Manager John Gibbons of the Toronto Blue Jays and Manager Jeff Banister yell at each other after the benches cleared in the eighth inning at Globe Life Park in Arlington on May 15, 2016 in Arlington, Texas.
Even though his baseball world seems to be in disarray, Toronto Blue Jays manager John Gibbons continues to make light of the situation.
He is like the sailor who keeps wisecracking as he walks the plank, pretending to love every moment of the excursion.
On Tuesday afternoon, Gibbons confronted his latest crisis – a three-game suspension levied against him for his role in Sunday's royal rumble against the Texas Rangers – with his normal good-natured aplomb.
If the Jays' manager is on the hot seat as his team underperforms in the American League East, he is doing a good job of concealing it.
He insists he remains in good spirits, despite the looming storm clouds.
"Really, it's a frustrating business," Gibbons said. "Even when things are going good, it can be a frustrating business in a lot of ways.
"One thing you learn over time: You don't get caught up in [rumors about job security]. You come out every day, do the best job you can. If you're doing your job, there's no reason to worry about anything like that."
Gibbons was not in the dugout for Tuesday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays as he was serving the first of his three-game suspension handed down earlier in the day by Major League Baseball.
Just as well Gibbons was not around to pull the strings on this hoary affair. The Blue Jays delivered yet another listless performance, allowing the Rays to pummel them for a second consecutive double-digit onslaught, this one a 12-2 dismantling at a grumbling Rogers Centre.
Even more disconcerting, for the second straight outing it was the starting pitching – the one area that has prevented the Toronto from spiralling completely off its axis – that helped topple the Blue Jays.
Marcus Stroman, who had won nine straight decisions dating back to Sept. 20, 2014, struggled throughout his 52/3 innings, allowing seven earned runs off 13 hits to see his record dip to 4-1.
Gibbons was one of 14 players and coaches from the ranks of the Blue Jays and the Rangers who were sanctioned for their conduct in Sunday's donnybrook in Arlington, Tex.
Not since August, 2002, when a bench-clearing rumble between the Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox resulted in fines and suspensions levied against 14 of their members, has MLB had such a large-scale disciplinary occurance.
Gibbons was also fined $5,000, as was Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor. Odor was also suspended for eight games for belting Toronto's Jose Bautista with a punch that ignited the free-for-all.
Toronto bench coach DeMarlo Hale was in charge Tuesday night and for the duration of Gibbons's absence. Who knows, Gibbons joked, it could be even longer.
"If [Hale] goes 3-0, we'll switch jobs, no problem at all," Gibbons said. "Maybe even 2-1."
After getting ejected earlier in Sunday's game for arguing with the home plate umpire over balls and strikes, Gibbons made a beeline back onto the field in the top of the eighth after Bautista was popped and the dugouts emptied.
Gibbons said in that situation, that's the place he needs to be – damn the consequences.
"In my mind, that's your team," he said. "It makes sense to me [that] you should go out there and try to keep things under control."
But a three-game suspension for trying to be a peacekeeper, along with a hefty fine, does seem to be a little heavy-handed, he said.
"I thought that was a little excessive, but what are you going to do?" he said. "I've got enough issues to worry about."
Bautista, a marked man by the Rangers ever since last October's celebrated bat flip incident in the playoffs, also received a one-game suspension for his behaviour in the contest.
That included a hard slide into second base that helped to ignite Odor's fury and for comments that Bautista made to reporters postgame, the league said in a news release.
Both Bautista and Odor have said they plan to appeal their penalties; they can continue to play until that appeal process has been completed.
MLB also announced that Blue Jays reliever Jesse Chavez was handed a three-game suspension for intentionally throwing at Prince Fielder of the Rangers in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus has received a one-game suspension for his aggressive actions during the incident.
In addition, MLB has suspended Toronto first base coach Tim Leiper for one game after he returned to the field after an earlier ejection.
Members of the Rangers who received fines for various infractions are Matt Bush, for intentionally throwing at Bautista; Texas pitcher Sam Dyson; pitcher A.J. Griffin; catcher Robinson Chirinos; and bench coach Steve Buechele.
Members of the Blue Jays who have been fined are third baseman Josh Donaldson, outfielder Kevin Pillar and Hale.