Blue Jay Way

Earlier this year, I didn’t pay much attention to the John Gibbons v. Shea Hillenbrand war of wills up in Toronto. After all, you get a group of 30 guys together in a contained space and disagreements are bound to happen. And there were whispers that Hillenbrand was kind of a jerk (which doesn’t fully explain why he and Gibbons got into it…but if you get a group of 30 guys together in a contained space odds are one or two will be considered jerks by the others).

But the latest goings-on in the Blue Jays clubhouse have me thinking that maybe Gibbons is more culpable than we thought.

On the one hand, I can see why Gibbons would be less than pleased when Ted Lilly coughed up seven earned in the third inning yesterday. And I can see why his temper may have flared when Lilly wouldn’t hand over the ball after Gibbons came to the mound to bring in a reliever.

Even so, I don’t think any of that explains why Gibbons would chase Lilly into the clubhouse and (allegedly) push his pitcher. A Canadian Press photographer said, “Gibbons just went at him…It was mayhem in the tunnel.”

For his troubles, Gibbons wound up with a bloody nose. Which seems to be just rewards for (allegedly) going after one of his players. That act might have worked (for a while, at any rate) for Billy Martin. But it might not have the same effect this year, as the Jays struggle to stay in the wild card chase.