What if the greatest comeback of Kirk Gibson's life had nothing to do with baseball? From iconic World Series moments to a Parkinson's diagnosis that threatened to sideline him, Gibson shares how resilience, purpose, and refusing to quit led to a new mission: helping others live well with the disease. In this episode, Bob Riney leads a discussion with Gibson and Steve Annear, CEO of the Kirk Gibson Foundation, on the groundbreaking Kirk Gibson Center for Parkinson's Wellness, the power of community, and why hope may be the most important medicine of all.
What if the greatest comeback of Kirk Gibson's life had nothing to do with baseball? From iconic World Series moments to a Parkinson's diagnosis that threatened to sideline him, Gibson shares how resilience, purpose, and refusing to quit led to a new mission: helping others live well with the disease. In this episode, Bob Riney leads a discussion with Gibson and Steve Annear, CEO of the Kirk Gibson Foundation, on the groundbreaking Kirk Gibson Center for Parkinson's Wellness, the power of community, and why hope may be the most important medicine of all.
Time Stamps
Kirk Gibson's Introduction and MLB Career Highlights
:34- Bob Riney introduces Kirk Gibson, highlighting his achievements in baseball and his work with the Kirk Gibson Center for Parkinson's Wellness.
2:12- Kirk reflects on his MLB career, emphasizing the importance of resilience and being there for teammates.
2:34- Kirk recounts a pivotal moment in 1987 when the Tigers swept the Blue Jays, despite being down by four and a half games with a week left in the season.
3:52- Bob asks Kirk about his favorite stadiums to play at, and Kirk mentions Dodger Stadium and Tiger Stadium as his favorites.
Kirk Gibson's Parkinson's Diagnosis and Personal Journey
4:41- Bob shifts the conversation to Kirk's personal journey, including his diagnosis of Parkinson's in 2015.
4:50- Kirk describes his first symptoms in 2007 and how his condition progressed over the years, leading to his diagnosis in 2015.
5:28- Kirk shares his experience of being ignored by the Diamondbacks due to health concerns and how a friend's doctor eventually diagnosed him with Parkinson's.
6:22- Kirk emphasizes the importance of providing hope and a path to quality of life for those with Parkinson's.
Steve Annear's Role and the Vision for the Center
6:32- Bob introduces Steve Annear, CEO of the Kirk Gibson Foundation and chairman of the Kirk Gibson Center for Parkinson's Wellness.
7:05- Steve discusses the vision for the center, which began with Kirk's challenge to do more for people with Parkinson's in Michigan.
7:18- Steve explains the limited availability of care for Parkinson's and the importance of movement-based programs in slowing down the symptoms.
7:55- The center's partnership with an organization in Cleveland called In Motion helped them understand best practices and led to the decision to open the wellness center in 2023.
Kirk Gibson's Leadership and the Center's Impact
8:31- Bob asks Steve about Kirk's leadership qualities, highlighting his relentlessness and focus on filling the gap in care for people with Parkinson's.
8:58- Steve praises Kirk for his dedication and the impact he has on the community, emphasizing the importance of never giving in.
10:13- Kirk discusses the need to prove the center's credibility as a care option and the importance of a preventative approach to Parkinson's.
10:54- Kirk outlines ways people can support the center, including telling others about the center, fundraising, and volunteering.
Kirk Gibson's Take on the Tigers and Final Thoughts
11:35- Bob asks Kirk about his thoughts on the current Tigers team and who he is watching closely.
11:49- Kirk expresses excitement about Kevin McGonigal and other young players in the organization, emphasizing the importance of perseverance.
13:13- Kirk reflects on the joy of winning a World Series and the positive impact it has on a city, drawing parallels to the work being done at the center.
13:49- Bob Riney thanks Kirk and Steve for their contributions and leadership, concluding the episode of The BOBcast.
Vin Scully narration 00:00
You know the name. You know the home run.
Vin Scully home run call 00:05
High fly ball; into right field, she is gone. In a year that has been so improbable, the impossible has happened.”
Kirk Gibson 00:17
One of the reasons we're doing what we're doing now is to give you hope that no matter what it is, we'll be able to provide you with a path to have quality of life.
Bob Riney 00:34
Welcome back to The BOBcast. Today's episode is a special one, because we're joined by not one, but two remarkable individuals whose stories and impact go far beyond what many would think is possible. I'm honored to be joined by Kirk Gibson, a Detroit icon, World Series champion, and MVP, whose toughness and grit defined an era of professional baseball, but beyond what he accomplished on the field, Kirk has taken on a different and very impactful mission, following his Parkinson's diagnosis in 2015. A mission that's focused on helping others live well through the Kirk Gibson Center for Parkinson's Wellness in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Steve Annear, CEO of the Kirk Gibson Foundation for Parkinson's and chairman of the Kirk Gibson Center for Parkinson's Wellness. Steve is a motivational speaker and endurance athlete who ran the Detroit Free Press Marathon and climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, both after having a leg amputated when he was young. What brings Kirk and Steve together is their shared commitment to improving the lives of those with Parkinson's disease. Kirk and Steve, thank you for being on The BOBcast.
Kirk Gibson 01:48
Great to be here.
Bob Riney 01:51
Kirk, I’ve got to start with the obligatory question about your MLB career, because as a Detroiter, I just watched it with great excitement, fans have defined what their version of your defining moment in your career has been. What's your personal defining moment in your MLB career?
Kirk Gibson 02:12
I think just being available and being there when your teammates need you, it's the resilience that you have to have to fight through things that maybe you map things out one way, but the reality doesn't resemble the moments when some think it's over.
Play-by-play announcer 02:31
High fly ball into right field, she is gone.
Kirk Gibson 02:34
I remember in 1987 we were playing the Blue Jays, and we'd lost three days in a row in the last inning, and there was a week to go in the season. We'd lost, we'd been four and a half back, and we came in after that third game, and it was silent, as you might expect. We were paralyzed, and for some reason, I just said we just set the biggest bear trap of all time, we beat them the next day, and they lost all seven of their games, and we swept them the next weekend in Detroit. Now it cost us a World Series, because if Minnesota came in fresh, we were really going against the odds. We didn't have enough that time, but we had the desire, and we didn't quit,
Play-by-play announcer 03:20
One out, bases empty, the two one pitch to Gibson. There's a belt to left that's gone. Let's watch it. Where is it? Is it out of the park? Yes, it's out of Tiger Stadium. Kirk Gibson has done it.
Kirk Gibson 03:35
When people may be thinking you're done, you never give in. And Sparky Anderson told us it's never over to that last strike, that last pitch. Don't celebrate, because the baseball gods will get you, and they got me plenty, but I got them too.
Bob Riney 03:52
Just out of curiosity, favorite stadium to play at on the road?
Kirk Gibson 03:56
Dodger Stadium was a road site and a home site.
Announcer Vin Scully 03:57
It's time for Dodger baseball.
Kirk Gibson 04:07
Tiger Stadium was the best. The older parks, Fenway Park with the wall, learning how to play here. I watched Carl Yastrzemski when I was growing up, play that wall, and I got a chance to do that. Those would probably be my, my favorite, the ones that have the memories when you were young and when you dreamed about maybe playing in that stadium, and then when it becomes a reality, it's something special.
Bob Riney 04:41
Let's switch to your personal journey. And in 2015 you were diagnosed with Parkinson's. Tell us a little bit about what led to that diagnosis.
Kirk Gibson 04:50
My first symptom was in 2007. I was shaving with my right hand, and my notice my left hand would clutch up some of the symptoms of Parkinson's progressed over those next couple of years, when I was down in Arizona, and they tested me for everything, they missed the Parkinson's diagnosis, my left arm was like glued to my left chest. As that progressed all the way up into 2014 my contract was up, and the Diamondbacks did not ask me back. I later found out they were concerned about my health. I moved on and came back here and did Tigers baseball on TV for some time.
Kirk Gibson in TV booth 05:40
You were talking earlier about how Kinsler and JD Martinez pound lefties, Miguel Cabrera only hitting 172 so far this year. You wouldn't believe it, would you?
Kirk Gibson 05:51
I froze up on the air, they threw me a piece on the post game, and I was just like shaking inside my body, I just took my stuff off and said I can't do it. I had been ignoring more and more and more symptoms over those years, 2007 to 2015. A good friend of mine sent me to his doctor, and two days later I was diagnosed with Parkinson's. One of the reasons we're doing what we're doing now is to give you hope that no matter what it is, we'll be able to provide you with a path to have quality of life. It's a good culture of people that are dedicated, and they get Steve's message and he just runs a heck of a ship. Here we're fortunate to know that when somebody walks in here, they're going to feel welcome.
Bob Riney 06:52
Just looking around the center, it has such a warm, inviting feeling to it. Steve, tell us a little bit about the vision for the center, and what you've learned since it opened.
Steve Annear 07:05
The idea of opening the center began with Kirk's challenge to everybody in the foundation, and we've really had to do more to help people with Parkinson's in Michigan, and we started looking around the US as to what kind of care was available, what kind of movement-based programs were available for people with the disease, and the provision of care is quite limited. It's not covered by insurance, and there's very little community support. There were a lot of great organizations and great people trying to help with these kind of programs, people that knew that movement mattered, and that movement is medicine for people with Parkinson's, and lots of evidence that it slows down the symptoms and onset of the disease, so all of that was the background of us saying, well, we need to do something here in Southeast Michigan, so we studied best practice, came across an organization in Cleveland called In Motion, who just an exceptional group of people had been doing something similar for 11 years, they knew what to do, and they knew what worked, and luckily for us, they partnered with us in understanding what to do, and that led us to deciding in 2023 that we would open a wellness center for people with a disease. Here, the response by the community has just been extraordinary. We just exceeded our expectations by three times 2000 people almost have registered their interest in coming here, and I think it speaks to the need for these kind of centers, not just here but everywhere.
Bob Riney 08:31
Steve, I'm going to ask you to talk about Kirk, the leader, because something tells me he wouldn't tell us too much about what I believe it's really incredible leadership, because at the end of the day, leading a center like this, forming a center like this, bringing the right team, including his great partnership with you, is about leadership. So, what are the attributes that make him a great leader?
Steve Annear 08:58
I think it started with what Gibby does all the time, and that he challenged us to reset the height of the bar, which is what happened in 2022 and he said we just have to do more. So, foundation was successful, it was growing, but the impact it was having was not enough in terms of Gibby's vision for giving back. One of the characteristics about him that I admire so much is his being there when he's needed. I never knew Gibby the baseball hero, but the hero that I see every day is the guy that's fronting up here, representing the people that come here, but also the broader Parkinson's community in what is a significant gap in what society and community provides for people living with the disease and doing everything he can to fill that gap, that relentlessness, the focus, the never giving in. I mean, quitting is just not an option. And the people that surround us in the foundation and in the center are of that mindset, and some of them are here because they had that anyway. Others are here because they're inspired by Gibby's personal values,
Bob Riney 10:02
What do you need more of from health systems as partners in the role that you're trying to play for individuals with Parkinson's?
Steve Annear 10:13
We have to prove that we are credible as a care option, a very important part of the. Total care provided for people with the disease. It's going to take some time, but we've got a great team here that will be able to demonstrate the value. So all of these benefits that are being derived from the activity-based programs and education support here will form a body of knowledge that we can then take to healthcare systems and start to think about a preventative approach to Parkinson's that moves beyond a medicine-only approach and help people live better lives at lower costs to society.
Bob Riney 10:50
For people that are really inspired by what they've heard, how can people best support the center?
Steve Annear 10:56
I think the first thing is, if they know anybody who has the disease, is to tell them about us. We know that the disease can be quite isolating and can be spoken about depression. It's so common with people with Parkinson's. So, we want to get people out of that isolation and to come here and experience a new way of living a life. We're constantly fundraising, so we're always looking for fundraising ideas and fundraising help and donations is very important to us, and also to volunteer, both in the foundation and in the center. So, we have about 60 volunteers actively working in the center now. So, they're the three main ways that that people can help us.
Bob Riney 11:35
I've got to go back, Kirk, to your incredible knowledge and experience in the game of baseball. What's your take on the Tigers today? And who are you really watching closely?
Kirk Gibson 11:49
The Tigers are excited about Kevin McGonigle. He was rated the number two prospect this year, and he's shown that he's that. You got some other young players that are coming up, so the organization is in good shape. Many of the things that we've talked about, they're going to need. Whenever I get a chance, I try and drop something positive, because there's a time when you're doing these things where doubt is going to want to creep in, and you just can't quit. You just got to go to the end that'll all shake itself out. It's so much better knowing that you gave everything you got, and that you gave your teammates everything you got. And if you can win a World Series like these young Tigers are trying to do it's indescribable, but it changes your life. And there it goes. When you win a World Series, you have a parade. There's a million people there. That's just something I'll never forget.
Announcer 12:58
And this crowd is absolutely uncontained and unrestrained in its enthusiasm for this, what truly has to be one of the most remarkable, one of the most positive days in the recent history of this great city of Detroit.
Kirk Gibson 13:13
When we won, we're in Detroit for at least a week, or whatever it was, nobody was trying to argue their point, we were all together, and it was really special. You have the ability to move so many people in a positive way, and we hope that that's what we'd be doing here. Both of you are giving it all that you got, and it's not just about the center you're opening, but it's about the way you conduct business, the way you support each other, the way you talk about your team, and the way you talk about your members that come here.
Bob Riney 13:49
All of that holistic approach is what I so firmly believe distinguishes good leaders from great leaders. So, thank you both for being great leaders, and thank you very much for being on The BOBcast.
Kirk Gibson 14:02
Thanks.
Steve Annear 14:03
Thanks so much Bob, it's great to be here.