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  Sat, October 31, 2009


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Gaston back for another year
By BOB ELLIOTT, SUN MEDIA
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Jays manager Cito Gaston will be back for another year. (REUTERS/Joe Giza)


PHILADELPHIA -- About midway through Alex Anthopoulos conference call yesterday I had a vision.

Ever watch Family Feud?

We saw the Blue Jays general manager playing Richard Dawson (we liked the original best) as he explained once again how he phoned every player for their own personal reviews of what led up to the "near-mutiny" final weekend of the season in Baltimore.

We could picture Anthopoulos/Dawson once he was finished with his in-house poll of players: "Should manager Cito Gaston return? Survey says?

"Yes!"

"Does Gene Tenace return as bench coach? Survey says?"

"No!"

"Should Brad Arnsberg be back as pitching coach? Survey says?"

BAR IS STUCK

Oh, oh, the bar is stuck.

Oh, never mind, Arnsberg will join the Houston Astros staff to work for his good friend, manager Brad Mills.

Not only is Gaston returning for his 13th and final season managing the Jays, but he signed a four-year consulting agreement to begin in 2011.

Centre fielder Vernon Wells told reporters in Baltimore in September that more than 50% of the players had a problem with Gaston.

"A lot of what was said in the media were bits and pieces," Anthopoulos said yesterday. "It was not entirely accurate from speaking with players. I think some things were overblown. A lot of things happen with clubs each year and it stays in the clubhouse unfortunately for us this didn't stay in the clubhouse."

Anthopoulos and Gaston also shuffled duties and assignments as bullpen coach Bruce Walton takes over as pitching coach, first base coach Dwayne Murphy becomes the hitting coach, bench coach Brian Butterfield returns to coach third and third base coach Nick Leyva becomes the bench coach.

The two additions replacing Arnsberg and Tenace are Rick Langford, who takes over Walton's duties, and first base coach Omar Malave.













What role will Prince Fielder have five years from now?
  Still an All-Star
  Designated hitter
  In the minor leagues
  Retired


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