Cito-mania is running wild!

A true story from Friday:

I’m driving along the 401 on my way to the Canada soccer game in Montreal. My car load of five is sleeping, so I’m listening to the Team 1200 to occupy my time. The Jim Rome Show is on. As it happens, the topic of discussion is JP Ricciardi’s comments on Adam Dunn. A caller, sorry, clone, calls in to rant about Ricciardi and the Jays. In his rant he says “six managers since Cito Gaston, how’s that gone for you? And, what did Gaston ever do? Just win two World Series.”

As this caller is making his rant John Gibbons is still the manager of the Toronto Blue Jays. Rome follows up by wondering aloud why Gaston has never got another chance to manage.

I think we all know where this is going (for the record, it went there 10 minutes after the rant).


Freakin’ bizarre. All of it.

(And what’s really scary is that Marty York said it would happen. York broke something!)

I think it’s clear this was a cynical, desperate move designed to distract us from what’s actually happening on the field. It reeks of Paul Godfrey. It’s a more than a little Leaf-like.

Whatever.

The truth is we need a little distraction from what’s happening on the field. No, hiring Cito (he’s one of a select few people in Toronto sports that doesn’t need a last name anymore—Pinball, Dougie, Cito) isn’t going to do a damn thing. But, it makes me happy to see him back on the bench in all his comatose glory.

Is that logical? No, but I’ve yet to hear a good argument for being logical about sports. Being a fan requires us to pretend that the outcome of games actually matters. So, before you go pooh-poohing the idea of Cito back on the bench pause a moment. All you Sabermetric types tell us that the manager doesn’t matter anyway. Embrace your inner Cito lover. Remember that sports is supposed to be fun and tell me that you didn’t smile a little when you heard that he was back.

Long live Cito!

PLAYOFFS!