The Yankees and Blue Jays are currently tied at 2 in the 10th inning at the Rogers Centre, and Toronto fans tuned to Fan 590 are getting by without the dulcet tones of announcer Mike Wilner (above), who found himself suspended for the weekend series after a testy exchange with manager Cito Gaston.  From the National Post’s John Lott :

During Gaston™s daily media scrum Wednesday afternoon, Wilner raised questions about the way Gaston had used his bullpen in Tuesday night™s 7-6 loss to Tampa Bay.

Later on his Fan 590 blog, Wilner wrote at length about the exchange, asserting that Gaston had œpainted himself into a corner by using relievers Shawn Camp and Scott Downs too early. Wilner also wrote that Gaston had œbelittled him in front of other reporters.

Friday, Wilner was absent from the game and his usual post-game call-in show. A source close to the situation said management had œbenched him for the weekend. It was unclear when he would return to his post-game show.

œMy only comment is that I have the weekend off, Wilner said in response to an email seeking comment.

Wilner and Gaston have clashed before. Earlier this season, Wilner apologized on his blog for comments he had made in the blog about Gaston™s use of first baseman Lyle Overbay. Wilner also frequently criticizes Gaston™s managerial strategy on the post-game show.