Success agrees with Jays manager
After weathering two-plus seasons of fan discontent, criticism has faded
The Blue Jays’ recent run of success has Toronto manager John Gibbons feeling good and eating less.
In his normal pregame chat with reporters Wednesday, the 53-yearold Gibbons said his diet is better as a winner.
“I eat less when things are going good,” he said. “I’m a frustration eater.”
“Look at me,” he added with a self-deprecating grin.
Given the Jays lead the American League East with a 76-57 record after Wednesday’s 5-1 victory over the Cleveland Indians, Gibbons has reason to smile.
Entering Wednesday’s game, Toronto, which has now won nine of its last 11, led the majors in runs (725), homers (185), RBI (693) and slugging percentage (.451). They are now 23-6 since the start of August.
How hot are the Jays? The nightly calls on sports talk radio for Gibbons’ head from a segment of the fan base have abated of late. But that’s not uncommon for this franchise.
There are still some Blue Jays fans who look back on Cito Gaston’s managing of the 1992 and 1993 World Series championship teams as a case of someone being in the right place at the right time ... that anyone could guide that talented a team to a championship.
With the talented, deep roster of hitters and a vastly improved bullpen at Gibbons’ disposal, fan discontent with the laid-back manager’s approach has faded into the background, largely lost amid the growing cheers for the team.
For his part, Gibbons said he worries less these days, a byproduct of managing a winning club.
“The scoreboard dictates your life quite a bit,” he acknowledged.
One of his players, slugger Edwin Encarnacion, has certainly made life easier on and off the diamond. The veteran was named the American League’s player of the month on Wednesday. Toronto’s first baseman/designated hitter had a league-best .407 average for August, hitting 11 homers and driving in 35 runs over that span.
He was also first in the league in slugging percentage (.907) and extra-base hits (21).
Encarnacion had a hit in every game he played in August as he built a 26-game hitting streak from July 26 to Aug. 31.
His streak also included Saturday’s three-homer, nine-RBI performance in Toronto’s 15-1 win over Detroit.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, third baseman Josh Donaldson, who also had an 11-homer, 35-RBI month, and Encarnacion became the first pair of teammates to have at least 10 home runs and 35 RBI in a single month since Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in July 1931.
The success of the team has certainly made life “much better” during the long, sometimes lonely season, Gibbons said.
“I’ve got no family to enjoy it with, so that hasn’t changed,” lamented Gibbons, a father of three whose family home lives in San Antonio.
A message written on the white board behind Gibbons’ desk offers a reminder from a loved one. “Good luck on the season! We love you, Dad!”
Barring player injuries, Gibbons joked his major worry these days is what he is going to eat for breakfast.
Perhaps it’s a measure of Toronto’s comfortable run of late that Gibbons actually answered a question about what his favourite breakfast is. “I’m an omelette guy,” he said.
Gibbons said despite his eating habits, his weight hasn’t changed. Muscle weighs more than fat, he added with a smile.
NOTES: There was still a palpable buzz surrounding Canadian Dalton Pompey’s two stolen base effort in Tuesday’s Blue Jays win.
The speedy Mississauga, Ont., native came in as a pinch-runner in the seventh inning of a 2-2 tie. He proceeded to swipe second and third base and then scored on a sacrifice fly to give Toronto a lead in a game they eventually won 5-3 in 10 innings.
Pompey credited first-base coach Tim Lieper for inspiring the thefts.
“Liep was telling me at first base that I can get this guy,” Pompey said on Wednesday.
“I thought it was great that I could help the team in some way.”
“It was the perfect guy in the perfect situation,” Lieper said of Pompey’s performance. “He’s in the game to get to second base. We’re at the lower part of the order and we want to make something happen. If you get thrown out, you get thrown out.”