As our old pal Meat Loaf used to say, two out of three ain’t bad.
In early January, yours truly was the first of the media mob to offer up the idea of Cliff Fletcher coming back to run the Leafs.
That was followed by an April prediction that John Gibbons wouldn’t last the year as manager of the Blue Jays.
But sitting way ahead in the count, I finally missed the plate Friday when the Jays announced that Cito Gaston was replacing Gibby. Basically, the ball club has taken a page out of the hockey team’s play book, with both squads serving up legends from long ago.
Oh, the magical early-90s, as Cliff brought Doug Gilmour to town and Cito led the Jays to a pair of World Series triumphs. This time around, Gaston’s mandate is much different. Forget about winning back-to-back titles, the Jays are hoping Cito can just get them back in the race.
It’s no secret Gibbons had to go. I’ve been saying that for weeks and have the blogging wounds to prove it, as a number of you accused me of being completely out to lunch. I also felt the Jays had to hire a big-name manager, something J.P. Ricciardi has never done on his watch. God bless Carlos Tosca and Gibbons, but J.P. is the only guy who would have given them a chance to become skippers at the big-league level.
Some of the names I threw out?
Bob Brenly, Buck Showalter, Bobby Valentine… Heck! I even had a little fun and mentioned Montreal Expos icon Gary Carter. If nothing else, The Kid would have helped push some merchandise. Can you imagine a matching set of Expos and Jays jerseys with Carter’s name and No. 8 on the back? Priceless!
As it turns out, however, that big name was sitting there like the big nose on my face. In a conversation with Blue Jays radio host Mike Wilner earlier this week, he brought up Cito’s name as a potential replacement for Willie Randolph after he was axed by the N.Y. Mets. However, the idea of Gaston returning to manage the Jays never dawned on us. But when you stop and think about it, the idea makes a whole lot of sense.
Before becoming a manager, Gaston was considered one of the best hitting coaches in all of baseball. So, who better to boost a Blue Jays offence that’s been downright embarrassing, especially in clutch situations? The book on Cito is that his calm and steady hand works best with an experienced team with loads of talent. Ricciardi keeps telling us his club looks great on paper and perhaps Gaston can take this bunch of paper champions and point them in the right direction.
So, with Gaston and Fletcher returning to the fold, everything old is new again. Why, even our old buddy Meat Loaf is alive and kicking, as he’s smack in the middle of a European tour.
And speaking of Meat Loaf, here’s hoping Cito can help the Jays pull their bats out of hell and start winning a few ball games.