Didn't know til today that Jim Bibby had died, of causes not released, on the East Coast earlier this week. He was only 65.
Jim Bibby was not a great player -- tho he could be at times and for stretches -- but he was a BIG player. He was 6-5 adn 235, really huge for the 1970s. He pitched the first no hitter in Rangers history. He pitched an odd one-hitter against the Braves for the Pirates, and it had never been done this way: he gave up a leadoff hit to Terry Harper, then retired the next 27. Perfect after the leadoff hit.
The biggest torment to me: he was the starter in Game 7 of the 1979 World Series. He didn't get the win but the "We Are Family" Pirates finished coming back from being down 3 games to 1 and beat Baltimore. He didn't get the decision, but still...
I'm just sad when a player like Jim Bibby dies. And only 65. And you don't even know why he died. It's another little piece that's gone, I guess. It's a sad kind of nostalgia. I like Jim Bibby. I'm glad he played baseball. He was a part of my boyhood and I thank him for that. Look at his numbers sometime. He could be hot as a firecracker for a month, then equally cold, then hot again, then cold again. When he was right, they couldn't touch him.
