Cito Gaston managed his last home game as manager of the Toronto Blue Jays Wednesday, a 8-4 victory over the New York Yankees. Praised and criticized throughout his tenure, Gaston remained true to his low-key nature and flourished.
Over the years, basketball coaches have become much more active, no longer sitting on the bench but walking the sideline and calling plays. Much like this action is often confused with effectiveness, Gaston’s laid-back attitude was frequently mistaken for a combination of meekness and ignorance. The calm persona was paired with exceptional discretion, making him an excellent manager for all sorts of major league players.
Gaston always put players like Dave Winfield, Joe Carter, and Pat Hentgen in a position to succeed. Players never felt pressured to perform at a particular moment, a fitting strategy for baseball or basketball where there are more failures than successes (batting average, shooting percentage). The support was personal and suited Gaston’s manner.
Young players were also supported and given an opportunity to succeed. On his second-last night in the Rogers Centre, Gaston was ejected for arguing that catcher J.P. Arencibia did not run outside the baseline, providing confidence to the rookie. Letting pitchers work through minor problems may have irked analysts but it likely paid off more often than not.
When encouraging skill development, patience is best. Players will experience frustrations and they will take their cue on how to respond from their coach or manager. Gaston overcame a great deal of adversity during his career and helped others do so, as a player, hitting coach, and manager. His longevity with a single organization is attributable to how he managed people by understanding them first rather than micro-managing the game and alienating himself from the team.