If the Toronto Blue Jays were expecting quick dividends for ditching John Gibbons and starting up their own personal episode of “I Love The 90’s” with Cito Gaston returning to fill out the line-up card, well, the old face in the dugout was treated to the same old result for the Jays this year.

The TORONTO STAR picks up the news of an extra-inning loss to kick off Gaston’s second go-round, a snoozer loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park that’s emphasized the hard-luck bumbling that helped get Gibbons fired in the first place: a defensive miscue with the sacks juiced.

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If Cora is what the SbB public wants, Cora is what the SbB public gets.

• Curt Schilling finally has time enough at last to eat as many Baconators as he can - But he might have a little trouble lifting them up.

• A woman involved in the Pacman Jones Vegas club fight has reportedly fallen to her death in New York.

• A minor league pitcher & batter both pull the ol’ switcheroo.

• David Beckham gets burned by his own SUV seat warmer.

• Lacrosse can be dangerous, especially for the cheerleaders. In other news, lacrosse has cheerleaders.

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It would appear that Adam Dunn won’t be joining the Blue Jays anytime soon - especially after some harsh words from Toronto’s general manager, and an equally-angry response from the Reds’ player.

The NATIONAL POST pitches up the latest on the growing feud between Dunn and Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi. It began Wednesday night when Ricciardi appeared on The Fan 590 to jabber about the Jays. One caller suggested that he should look into acquiring Dunn, who’s been rumored to be on the Reds’ trading block.

But J.P. shot that idea down with a little character assassination:

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Seattle Mariners manager John McLaren has coached approximately forever in the minors and majors and has gathered all kinds of motivational tactics over the years. Some may be recyclable, however, and some may not be usable in today’s major league clubhouse.

For example, how about the time in the mid-to-late ’80s when someone brought a stripper into the Toronto Blue Jays clubhouse to bust a slump? That must have been one hell of a motivational seminar. We’re certain there are other ways of encouraging the boys in blue to touch ‘em all, but they wouldn’t be as colorful.

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The Blue Jays and slugger DH Frank Thomas have parted ways, a decision that came one day after Thomas balked at a reduced role with the Jays.

(“Hold me, Barry.” “Hold me, Frank.”)

Thomas was released Sunday by the Blue Jays, just a year after hitting 26 home runs and knocking in 95 runs for Toronto. The big sticking point was a plate appearances clause that would have triggered a $10 million option next season. He’s hitting just .167 but does have three homers and 11 RBI this year. Read more…

The game was drawn out longer than Kevin Costner’s “The Postman,” but the budget was higher and featured a better script, even though it didn’t have one. New York’s 15-9 win over their Bostonian counterparts in the first of a quick little two-game series was, as begrudging as it is to admit as a non-New Englander, entertaining.

(The first pitch was thrown from space by Dr. Garrett Reisman. Because of this, the game was delayed three light years to wait for the baseball’s re-entry and parachute landing somewhere over the Mariana Trench.)

Fourteen runs were scored in 1½ innings between the two teams, effectively hurting the feelings and ERA of both starters, Clay Buchholz and Chien-Ming Wang. But the Yankee bullpen only allowed one run after Wang’s departure, while the Red Sox pen was far more generous. Every Yankee scored at least one run, and only Hideki Matsui failed to drive in a run.

In some other games last night… Read more…

• BUGS AND CRANKS finds the minor-league baseball card of former Carolina Panthers QB Chris Weinke.

• DEADSPIN shows us the best belt buckle at the Masters this year.

• WITH LEATHER tels us about a blind golfer’s hole in one.

• THE SPORTS ECONOMIST notes the lack of development around St. Louis’ new ballpark.

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We can’t imagine what Neil Diamond will sing at his Fenway appearance.

• Aussie officials don’t like it when their Olympic swimmers show themselves having fun on Facebook:

• Earl Campbell keeps his Heisman Trophy at an Austin airport snack bar.

• We didn’t see this one coming - O.J. Mayo is declaring for the NBA Draft.

• In another shocking revelation, the new Sonics owners were planning a move to Oklahoma all along!