Report: Jays hire John Gibbons as manager

[I_am_Belak_2]

John Gibbons is once again manager of the Toronto Blue Jays.

A source confirmed the hire, first reported by Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun, with the announcement expected Tuesday morning.

Gibbons posted a 305-305 mark in his first stint at the helm from 2004-08, including 87 wins in 2006 and 83 wins in 2007.

He was fired with the Blue Jays struggling to a 35-39 mark in '08 thanks to a slumping offence, and was undone more by the ill-fated hire of Gary Denbo as hitting coach than his actions.

Still, most fans will remember the Gibbons years for blowups with Shea Hillenbrand and Ted Lilly, incidents which unfairly coloured the view of his tenure.

Many of his players enjoyed playing for him and felt he'd do an even better job given a second chance, a possibility former GM J.P. Ricciardi was laughed off for suggesting.

Alex Anthopoulos is doing exactly that, finding a candidate he has a strong relationship with, and who cares for the city and the organization.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/201..._john_gibbons/

Interesting choice. I liked him last time, as he is a good manager, but his confrontations with players did bother me and I was glad to see him gone. But just like Melky Cabrera, people deserve a second chance, and at least now he has a much better team to work with.