Facing a two-out, bases-loaded jam, Doc took a screamer off his temple, and the ball then ricocheted right into the glove of Scott Rolen to end the inning.It was a frightening play, although Halladay was able to walk off the field under his own power. The Jays are saying he's day-to-day, so look for Doc to be out of the lineup until September. Remember, Aaron Hill was only supposed to miss a couple of days after he hurt his noggin, and he's not coming back any time soon.As for the unemployed John Gibbons, he's a great human being. Even after he was given the pink slip by his good friend J.P. Ricciardi, he had nothing but good things to say about the franchise and team, thanking the organization for the opportunity to manage and wishing the players well because he's "still a big fan of these guys and I want to see them succeed." Stay classy, Gibby.I'm going to miss the laid-back Texan. He was a good manager and, appropriately, he leaves with an even 305-305 record as Blue Jays manager. It seemed as though the Jays were always treading water with him behind the wheel.They were never a pushover squad, but they never truly competed either.

And I didn't realize it until I read it somewhere, but turns out Gibbons had the third-longest tenure as Jays manager in franchise history.Hopefully there now will be some serious soul-searchage going on in the club house. It's time for the hitters, one through nine, to look in the mirror and realize that four quality baseball people are out of work because of their inability to get the job done.Does the return of Cito Gaston and a new batting coach mean that the Jays are suddenly going to start hitting and scoring some runners when they're 90 or 180 feet away from home plate? If last night was any indication, the answer is a resounding no. Yesterday's bullshit game simply proved that Gibbons' firing was not because Gibbons wasn't getting the job done, but rather a move to shake up the team.The thullards over at Drunk Jays Fans can't believe that Cito's back, and think J.P. Ricciardi made the move in order to take the heat off himself after he publicly dissed Adam Dunn I couldn't disagree more. Clearly, this move was in the works for at least a couple of days. It was only a matter of time until it had to be done, as the Jays are at least going to make an attempt at salvaging this season.While I am a sucker for nostalgia, I don't think bringing back Cito is about trying "to bribe its fan base into having restored interest in the team by trying to capture a piece of its long-passed glory years." What other manager is out there with two World Series rings on his resume and who has some knowledge of the Jays current roster? Nobody but Cito It's about damned time he got another gig as an MLB manager. And he said it himself, his heart has always been in Toronto.I do agree, though, that this does reek of some desperation on J.P.'s part And I'm fine with that He should be desperate.

The team he put together is sucking complete ass and if this ship doesn't get turned around, it's likely that these are also Ricciardi's final months as general manager of the Jays As they should be This was supposed to be a playoff team. At the very least, a competitive team.When it comes to the Jays' offense, there's really not much I can say about it that hasn't already been said. Getting shutout by the Pittsburgh Pirates, in 12 innings, is simply inexcusable.You know what I do miss, though? The home run. The Jays have hit 49 home runs this season, good for 28th in the league. Alex Rios, who's only hit three bombs this season, last touched them all on May 1st May fucking 1st.

(For more on how much Alex Rios sucks this year, check out The Mockingbird.) Scotty Rolen has only hit three jacks in 51 games. Don't get me wrong, he's been great, but the Jays need more power production from everybody in the lineup, especially Rolen, Rios, Wells and Overbay.I was extremely excited about last night's ball game It was great to see Gaston in the dugout. But when the game ended I was left with a foul taste in my mouth, thinking that the more things change, the more they stay the same.A manager, whether its Gibby or Cito, and his staff can only do so much Wake up Blue Jays hitters. Please.*UPDATE*: Interesting column by Dave Perkins at The Star about Cito.

Perkins calls him "a player's manager" who made "good players play." Perkins also gives an interesting history lesson. Cito, in his first go round in Toronto, took over a struggling Jays squad back in May 1989 The team was 12 games under .500 when Cito arrived The 1989 Toronto Blue Jays ended up making the playoffs....  Bolton chairman Phil Gartside says the club are set to land a European striker for a record fee.The Trotters have already added midfielder Fabrice Muamba from Birmingham to their squad for a fee in the region of £5 million, while goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen is set to pen a new four-year deal. Manager Gary Megson plans for an improvement on last season's relegation battle.Now, chairman Gartside has revealed the club could sign a mystery striker in the next 10 days for a fee that would eclipse the £8 million paid to Fenerbahce for Nicolas Anelka in 2006.Gartside told the the Bolton News: "We intend on strengthening the team this summer with some serious purchases."We've already put one to bed last week, and we intend on putting the other, a striker, to bed within a week to 10 days, which would be a club record transfer fee."But Gartside refused to be drawn on the identity of the striker.He said: "He's in Europe at the moment, I don't know whereabouts right now, but he's definitely somewhere in Europe."The club have been consistently linked with a move for St.