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Never was this more apparent than in Arlington on Monday, where the obvious move, the easy move, the move that would have shielded him from criticism, was to sit back, hands on his belly, and let R.A. Dickey knuckle his way through at least the fifth inning.

It is true that the Blue Jays had a 7-1 lead at the time, and also true that Dickey has been nothing but class since his arrival in Toronto, the kind of player a manager might go out of his way to avoid slighting. Further, Gibbons’ decision to hand the ball to Price with an out to go in the fifth inning took Toronto’s staff ace out of the starting slot for what is now a series-deciding Game 5.

Gibbons wasn’t just setting himself up for second-guessing, he was unleashing hordes of skeptics. Couldn’t he have left Dickey in to collect his first playoff win? Didn’t he want Price on the mound in Game 5? Wasn’t he worried about offending both of them, especially when Price, the best starter Toronto has had in years, is set to be a free agent in a few weeks? And now Gibbons had gone and slapped them both in the face with the same swing of his hand.

Gibbons’ explanation for it all on Monday night was telling in that he seemed acutely aware of the Dickey issue, but not at all concerned that Price might also have been miffed. He spoke at length about pulling Dickey before the 40-year-old would qualify for the win. “It wasn’t an easy decision,” he said. “It was hard for me to do, but I thought that was the best way to win the game, keep them from coming back.” He joked that it certainly wasn’t a relationship-building move.