Blake Murphy Sports Writing

Title: Gibbons Fired, Cito Gaston Returns
Date:June 20, 2008
Original Source: The On Deck Circle
Synopsis: Finally, John Gibbons was fired by the Toronto Blue Jays. Cito Gaston was named the new manager, and the writing was on the wall for GM J.P. Ricciardi.

It’s finally happened. The axe has fallen, and it was John Gibbons head on the chopping block. The Jays announced today, between interleague series at Milwaukee and Pittsburgh, that they have parted ways with manager John Gibbons.

While it may not make a ton of baseball sense, I’m not the least bit surprised.

Foremost, the move was an inexpensive one, with Gibbons’ contract running out as season’s end anyways. It is also some free media buzz, and an attractive situation for the casual fan.

But more importantly, GM J.P. Ricciardi’s run here in Toronto has been anything but successful so far, and the only person left to take the hit before Ricciardi himself does was Gibbons. With the Jays last in the AL East at 35-39, they have wildly underperformed by fan expectations in each of the last two seasons, with this campaign being an increasingly frustrating one. Despite boasting a pitching staff with the 3rd best ERA in the Majors, the Jays have managed to hit just .258 en route to a paltry 297 runs (25th in the league).

While ultimately the batting and situational hitting falls to the players (and, in some respect, to Ricciardi for assembling an every-player-is-average team), Gibbons is the final person remaining on the firing line before the front office wakes up and realizes the captain of the ship may not have mapped out that clear a course. Ricciardi, though I‘m relatively neutral on him, has consistently failed to bring in players at a bargain or any impact players at all. He has drafted fairly well, but the fact that the Jays have had the same holes for several years now speaks volumes about his ability to fine tune a team for success.

Still, Gibbons is gone, and that’s something we all have to deal with. Gibbons leaves with a 305-305 career record behind the Jays bench, but it’s a record far below expectations and one that has put him under great scrutiny from the baseball media in the area. Personally, I don’t think the manager has that much influence on individual at bats, and Gibbons did a fine job managing the pitching staff the past two seasons, but again, someone has to be held accountable.

I’m also generally against mid-season coaching changes, because there is no time for adjustment or for a new coach to implement a style or system. That said, the Jays have cleaned house completely by also letting go of hitting coach Gary Denbo and coaches Marty Pevey and Ernie Whitt. It appears that Brian Butterfield and Brad Arnsberg will survive Black Friday, but that may only be until season’s end (note: they better keep Arnsberg, who may be the best pitching coach in baseball).

And who is replacing Gibbons et. al? None other than the only man to manage the Jays to a World Series, Cito Gaston.

Gaston returns with some of his staff from the World Series era, including coaches Nick Leyva and Gene Tenace. Dwayne Murphy has been promoted to first base coach from minor league hitting coach, too.

So what do I think of this? Well, it’s really quite simple. Obviously, this staff is a temporary one.

Gaston is 64 years old and has been retired for a dozen years, and the rest of the crew are relative nobodies, as far as coaches go. It seems unlikely that Gaston, after no search for a replacement and no interviews, is a long term solution. I even considered that Ricciardi may have been warned to bring in a temporary coaching staff, in case a new GM this offseason wants his own staff, but I don’t think Ricciardi could handle that kind of ego-destroying task. I’ll add here that there are a few decent managing candidates out there, including the recently available Willie Randolph.

Instead, it’s pretty clear to me that signing Gaston is a move made to reach out to fans, new and old alike. By bringing in Gaston, it creates newsworthy buzz that may draw interest from fans that have been lost since the glory days, and it’s also a nice 90-game throwback for current fans. Whether or not Gaston can do anything to turn this team around is unclear, and probably unlikely. The rest of the staff changes fall in this mould, too, as the team makes a concerted effort to salvage the season for the fans, if not for the standings.

What’s next, though, if Gibbons and his staff have been let go? After numerous trades, moves, and firings, there is only one man left to stand accountable for the Jays misfortunes, and that is the general manager. While I’m by no means a Ricciardi hater, the way he handles the rest of the season will, in my mind, determine whether he’s even given another chance: Will he finally call Adam Lind up to get Major League playing time? Will he attempt to get a modicum of value in return for AJ Burnett? Will he sell high on Rod Barajas and Scott Rolen? Or will he make a push now, moving some of the AAA arm depth and minor league OF depth, to acquire a real DH or left fielder? With 88 games to go, there is plenty of time for the team to turn around. After all, through 72 games the Rays are in a playoff position.

So while the fans will be occupied with new media-toy Cito Gaston for the next few months, the team will trudge on in attempt to make a push, while Ricciardi faces his toughest decision making period to date. After all, it may be best for the team for him to sell a few pieces and add some depth or financial flexibility, but it’s probably best for him as a professional to do everything he can to hit that 90 win mark.

Halfway through the season…hey, it can only get more interesting.