The Toronto Blue Jays recently installed Cito Gaston as their manager on an interim basis. He of course led the Jays to two World Series titles. Yet, he hasn’t managed since the Jays fired him in 1997–which even his Wikipedia article thinks is odd. Why hasn’t such a successful manager received more job opportunities? Is there a backstory I’m not aware of?
Sorry, no insight, I’m just here to fix your link. I’m curious, too, why he hasn’t managed anywhere else.
I can’t help but notice he’s black.
I know, I know. I can’t prove he was discriminated against. But I do find it curious that in a sport that recycles failed managers to an almost ludicrous degree, a guy who was actually very successful at one point, who managed back-to-back champions, wasn’t handed another job.
I don’t know that it mattered, but you have to consider it as a possibility.
Now, to be fair, the other possibility is simply that he wasn’t hugely motivated to get another job as a manager. His acceptance of the Blue Jays job was reluctant to start with - he was a mid-season replacement - and he was offered a multi-year deal based entirely on the Jays’ miraculous comeback in that first year. After he was fired - and justifiably so - in 1997, he interviewed for a few jobs, and when he didn’t get them, stopped looking. Since 2000 he’s held other jobs with the Blue Jays - hitting coach, senior advisor - and so in effect has had something else to do for almost the entire time since 1997; he was really only actively in the market for a few years.
Oh come on, John McNamara and Gene Mauch were BRILLIANT managers, and they have the World Series rings to prov it. Uh…
Never mind.