Im talking the last quarter of the season

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida – Heading into Thursday nights action, Dioner Navarro had caught 14 innings combined from starters Drew Hutchison and Mark Buehrle. Neither allowed a run; both pitched with purpose. The catcher is the only position player on the field the entire defence can see; the others pick up the vibe the backstop puts down and after Wednesday nights 3-0 win over Tampa Bay, Jose Bautista made it clear he notices a difference this year over last. "Ill tell you what, I could really get used to the chemistry that I see between our catcher and our pitchers," said Bautista. "If they manage to keep that going for an extended period of time, were going to have a lot of fun playing this year." One can draw a number of conclusions from the statement. The first, and most basic, is that Bautista is commenting on what hes witnessed from his spot in right field. One could also deduce Bautista is firing some verbal retaliation at ex-teammate J.P. Arencibia, who suffered through a dreadful offensive season while continuing to struggle defensively and with his handling of the pitching staff. Arencibia, in a media scrum last month, said it was "refreshing" to be in Texas because the atmosphere was "baseball emphasized." Later in the same scrum, he appeared to call Torontos leadership into question. "Elvis (Andrus,) (Adrian) Beltre, you have these guys who are leaders and have been around for a while. They make it easy. Its not like you come in here and youre walking on egg shells." While this falls short of what should be qualified as a verbal spat, theres little doubt that Bautista, as informed a player as there is, hadnt heard or read Arencibias comments. Regardless, Navarro is making an impression. "Even during spring training, he came in with a real interest in learning the pitchers as fast as he could and I think it shows right now," said pitching coach Pete Walker. "He spent the spring getting a feel for these guys and I think the evidence was (Wednesday) night with Mark. I think they worked great together." "Bottom line is, the pitchers got to make the pitch, but if they have confidence in what the catcher is throwing down, thats one of those little things where they have more conviction," said manager John Gibbons. In fairness to Arencibia, it must be pointed out that the Blue Jays used 13 different starting pitchers during an injury-riddled 2013 campaign. Names like Ramon Ortiz, Aaron Laffey and Chien-Ming Wang werent long-term solutions, regardless of who was behind the plate. But the game preparation, the ability to work smart as much as work hard, is setting Navarro apart. "I wont go there," said Walker, when asked to compare Navarro to Arencibia. "Its a different feel behind the plate. In the past, weve had some good catchers here and he just brings a different element this year that Ive enjoyed watching and working with so far." If Arencibias departure was considered addition by subtraction, Navarros arrival has more than filled the void. Its calmed the pitching staff. Janssen Update Casey Janssen, whos been seen working his weighted ball program in the clubhouse over the last couple of days, threw off flat ground from roughly 120 feet on Thursday. Hes being careful as he works his way back from an abdominal/back strain. "Im trying to not piss it off," said Janssen. "It might if I do certain things but Im staying in that comfort level and I havent pissed it off. It could be completely gone but I havent tested it enough to know. I dont think today is the day to test it." Janssen is eligible to come off the disabled list on April 13 in Baltimore. Its too early to predict whether hell be back on that date. Adidas Evgeni Malkin Jersey . His Chicago Blackhawks teammates werent shocked when he found it. 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Cheap Pittsburgh Penguins Jerseys .C. - Nick Merkley and Damon Severson each had a goal and two assists as the Kelowna Rockets downed the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds 6-3 on Saturday in Western Hockey League playoff action.NEW YORK -- Geno Smith is still No. 1 for the New York Jets. For the moment. Whether its the second-year quarterbacks job to lose, well, offensive co-ordinator Marty Mornhinweg will see what effect Michael Vick has in whats expected to be a hotly contested competition this summer. "We brought Mike in to compete, to push Geno and to make Geno the very best he can make him, and I wanted to make sure Mike was ready for that," Mornhinweg said during a conference call Tuesday. "I think this thing is going to work beautifully. Well see." Smith started all 16 games for the Jets after incumbent Mark Sanchez was lost for the year after injuring his shoulder in the preseason. It was a roller-coaster ride for Smith and the Jets, as the young quarterback led four comeback victories in the fourth quarter or overtime in his first nine games, but then struggled mightily with six interceptions and no touchdowns in three straight losses. He bounced back with a solid final four games, with only two turnovers while leading the Jets to three wins and an 8-8 finish. "Were going to structure it a certain way," Mornhinweg said. "One thing I want to make sure of, that nothing impedes the young quarterbacks progression. Im talking about Geno. He progressed beautifully, and Im talking the last quarter of the season. Played like a winning quarterback, played at a high level." Not surprisingly, Mornhinweg acknowledged that Smith will take the first snaps with the starting offence when the team begins on-field practices in a few weeks. The Jets did the same last spring with Sanchez getting the first snaps over Smith. "Geno will get a few more reps, but not many (more)," Mornhinweg said. "Im going to try to do this thing right, and itll vary day to day, much like Ive done it in the past." Smith said last week hes taking the approach that hes the starter, and Vick acknowledged that when he signed with New York last month. But that doesnt mean Vick will be resigned to the fact he will be the backup, and thats one reason Mornhinweg was happy to be reunited with the veteran after their four seasons together in Philadelphia. "He has a really important role here," he said of Vick. "Hes 33 years old, and hes still got it. I look at him as a young 33. Hes still got it. ... When hes called uupon to play, Ive got great confidence in Mike.dddddddddddd." And, if it turns out its in a mentor-type role as it was for Vick last year with Nick Foles in Philadelphia, Mornhinweg anticipates no issues. "Mikes going to handle that real well," he said. "Hes going to do the right thing." Vick is extremely familiar with Mornhinwegs system, theoretically giving the Jets two starting-calibre quarterbacks who can run the offence with little drop-off in case of injury or ineffectiveness. "I would expect Geno to progress at a high rate with Mikes help," Mornhinweg said. "I want to get Mike back comfortable with our terminology, with our system, exactly how we want these things done, so its just that simple. Vick isnt the only newcomer to an offence that finished 25th overall and struggled with consistency last season. The Jets signed former Titans star Chris Johnson to bolster the backfield and former Broncos wide receiver Eric Decker to upgrade perhaps the teams weakest spot a year ago. Mornhinweg is intrigued by the pass-catching ability Johnson has, but also believes he can be the "electric, dynamic" type of running back he was during his best years in Tennessee now that hes healthy. "Thats a pretty good little 1-2 punch," Mornhinweg said of the Chris Ivory-Johnson pairing. Decker had 87 receptions for 11 touchdowns last season while catching passes from Peyton Manning. Meanwhile, the Jets leading receiver was Jeremy Kerley with 43 catches, and it was clear New York would need to get better at the position through free agency -- they also signed Jacoby Ford -- and the draft. "Last year," Mornhinweg said, "I thought was quite possibly the start of something special." NOTES: Defensive co-ordinator Dennis Thurman said "the skys the limit" for Dee Milliner, the Jets top pick last year who will assume the No. 1 CB spot with the departure of Antonio Cromartie. Milliner struggled at times while dealing with injuries, but Thurman believes he can become "a very good corner." ... While cornerback remains a potential target in the first round, Thurman expressed confidence in his current group. "Im comfortable with our cornerback situation," he said. "We have guys who can play." ' ' '