Barstool Sports

YAHOO – Mentioned this in a tweet on Thursday night and in Friday morning’s Juice, but Kirk Gibson may have finally reached the point of absolute self-caricature. Asked why he didn’t return to Michigan on Thursday night for his son’s high school graduation, the Arizona Diamondbacks manager gave the sort of response you’d totally expect from a skipper known for being so gruff and no nonsense that he banned all toys and cellphones from the team’s clubhouse last season. (Opening packs of Justin Bieber trading cards, though, is apparently exempt.)From the Associated Press: ‘You’re supposed to graduate,” Gibson said. ”His mom and the rest of the family will be there. He’s coming to see me next week.”

I can’t believe people are giving Gibson shit on this. He’s 100% right on this plus I’m pretty sure he’s busy. It’s not like Kirk Gibson is some insurance salesman with 2.5 kids and a Ford Taurus in his driveway and is able to make it to every one of his kid’s shitty events from elementary school choral concerts to JV baseball games like a normal father who is watching from the stands and wants to kill himself to numb the pain of his wasted life and unfilled dreams. Gibson’s got a pretty damn good excuse. “Oh, you’re graduating from High School? Congrats. You’re not a fucking idiot or waste of life. Excuse me, I have a major league ballclub to manage.” He didn’t win last year’s NL Manager Of The Year award by jetting across the country to give his kid a congratulatory handy on his SAT scores and landing that coveted summer managerial job at Rita’s Water Ice. You want a father in the big leagues supporting your ass through college? Don’t expect him at your High School graduation when the team is one game under .500.