Without a star-studded lineup, Cito Gaston has the Jays back on top and maybe in his second stint as manager he will get the respect he deserves.
Cito Gaston is likely to deflect any praise to his charges but after his team's fast start the Blue Jays' manager should finally start getting paid his dues.
Although Gaston won two World Series rings in 1992 and 1993 during his first stint with the Jays no one ever claimed that he was a great tactical manager. Much of the credit was given to a Jays' roster which included Robbie Alomar, Joe Carter and Paul Molitor -- the best team that money could buy. Many claimed Gaston just put the stars on the field, sat back and let them do their thing.
That wasn't the case of course.
Gaston is a manager of men, balancing the various personalities of his 25-man roster, knowing when to prod players and when to leave them be. It's a fine balance when a group of grown men of various backgrounds and nationalities are put together for close to eight months. There are inevitably going to be squabbles. They are only human. But with Gaston at the helm, the ship always seems to run a little smoother.
The 2009 edition of the Toronto Blue Jays are becoming an enjoyable team to watch. Sure the 14 wins in the first 20 games makes everything right as rain. Especially in a city where not a lot is expected, where the other professional teams in the city are more about profit than performance. If attendance figures are the yard stick then Toronto sports fans have taken a 'wait and see' approach to this team. That's partly because the Jays haven't really challenged for a playoff spot in over 15 years and partly because just about every home game is on TV for free.
But it says here that it's time once again to make the trip down to the Rogers Centre and see what the fuss is all about first-hand. As I write this Gaston's team has the best record in the Majors.
It's not like just a couple of players are carrying this team. Far from it. This 'team' is winning because everyone is contributing, with a different hero from game to game. And it's not like they win by being dominant in one aspect of the game. One night it's the pitching that carries the day, the next they slug their way to a win. And that should be exciting enough to warrant more butts in the seats.
What I find very interesting is the level of second-guessing from the post-game callers on the Fan 590 in Toronto. To date, Gaston has been using an unofficial platoon at first base (Lyle Overbay/Kevin Millar) and in left field (Travis Snider/Jose Bautista). As I scour the stats, it has worked with the combined numbers from those two positions ranking near the top in the American League. Yet, for whatever reason, the callers continually question Gaston's methods. Last I checked the Jays have the best record in the A.L. East since Gaston took over from John Gibbons last June. And during his previous managerial stint, with two World Series rings to prove his way works, he hardly ever pinch hit. It's just not his style, so don't think he's going to change his modus operandi any time soon.
Unfortunately, the two previous managers in Toronto - Gibbons and Carlos Tosca - were continually managing to keep their jobs so mixing and matching and tinkering was the way they went about things with limited success. Those days are over with Gaston. He's quite secure now and for the near future. And he only knows one way to manage and, more often than not, he's a winner.
With his trusty lieutenants Gene Tenace and Nick Leyva by his side, Cito has turned the Jays around offensively, replacing the flawed approach they went to the plate with a year ago with a plan that has worked in spades. It worked before and has worked again.
And with a career winning percentage of .524, Gaston's teams has been more successful than not. You'd think that alone would stifle the second-guessers.
