TORONTO - When a season doesnt go as planned, a team drastically underperforms on expectations, inevitably the time comes when a player-media spat makes its way into the public realm. Wholesale Pacers Jerseys . If you had July 4 in your office pool, congratulations. Hours after going on a Toronto radio station Thursday morning to call into question the persistent criticism hes received from broadcast analysts and former major leaguers Gregg Zaun and Dirk Hayhurst, J.P. Arencibia stood by his comments before a large media horde at Rogers Centre. "I said what I felt," said Arencibia. "I said what I said this morning and I dont regret anything. I think that, again, I feel like me, myself and my teammates feel the same way. "Part of you guys is to be critical," he continued. "Youre not going to talk about every good thing. Youre not going to talk about this guy running the ball out hard. Youre not going to talk about the "sexy" things about the game. Obviously, controversy and negativity is sometimes part of the job. I think that was my point and I feel like I said what I needed to say." Zaun, a former catcher who played for the Blue Jays from 2004-2008, and Hayhurst, who pitched for Toronto in 2009, have regularly criticized Arencibias handling of the pitching staff, his defence and his offensive approach. Entering Thursdays series finale versus Detroit, Arencibias .216 batting average ranked 152nd out of 157 major league players with enough plate appearances to qualify. His .244 on base percentage ranked last among 158 qualified hitters. Arencibias 15 home runs leads all major league catchers but eight of them came in April, as did 16 of his 38 RBI. His WAR rating, which calculates a players value to his team above a minor league replacement, is 0.2. Defensively, Arencibia leads the majors in passed balls (10). Analysts in Toronto and elsewhere have opined on his pitch-framing abilities and his game-calling. Arencibia is a work in progress, hell admit as much, and says hes among the first to arrive and last to leave the ballpark. Whether its watching video or poring over scouting reports, Arencibia says hes constantly preparing. Behind the plate, Arencibia is a workhorse, having caught all but two games not started by R.A. Dickey. The knuckleballer has a personal catcher, first Henry Blanco and now Josh Thole, otherwise its likely Arencibia would have played in some of those games. "Im not going to sit here and say Im excited or should be patted in the toosh for what Ive done but I also think there are a lot of things that go unsaid," said Arencibia. "Its just unjust sometimes. I think, obviously, were not where we wanted to be. The season hasnt gone with the high expectations and that stuff but I think theres nothing specific. Its over a period of time I was making a point of what was being said." After suggesting that because Zaun and Hayhurst played professional baseball, they should have a better understanding of the daily rigours, Arencibia called on both to become more accessible to the players. "I was able to talk to Dirk today," said Arencibia. "I told him, you know hey, you can say what you want to say. Just be around the guys more. Come in. Why was it the first time that youve shown face, today, when something was said? Thats my point. They were both on the other side of the game, they both understand the way it works, I understand its part of their job. Again, why is it the first time that they come around? Why arent they around our team? Probably because theres a little bit more to that." "You never see either one of them, thats a fact," said manager John Gibbons, who identified Arencibia as the clubs "whipping boy". "Where that goes, people view that as gutless. If youre going to write things, you show up. Thats just the way it is, thats how these guys view that stuff. If youre going to take your digs, youve at least got to be around. Thats the way (the players) think." Arencibia is 27-years old but still hasnt hit the three-year anniversary of his major league debut. Highly touted, he made a splash in his debut on August 7, 2010. In that game, a 17-11 win over Tampa Bay, Arencibia went 4-5 with two home runs and three RBI. It seemed the great expectation was set from the get-go. Now, while he struggles for a prolonged period of time, his ceiling has come into question. Kind of like the Blue Jays, version 2013, isnt it? Brad Miller Jersey . The Maple Leafs handed their embattled head coach a two-year contract extension on Thursday, while at the same time announcing that assistants Dave Farrish, Greg Cronin and Scott Gordon will not be back. Aaron Holiday Jersey .That means, of course, that John Wall beat the Spurs for the first time ever — within weeks of his first wins in head-to-head games against nemeses Chris Paul and Derrick Rose.Queens, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Chris Obekpa had 16 points, six blocks and eight rebounds as No. 17 St. Johns routed Long Beach State 66-49 on Monday night. Phil Greene IV posted 16 points and four steals, while SirDominic Pointer added 11 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for the Red Storm (10-1), who moved to 8-0 at home this season. Mike Caffey netted 13 points to lead Long Beach State (5-8), which fell to 0-7 on the road this year. After Tyler Lambs layup cut the 49ers deficit to 46-39, the Red Storm went on a 15-3 run to put the game away. Obekpa had four points during the surge, which was capped on a pair of DAngelo Harrison free throws for a 61-42 advantage with 1:28 left. Mel Daniels Jersey. Earlier, St. Johns raced out to an 11-4 start, but Long Beach State stayed within striking distance and was down 24-20 heading into the break. Lamb nailed a 3-pointer to give LBSU a 28-27 edge early in the second half, but St. Johns responded with a 9-0 spurt, with Greenes triple staking the Red Storm to a 36-28 margin. Game Notes St. Johns posted 12 steals and nine blocks ... The Red Storm were just 3- of-15 from beyond the arc and sunk just 9-of-16 from the foul line ... Harrison tallied nine points and 10 boards for the Red Storm. ' ' '
TORONTO - When a season doesnt go as planned, a team drastically underperforms on expectations, inevitably the time comes when a player-media spat makes its way into the public realm. Wholesale Pacers Jerseys . If you had July 4 in your office pool, congratulations. Hours after going on a Toronto radio station Thursday morning to call into question the persistent criticism hes received from broadcast analysts and former major leaguers Gregg Zaun and Dirk Hayhurst, J.P. Arencibia stood by his comments before a large media horde at Rogers Centre. "I said what I felt," said Arencibia. "I said what I said this morning and I dont regret anything. I think that, again, I feel like me, myself and my teammates feel the same way. "Part of you guys is to be critical," he continued. "Youre not going to talk about every good thing. Youre not going to talk about this guy running the ball out hard. Youre not going to talk about the "sexy" things about the game. Obviously, controversy and negativity is sometimes part of the job. I think that was my point and I feel like I said what I needed to say." Zaun, a former catcher who played for the Blue Jays from 2004-2008, and Hayhurst, who pitched for Toronto in 2009, have regularly criticized Arencibias handling of the pitching staff, his defence and his offensive approach. Entering Thursdays series finale versus Detroit, Arencibias .216 batting average ranked 152nd out of 157 major league players with enough plate appearances to qualify. His .244 on base percentage ranked last among 158 qualified hitters. Arencibias 15 home runs leads all major league catchers but eight of them came in April, as did 16 of his 38 RBI. His WAR rating, which calculates a players value to his team above a minor league replacement, is 0.2. Defensively, Arencibia leads the majors in passed balls (10). Analysts in Toronto and elsewhere have opined on his pitch-framing abilities and his game-calling. Arencibia is a work in progress, hell admit as much, and says hes among the first to arrive and last to leave the ballpark. Whether its watching video or poring over scouting reports, Arencibia says hes constantly preparing. Behind the plate, Arencibia is a workhorse, having caught all but two games not started by R.A. Dickey. The knuckleballer has a personal catcher, first Henry Blanco and now Josh Thole, otherwise its likely Arencibia would have played in some of those games. "Im not going to sit here and say Im excited or should be patted in the toosh for what Ive done but I also think there are a lot of things that go unsaid," said Arencibia. "Its just unjust sometimes. I think, obviously, were not where we wanted to be. The season hasnt gone with the high expectations and that stuff but I think theres nothing specific. Its over a period of time I was making a point of what was being said." After suggesting that because Zaun and Hayhurst played professional baseball, they should have a better understanding of the daily rigours, Arencibia called on both to become more accessible to the players. "I was able to talk to Dirk today," said Arencibia. "I told him, you know hey, you can say what you want to say. Just be around the guys more. Come in. Why was it the first time that youve shown face, today, when something was said? Thats my point. They were both on the other side of the game, they both understand the way it works, I understand its part of their job. Again, why is it the first time that they come around? Why arent they around our team? Probably because theres a little bit more to that." "You never see either one of them, thats a fact," said manager John Gibbons, who identified Arencibia as the clubs "whipping boy". "Where that goes, people view that as gutless. If youre going to write things, you show up. Thats just the way it is, thats how these guys view that stuff. If youre going to take your digs, youve at least got to be around. Thats the way (the players) think." Arencibia is 27-years old but still hasnt hit the three-year anniversary of his major league debut. Highly touted, he made a splash in his debut on August 7, 2010. In that game, a 17-11 win over Tampa Bay, Arencibia went 4-5 with two home runs and three RBI. It seemed the great expectation was set from the get-go. Now, while he struggles for a prolonged period of time, his ceiling has come into question. Kind of like the Blue Jays, version 2013, isnt it? Brad Miller Jersey . The Maple Leafs handed their embattled head coach a two-year contract extension on Thursday, while at the same time announcing that assistants Dave Farrish, Greg Cronin and Scott Gordon will not be back. Aaron Holiday Jersey .That means, of course, that John Wall beat the Spurs for the first time ever — within weeks of his first wins in head-to-head games against nemeses Chris Paul and Derrick Rose.Queens, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Chris Obekpa had 16 points, six blocks and eight rebounds as No. 17 St. Johns routed Long Beach State 66-49 on Monday night. Phil Greene IV posted 16 points and four steals, while SirDominic Pointer added 11 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for the Red Storm (10-1), who moved to 8-0 at home this season. Mike Caffey netted 13 points to lead Long Beach State (5-8), which fell to 0-7 on the road this year. After Tyler Lambs layup cut the 49ers deficit to 46-39, the Red Storm went on a 15-3 run to put the game away. Obekpa had four points during the surge, which was capped on a pair of DAngelo Harrison free throws for a 61-42 advantage with 1:28 left. Mel Daniels Jersey. Earlier, St. Johns raced out to an 11-4 start, but Long Beach State stayed within striking distance and was down 24-20 heading into the break. Lamb nailed a 3-pointer to give LBSU a 28-27 edge early in the second half, but St. Johns responded with a 9-0 spurt, with Greenes triple staking the Red Storm to a 36-28 margin. Game Notes St. Johns posted 12 steals and nine blocks ... The Red Storm were just 3- of-15 from beyond the arc and sunk just 9-of-16 from the foul line ... Harrison tallied nine points and 10 boards for the Red Storm. ' ' '
