YORK, Pa. -- Jay Gibbons is a 50-minute drive from the place where he was once a hero, 50 minutes away from a stadium where his best buddies are still revered. This is the closest he has been to Baltimore since the Orioles released him in March, giving up on their former right fielder after seven seasons.
He acknowledges that it's strange to be so close, and so distant.
"It is tough being here. It's tough seeing all the `O's' on the cars here," said Gibbons, whose Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League played the York Revolution in a three-game series that started Friday.
"I had a great time for seven years. [Baltimore] is starving for a winner, and they have a great bunch of guys. I am just so happy for them," he said. "But it is definitely tough being this close."
After waiting 10 weeks for a call from an affiliated team that never came, Gibbons, 31, decided this month to play in the Atlantic League and jump-start a career that had been stalled by injuries and involvement in baseball's performance-enhancing drug scandal.
The second-year Revolution, managed by former Orioles catcher Chris Hoiles, wanted him. But he needed a fresh start. So he joined the Ducks, a club filled with ex-major leaguers, including former All-Star Carl Everett.
"It's a league of misfortune," said Everett, who had a 14-season career in the majors that includes a World Series ring and dustups with umpires, managers and the media. "A lot of times mistakes are made by whomever, whether it is the club on judgment or the player. If you are one of those players that they made a mistake on you, you are going to hope someone else sees you."
Gibbons has repeatedly apologized for his "mistake," buying and using human growth hormone that he said he took to help recover from injury. He was included in Major League Baseball's Mitchell Report and initially suspended for 15 days.
"All I can say is I am sorry. I'm sorry," he said. "I made a mistake and have paid a price for it.Absolutely."
Based on his reception in York, some have accepted the apology; others haven't.
He received little reaction when first introduced Friday night, but by his fourth at-bat a faint chant of "hGH" had started. Pre-game, however, Gibbons signed autographs for about 15 minutes, and later he said he received nothing but encouragement. "Everybody was very polite. That's what I chose to hear," he said. "I was very happy people supported me and came out, and I don't care much about the ones that don't. Interesting night, to say the least."
