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. Sonny Collins . 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." Ping Bodie . So he and his Toronto FC teammates say they will have no problem getting up for their Amway Canadian Championship final against rival Montreal Impact, even if the result doesnt count toward Major League Soccer standings. Nate Hawkins . Granada defender Diego Mainz barged into the back of Villa to send the Spain striker to the ground inside the area and Costa stepped up to the spot to score his 12th league goal in the 38th minute. Costa showed no effects of the news that his Brazilian citizenship may be revoked after he elected to play for Spains national team, as the forward was a constant threat for Atletico and forced several saves from goalkeeper Roberto. https://www.cheapnfljerseyschina.co/louis-riddick-jersey-for-sale/ . Wilson hit Schenn from behind during Tuesday nights game in Philadelphia, earning a five-minute major for charging and a game misconduct. He has a phone hearing with the department of player safety, which limits any potential suspension to five or fewer games.The New York Jets seem to like their controversy, specifically quarterback controversy. In 2012, much of the Jets faithful were bargaining for the popular Tim Tebow to get a start behind centre over Mark Sanchez after he led the Denver Broncos on a magical run to the playoffs the previous season. Well, that never happened and Sanchez had his worst year as a pro amid all the controversy resulting in a miserable 6-10 season for New York. In 2013, the Jets drafted quarterback Geno Smith and he started the entire season - albeit he struggled through a lot of it - after Sanchez suffered a shoulder injury during the preseason. The team managed to put together a .500 record and it was believed Smith would get the ball again in 2014 to continue his progression. That might still happen, but the 23-year-old will have stiffer competition than Matt Simms for this go-around. Philadelphia and New York swapped pivots in the off-season as the Eagles signed Sanchez to a contract while the Jets picked up Michael Vick who had fallen out of favour in the city of brotherly love. Not only does Vick bring over a decade of NFL experience, but at one time was one of the most exciting players in the sport. "I look at him (Vick) as a big brother" Smith said to TSN. "I look at him as the veteran that he is, a guy that can definitely lend a helping hand to us all, all of us younger guys in this locker room. Especially myself, you know, being that hes played in this system and been a quarterback in the NFL for 11 years now. Just learning from him as well as competing with him and us helping one another get better is definitely something thats helping me out." Even though head coach Rex Ryan, who was signed to an extension through the 2015 season in January, and the Jets have said the job is open for competition, it seems that its Genos to lose and hell probably get the Week 1 nod. Vick has also suggested he understands that this is Smiths team and expects to play a backup role this season. Nevertheless, the 34-year-old Vick should still have plenty left in the tank and if the Jets are struggling early on with Smith racking up the picks like he did last year, the fans will want change and fast. Unless Smith can prove quickly that hes better than the 12 touchdown passes and 21 interceptions he finished with in his rookie campaign, Ryan should exppect daily questions regarding his quarterbacks. Scott Evans. Cue the controversy. The Jets were second worst in the NFL last season in passing yards per game with 183.2 and dead last in passing touchdowns with just 13. Smith - and possibly Vick - will need to improve those numbers considerably if the Jets want a sniff at playoff football. New York signed wide receiver Erik Decker to a five-year contract during the off-season. The 27-year-old is coming off two stellar seasons in Denver where he played with the great Peyton Manning. Decker almost doubled his numbers when he had Manning throwing him the ball compared to Kyle Orton and Tebow. You have to wonder if hell be able to put up solid numbers without a stud quarterback. The Jets have the ninth toughest schedule in the league with an opponents winning percentage of .520 from last season. Finishing with another 8-8 record might be viewed as a successful year for J-E-T-S in 2014. Notes Running Rampant Running back Chris Johnson will play his inaugural season in New York after spending the first six years of his career with the Tennessee Titans. The 28-year-olds best days are probably behind him, but hes still recorded over 1,000 rushing yards every year in his career and has stayed relatively healthy throughout. With the return of Chris Ivory and Bilal Powell alongside the addition of Johnson (who has a knack for breaking out long scoring scampers), the Jets ground game could really be impressive in 2014 which might make up for the lack of passing productivity. Run Stoppers The Jets did a great job at stopping the run last year, allowing only 88.2 yards per game, good enough for third-best in the NFL. That part of the game might be getting a boost with the addition of veteran linebacker Jason Babin who signed a two-year contract during the off-season. The 34-year-old is a two-time Pro Bowler and recorded 7.5 sacks with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2013. Rookie Watch New York, to the surprise of some, drafted hard-hitting free safety Calvin Pryor with their first pick (18th overall) out of Louisville. Many thought theyd go after a talented receiver to help out Smith, but decided to go with the man known as the Louisville Slugger. It will be interesting to see how the youngster pans out, as the Jets have a history of making questionable choices on Draft Day. ' ' '