rather, Gibson, the catcher, is likely being confused with an amateur pitcher of the same name. Gibson, the catcher, remained with the Giants until the 1918 season closed because of World War I, and returned to Canada until he was hired in 1919 to coach the Toronto Maple Leafs of the International League. He served as their manager from 1920 to 1922. The following season (1926), he returned to his coaching capacities for the Cubs, then remained with the Cubs as a scout until he was again called upon by the Pirates, to manage the 1932 team. Although Gibson recorded a .546 winning percentage as a manager, he was intolerant of team mistakes and his temperament left him ill suited for the task of team politics. On May 9, 1921, under manager Gibson, the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the London Tecumsehs 8–7 at Tecumseh Park before 3,500 people in an exhibition baseball game.

When Gibson lived at 252 Central Avenue in London during the 1920s and 1930s, his immediate neighbours to the east were members of the Labatt brewing family, with whom Gibson frequently socialized. According to George Gibson's late nephew, George Lambourn, Gibson played a significant role in the decision by John and Hugh Labatt to purchase Tecumseh Park and donate it to the City (along with $10,000 for repairs and maintenance), which occurred on December 31, 1936, after which Tecumseh Park was officially renamed "The John Labatt Memorial Athletic Park." Gibson died at age 86 in London and is buried at Campbell Cemetery in Komoka, Ontario, not far from his Delaware farm. Gibson's former farm is on a road named in his honour after Gibson donated some land for public use to the area conservation authority of the day. Gibson was the nephew of William Southam, founder of Southam Newspapers, the brother of Richard Southam, manager of the London Tecumsehs, and the father in law of Bill Warwick, a major league baseball player in the 1920s.