Gibbons gives Pillar a pass on faux pas

John Gibbons sat back in his office chair and laughed that laugh that has endeared him to Toronto Blue Jays fans for years now.

Perhaps mildly surprised that a day later he was being asked why Kevin Pillar wasn’t being “disciplined” for a questionable baserunning decision on Sunday in New York, Gibbons seemed more amused by the interrogation than anything.

“Actually I don’t give a … I don’t care,” Gibbons said when asked if the reaction was contrary to his laid-back reputation. “Gotta give the talking heads something to talk about in a tough year. I am laid back. Nothin’ wrong with that.”

“I don’t know if it would be smart to punish him. I didn’t even think twice about it.”

Such a reaction is just part of the reason veteran Jays players admire Gibbons and why he’ll be missed by many of them if and when he leaves.

Sure, on Sunday the manager was irked when Pillar selfishly (and unsuccessfully) tried to steal third with two out and his team down to the Yankees by four. But Gibbons addressed it with an eruption in the dugout that was caught by Yankee Stadium cameras and the end to a frustrating seven-game road trip was magnified.

“It’s hard to criticize Kevin Pillar for the way he goes about his business,” Gibbons said when pressed for a third time about a lack of consequence. “I’ve got zero complaints about Kevin Pillar other than I didn’t like what he did (on Sunday). There was no motive behind my reaction.”