Those Battlin’ Blue Jays

Well you can't say that the Jays aren't going down without a fight, it's just too bad that they can't find the same emotion on the ball field.

Toronto Blue Jays manager John Gibbons and starting pitcher Ted Lilly got into a pushing match in the tunnel leading to the Blue Jays dressing room on Monday night.

Lilly annoyed that Gibbons had pulled him from the game in the third inning after surrendering 7 runs, didn't stick around the dug out area to finish a heated discussion with his manager, instead he stormed off down the tunnel taking his leave of the situation.

Only problem it seems is that Gibbons wasn't finished talking yet, as he followed his starter down the tunnel where the real action began, from all accounts the two got into a pushing and shoving match, eventually becoming separated by the Jays bench which had abandoned the dugout to follow the action off field and off camera.

By the end of it all Gibbons had a bloody nose, Lilly had an embarrassed feeling and the Blue Jays had yet another loss to tack up on the board, this time a 12-10 defeat (the Jays leaving behind an eight run lead!), helping them fall further and further off the post season radar.

It's the second time in a month that Gibbons has become involved in an incident with one of his players, he previously challenged Blue Jay Shea Hillenbrand to a fight when he wrote a nasty message on the Blue Jay bulletin board, comparing the Blue Jays to a sinking ship.

For his troubles Hillenbrand got traded to San Francisco (ironically one month ago Monday) and ever since then has suggested that he wasn't the real problem in TO, after Monday there may be a few more people ready to listen to his side of the story.

With the Blue Jays' chances of making the playoffs getting more remote with each passing game, the tensions and cracks on the Blue Jay roster have been becoming more pronounced.

On the up side, once the Jays are officially eliminated from the post season hunt they can get a head start on those much needed anger management classes.

We can probably change the lyrics to that famous Blue Jay song from the ball park too!

Come along and sing with Ace the Blue Jay who apparently took the job from B J Birdy, no doubt in a cage match at centre field!!

"Ok (ok), Blue Jays (blue jays), let's all brawl!