Jays Fanz

September 7, 2007 03:32 PM Written by darbyrocks

I realize this is a bit of a misleading headline for a team as inconsistent as the Blue Jays, but I made some startling discoveries about the fortunes of this squad as the closing innings unfolded on Sunday afternoon. What exactly did I come to realize? John Gibbons needs to go...NOW! I know they won the game Sunday (sweeping the plummeting Mariners in the process), but the mistakes made by Gibbons were inexcusable in my opinion. Let’s recap shall we…

The Mariners pulled to within two runs on Kenji Johjima's sacrifice fly in the seventh, but the Blue Jays answered immediately, loading the bases with no outs in the home half of the inning. Here is where Gibbon’s decision making became rather suspect. With 2 on, Gibbons pinch hit for Matt Stairs with Troy Glaus. Bear in mind Stairs, had hit a double and a homerun and has been tearing the cover off the ball pretty much all season long. I do realize their was a lefty in the game, but it bugs me to see decisions influenced by payroll (that is just my opinion). Glaus reached base to load them up with Lyle Overbay coming up. Now honestly, Overbay has done pretty much nothing all season long (2 homers since May simply does not cut it for someone being counted on too produce, especially when they are kept in the game in favour of someone who has ACTUALLY been producing consistently all season long) Additionally, Frank Thomas stood at second base and we all know he is not the fleetest of foot. Next the always reliable Overbay struck out, but Hill came through with a single to center, scoring a run. Zaun followed by grounding into a double play, but Toronto still held a three-run lead. On the surface a 3 run lead heading into the eighth would seem like a great thing, however, it only amplified their inability to put the nail in the coffin when they have a chance. Scoring one run out of a bases loaded, nobody out situation is a huge failure in my opinion for a team with a payroll in the neighbourhood of $100 million. For that kind of money they should deliver on these chances more often than not. Of course hindsight is 20/20 but as the game unfolded it was obvious to me that Gibbons was making critical errors that could have very easily proven costly. You do not even have to have a brilliant baseball mind to figure this out, you simply need to pay attention.

What should he have done differently you ask? For starters, he should have left Matt Stairs in to hit. Sure, JP did not create as much fanfare about his signing as he did about Overbay’s, but the stats do not lie; Matt Stairs has been one of our most consistent players all season long. He deserved the right to hit in that situation and should have been kept in the game. Glaus should have pinch hit for Overbay, not Stairs as Overbay has been impotent for months, and his strikeout again only emphasized his futility. At the same time, Frank Thomas should have been replaced for a competent base runner. Of course you can argue that his bat would be valuable in the line-up should disaster strike, but Gibbons pinch hit for him later in the game anyways, making that argument moot, so why not make the change and eliminate a liability on the base paths, thus increasing your chances of actually driving in some runs? Had this been done, Hill’s single would have driven in 2 runs instead of one (and trust me, the Blue Jays need to start cashing in all the runners on base they can, if for no other reason than to boost confidence). Additionally, this would have eliminated the double play situation that ended the inning. Speaking as an infielder, it is far easier to turn a 5-2-3 double play with Frank Thomas and Greg Zaun running that it is to turn a 5-4-3 double play, so who knows what could have happened had our manager simply managed the team. Perhaps I am being a bit harsh, but after the batting out of order fiasco on Saturday (for the 2 time this year!!!!!) It has become painfully clear that John Gibbons prefers to passively let the team run itself. For the money that Ted Rogers spent on this team he needs someone to actively manage the game and is not prone to embarrassing errors. In all my years playing and coaching this fine game, I have never once witnessed anyone batting out of order. Judging by what I witnessed Sunday, it doesn’t look like Gibbons has ever seen it either. This team needs a manager with some clout, and hopefully JP realizes this as well, or who knows, he too may find himself looking for work. Didn’t he promise a contender in five years 7 years ago? We spend like one, now the next step is actually becoming one!

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