Gibson’s Big Gamble : For Tiger Star, A Big Year Will Mean a Bigger Contract

Kirk Gibson, big play man for the Detroit Tigers, is taking off on the big play that he figures will take care of him for life.

Gibson is gambling on a big season with the Tigers that will net him a megabucks multiyear contract of at least five years.

He is eligible to become a free agent at the end of the season and decided to take the risk of a one-year contract after not agreeing on a multiyear pact with the club.

Detroit’s first player to hit 20 home runs and steal 20 bases in the same season is covering his bet at the same time he’s making it.

“Do I look stupid? Of course I have,” Gibson said when asked if he’d taken out an insurance policy on the possibility of a career-disabling injury this season. “I knew when I didn’t sign (a long-term contract) I’d be taking that risk. So of course I did.”

The left-handed hitting right fielder put together his first full season in 1984, hitting .282 with 27 home runs and 91 runs batted in, plus 92 runs and 29 stolen bases.

The 6-3, 215-pound Gibson’s playoff and World Series showings (.417-1-2 Most Valuable Player and .333-2-7) were another indication he is beginning to mature as a player and could have the breakthrough year that makes him a superstar.

“I’m on a good team. The people surrounding me are good,” he shrugs. “I have confidence. I’ve always had the ability but now I’ve gained a lot of knowledge. I’m maturing.

“I definitely think at the plate. It takes three strikes to get me out. You can completely fool me on one, then I’ll hit the same pitch out the next time.

“With a man on third and one out or if we have to get a man over, I know I’m a darn hard out. I’m tough to get out. I adjust well to situations and pitchers.

“When I first came up, I was awed by a lot of things. Not any more. Sure, I have competitive respect for other players, but I’m not in awe. When I first saw Carl Yastrzemski, I thought, ‘Wow--a legend!’ ”

Another difference in the 27-year-old Gibson is he no longer approaches every at-bat with self-destruct intensity. His first couple of seasons Gibson approached every play as if it were the last inning of the last game of a tied World Series.

“I just know what it takes to make it through the season,” Gibson said. “I have to save myself. Before it was all-out madness.”

The outstanding catch Gibson made of George Brett’s sinking line drive in the American League playoffs dramatized his improvement as a right fielder.

“I can’t emphasize enough how much Al Kaline has helped me,” Gibson said of his tutoring by his Hall of Fame predecessor in Tiger Stadium’s right field. “Now I seem to be in position to make the plays.”

He also always seems to be in position for bad publicity. Part of it is Gibson’s doing, part of it is his larger-than-life persona. After a couple of centuries of spotless heroes, the public likes warts on its celebrities.

Gibson has been involved in more than his share of unflattering encounters with the public. Especially autograph seekers.

“Most of the people I’m rude to are rude to me,” Gibson said. “They act like I owe them an autograph. I don’t. You don’t have to do anything. You do things by choice. I do things because I want to, not because I have to.

“I don’t like to give autographs when I’m on the field because I’m working. After the game, I’ll sign until everybody’s happy. But this is my job. Would you like me to come up and ask for your autograph when you’re working?

“I’m not a bad guy. I can be, obviously. But when people see me in public they have to understand they’re really not my friends--they’re my fans. I like to keep my distance.”

Gibson hopes Detroit can keep its distance between itself and its division rivals this season.

“You know me. I’m a team player. I like to win. The end objective is to win the World Series,” Gibson said. “Everything else is secondary.

“If we do that, I know everything else will fall into place,” he said.