ARLINGTON, Texas – J.P. Arencibia was a busy man on Friday afternoon, unable to find the time to speak to the Toronto media between advanced meetings and his pregame workout and batting practice routine. The brief reunion between Arencibia and the club that drafted him, this three-game weekend series at Globe Life Park, marks the first opportunity for the former catcher of the future to address public comments he made about the Blue Jays during a March media scrum at the Rangers spring training facility in Surprise, Arizona. "That has nothing to do with us," said manager John Gibbons, who added he wasnt previous aware of Arencibias comments. "We wish him well. Hes a good guy. He comes to play everyday. I cant get caught up in that." Arencibia seemed to spare no one and nothing, offering comment on what he perceived to be the Blue Jays misplaced priorities. "Theres not a lot of riff-raff going on except for baseball stuff," he said. "Its cool. Its refreshing to be part of something that is really baseball emphasized." The clubhouse leadership got addressed. "Elvis (Andrus), (Adrian) Beltre, you have these guys who are leaders and have been around for a while, they make it easy," Arencibia said at the time. "Its not like you come in here and youre walking on egg shells." If hes more comfortable in his new surroundings, the results arent showing it. Entering Fridays play, Arencibia had appeared in fewer than half of Texas games (19), and was hitting a measly .140/.190/.246 with one home run. This off a disastrous 2013, Arencibias last in Toronto, during which hit for a .194 batting average and posted a meager on-base plus slugging percentage of .592 despite hitting 21 home runs. He was non-tendered by the Blue Jays in the offseason and signed a one-year deal with Texas in free agency. The Rangers are missing their starting catcher, Geovany Soto, and dont expect him back from a knee injury until later in June. In the meantime, Arencibia is splitting the catching duties with Robinson Chirinos, a one-time Chicago Cubs prospect who spent the better part of a decade in the minor leagues. There is talk around Arlington that when Soto comes back, Arencibia will be the odd man out. Arencibia is, by nature, a sensitive individual who seemed to read and hear everything critical written and said about him. He took it to heart. That same personality trait affected his relationship with members of the Blue Jays organization. Coaches would offer advice, try to help, but he would perceive constructive criticism as personal slight. Toronto decided Arencibia was no longer the right fit. Despite that, Gibbons still believes Arencibia can forge a successful big league career but he has some advice. "Its the ability to make some adjustments," said Gibbons. "He can do that. Ive seen him do it but hes got to be committed to it, you know. With J.P., hes still on the younger side of this game so hes got the time." INJURIES IN BASEBALL If youre a baseball fan in Toronto, youve likely got at least one friend who isnt and who enjoys pointing out how "soft" baseball players are when it comes to injuries. Youve heard it; the old "Hockey player takes a puck in the mouth and doesnt miss a shift but the baseball player tweaks his hamstring and misses three weeks" routine. One player whos spent time on the disabled list this season suggested to TSN.ca last week that if people felt the aches and pains baseball players do on a daily basis, theyd be visiting their doctors office on a regular basis. "Canadas the wrong place to say it because youve got hockey," said manager John Gibbons. "Those guys break a leg and theyre still playing so theres probably not a lot of sympathy on that end of it." Baseball, obviously, is a different sport. Its stop and start, which can wreak havoc on muscles that are in use one moment and then not again for a number of minutes. There arent intentionally violent collisions. Remember, too, the Blue Jays play on Astroturf, which has improved over the years but remains a thick rug blanketing a concrete surface. "The toughest part about baseball is its everyday," said Gibbons. "Youre banged up and a certain part of it is skill. If youre a pitcher or something like that, if youre hurting, you cant perform because youve got to throw a baseball or something like that." NAVARRO TO RETURN ON SATURDAY Catcher Dioner Navarro, whos been on the bereavement/family emergency list since Wednesday, will return in time for the second game of the Blue Jays three-game series in Texas. The club will make a corresponding roster move prior to the game. GETZ RETIRES One week ago, Chris Getz was a Toronto Blue Jay. Today, hes a former baseball player, having formally announced his retirement. "He called me the other day and he told me its something hes been contemplating anyway," said manager John Gibbons. "Hes a smart cookie. Getzys got it all together. He ended up getting his five years in but it was something that was kind of stewing with him a little bit because in the last couple of years hes been up and down." Getz and his wife are expecting a baby. He was designated for assignment on Sunday to accommodate Casey Janssens activation from the disabled list. The 30-year-old played 459 career games for three teams (Chicago White Sox, Kansas City, and Toronto), hitting .250/.309/.307 with 50 doubles and 89 stolen bases. . Since coming to the big leagues in late May, La Stella is 6 for 7 with the bases loaded, driving in 13 runs in those at-bats. . The move is retroactive to Aug. 1. Hosmer was originally hit on the hand in the first inning of a July 20 loss to Boston. He has played most of the time since, but missed a few contests due to the injury, then departed Thursdays win over the Twins and had tests that revealed the fracture.
http://www.balenciagacheapshoes.com/. A last-minute leveler ensured the two-time defending champion remained nine points ahead of Roma, which drew 0-0 at bitter rival Lazio in the capital derby. . With the union re-formed, negotiations with owners will resume Friday on the remaining issues that would be in the collective bargaining agreement, according to a person familiar with the plans. . "Its way better than running gassers, thats for sure," the inside linebacker said Monday, when the Chargers started their third and final week of organized team activities, which are practices in shorts, jerseys and helmets.LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Chicago Bears middle linebacker D.J. Williams will miss the remainder of the season because of a chest injury. Williams ruptured his left pectoral muscle tendon during Thursdays win over the New York Giants. Coach Marc Trestman was not sure on Friday how the injury occurred. Williams, signed in the off-season to help replace Brian Urlacher, left in the third quarter, the latest injury for a defence thats had its share. The Bears visit Washington next week, and with Williams out, rookie Jonathan Bostic figures to start in his place. Season-ending knee injuries to defensive tackle Henry Melton and his replacement Nate Collins, not to mention a turf toe injury thats kept Stephen Paea out of the past two games, have forced Chicago to do some major shuffling in the interior. Corey Wootton had to move inside from defensive end and Julius Peppers has been seeing time there, too. Besides those issues, Pro Bowl cornerback Charles Tillman has dealt with groin and right knee problems in recent weeks. The knee issue kept him out of Thursdays game, although Trestman said he would have been able to play if the game was on Sunday. Even when the Bears were healthy, they had some issues on defence, particularly with their pass rush. They rank 30th in the league with eight sacks. Julius Peppers hasnt dominated the way he did in the past, and hes not getting much help from the rest of the line. Now, theyre trying to fill major gaps in the lineup, and the list just grew again with Williams injury. "Were not making excuses, but again, were sitting there without Charles," Trestman said. "Were sitting there without Stephen. Weve got some young guys in there working. They havent worked (with) Peppers. They havent worked with Sheea (McClellin) as much.ddddddddddddCorey is inside, working inside. But I do believe that just experience-wise, playing 36 minutes (against New Orleans) and the type of game we played on Sunday did have a residual effect on our defence last night." As for Williams, he started four of the six games he played and had 35 tackles and two sacks. In 10 seasons with Denver and Chicago, he has 921 tackles, 22 1/2 sacks, 15 forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries and two interceptions. He was getting sort of a second chance when he signed a one-year deal with Chicago in March after missing nine games with Denver last season while serving a pair of league-mandated suspensions. The Broncos released him on the eve of free agency, freeing them of his $6 million salary. He served a six-game punishment for violating the leagues policy on performance enhancing drugs and three games for an alcohol-related arrest in 2010 that led to a conviction in August 2012. In Chicago, he had some major shoes to fill. The Bears were moving on after parting ways with Urlacher, the eight-time Pro Bowl pick and longtime face of the franchise. Complicating matters for Williams, he did not play in the preseason because of a calf injury. That created opportunities for Bostic, who showed some promise. Now, hell have a bigger role. "Hes going to get a lot of work on Monday and during the week," Trestman said. "Its the next-man-up mentality and I think hes mentally ready to take on playing that position. The experience that he had will certainly help him down the road." The injury news wasnt all bad for the Bears. Trestman said strong side linebacker James Anderson should be OK after hurting his back against the Giants. "Theres nothing serious there," Trestman said. ' ' '
