Cormack on MLB: Worth a click, Nov. 21

So now that you’ve had 24 hours — and probably thousands of written words of analysis worth — to digest the John Gibbons hiring, what do you think?

The choice was a smash hit with the local media, many of whom Gibbons addressed by name during yesterday’s introductory press conference.

As for the fans? The initial reaction appeared to be mixed, perhaps mostly due to shock but as the day went on and the comments, Twitter mentions and text messages continued to roll in, it seemed like most fans had warmed up to the idea of Gibby 2.0.

Heck, the Gibbons love-in was so profound yesterday that it even took hold of Shea Hillenbrand.

No, seriously.

Props to Brendan Kennedy of the Toronto Star for tracking down Hillenbrand yesterday to get his thoughts on the move.

“That’s awesome,” Hillenbrand told Kennedy. “He’s a great guy.”

And as for that famous “dust-up” (as Gibbons referred to it Tuesday), Hillenbrand took full responsibility for it.

“I think he handled the situation that we had very professionally and I didn’t handle it professionally at all,” Hillenbrand said from his home in Arizona. “All I know is that during my time with him he was a really good manager and I think he did a really good job with what he had.”

Well then.

As far as first impressions go — or second ones in Gibbons’ case — the 50-year-old hit a home run during yesterday’s press conference/charm offensive.

He was jovial, candid, and at times, self-deprecating. In other words, Gibbons presented as stark a contrast to John Farrell as one can be.

There will be plenty of time in the days to come to more carefully parse through Gibbons’ previous tenure in Toronto, but in the meantime, here’s a look at some of the initial reactions to the hiring, here at sportsnet.ca and elsewhere.

AT SPORTSNET.CA

In this thorough Gibbons profile, Shi Davidi writes, “The man is not at all what so many think he is — he’s smart, savvy and as laid-back as they come.”

Paul Beeston, the man who had to take the Marlins trade to ownership for approval, says in the end it was an easy sell.

Stephen Brunt says the decision to go with John Gibbons is all about trust for Alex Anthopoulos.

Mike Wilner says Gibbons was a breath of fresh air during his introductory news conference.

Meanwhile in Miami, Steph Rogers writes there were obvious signs a fire sale was coming.

SPORTSNET.CA VIDEOS:

Tuesday on Prime Time Sports, Alex Anthopoulos revealed two potential surprising hangups to the Marlins blockbuster, and a short time later John Gibbons explained what he thought Anthopoulos was calling to talk about late last week.

Gregg Zaun tells Martine Gaillard he thinks the Gibbons hiring was a gutsy call by Anthopoulos.

Ken Rosenthal tells Gaillard he was shocked by the Gibbons hiring, but on second thought it makes sense.

Miss yesterday’s press conference? You can watch the event in its entirety here.

Barry Davis and Shi Davidi catch up with Alex Anthopoulos following Tuesday’s press conference.

GIBBONS REACTION ELSEWHERE ON THE WEB:

Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun says Anthopoulos appeared to be more comfortable with Gibbons on Tuesday than he ever was with Farrell. Ken Fidlin says Gibbons was the safest bet Anthopoulos could have made.

Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star writes the Gibbons hire “is either a case of GM Alex Anthopoulos learning a lesson from the team’s failed two-year experience with John Farrell or of him being intimidated into going with a comfortable choice rather than chance being twice burned.”

John Lott in the National Post writes Anthopoulos hired Gibbons, optics be damned. Bruce Arthur says the Blue Jays big week is the culmination of Anthopoulos’ plan.

Jon Morosi of Fox Sports says Gibbons is a good fit because the Blue Jays can, “afford to become a little brassier, to the extent that the new built-to-win mentality should be accompanied by a change in attitude.”

Wanted to ask one former big-league mgr about Gibbons hiring but he just kept saying “Wow.” He was not impressed.

— DKnobler (@DKnobler) November 20, 2012

Tim Brown of Yahoo! likes the hire and writes that with Gibbons at the helm, if the Jays go bad, “at least somebody’s knuckles will need bandaging.”

Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com says Anthopoulos has attacked the off-season “with the kind of eagerness and aggressiveness those of us in the States will show at our Thanksgiving smorgasbords later this week.”

Jay Jaffe of SI.com argues the Gibbons hiring does not come without its red flags.

Jon Heyman of CBSsports.com writes some of the early reviews he’s heard of the Gibbons hiring have been less than flattering.

David Schoenfield of ESPN.com takes a look back at Gibbons’ first tenure and reveals a manager who succeeded without a deep talent base.

In a roundabout way, Joel Sherman of the NY Post suggests the Blue Jays and Royals could be interested in R.A. Dickey if the Mets decide to deal the 2012 NL Cy Young winner.

AND FINALLY…

For those of wondering what the new Buffalo Bisons logo would look like, wonder no longer:

There it is. #bisons new logo. twitter.com/BNHarrington/s…

— Mike Harrington (@BNHarrington) November 20, 2012

$(“#poll_11084″).v2Poll({poll_id: 11084});