Birdland

At 33, Toronto blue jay centerfielder Mookie Wilson is still bottled lightning, with flashes of brilliance and exuberance that both dazzle and inspire. In contrast, Cito Gaston, the Jays' 45-year-old manager, is a relaxed, self-contained man who seems anything but electrifying. He is a disarming guy who subjects his life and job to a probing examination that might be unusual for a philosopher, let alone a baseball skipper. But of course Gaston was not a manager at the start of this season. Nor, for that matter, was Wilson Toronto's center-fielder. But together this disparate duo has led the Blue Jays from the depths to the heights.

When Gaston took over from Jimy Williams on May 15, the Jays were divided, demoralized and dead last. "Jimy wanted to win so bad that he was always tense," says Jay catcher Ernie Whitt. "And that tenseness transferred to the players." Gaston, who had been the Blue Jays' batting coach for nearly eight seasons, restored calm and stability to the clubhouse, and quietly of course, the Blue Jays began to move up in the standings. Finally, on Saturday, after winning 16 of 19 games (including sweeps of Chicago, Detroit and Boston), Toronto displaced Baltimore at the top of the AL East, a position the Orioles had held since May 26. Jimy's Jays hit .241; Cito's are batting .267. "Maybe it's because I don't have the time to mess with the hitters anymore," Gaston says. Under Gaston's leadership, the team is 62-38, a .620 winning percentage.

And Wilson's impact has been spectacular. Since Aug. 1, when the New York Mets sent their 1986 World Series hero to Toronto, the Jays have gone 22-9. That's no coincidence: Wilson has batted .341 and has stolen 10 bases in 10 attempts for the Jays. More important, he has injected a much-needed intensity into the team. "Mookie helps us every time he's up," says outfielder Lloyd Moseby. "He's always hustling, turning singles into doubles, doubles into triples, triples into whatever."

For all his enthusiasm on the field, Wilson is a reluctant role model. "The last thing this team needs is a self-appointed leader," Wilson says. "Leadership speaks for itself, or it doesn't speak at all." Wilson isn't a Kirk Gibson type who rattles the clubhouse. "He leads the way George Brett and Reggie Jackson lead," says Toronto executive vice-president Pat Gillick. "By example."

The thought that he might be the straw that stirs Toronto's drink makes Wilson cringe. "I'm not even the glue that makes things stick," he insists. "Anyway, too much has been happening to this club to lay the credit on me."

He's right, of course. George Bell, the leftfielder who's supposed to get big hits, has been getting them—his club-record 22-game hitting streak was halted last Friday. Tony Fernandez, who was out for almost a month early in the season with a fractured cheekbone, is back making flashy stops at short. First baseman Fred McGriff has hit 35 homers. Starter Dave Stieb has won 14 games and stopper Tom Henke hasn't lost since Gaston took over. Still, even Wilson finds the Toronto turnaround a little puzzling. "You have to wonder what kept the Blue Jays from winning," he says. "I mean, what was missing?"

Mookie isn't the first to ask the question. The Jays have been touted as the "most talented team in the division" every year since winning the AL East in 1985. And every year since, they've come up short. "Sometimes teams with the most talent don't win," says Gillick. "Sometimes players like ours take a while to learn how to win. Cito has tried to teach them that."

Gaston is sitting in the dugout with his fingers laced behind his head, eyes on the batting cage. The first impression is one of great concentration. It is not a false one. Even in conversation Gaston misses nothing, picking up not only the implications of what is said but also the nuances of what is unsaid. "If [former Dodger executive] Al Campanis hadn't said blacks lacked the necessities to manage, I might not even have been considered for this job," Gaston says in his soft but commanding voice. "I know I never asked for it. I didn't think I wanted it."

After firing Williams, Gillick asked Gaston if he would become the Jays" interim manager.

"No!" said Gaston. "Absolutely not."