RealGM

For those who might think John Gibbons has bitter feelings about his dismissal as the Blue Jays' manager last year, think again.

Gibbons, who has resurfaced as the bench coach in Kansas City, emphasized Monday that he reflects on his Toronto tenure strictly in a positive way.

"I've got nothing but good memories," Gibbons said before crossing paths with his former players at Kauffman Stadium for the first time since he left the Jays. "They gave me an opportunity. These jobs are so hard to come by. If I hadn't been a coach at Toronto to begin with, who knows? I could still be banging around in the Minors with somebody else."

Gibbons went 305-305 from Aug. 8, 2004, through June 20, 2008. With the Jays getting off to a slow start offensively in '08 and unable to regain solid footing in the American League East race, he was let go.

"Sometimes you can be in one place too long," Gibbons said. "To be honest, I was probably getting to the point where sometimes you need a fresh face. That's just reality."