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SARASOTA, Florida – On a pristine, cloudless Saturday morning before his Blue Jays took to the field to play the Orioles, manager John Gibbons assumed his familiar perch behind home plate to watch his charges take batting practice. That time around, the cage is as much a part of baseballs daily routine as a beer and a hotdog is to a fan in the stands. Coaches, scouts, broadcasters and other media hover, tossing verbal barbs, telling stories and sharing laughs. Occasionally, especially in spring when the atmosphere is relatively laid back, the list of invited guests expands and on this day, Gibbons welcomed two men strongly influential in his life. To his left stood his high school baseball coach, Syl Perez and on his right, Frank Arnold, Gibbons high school football coach. The two are spending these early days of camp with the man they mentored. Its a chance for the men to catch up, reminisce about old times, and for Gibbons to share his pro experience with two people whove helped him along the way. "Your high school years are very big years in forming who youre going to be," Gibbons told TSN.ca. "When youre in athletics, if you get the right guys, it can steer you the right direction, teach you discipline, the work ethic and all the right stuff that benefit you in life." Arnold, 72, is a legend in Texas high school football, a state where "football is king," as Gibbons likes to remind the uninitiated. Gibbons played but didnt start at MacArthur High School in San Antonio. He was a running back, although in hindsight, Arnold thinks Gibbons was better suited to play linebacker because he was athletically inclined and had good instincts. Arnold also took notice, almost immediately, of Gibbons upbringing, especially his supportive parents, William and Sally. "Great kid, great family, never had, you know you have some parents who are a little overbearing, his parents were right there to support him," said Arnold. He had a knack for baseball, although Gibbons admits he was a late bloomer, especially offensively. A senior catcher graduated after Gibbons sophomore season, a year in which Gibbons played the outfield, and Perez had someone else pegged as the teams next catcher. Gibbons was still an unknown commodity. The coaching staff tried him at third base. It wasnt the right fit. "I dont care where I put John Gibbons, he was a catcher," said Perez. "I mean, it was in his DNA. He carries himself like a catcher." Perez had Gibbons and the would-be catching successor get behind the plate and simulate throwing out base stealers. "I timed him," said Perez. "From the time the sound hit the mitt to the time it hit the shortstop or second baseman at the bag. The other young man was very accurate but John was kind of like a Nolan Ryan. He was not very accurate, or not as accurate, but he would only average two seconds and sometimes slightly less than that. The other kid was 2.3, 2.4." Funny thing, Gibbons ended up catching that year. The other kid played third base. Both were all district at the end of the season, Gibbons in spite of a batting average below .200. He was that good defensively. His game rounded into form in his senior year, thanks to a scout named Buzzy Keller, who in advance of the baseball season, instructed Perez on a new hitting philosophy featuring a more compact swing. Perez coached up Gibbons and the results were immediate. "John batted .500 in 19 games and he hit 10 home runs," said Perez. "Its not that he hit 10 home runs, its how far he hit those 10 home runs that really got him to be a lot more noticed. A lot of our practices were very, very well attended and of course, he went 24th overall in the first round (1980) to the Mets." A series of injuries derailed Gibbons big league playing career, the nail in the coffin being the Mets acquisition of Gary Carter before the 1985 season. He stayed around the game, coached at various levels over a number of years, and by 2004, was into his first run as manager of the Blue Jays. "Hes old school and the old school way of thinking is, good catchers become good managers," said Perez. "Theyre the only ones looking the other way at the entire defence. Lets face it, he may have been not a starter in his major league life but when hes in the bullpen catching and working with folks like the Dwight Goodens and such, Im sure hes going to learn some things." Gibbons credits Arnold and Perez with teaching him some of the tactics he employs to this day. "You get to this level, its a little different," said Gibbons. "Guys are very successful when they get to this level so theyve got a good idea of what they do. Theres not as much coaching, teaching and things like that and you give these guys a little more leeway because theyre adults. But theres a lot of the same principles that work. I dont care if youre in high school or big league baseball, you have to have discipline. You still have to play the right way." Gibbons fair, jovial but stern-when-he-needs-to-be personality endears him to those who know him best and have known him the longest. "Personally, I think he has the demeanour, the ability to work with people," said Arnold. "I hope he gets lucky this year because last year they had some bad luck, in my opinion, with injuries and other things. I follow him, I watch him all the time and Im very proud to say that I was around him." Arnold continued, "John is going to be the same on the docks with some dock workers as he is at some high class place with the boss. I just think hes a quality person. Hes not flashy, he is what he is but hes always good to people." Coming off a disappointing 74-88 season, a startling and uncomfortable thud after the offseason hype of a year ago, Gibbons knows there is pressure to rebound. His mentors know it, too. "Nobody wants you unless you win," said Arnold. "I dont care what level, what league so I wish him well and hope he has some great luck this year. I hope some of the guys have some great years because I think he deserves it." Gibbons is aware the fan base is angst-ridden, unsure of whether the Blue Jays can compete in the ultra-tough American League East. He knows about the Twitter faction thats popularized the "FireGibby" hashtag, understands and accepts its a fans right to be upset, but wants to be clear about something he says wont change, win or lose. "I want people to know that I care about Toronto, I care about Canada, and nobody wants to win for the fan base more than I do because I know they deserve it." Jeremy Evans Authentic Jersey . Olivieri, at city hall to help kick off ticket sales for the Aug. 5-24 event to be held in four Canadian cities, said Wednesday that Canada has a new generation of talent on the rise that can make its name just as Sinclair did at the same event in 2002 in Edmonton. John Stockton Jersey . -- Oakland Raiders running back Maurice Jones-Drew is being sued in Florida, accused of punching a bouncer at a St. http://www.nbajazzofficial.com/Authentic-Dante-Exum-Jazz-Jer sey/ . Tuesday nights 5-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox fit that category perfectly. Michael Bourns two-run double in the seventh inning snapped a 3-all tie and extended Clevelands winning streak to a season-high five straight games. Pete Maravich Authentic Jersey . -- Brian Dawkins biggest contribution Sunday in the AFC wild card playoffs will be with his talking and not his tackling. Dante Exum Jersey . With just seconds left in the third and final minute of stoppage time, substitute Haris Seferovic finished off a length-of-the-field move by slamming home a close-range shot. After wild Swiss celebrations, Ecuadors shell-shocked players barely had time to restart before the final whistle was blown.Warren Foegele wont be playing in the Canadian Hockey League Top Prospects game in Calgary on Wednesday, but hes an intriguing prospect whos creating some draft buzz amongst scouts nonetheless. There are two reasons you wouldnt find him in the game. One, hes No. 62 on the NHL Central Scouting Bureaus mid-term ranking of North American skaters, which was issued today by the league. No. 62 certainly doesnt guarantee you a spot in the CHL Top Prospects game. Two, its impossible to get an invitation to the CHL Prospects game if you dont play in the CHL, and this player doesnt. Foegele, 17 (he turns 18 on April 1), was passed over in both the 2012 and 2013 Ontario Hockey League drafts and currently plays high school hockey at St. Andrews College in Aurora, Ont. Something of a late bloomer – he was only 5-foot-8 and 150 pounds in his minor midget season with the Markham Waxers – the now 6-1, 178-pound left winger is attracting attention from NHL scouts, whove been flocking to the Canadian private school or following SAC when they play games in the U.S. against prep schools there. Hes committed to go to the University of New Hampshire for the 2015-16 season, with the plan, for now anyway, to play in Penticton of the British Columbia Junior League next season. Some scouts have been buzzing about his play of late, a fast-skating, hard-working, two-way left winger..dddddddddddd Adding to the chatter is the fact hes one of those seeming "come out of nowhere" kids whos playing at a level of hockey in Canada that doesnt usually attract many, if any, NHL scouts. Some scouts have wondered aloud whether Foegele may be this years version of Mark Jankowski, the Calgary Flames surprise first-round pick, 21st overall, in 2012 from Stanstead College in Quebec, whos now developing and playing well at Providence College. A flash survey of NHL scouts puts Foegele in potential second or third-round territory for this years draft. While some have projected him to go later than that, no more than a mid-round prospect, some of those who rank him as a possible second-rounder believe he has the tools to perhaps trend even higher. Jankowski, part deux? "Hes a kid everyone is going in to look at now," one scout told TSN. "Theres a lot of interest in him right now, so well see how does with a lot of scrutiny. There are always skeptics for players playing at that level but hes a legit NHL prospect."Foegele, who trains in the off-season with Gary Roberts, is eligible for the OHL draft, again, this spring, though he seems intent on playing NCAA hockey at UNH. In any case, its a name thats getting some play from the scouts in a week when the top dogs will be on display in the CHL Top Prospects game. cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '
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| Beitrag vom 11.03.2015 - 08:38 |
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