Shea hey
One: The Blue Jays are in the middle of a pennant race, and they just sacrificed their most experienced bat on the bench. Contenders aren’t in the habit of dumping .300 hitters in the middle of pennant races.
Two: Hillenbrand was a very popular player in the clubhouse. Seeing him cold-cut could further impair the team’s morale, which began to crack in the wake of GM J.P. Ricciardi’s pre-All-Star Game criticism of the heart of the lineup.
Three: By all accounts, Ricciardi was engaged in trade talks with the Angels that could have brought Adam Kennedy and a high-upside pitching prospect for Hillebrand. The Angels can now have Hillenbrand for a plane ticket. Has a short fuse — either by Ricciardi or manager John Gibbons — cost the Jays valuable stretch help?
But the whole affair is stupefyingly ridiculous. Where do you want me to start? Hillenbrand griped about not being played enough — yet his 296 at-bats were fifth highest on the team. He also went TO, whining about no one from the front office congratulating him on his recently successful adoption of a baby girl.
Excuse me? Perhaps the Jays should add Dr. Phil to their coaching staff. I haven’t been in Rogers Centre’s home clubhouse in a while, but are the walls now padded?
Hillenbrand essentially cut himself before Ricciardi got to it by refusing to sit with his teammates on the bench during tonight’s game against Texas. If you’re Manny Ramirez, you can occasionally get away with that. Anyone else … don’t let the door hit you on the way out.
If the Blue Jays make the playoffs, how big a share do you think Hillenbrand will be voted? That’s not an idle question — since the players do the voting.
Trade Deadline Reality Check 
//If you’re Manny Ramirez, you can occasionally get away with that. Anyone else … don’t let the door hit you on the way out.//
Manny might be selfish at times, but he has never shown up his teammates. Refusing to sit in the dugout is selfish, immature, and completely unprofessional. Good for the Blue Jays for putting Hillenbrand in his place.
All I can say is that I used to like Shea Hillenbrand, but now I think he is a spoiled brat. How can someone complain about ab’s while they are making almost $6 million this season alone? Baseball is a team sport and he should be greatful for the priviledge to play it for such sums of cash
Living in Toronto and being a huge Jays fan I was very disappointed in Shea’s behaviour. I was once against the deal for Adam Kennedy back in May but now I’d take a bag of balls and be glad to have this guy outta town. Ripping the Canadian flag off your hat…are you kidding me? If it were the American flag he’d have been stoned by baseballs! Adios Shea
Let’s see. Do I want to stay here and play for a no name manager with an ego bigger than Toronto or do I want to go play for a winner? Gibbons thinks the locker room just got better, wait until you see how good it gets when he gets fired!
The Blue Jays don’t know when they’ve got it good. Gibbons is in his first serious pennant race since 320AD, and all of a sudden he thinks he’s Donald frickin’ Trump – firing Hillenbrand just smacks of a show of strength, doesn’t it? Bottom line, the Jays aren’t good enough to be cutting .300 hitters just because they threw a little temper. As big an idiot as Shea must have been, wins – results – come first.
If (when) the Jays falter down the stretch and get pipped by the Big Two in the East, people will look back and see this as being one of the major factors.
“Popular player in the clubhouse?” Amongst WHOM? By all accounts I’ve read, Shea has been considered “clubhouse cancer” as far back as at least spring training.
From what I’ve heard, John Gibbons is a big idiot on this too (this definitely lowers Shea’s trading stock, as the team is now desperate to get something in return) and I sincerely hope Gibby gets fired and replaced by somebody who understands how to use a bullpen.
First off, good on John Gibbons for putting Shea in his place. Secondly, in response to “lukezagorski”, the Jays are definitely not good enough to cut Doc Halladay, or Ted Lilly, or anyone with an ERA under 6, but they certainly don’t lack bats. best average in the majors anyone?? they’ve got two guys (Reed Johnson and Frank Catalanatto) batting in the mid .300’s sharing duty in left field, not to mention greg zaun and big ben molina sharing time behind the plate. IF the Jays don’t make the playoffs, it’s not going to have anything to do with Shea Hillenbrand
Thank you “jkurjata”. Gibby has a point cutting him loose. Yea Shea would defenatly help the team’s bats. But look at the roster. Glaus, Wells, Overbay, Johnson, Catalanatto. Not to mention Hinske’s bat has some odd power in it. Batting .293 for the season as a team isn’t that bad for a team who are usually 20 games back by the end of the season. Gibby and Shea have had problems since he came to TO. One less bat and one more arm; the Jay’s needed that.
Good job John Gibbons!
I dont know what you guys are talking about. The last time I checked, the Bluejays are the best hitting team in baseball, and droping Shea’s bat is not that big of a deal to a very talented lineup. Look at the way the demolished the Yankees this past weekend
On another note, if someone is not willing to play for your team for almost 6 million, then your only choice is to dump him.
The Jays with no Shea, are a far better team, and for less amount of money. Now the can get Lugo to shore up the infeild
Having Manny in the same story as Manny is a sin……I can not allow it and will look for the UN to apply sanctions to this BLOG.
That makes as much sense as Manny.