The first thing that crossed my mind when I heard Waterford's Kirk Gibson had been named the interim manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks was the day in 1983 when Gibby chased Sparky Anderson -- who was twice his age and half his size -- around the manager's office after Sparky informed the high-strung outfielder he would no longer be starting every game.
    "You've been acting like an idiot!" Sparky told him.
    "I swear, I was going to bust him," Gibby later admitted.
    Luckily, Anderson was able to elude Gibson's grasp and escape out the door.
    That was the way Gibson played. That was Gibby then.
    However, he and Sparky have long since buried the hatchet.
    "Half of Gibby's game plan was to intimidate the opposition," Anderson explained.
    "Sparky," Gibson later declared, "taught me how to play."
    "Another Mickey Mantle," then-manager Les Moss called him, when he got his first look at the former Michigan State football star in spring training 1979.
    "One day soon he will be the most dominating player in the game," Anderson predicted after he replaced Moss later that season.
    That never happened. But Gibson did belt two of the most dramatic home runs in World Series history -- his classic arms-in-the-air Game Five blast that locked up the Tigers' October triumph in 1984, and his limping, fist-pumping Game One pinch hit HR on behalf of the Dodgers in '88.
    But can Gibson, a madman when he played, always opinionated, often abrasive, turn around the last-place Diamondbacks, a team that has a ton of problems, including what may just be the worst bullpen in baseball history?
    For several years, Gibson has made it clear he wanted to manage in the worst way. He may have just gotten his wish.
    As a bench coach with the Tigers under his buddy, Alan Trammell, Gibson had his favorites on the team. And the other players knew it.
    Some resented him. Some ridiculed him -- behind his back, of course. Several did not respect him.
    To this day, there are those who will tell you Gibson was a big part of the reason Trammell got fired.
    Gibson, a perfectionist with no managerial experience on any level, has never been known for his patience -- on or off the field.
    Now he's going to need a lot of it.
    At 53, Gibson is a changed man. He has calmed down. He has matured.
    He is anxious for the challenge. He believes he is equal to the task.
    For his sake, I hope so. Because, while others may disagree, I have always considered him a good guy.
    Of course, he merely screamed obscenities at me. He never chased me around a room.