Reflecting on the Get It Done Era

There's a place for analytics, but there's also, you know, the human element in trust in your guys and the Perfect example, I man. You know, with the tista right And know I can remember they would they would talk about, well, Batista's projection against He bought him b immendous. you know, the one Edd Yeah, that Eddie took D to win it, right U You know, his Batitha's projections were should he should hammer, right? But he was like three in his career, right? I can remember Yeah, I' gonna start hing you This isn't the Tri League. suspects again and M throwing us iniative of Brussel Marton challenging the You know, this is to get it done like ag Well, how about this? Our first guest on the get it done League And full disclosure. what perfect timing? We are recording this on the fourth of July. The man who needs no introduction. although I want to pass it over to Josh Donaldson to introduce our first, our inaugural guest on the show. Job, whoa, w Ay the first is't there dress code or at these shows No we we we make our own rules here. givey this clear clearly This is pod clearly This is podcasting. This isn't major League baseball. Okay. And there you go and John Gibbons our first guest. We just thought that u Gibby would be the best guest to have this, especially to start this show because he knows all of us. He knows all of our stories and he had what we like to call the best v you in the house to watching this show of the Toronto Blue Jays in twenty fifteenh or twenty eighteen for sure. When he wasn't getting ejected, that is Well, that was the best part. You know, if Gaby had a little heartburn or something like that, you know, he was going He was gonna get tossed early that day so he could go have, you know a bottle of Veno in the back And mean they Th those teams that were self run, man. Oh, you know, they really didn't need a manager other than put out some fires And just turn the boys loose, man, turn the dogs loose, see what happens, right Yeah. Hey, but I'll tell like on a serious note, I was thinking about this warning I was thinking about it this morning about Gibby. A lot of guys asked like, what is a manager like And you hear the old cliche like, oh, he's a playerss manager, right Well, Gibbbe is the definition of a player's manager And I'll give you a story to kind of lead us into that And it wasn't just for the Martin The batistas, the incarcions myself I remember Barnes a relief pitcher. He had a bad quad or something at the time. and they were about to send him down. And Gibby pulls him into the office and he's like, Hey, how's your ququad feeling And Barnes is like I feel good. He goes, well, you think you could pitch tomorr? I's like, Yeahah, gaby if you need me, I could pit like trying to do like the soldier thing to say. And he's like No, dude, is your leg bothering you? I need you to tell me It is like, yeah, it's bothering me Is like, Well, they're going to send you down if you don't go into the training room right now. Wk w. So go to the trading room and I mean for a guy like that at that time like Being on the I the major League roster IL for two weeks at that time And going to the minor Leagues is a huge pay gap. I mean, you're talking thirty, forty, fifty thousand dollars at that time And Giby was going to make sure that he wasn't going to get sit down and not get paid for what him being hurt when he did it in the major League service versus going down to the minor leeagues and making You know, a couple of hundred dollars a week or whatever it was at that time Well, you know what they Well, Dany Barr is one of my all time favorites you know, I worked with in the last couple of years, I coach with him, but I mean, that's the reality of the game, you know, you got guys you guys are like this too, you know, you play through injuries, you want, you know, you in his case, he was trying to make it establish himself and You know, he going going to play the hero, you know and and well, that makes no sense because they're going to send you down You know, if if you're going to be if you're hurt going the deal here, it wasn't, you know, like I was trying to screw the organization or anything, but it was it was taking care of the the kid, you know, and because I knew who he was and things like that. We also had something like that with Luke Maley, you know, when Luke Luke was there, same thing ist he was bothering. He was going to go whatever 's like no, you got be you got to be smart, you know, and it's not whatever. like most managers aren't doing that. They're not going to take care of their guys that are out there laying on the line and You know, for us, like we saw that And like when you want to talk about like hey, like Gaby wasn't the Raa type of guys like Hey, you know, like doing all that But he was definitely a guy that was like we were all ready to run through a wall for And that kind of leads me to my next segment. I don't know if Gibby if you remember this at all, but this was a big talking point at one time in Toronto Media I don't know if we can get a are starting to go It's the to That That's the toone Gibby. New York That's just you got to watch I know my I know my I know my side of the story, but in New York Let's hear your side of it because I know that you did the nice thing. but I want to hear your side and then we can kind of talk about that. So let me just give the preamble real quick for people who may not remember. At Yankee Stadium, Donaldson comes off the field. He comes down steps. This is what it look like for the sideline reporter And it looked like he fired his bat and then Oll number twenty And old Gibbons start startart having themselves a conversation at the end of the dugout And afterwards, Jadie says, Yeahah, Gibby was just asking what what Cona was wearing and I told him it was Tom Ford. So when you threw the bat, did it almost hit somebody or like No no I hit it I hit it on the rail and it snapped right there and then I threw the rest of it down the downown the little with the yeah, the top thing is I was standing on that rail You was All right so let's hear let's hear let's hear slide.. I've heard your sideat of story and is totally wrong, but'm'm I'm going to give everybody the facts here, right? You know? Let's hear. So it was it was a day game in New York in can't remember it was end of the year or whatever. And I would always go to you guys Hey, you need a day off coming up or whatever. you know, Russe at least be honest about that, you right And and most of you guys, you know, all you guys said no, I'll let you know. I said perfect. okay. So anyway Well probably the only left hand in the leag that gave you trouble, Josh, was Sabbatian. He was pitching that up I came to we had a day game and it, you know, everybody was grinding. it was late. And I said we had a double header before. We had twenty innings the day before No, I think that was might be the year before, but anyway maybe. Well yeah, maybe not. but anyway, Die. So I can you said I said, all right, well You said, No, I don't need a day off, I'll be fine. I said, Well, maybe with just DH you give you half a day And you said, okay, great, that'd be perfect. okay for some reason, you know, You always pounded lefties, but Sebatathy gave you trouble. So that was part of the reason. and I know you're probably tired. everyverybody's worn out. You go up there and so your first to bat, I think it was you your sword fighting street pitches And so you stepped out of the box and you look right at me, you know And you walked back to the dug all where I disappeared, right? ' bad same thing, man It' Those a batch right there and get Sabbaty into the Hall of Fame. But But anyway, okay, the second time The seconde time, yeah, same thing. as soon as you turn out of the box, you're looking right at me and I go,, what is this? So they didn't they didn't walk it down And you take their bad whack. I the You know, uh Yeah, right next to me And so then you walk in my And I thought, you know what, hey, I can't let this happen, right This came up. I can't let this go on. So I walked down there. We had a few choice words and And then I remember Tulo Tul was Tulo was a peaceemaker too. Yeah he always showed up and And nothing happened. I don't know. didid you finish that game after that? or did I scare you and you laugh? What What was it I can honestly, I can't even remember. I so I There's a lot to cut through right there with Gibby because there's a lot of like there's you got to get through some of the Texas bullshit that he's saying. But After my first bat I was in the dugout and I was kind of like lou I was like frustrated. tired You know, whatever And I go I mean I don't even know why I'm playing today. I'm just getting my doors blown off by eighty eight. I got absolutely nothing at the time And Gavy can kind of hear his out he comes over a few few seconds later's like, you want to come out the game And I'm like, no, I don't want to come out of the game. I would never tell him them I want to come out of the game. There's no way I was ever saen. And so then my second that after all of it happened I smack my bat against the rail right there. breaks. I throw it down. And I come back down and now give you likeike he said, he's like,, I can't let that happen, right? So he comes down. He's like, Hey, was that directed towards me I like I was. In my head, I wanted to say yes. But in the back of it, I was like, no Gibby I just got my doors blowed off for the second straight time by eighty eight miles an hour. A guy who I should absolutely be pounding right now. So I'm not in the greatest of moods. And I think I kind of like took a step towards Gibby and then Gibby gave me the old shove underneath the chest and went to like kind of pick me up And it was about to be ond and then Josh totally comes in. And I was like Tally get them out of here. I get I get rid of Ttally and then Tulow comes and they say, Hey dude, we're in New York. You can't do this here. that Im liked You know what? You got a good point I don't know how he was able to talk a little bit of logic at me at that time Yeah no kid Yeah, that was one of my favorite things right there. But that's how Gibby was like Gibby He's not like a lot of these managers these's like today like who are scared of confrontation that are just always kind of there with their their guys and You know He was going to tell to the media everything Gibby was going to be great. He wasn't going to ever throw you to the wolves in the media How many times did you and I have talks in your office after your games? And not all the time was it like negative. It was like, Like there was positive stuff that was going on too. like, hey, like I want to run this by you. What do you think here? Like that was Well did some of those conversations be like T to guys talk? I had some I had some Well, I got it I don't know real. was like two wee when Russ was hiting the two hole. I was hitting the five hole I like I saw that act I saw that act that was going to happen all year long where Rus know we were going to get a lead off guy on and Rus was going to hit the ground. blame So I go I go again first and third. I do. Im' a big fan. bigig fan of the two hole Pause U, so I go into Gavey's office and I wass like, Hey, man, it's like two weeks in and he's asking me a couple of things. I'm like, hey, like What do you think about switching me to the two hole and putting Russ in the five hole And give you was like Yeah, I kind of like that. Hees you want to do that? I said, Yeahah, I think our team our offens a roll if I get into the two hole. And he goes I And so he put me into the tool. So that one simple question right there. If I would have stuck in the five hole all year that long I don't think that I win an NVP in twenty fifteen. becausecause, you know, now the The guys behind me aren't Jose Batista and Edwin and Cstone. like I was able to get some protection in there to where They really had to make a decision on who they had to go after a dead talk Right Well the whole idea, a rust could hit anywhere You know, the thinginking there of course was Rus Rus had good back control. He could hit the v wherever you want, you know, he could hit that hole over there lead off Gag gets on He could take it deep. He could do all those things. that's how we started him with him there. But I remember that story. You know, it's interesting guys. Rus and JD were back in town a few weeks ago. Rust was back for Canada today. It's amazing just how beloved The two of them are Gibby for some reason, people here still like you. you know What What do you think it is about the connections You give you've had with this fan base and just that era had with with this this bllue J mafia Well, you know, it goes back, a lot of it starts back You know, it' been so long since the team had won anything, you know, ninety two and ninety three. And I had heard, you know, I was there a number of years with two go rounds. everyverybody says, watch what happens in this place when You guys become relevant, right in especially in August September. So anyway, that year we picked up You know, Russ and Josh You know, it's kind of little a fire there anyway, you know, All right the teams the teams series now was kind of the feeling that I felt, you know, and and I and I was excited because I knew it would add some toughness to our team You know, then it wasn't like we were going to have tough some tough players, but was going give us the edge, you know in the So They just you know, u So even it wasn't around the all around the trade deadline we finally u You know, we made those big moves. Alex made those big, big moves And things just took off a cut on fire, right Yeah So we in, you know, that was that was a big part of of it, you know, u But a big p A huge part of it was the personalities of this team, right? The guys we had on that team. You know, they were characters. they were you guys were volatile, you know, you emotionally you weren't on their sleeves, you know, they were on their sleeves Fans relate to that, you know, because it it's a a huge hockey country and especially in a hockey city And it's like, Damn, man, these u You know, that that's they fit right in, you know, am I kind of mumbble a little bit or kind of stutter a little bit N not more than usual. not more than usual. So anyways I think that kind of everything kind of took off, you know, from that point on, you know, and so people could relate. They was it was a liable group and they were really, really good. And then when we made those trades and caught fire You know, everything that everybody always talked about came true You know, did, you know, the, not only to Toronto, but the whole country caught fire, you know, similar to what happened, you know, last year. And you know, that's a big part of the story, but You know, there's a lot of teams out there that are boring teams and all that, but we weren't one of them, you know, we we had a lot of guys in the league. They weren't like necessarily well in the league, you know Josh and Batist to probably two most disliked guys in the league. Let's see we're on your team, you know, I don't know why that will be Um, Oh You know that's it was a team. It would have been a team to go it was fun to go watch play You know, that's just u So Yeah, and like when one thing I remember Somebody once ask you get like something about a curfew and you look at them and you're like, curfew U and you're like, look, I got two rules here showhow up on time P hard You know, and I just wonder what What that What does that do? Everyone talks about, hey, a culture of a locker room? like Russ, Josh, like when when those are the rules. Show up on time, play hard What does that do for an attitude of a clubhouse? What does that do for the vibe of a locker room? Russ why me start with you? I mean, that's That's what you're supposed to do. I mean,, you know, you're're you're at that at that point, you're grown men. Right? And the expectation is show up on time, play hard You keep it simple Just be professional And it just allows the team to kind of because we had a good mix of veterans. like there was a lot of leaders on that team And I think it just gives you the freedom to kind of Be who you are But just You know, respect your teammates by being on time play hard. And if you do that the results, the results will come, you know, depending on how your team is composed. But we had We had a lot of guys that were there to pick each other up you know, through the ups and downs, you know, like when when people were were We're hot You know, it was it was their time to kind of be the leader and get everybody going. And then if they fizzled off a little bit, we'd have somebody else Be there to pick everybody up and that's It's kind of. K of how how we were as a team and Gibby He kept it simple But You know, he just did He just wanted us to be there, show up on time and play hard. And that's if you do that You know, with the talent we had on our team It was we were going to get it done. And we did We did I remember I don't know how I don't know don't remember know real quick games. we would be down like five, four, five runs. Oh go. And it would just like we just get hot We did hot and have a big ass inning And it was it just we had that belief where it was like Like we're never out of this, you know, and we never quit just because we kept You know, we kept coming back from from you know, big deficits and It was we kind of felt it coming. like we just feel that momentum build up. It was it was it was crazy, man It was a fun time. A give up Yeah it was., you know what Well real quick, it open A ask when you when you have great players, you know, and and we had some of the best in all of Major League baseball. you is this the gibby show, you know, my jobs just to get the you know, to get these guys out there let them do their thing, right? and not get in the way of it a lot of times, you know, it's it's different when you have a young team thats that's just cutting their teeth, you know, at the bigague level and this this wasn't an easy group. I mean, it was easy group on the field because they were such we had so many good players you know, for the way the Messing personalities could be difficult at times, but yeah, but you love people you love that though. love you love the fact that we had a lot of personnality on our team You loved it. Yeah. I mean Yeah if he was he was all hit Gibby would try to stir it up too at times. He'd walk through thed he'd walk through the clubhouse doing his little strut, doing that life And I had kind of like rule. I don't know if anybody else knew about it, but I have like my own rule. If there was any staff that came through the locker room like ten minutes before the game, you became like a target at that point You're getting chirped. You're Yeah, you're getting chired. D And like Demarlo Oh Demarlo Hill was like probably the brunt of it. he Darlo loveved to de he' walk through there. and literally I would start doing my shadow boxing on them. we'd be going, I'd be picking them up Dan's a big guy. I'd be picking up over my shoulder running around with a bit of the like you're a cra He's like, take your mask off, take your mask off ' the one future song that was one of those like take your I can't remember but yeah get golf Yeah, mask golf. Yeah And u That was when I was going to my transformation mode, but another one of my What what what are my own u favorite little gibby tisms, I guess you could say would be like it'd be a close game like the seventh rade thingning and I'd be going on Dck you I'd be three for three at the time two for three, whatever Al, son, hit a Homer Hit me over. hit me over. Hip me over. I'm like Hit me, I'm locked in. Don't tell me to hit the home right now ' I'm gonna try to if you tell me. He, it It's that easy. It was. It is that easy Yeah Oh. But the other thing I'd say about Giby is he got ejected. We talk we mentioned about this earlier He ke ejected field. ke He kept us on the field because we were going to get ejected. We hundred percent Yeah, there's so many times there was I mean, I remember the Royals game that really stuck out big to me to where I hit a few homers off of them hit a walk off the night before And then u Volkz first pitch by first bat hit me in the ribs ninety six. like we all As a hitter, we've all been in the box. like we know when it's intentional. like that was intentional And I didn't say anything like well actually would I walked down the first I was like, hey, Are you good now? likeike do you feel better about yourself that you smoked me? It Oh yeah, yeah yeah And then Jim Wolf gave warnings And I used to like I still love Wolfy. likeike he's great, dude, most Jacked Umpyire of the big league Oh He's still upm. He still looks jack too And balls back the pitcher and sh.one was messing around. And Tulo got squared up in the chest. I had like two balls thrown around my neck and like the third one that day that came around my neck. I was like All right, I had enough Right. It's over late Somebody needs to get ejected because you already gave warnings out and you know what entails the warnings And like I wasn't going to get over it until either. The pitcher was ejected. I was ejected And what end up happening, Gibby gets ejected And Gibby A and we all loved it like I feel like today now days more than ever, like coaches like' they're terrible. They're terrible at getting ejected. likeike everybody is so PC But Giby like He was John Wayne when he went out there What he went out there. He was the John Wayne of getting ejected and we all loved him for it and he was literally U I don't know. he saved What that do to a dugout? What that do to a dugout when when you know your managers out there taken one for you Well just it just ignites that fire and even more to go out there and l it on the line for him. And he never threw us under the bus about it either. He was like, he was going to wear it And at some point like, you know, that those fares start adding up. U You know, he just had feel. He had feels. He did. He had great feels knew what he needed to do and he would do it Well, you know, the most important thing though was When I was no longer in the game, the team seemed to play better. I't figured out It go So so Giby, you get fine sorry, you get ejected. You go back into the manager's office. you crack one or you pour one or whatever you're doing Th then what happens? like Like you racked up fifty three of these suckers in your career. like you get fined Do you get like does Alex come does Ross come in be like, Hey, dude, like what's happening here? Like how does that work once? Oh yeah, you get f. Yeah. And the the more it happens the, you know, the, uh You know, the more the fine is, right? But I had a deal in my contract I got thrown in there d know I don't know if No yeah. ye. That's a great clross. That is a great cl. That is a ran moveood right there. Huge. I got I got a quick story though on Well remember that one It was it was Oh ye Oh yeah, it was wrong. I was sixteen, I think. Vick Kan Edwin. Yeah, it started the first inning Ed went to the first inning And Vic Carapaza was the emmpire. And, you know, he had that big old hge And and he never complim her, right And he stuck at to Eddie. So Eddie gets chunked and I went out there for Eddie and so I get thrown out. And then it was a few minays later it comes Russ and what that game went. And we're all in the dugout like these son of a M. David Eddie's been been eatating spreads since the first inding. he's probably hammered right now. Russ on Canada today Cat in Canada is just chilling in their locker room I mean, I think I think I made it to like. I just lay it on the couch. G got a little You did Yeah enough. I want to say Goens was out there pitching Ryan Yeah we won. Yeah. Yeah he win. Yeah. he had a pitch No, we Oh, no, we got be! We did lose that game. Yeah. They brought a st. They might have brought Bower in to finish it He was he was maybe going to pitch another, you know, the next day or so. right b Yeah. And then Goo Goo was in that train room the next time. Oh his arm was blown up. Oh yeah. His arm was blown up. I remember that arm was cooked And I might have said to him too, Dud come to something you going. Yeah, you probably did. You know, that at that point you were looking for pitching Dg and somebody had to go down and now I mean now the game, you know, you can only have so many players and so many pitchers back then you could trade any. He we we were we were talking about run support about how we would score runs. I don't know if it ever got back to you or if we talked about this or not, but there was definitely one time I think it twenty sixteen when her offense was scuffling a little bit Um and, we were like Man, we need to bring Drew Hutchinson back up because every time he pited, we scored twelve runs That's right. That's right. Hut Hedgew He won like Yeah he won like Double figures game, you know, like he Yeah, he would he would have won fifteen games if he could have just got past the fifth Yeah, you know, what I can remember But you know, he did win a lot. He won twelve Yeah. And I can remember you know Alex coming in, you know, about, you know, he's really struggling and, you know, what are we going to whatever, whatever Ien We win every time he fitches, man. What are we worried about? You know I was like Why you know, we got nobody to replace and we win. donon't don't it see, that's that's kind of like the analytics of the day. No we don't talk a lot about Barie and how good he was And how quick how fun it was to play behind him because how fast he pitched And then I remember I think I forget what his record was, but he threw like two hundred innings, X amount in a row and on the last game We tryed to get him in. We tried to like And I think we made like an error or something And sis we just No no. I don't think there was a heard out. There wasn't It was a double play ball that we couldn't turn that we didn't turn. it was. Yeah. No the twenty fifteen it was Itamp Ha. We clined in Baltimore. Yeah, we clined in Baltimore price was Price was and we were going to Tampa and then you know, Price was going to pitch one of those games if if we hadn't clinched yet and we go in in but then we clinched in Baltimore So Dave came to this, you know, we're going to rest in for the playoff game. So U Burlely thw like on Friday night he threw like a six or seven innings got the wind down there in Tampa. And this was Sunday was last game of the season for the playoffs We didn't have a started pitchure, so we were going to go with the bullpin day, right So but Mark got fourteen straight years of two hundred plus and. I think there's only a handful of guys in history history that have ever done that in the lt is the good boys, you know, they u You know, the Sy Youngs and all those guys And so if he had hit if he had got so at that point, I think he was he need two innings like ye ining at two thirds or something like that Yeah But he would have done it fifteen years a row and I mean it even drops more than that. I mean, he was a se handful of guys So So we went to him, you know, it said, Hey, you want tona try? He said I'd love to, right? And then And we told Kevin Cash and Tampa, you know, the same things so they were prepared for. even told the umpires, right? What was we're going to do pitch them a couple innings Then we're gonna to let the pictures go take them out and if we can get there. Okay, great So anyway, he starts that game The first grand ball of the game was to go go. Okay And then something else him, I don't know. he might have gotten out Then And there's a couple of guys that just like so lou your first infield hit type stuff. He was just like, o my God. Oh ye Yeah. And then okay, then then then it' starting to, you know, that is we're having trouble now. I mean, you know can't abuse a guy. so All Mikey Mattk was the only guy he was in the lineup for Tampa and He was the only guy on the team that ever hit Berlely So But before like I told you before the game, we talked to the umpires and Alfonso Marquez was behind the plate and he had that tight zone, man. But's the last game of the year. Burley's and like you were saying, Russ' an upire's dream. He works fast, he thrs strikes and never complains, right So I remember it was a TTube. I've relived this so many times because it wass one of the things that I regret, you know. So he threw two two pitch about that far inside. a mat tick and he bald it, right? And everybody's going, you got, you know, everybody's snapping That's it's grand slam And then then then it kept rolling more. we had to take him after, you know, because he couldn't But yeah, that would that's one of my biggest regrets in this game that he didn't get that because he had never been on the DL, but there was a couple times that year. And this was his last year that they had to get pushed back because his shoulders started barking a little bit, you know. Absolute soldier that guy Yeah Yeah, he was absolute soldier. He in Ler spepect. You remember the game we had You know, before we really started our run in twenty fifteen when we were in We're now in Washington We got rained out. then we had a double header Yeah andar Pllar did two homers a day. we beat Serzer Yeah, But then the third game, Burley's pitching. They through a complete game. It was probably an hour and a hf forty five minutes But he did a complete game shutout. He got a base hit He broke up a double play and he laid down a sat. Oh wow. What a day. ha it And then then man then then after that, you know, after that series, we just we just took off, you know at that point because, you know, they were talking about I remember going into the clubhouse after the game and I think it was may have been Sandeli came up to me and said, hey, you I think you know, they're talking Toronto. when we get back to Toronto, you're going to get fired. I said, Really? I said, this happened before. So I said, Well call Anthopolis and see if it's true. because if it's true, I'm going go back. f. Yeah, it was either Sand Dely or Tony Lakama. So they one of them calls said, Alex isking to him and He goes, no and I have. There was a lot of noise that Washington series and it felt like that national series just changed the season. It saved your job And off to the races, you guys went Oh yeah. thisy this guysy saved me my job He but but Gibby's favorite line was we'd say, Hey, you what do you take away hes like? Well, they're going to fire me eventually like He did Gibby gave he I mean, as much as as much as he might have cared, he gave no illusion that he actually cared about being fired that he was going to do what he thought he was do. And there was so many times that like this is another thing I loved about Gibby Is he'd bring a bullpin guy in or something like that or whatever situation And u I play Gibby. Why are you bringing this guy in? He's like o, Jade Sadie. I got a good feeling about this one. I'm like, Are you sure Gaby? I like I think you might have gas. You might need to go take a couple of tums or something. He, but And hey yeah, you always were a little bit vocal left. You know, Russ was the main guy I to go out there and talk to Russ because he's catching the guy. I was always pop up. Hey, one of my favorite of all time I think this was twenty seventeen. Airred Lp, he was a little bit pissy at the end of the year because we were out of it in ' seventeen. And so we wanted to bring up some young arms to kind of see what we had going into the next year Well, Lpy didn't get to pitch for like I don't know, two or three weeks and He has he goes in there and faces u Faltimore. I think we stretch they stretch him for like two or three innings or something like that And he comes in for the third inning and he hits Chris Davis on like a like He barely grzes up and Gamy comes out there to go get the ball from him and Lupy Flips the ball out him and Giby hated that. like there wasn't a lot of things that would get Gibby pissed off but he hated that. And I was kind of looking the other way and I hear I hear the corners like, that mother And I'm like, I'm like, what what I miss? example He's like ' just flip the ball at me And I was like, A little side note on Lupy Oh remember the other famous guy hit Freddy Freeman Oh broke his wrist land and broke his wrist and Freddy was sitting on an MVP here. Remember that? You guys remember that That's tough. So anyway play, hold on. I got to finish this. I got to finish this. Yeah. Then you can then you can because you're going to have the right question for this And so I go Loopy. I said I said he didn't he didn't flip the ball at you, did he? He's like Yeah, I was like He said, you ain' got a hair on your ass if you a go if you don't go back to I said, if you don't go to that dugout right now and get in there and Luke's ass. And he' like he's like, yeah, he goes, all right, yeah, I'm gonna go get him. he said I'm gonna go get. Yeah, he said, I'm gonna go get them. So sure enough, I've watched him the whole time. whoever's coming in I'm not in paying attention who's warming up for us Gaby goes in Lp' sitting down of Lupy doesn't say it a lot. L he's very quiet, like good kid, great, great teammate. We all love Aaron Lup, but just for this, this is hilarious And Gaby goes after him and you know, he's, you know, giving him the business and Luke kind of looks up one time and just sits there and he wears it Well The next day happens, we're all kind of around and I'm like, Hey, Lpy like that's kind of messed up. Gaby W you out yesterday in the dug out They gave me sitting right there. is I ope he didn't want to say anything and I said It's partly my fault, Luke because I told Gibby he didn't have a heroold dis ass if he didn't go get me. He was fault. If how you put up your du' shirt honestly. I like like how how did you handle this? Well' part's part of the part of the gig. I can remember though and and Russell rememember that he' playing again when he was playing against him and even with it when he came over to us When he was out in Oakland, I mean I don't know how many times he get to there was two strikes on him a pitcher make a nasty pitch, you know, and he fiire the bat out his pitcher like Like he's fooled of stuff, and he's like reaching out to get the be going right. I even in I even talked to Melvin, his manager out there one time and he's, you know, after we got him because R I mean, he had like I said earlier the field, but then even like on the plane. Like you weren't even safe on the plane. He'd be on the back of the plane. Like I hope you had earplugs in because it was just dude. It was anywhere anytim, any place like he's Josh is ready We had a good time They seem Rus Rus was a voice of reason on that club. Oh boy. Oh good yeah, good good thing I was good thing I was there. Hey you know, aint know Yeah, ye o he, o very good thing. you know, Russ was the backbone of that team You know, we as many great players we had. When I say he was a voice of reason he kind of the stabilizer, that's he was. So his h He had that many volatile guys. How so Well he was just kind, you know, he he was kind and he was kind an enforcer too, you know But things get a little get a little crazy or what have you You know you knew Russ Med Boy When the superstars When the super too superstarish, I was I was able to kind of reel them back in a little Yeah But you were a superstar yourself with Batista and Josh. You know, there's always something going on, but you know, when Rus Russ would kind of bring things kind of back into the into the fold a little bit, you know, him and Eddie, you know, but u Yeah, a lot of a lot of a lot of great ties, great memories, you know, and a special team, you know, u Yeah, I thought we were going to win it all everybody you know, that was a year to do it but you know, these guys did a tremendous job We got awful close and it One of the greatest teams I've ever seen you know if we had ABS We might have a championship That Ben that Ben Revere that that And kit and And Moraro. Yep, same. You know, same thing It would have beening And you know what, you know what hurt us out year though, I think, you know, a big part is kind of always forgotten You know, Bret Cecil blew his calf Yeah. Ery blew out his calf and thats that was top. Yeah. and he with that he at the time was one of the top five in the game. I he was on a roll in left leftty left curball he had. That thing was snappy. That was you're not hitting that thing when it was on No, so, you know, and we got we got through Texas. We went to Kansas City and they had all the left hand of bats. And even in Kansas City Lupy wasn't even available because, you know, his wife was had some pregnancy issues. So he was spending time in the hospital where he had no leftty And that's, you know, and, you know, even at that time, that's when price Volunteered to pitch out the bullpen. that teextas series, you know Hey, Josh, one more, another quick story on that with your BS antics at at the mount of? Yeah, let's talk about that let's talk about. I can't wait. This is a d or die playoff game Ast against Texas, right So anyway, you know, uh pitch is one of those games the first game we get beat we go down to Texas. It's elimination. We'rew to, right? So he says, Hey, I can pitch you out of the bowtpan if we need it. Okay. because we had no Lfty And u So You know, the first night, u Mark Marco pitches that first big game and rolls through it, you know, but he got he got into a little jam kind of the middle of and then got and he got out of it but no, no no. RA Dicky was pitching. R Don was pitching. No that's that's. Okay. Okaykay sorry sorry, sorry, I apologize Marco got the to kept it live the third game. So So anyway, so the next day is a day game and Dicky is pitching that one and you know, I run into David in Pice in the in the clubhouse. I said, are you feeling good, I'm all right. I said Well here's the deal. If you get up today, you're in the game and he says, Yeahah, I appreciate that. I said, no more dry humps, right? you know, He had another great year. He's going to be a free agent and he volunteers to pitch out the bullpen. He's already got two hundred and twenty innings in under his belt. Come on. Yeah And so it on that, right And they had, you know, and they had and they had a tough, you know, left handed heavy lineup, right? So anyway, so Ari is pitchake another do or die game, game four All' pitching. He gets off to a good start, but we came out swinging, you know, we put some runs Daddy went deep a couple Daddy was going deep so game. That's what happened that was Yeah after Daddy.ab. Yeah Okay. So anyway So here's the dilemma. and this is kind of like analytics before Analytics, right? It's gonna be the Oh ye I do this You're so smart. But that wasn't the thinking . So any so anyway, I talk to Petealer and also I if We get a little jam, know, we get David up. He's got to come in the game. I promised him that. I'm not going to screw the guy So We had a little lead, but they, you know, they and they had some guys in that lineup, you know, that had own Dicky you know, their whole career. Plus, you know, the knuckle ball, Russ I tell you You know, it can be on one in and next any it flated out right it's like going BP, right? So it can go any any. Yeah So and I always had that and we had that in the back of her mind. so I don't know, guy gets on a couple of guys and they got the top shoes coming up and you know all that and who old Diggy So I said, we' better get price going in case something happens. This' elimination game, right So we get David up and I say, Well, he's up. he's in. You know So I there's I think there's a couple outs, a couple guys on. so I go to the mound and we still got a two, three run lead whatever. seven one lead. you know, I'm walking out there No not one that bey wasn it? So I'm walking out there and Dicky's looking at me, you know, you know, because he's sitting on a playoff win Even the wind's going hotter nowadays. Yeah they should. Right? So anyway, Here comes David. So we're at the mound in in u Num notuts, Josh says This is Mol here I go. look at you know, it's a playoff game Iin. That's what he said, right I you got to be kidding me., you know, the whole team's around. I didn't say anything you know's too poor.old So so David comes in and he gets out of the inning, you know, gets out of it and going on the dugat and I'm sitting there Josh walks right by me again See that was close. So I had to follow up the tunnel you You know, anyway, but there' go on nohing go on. they happen. then would happen So And so David R went about three innings. and we end up closing out and going to game five I'm sure you'll get into that, but a follow up story to that one The following year, I think it was You know, RA was pitching. it kind of a tough year, I think, early on for But we go out every time It was kind of like Drew Hutchinon, you know, we swmed a bunch of runs, but And he'd give it he'd give it back up, right? It was just one of those years Yeah. He had a tough year. I can remember I was sitting in the dug I went We had so we come we score a few runs and Dicky goes out there again and gives it gives it right up right there. So I'm sitting in the dug end and Josh comes in and I hear me goes S of what makes me. we give this guy these runs and now he can't, you know, he gives it right. I don't know. And it cutght my ear, right Yeah what? Yeah Oh yeah, you thinks about everyone So so Josh is sitting on the bench and I walk over to him. I said, what did you just say Did you just say He's giving it. We get the lead and he gives it right back up And I said, we that one more time, right? for the previous year. I said, Okay, do you remember last year we were talking about we had that lean to play up Jenser Exact All right, I get to rebuttal this a little bit, right? Oh God Listen to this rust. listen I just got to get a little rebuttal. so The premise of it is why I' say it was bullshit is because DP, David Price had never had a playoff win. Okay He never So they weren't going to start up and Texas actually hammered David Price That's why we were kind of leaning away Yeah Yeah, third bas school manager. So Josh So well, hey, there's no Big things come in little heads. So I'm just saying I got a little I wear a size seven, seven and eight Anyway, s. He comes out to the mouth Dicky had given up one run and he just The first hard hit ball to smacked one into center field and Giby was coming out two thirds And I sit here I'm just like, damn I'm like, I'm sitting here thed now hearing Gibbys side of it saying about the conversation he had with David Price. I wasn't I didn' I wasn't Privy to that conversation What do you think I'm not saying that I should have been. But what I was saying is I was like, shit, like if we could have him for game five That would have been sick. likeike that's what I was thinking in my head because we had this game pretty much wrapped up. Right at seven to one. Rripped up seven to one and we the boys were rolling. we weren we killed them Um So That's where I was going with that. That's why I was saying it was bullshit because ay, Dicky had done such a great job. I get it G me had the knuckle ball scar tissue. Look, I get it that sh You know, one minute it's on, the next minute it's off. I understand I just saw one ball get hit hard the entire game and I'm at third base. I'm like, Ohh first one I got here. Oh shit, here comes Gibby. He's coming out of the dugout. I wonder if he has indigestion again. And then I look at David Price and I'm like, oh, Our guy that's our number one is coming in with the six run lead. That didn't make any sense to me, but So That's where that came from, but I will say this. Dicky did have a Tough year in sixteen U I might have said something along the lines of like, shit, Let's stop scoring so many ms ks let's start runun prevention over here a little bit But it's all good. But that's great. So are you insinuating that Are you insinuating that was rice came in so that he wouldn't have to pitchame. No no I'm not No, no, no, I'm not insinuating that at all. I'm just I'm just I was insinuating my thought process of saying I would have loved to have them available for game five versus a game that I felt like we had kind of wrapped up Well that we had Stro too, but it leads me to another thing. Thank you. we in sixteen You know, we go down to the we go down the final weekend, man and win in Boston, you know, a wild cart, right in in the So you know, we had new front office now. Anthoppos is gone in the You know what Okay, we get it we're playing Baltimore and and, you know I love that one one game, you know, winter day love that R But anyways Yeah, so that they u You know, the front we was talking to the front office and they were talking about who's pitching that game And they were kind of leaning towards Leriano because because Larry It was tough on lefties was tough on Baltimore hitters and what have you either that or Stroban. in in So we were talking in the coaches sta and we all likek Strom, but I said, you know what I we going to do I'm I'm going check with these his frreaking catcher, Rushs. Who knows better than that I don't know if you remember Russ, I came to you said, Who would you pitch In that game right there game he said stroll. said, Well, that's what we're going to do You know, I said he knows more than any better than anybody out there in the whole place And sure enough stroke went out and that u You know, uh I just think so. So let's dig into that real quick, guys. because we're now in a era of following the binder and following the spreadsheet and everything's predetermined on what the plan is, whatever. Giby, you go to your guy, you go to Russ. and you trust his judgment It feels like a lot of that is gone from the soul of the game. Are you sensing that today in twenty twenty six compared to ten years ago Oh yeah, it's it's the You know, maybe not everywhere, but most places, You know, everything's based on numbers and the human elements kind of taken out of it and u Yeah, I think that's that's It's sad for the game in a lot of ways, you know goes back to like we were talking about Wins don't matter, you know, they do matter. Some guys find a way to win. someome guys find a way to lose You know, that kind of thing and u All Yeah, it's it's a It's definitely gone overboard. Yeahah there' there's there's a place for analytics, but there's also, you know, the human element in trusting your guys in the perfect example, I man. We You know, with Batista, right And know I can remember they would they would talk about well Batista's projection against He bought ball immendous. you know, the one Eddie Yeah, the Eddie took D to win it, right Uh You know, his Batifa's projections were should he should hammer, right? But he was like three in his career, right? I remember Yeah, he' gonna start hitt him, you. You know, it's like, okay, well he should, but, you know, so it just says, hey, you know Ozy knows he has a tough time with this guy It meant his knows he can get hosy out. That's just way baseball is. You know, you got two great play that's the way it is. Go ahead, go nut I was going to say you go ahead. with the analytics, they like to use the the season analytics and then they think that they're going to transfer into playoff mode It doesn't work that way Playoffs is different's different. You feel different The vibes are different. Like just because your numbers are good in season and like to project something that you like if all the data you collect in season, you think it's going to transfer to the post season That's not how it works at all You don't feel the same Yeah. So it's close season it's Yeah and even start start playing different again. they start playing small balls like because they're trying to win It to me, it's like we're that run moving that guy over It's that plays again because you're facing, you know number one number two guys that you're not going to slug anyways. So like how do you manufact your runs? It starts you start playing the game of baseball the way you should. But then You don't work on it and it's You know, the teams who are good at it have an edge, I think But it's just You know, you go with Stroow because you feel like he wants the ball. He wants that moment Like you want the guy you know No's to be out there. And it's that simple You know, like, oh well, the other guy projects better dances. Well, does he want the ball as much as the other guy Like I agree. Oh who want Yeah like it's And I would say like just to interject from that like Giby I felt like knew that he could trust Russell because Russell came up like our time when we came up, it was developing like Rusts had to know how to get a guy out with the arsenal. It wasn't like he wasn't a wristband catcher. likeike he wasn't saying, Ohh, hey two one throw this, one throw this. like no, Russ was having a game plan basis of the lineup, but also had handpicked guys out there that were more Um like that he had to be more cautious of or whatnot. But Gabbe could trust Russell because he'd been in that situation, just like he was saying like I know that The guy that I want on the mound is someone that wants that moment. And Stro was definitely that guy for us because Stro always wanted the biggest moment pitching like that's just he always came out bigger. I would say He was definitely one of those guys that the bigger the stage, the better he got Right And a projection can't show that Analytically Right. But I wasn' just going to ask any any exactly and been, you know, brushers in select group, you know, just A Joe back there I'm not exactly you know, but you know, I mean guy led us to the post season first time in thirty years where we're at whoo are you going to listen to He's back there catching it. He knows him You know, I'm sitting on the side watching and they're sitting up up in the It looks easy fromere the press box is watching. Yeah, so so go to your catcher if he's a good one, you know He Rus you were say some a minute ago You know, things change in the playoffs and it brought something real quick to my mind These two guys are rash sitting right here. E we defeated You know, Texas the second time and You know, in sixteen. Russells at the play in Josh is on second base And Rush said that, you know, that great at bat. And nowadays you know, striking out. I mean, it's it's it's, I mean The game really doesn't frown out it as, you know, like it used to, right But so Russ is in a battle. If he doesn't put that ball in play You know You know, who knows what, you know, happens after that We, you know, but That's what allowed that to happen. force force the issue and Josh is able to come score we win that win that series, you know, and that's that's baseball. That's kind of what I think what he's talking about. You step it up, you do things You play the game of baseball Yeah mattered, you know, which further to rest this point. it's, you know, the regular seasons one thing. the post seasons entirely different animal know the way Yeah, but that was a kind of hitter he was o too. I mean, R Rus was going to battle you. Yeah, he's going to strike out like everybody every now and then, but he'ss it was important to him to put the ball Yeah sure, for sure. Yeah, I mean we had a good lineup that had a good mix in those years. We had guys that were contact guys. And we had guys that were power guys that were two hundred plus strike out guys. I think that's kind of what kills lineups in some instances. but Um Lel we had guys that were high our best hitters on the team still had High on base percentages Like so they were drawing they were drawing out at best. They were taking their walks U I mean Myself, Jose Batista, I'm not sure about ever, but I know we had over a hundred walks in a year like That's a lot of that's a lot of walks. So then when your other guys get up there behind you, like they're constantly having guys on base. So It makes it it makes it fun for everybody. Our lineup was fun our lineups that we had there, especially those first two years, that was some of the most fun I've ever been a part of Yeah, you know what's so interesting about that. era too is that you guys were never out of a game. It didn't matter how many runs you were down And and the energy in the ballpark, it just felt like series after series, home stand after home stand justust kept getting bigger and bigger And I've wondered this Gibby, like there's so many momoments You know, from That Washington series that that saved the job to the deadline when everybody showed up to The series that followed when the when the ballpark suddenly became alive and full And then obviously, the playoff series wins the batflip, the Eddie walk off. what What stands out? Like if there's a moment, a game U You know, the clinch clinching and Fenway Park winning division in Baltimore, is there a highlight of that era fifteen, sixteen with these two guys that stands out the most to you. Gosh. I mean, there's there's so many You know, I really have to think about it a lot. but I think Really don't hurt yourself thinking too much. we have that double ha No, I know. Yeah, Well see, there's so many things, man, you know, when when was When was the Josh diving plan to the stands? When was that That was at the end of the year in fifteen Yeah Yeah That was it down in Tampa andemember Marco had perfect w. it was Did' he go eight innies taking seven inningies? It was in the eight Yeah. That was a hell of. I d' with this. I do with the say that the very next guy Logan Foresyight chopped one off home plate came in barehed it and they called him out and they replayed it and he was safe by like an inch. It was brutal T B was tough. They were tough. Howouse of hor And they're always tough down there, man. Gibby always called it the House of Horrors Oh yeah, they need a new stadium I called I the I called the Walmart stadium Yeah You you should just you could just see it' say ninety nine center list this sign up here. N Well, then you know what? if it was Walmart, it would have been a perfect place to be found in the three ores. Are you calling me white trash, Gibby, is that what? No, No, that's not what I was say anyway, I' just say It you can buy you buy some your. That's expensive. Yeah. That's expensive. Yeah How did How did Russ end up managing a game, Gibby? How did that all work out Oh shoot, you know that Well, if you if you look at our team and we had a lot of, you know, great baseball mins and good baseball players But there's one guy, if you have to One guy you'd think would manage when he was done playing. You know, it's Russ all the way, you know, and but, you know what, he had to get a career to want to do this trap for the b. you know And's like it's like, so, you know, I was I was finished you know I we had u, you know, we were parting ways. I was gone And u So when we go down to Tampa, I thought, you know let's let's Rus manage that last game in the seas if he wants to You know what, I didn't get in the uniform, you know, because it was it for me. So he said he said he'd love to, you know, and Uh so he went out there and did it and Uh, You know, I thought, well, you know, shoot man, he can get a feel of this and see what the heck if he lik it or not. Apparently he didn't like it that much. you'd be out here doing it now. Did we win did we lose that you lost I got I got a zero percent winning percentage as a manager. Yeah That's why Hey it's all right. I was in Tampa. I always like I said The House of Horrors, things like. If you're ahead of somebody in the winning percentage, you're ahead of ususs, att least you really So what are you up to now? man' down there at Anahheim, hu Yeah, I love it out here, you know, beautiful C' beautiful, you know? It really is, you know. That's how yountil you gott to go to the gas gas station in Philipp or look at your kind of pay taxes. you know, but Oh yeah, they kill you. Okay, you know, I'm working I've worked in three places, man where they they they can't get enough of your money. up there in up there in Toronto, New York and California, G to get a dang job Texas somewhere Florida. Texases. You should You shouldn try to go to the As. They're going to Vegas. so I mean,. Yeah I know a couple people there I know one thing. I'm going home I'm going home soon boys. Yeah. I'm going home soon. Yeah How much? I'm on the victory t. How much longer you want to keep doing this, man Yeah, is probablyah right here I want to stay in the game do a little scouting mayabbe part time and originally that's what I was going to do this year. I was going to You know, I told the You know, last year callall the Mets after our season and we had that you know how do how do I say it? You know, we had a nice we had the best record in baseball in June and there was a slow decline f. Yeah, it was like a it was like tryin it was like water torture. I was trying to say it nicely, but so I wasn't going back anyway, so I called him the day after and told him I wasn't coming back. So I told him that before they could actually fire. I fing other c So I was actually yeah, I was actually talking to Atlanta. I was going to go down there maybe Scout, which I did a few years ago After I left Toronto And then I was in the But then Perry called You know, who had been I knew from Toronto in the in Atlanta And they said, you know, Kurtzuzuki's going to, you know, and neverever managage just talk to him. so I I hit it off with him, you know, he likes guys man, you know, he's he's a new baseball lifer, you know, and U So I've really I've really enjoyed that. We got a we got a great coach staff. We got, you know, a lot of ex players that, you know, been around. so it's a little bit different than some of the staffs out there now. So But I figure I'll I'll give give it this year and then P Probably feet away. Yeah. Yeah, I don't know Mbe. Yeah, I mean you've done itince you. It was a pleasure. know w thing boys I I've I've enjoyed it that's because of guys like you, you know, that u I can't say made it easy, but made it fun. Oh Duck. Aint Duck Hey D Nothing that's worth worth anything is easy, right? That's true Oh yeah, I wasn't traded for nothing. You know what? It was a You know, I mean, you go to the ballpark, you know, you never knew it was going to happen, you know, but u You know one thing, you always had a chance to win. And that starts what matters in this game in the It really brought baseball back to life in Toronto You know, any u, you know, for that short stretch And then, you know, you saw relive again last year, you know, and they got they got a headck with a team up there now. It' got some guys that are injured you know, but uh A lot of similarities. You know, different different style of team they have up there now, but a lot of similarities. So as we As we wrap Gib You're talking about the personalities. You talk about these guys making it fun Like when you when you kind of look back on that error and especially these two characters You know, one guy who was a pain in your ass, the other one who was the good cop Amidst all the bad cops. What stands out the most from from the get it done era Blue jays Well, you know what A rash. Okayy, you were part of that too, man. You did heck of a job too. I remember Um Like I said earlier today, you know, when When Alex brought both these guys in You know, it we're so excited Not so much because, you know, because they had great careers, but you know, Rus Rus played on winner every year, you know, it didn't matter what team was on. He was on a winner. So that right there tells you and he's the catcher.s he's the leader out there. Same thing with Josh. He Josh was always on teams at one But out they had some grit about them. So like I said earlier It brought some toughness to us and I think we need it. You know, and then, uh Of course we made some big, you know, moves at that huge trade deadline. You know what is obviously definitely my most enjoyable year in the most enjoyable time of my life in baseball U But there was just something special. guysuys you enjoyed being around. guysu you enjoyed seeing you know, each day and like I said earlier too that You know, you had a chance to win every night. You know, that's that doesn't happen everywhere. I'm you experience that right now, you know, and the U it's part of it, but You know what And they brought they brought baseball. These guys brought baseball back to life in Toronto And it and it had been missing and really put the BlueJays back on the map L loveove it Geabby, great to see you again. Thanks for the story. Thank, Marice. Let's do this again sometime. All right, man, good luck with the show. It's a great. Well like I said, I've seen some clips. Get it done