Blue Jays: Top 10 John Gibbons Moments

Throughout his two stops as the Blue Jays’ manager, John Gibbons has given the fans many of memorable moments over the years.

During his first stint in Toronto, John Gibbons was not a man who was liked all that much around not only the city, but also the country. The Blue Jays were the definition of mediocre from 2004-2008, the span in which he was the manager of the team. So when he was re-hired in November 2012, once again there were a lot of disgruntled Blue Jays fans. However, it is amazing how success can change the opinions of people.

While the team did not have a whole lot of success in 2013 or 2014, it was in 2015 when Gibby’s Blue Jays started playing top tier baseball. As the wins started to roll in, Gibbons seemed to be a more relaxed manager, and it showed. Gibbons’ witty sense of humor and dry sarcasm has lead to many fond memories for both his players and the fans.

The man who was born in Great Falls, Montana, but raised in San Antonio, Texas, has found his way into the hearts of people across Canada. After signing a two-year extension in April 2017, it is almost a lock that Gibby will be slouching on the Blue Jays bench for the foreseeable future.

While there have been many hilarious Gibbons quotes and/or encounters over the years, the best ones have been selected for this article. While there will surely be many more over the years, here are the top ten John Gibbons moments (as a manager of the Blue Jays), and we hope you enjoy.

10. Gibby brushes off suspension

After a brawl broke out in May 2016, John Gibbons was ejected from the game. However after being ejected Gibbons came back on the field, which led to the Blue Jays skipper receiving a three-game suspension from the MLB.

While he was obviously not happy about being away from the team, Gibby couldn’t help but find the positive side of his suspension. Gibbons ecstatically said, “I get three nights off,” and that he will sit back, relax and enjoy the game from the stands. Later Gibbons stated that he might watch the Raptors game while he was suspended, leading to laughs from both Gibby and the media scrum.

Who knows if Gibby actually skipped out on watching his team in favour of watching the Raptors in the playoffs? While it is doubtful that he chose the Raptors over the Blue Jays, Gibby still gave us all a laugh by brushing off his suspension in a comical way.

9. “Are We Trying To Turn This Game Into a Joke?”

In a game against the Tampa Bay Rays, the Toronto Blue Jays were down 3-2 in the ninth inning and were beginning to rally. With one out and the bases loaded, former Blue Jays slugger Edwin Encarnacion stepped up to the plate. Encarnacion chopped a ground ball to third, and began to hustle down the first base line. Jose Bautista, who was on first base, was also hustling to try and break up the double play. Bautista did just that by sliding into second, causing an errant throw that allowed one run at the minimum to score.

However the play was reviewed, and it was ruled that Bautista slid into second base illegally, which led to both the third out and a run being taken away, thus giving the Rays the win.

Gibbons was not all that pleased about the call, as he went on to call out the league on their rule change, asking if the league was, “trying to turn the game into a joke’. Gibbons also called it an embarrassment, among other comments that can be heard in the video below.

While Gibby is usually as laid back as they come, it was nice to see him show some fire and give the league his two cents on the matter. In the eyes of Gibbons, a game should never end with such a controversial call, and he let the league know about it.

8. Gibby Needs a Beer

After being ejected in the 8^th inning of a game from 2014, John Gibbons was clearly frustrated with the game as a whole. He was asked about his ejection, and gave a professional, by-the-book type of response. The Blue Jays manager spoke about a coach’s challenge gone wrong, and how the team’s poor home stand led to the build up of frustration. However at the end, he changed his tune.

I guess Gibbons had enough of the political responses he was giving, so he went back to his expected, straight shooter type of response. Gibby claimed the reason he was ejected was simply because he, “got tired of looking at bunts not getting put down so I said, I’ll go have a beer.” Now that’s the Gibbons we all know and love.

Gibby later added that, “it’s a pretty simple business if you get down to it. Those guys that have all the complicated answers, they’re kidding ya,” followed by his vintage wink and smirk. Just one of the many reasons why so many of us love Gibby in Toronto.

7. Gibby Answers Questions With The Edwing, Also Calls Out Barry Davis

After a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks in June 2016, Gibby showed up to the press conference wearing an “Edwing” t-shirt. The shirt had a parrot printed below the shoulder, along with Edwin’s number 10 on the left side of the torso.

Throughout the interview Gibbons held the Edwing up, a move made famous by former Blue Jay Edwin Encarnacion. For those who don’t know what the Edwing is (if you don’t, you are not a true Blue Jays fan), it is what Encarnacion would do after a homerun. The slugger would lift his arm as if a parrot was on it, and trot around the bases.

Gibby looked absolutely hilarious answering questions with an Edwing up, and it showed how fun Gibbons can really be in post-game pressers. To go along with his parrot shirt and Edwing, Gibby also called out Barry Davis for not watching the game and “looking for fake injuries”. Gibby, we love you.

4. “No Comment”

While I am no expert, I feel as if Gibby isn’t the biggest fan of former Sportsnet employee Barry Davis. There have been a few incidents over the years that sparked that theory, but perhaps none were better than this one.

After dropping a game 11-0, the Blue Jays were set to play again the following day. Not in the mood to talk pre-game, Gibbons had a note delivered to Barry Davis that said, “no comment”. Baseball journalist extraordinaire John Lott posted the photo to Twitter, which led to fans getting a kick out of their manager. What makes this so funny is that Gibby went out of his way to make sure Davis specifically was given the note.

Not too long after the note was delivered, Gibbons gave reporters a couple of minutes to ask questions. However, his answers were exactly what he said they would be – no comment. This man is a gem, and the Blue Jays need to extend him for another fifteen years.

3. John From The Bronx

After questioning the decision to start Luke Maile over Russell Martin, Blue Jays radio reporter Mike Wilner called out the Blue Jays skipper before the game. I guess Gibbons found out about it, and had some fun with Wilner.

Gibby called into Wilner’s radio show, and referred to himself as John From The Bronx. As if this wasn’t hilarious enough, Gibbons then went on to gloat about how good Estrada has been. However, the best part was yet to come, and we got a great quote from Gibby about Gibby:

“I thought it was great on Gibby’s part to catch Maile. I thought that Maile did a great job. You know I heard you before the game and what an expert you are man, and I am glad you were wrong once again.”

Gibby also went on to make a few funny jokes and references, including asking for free tickets to a game. How can one possibly not like this guy? He manages his bullpen with the best of them, AND he is guaranteed to give a memorable quote pretty well whenever he opens his mouth.

2. Tulo Haters – Feel Gibby’s Wrath

It is no secret that John Gibbons is a player’s manager. He is ultra laid-back and truly seems to listen to and care about his players. When shortstop Troy Tulowitzki was in a bit of a slump at the plate, Gibby was the first one to stand up for him – both during the slump and after it.

When Tulo finally broke out of his slump, a reporter asked Gibby how big this game was for Tulowitzki. Before answering the question, Gibbons started by saying, “for all those Tulo haters out there suck on that one for tonight, will ya?”

I can say with certainty that very few other managers, if any, would have responded to that question by saying that. Gibbons stands up for his players, and does not care in the slightest what people think of him. He rides and dies for his team, and we love him for that.

1. What Is Gibby Even Saying?

The video below provided me with perhaps the wildest two minutes and three seconds of my life, thanks to the comedic ways of John Gibbons.

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The interview started with reporters asking Gibby questions about the injury to second baseman Devon Travis. He answered them honestly, with no noteworthy quotes. As he was continuing to answer the question, Travis walked by. Gibbons then stopped answering the question and called out to Travis. However, what made this so funny is that there is no possible way Gibby was speaking proper English.

It took me about 63 listens before I could (somewhat) interpret what he was saying, as the English was so bad. The conclusion I came to? Gibby said, “hey Devy, right here, hey Dev.” Listen for yourself at the 20-second mark in the video below. If you have master’s degree in the English language, please let me know your interpretation.

And folks, the madness does not end here. After Travis answered questions for reporters, Gibby then called in Josh Donaldson to do the same after he did not want to be asked similar questions about the injury to his star third baseman. Donaldson spoke about his rehab process, made a couple jokes about Gibby, then made his way out of the view of the camera. Gibbons concluded the interview by saying, “there you have it. Straight from the horses ass to the horses mouth.” This led to a roar of laughter, including laughs from Donaldson himself.

Gibby, please never change. We love you in Toronto and want nothing more than for you to continue your goofy ways while helping the team pick up wins. #TeamGibbons

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