Gibby is letting Russell Martin manage Sunday’s season finale

Sunday is going to be John Gibbons’ final game as manager of the Toronto Blue Jays. But, instead of actually managing, Gibby is going to sit back and soak everything in. He’s letting Russell Martin assume the role of manager for Sunday’s season finale.

Like, Martin is actually going to assume all of the duties of manager. He’s going to make pitching changes, he’s going to make the lineup, and he’s going to deal with the media before and after the game. That’ll give Gibby all the time in the world to crack open a cold one and enjoy his last game.

Martin is Major League Baseball’s closest thing to Crash Davis from Bull Durham or Jake Taylor from Major League. He’s essentially become a player/coach this season, getting pushed out of his gig as the team’s starting catcher and into one in which he sometimes catches, sometimes plays the infield, and sits on the bench with a cup of black coffee and serenades the youth with stories about the good old days.

He’s an excellent veteran to have around, there’s no doubt about that. Martin has seen it all in his 13-season big league career. He’s played in more than 1600 games for four organizations and he’s been in the playoffs nine times.

Could this be a sign? Will Martin be replacing Gibbons next season as a player/manager? Obviously not actually, but Martin is definitely somebody you could easily see managing a big league bench in the not-so-distant future.

Also, it needs to be said one more time — Gibby The Best.