TORONTO - Toronto Blue Jays hitting coach Kevin Seitzer usually stands right behind the cage during batting practice while the players take their cuts.Nike Air Max Classic BW Dames . From time to time, hell move over to the side and will weigh in with a quick tip or two. Its a comfortable approach that has paid dividends for the American League East division leaders, who boast an offence that is among the best in Major League Baseball. "I think hes hands on when he needs to and he sits back and he watches when he needs to too," said Blue Jays catcher Erik Kratz. "We have a lot of good hitters here and with good hitters comes success and some streakiness. "He does a good job of limiting the bad streaks and extending the good streaks." The teams offensive statistics over the first two months of the campaign have been eye-opening. Entering Wednesdays games, the Blue Jays led the major leagues in home runs (83) and were second in runs scored (296), RBIs (281), slugging percentage (.451), hits (534) and OPS (on-base plus slugging — .784). Toronto was also tied for second in on-base percentage (.333) and sat fifth in team batting average (.264). Seitzer keeps a close eye on all the numbers but values some statistical categories more than others. "Runs scored is the one Im most concerned about," he said. "If youre scoring runs, whether you do it by home runs, situational hitting, youve got to be able to get on base, draw walks, be able to move runners and get big hits when guys are in scoring position. "It kind of encompasses everything really." The 52-year-old native of Springfield, Ill., was hired by the Blue Jays last fall after spending parts of five seasons as a hitting coach with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Kansas City Royals. He succeeded Chad Mottola, who spent one year in the position. Seitzer, a two-time all-star as a player, had a .295 career average over 12 seasons with the Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland Athletics and Cleveland Indians. As a coach, he has preached the importance of preparation and making hard, consistent contact in the box. "Have an idea of what the pitcher has got and what hes going to try to do, and then what each guy needs to do in order to have the best chance to succeed," he said of his approach. "I like to keep things simple. I dont like it complicated, they dont want it complicated. "Theyve made really good adjustments so far." The power portion of the Toronto lineup has delivered so far with sluggers Edwin Encarnacion (.272 average, 19 homers, 50 RBIs) and Jose Bautista (.310, 14 homers, 41 RBIs) on pace for big seasons. Among the other notable performances, first baseman Adam Lind is batting .347 while Melky Cabrera has a .303 average. Juan Francisco is hitting .276 with nine homers and 24 RBIs in just 36 games. As for that important runs scored category, three Toronto players are in the top 15 in the major leagues: Bautista (44 - tied for fourth), Encarnacion (41 - tied for seventh) and Cabrera (37 - tied for 14th). Those numbers are a big reason why Toronto took a 35-24 record — the second-best mark in the American League — into Wednesdays game at Detroit. Its a big step up from this time last year, when the Blue Jays were last in the East at 24-34. "Its been phenomenal," Seitzer said of the teams effort. "If youre in first place after the first third, then the second third and the third one, then youre right where you need to be. So I couldnt ask for more right now." The 2013 Blue Jays posted decent offensive numbers despite their poor 74-88 record. The team was ninth in runs scored (712), fourth in homers (185), 11th in RBIs (669), eighth in slugging percentage (.411) and 15th in batting average (.252). While Seitzer deserves his share of the credit for the improvement, hes quick to praise the players for their professional approach and effort. He has been very impressed with what hes seen so far. "Probably the most (impressive thing) is the talent level and then secondly, their work ethic and preparation going in," he said. "When you have that combination and the ability to make adjustments along the way, youve got a chance to do some damage every night. Theyve been doing great." Uggs Cyber Monday . "We think at six were going to get a real good player that we like, but up until (Friday) when the draft starts well keep inquiring and seeing what it takes to move up and if weve got the assets to make it happen," Benning said Thursday on the eve of the draft. Uggs Dames Sale . Fontaine, Minnesotas seventh shooter, went wide on Canucks goaltender Eddie Lack and slid the puck under him. Wild goaltender Darcy Kuemper preserved the win by denying Vancouvers final shooter, David Booth, as he attempted a spin-o-rama shot.(SportsNetwork.com) - The Anaheim Ducks will pay tribute to one of the greatest players in franchise history Sunday, as they get set to retire Teemu Selannes No. 8 sweater before taking on the Winnipeg Jets at the Honda Center. Selanne retired after last season at the age of 43 and finished his Ducks career as the franchises all-time leader in almost every offensive category, including goals (457), assists (531) and points (988). The man nicknamed The Finnish Flash also was a part of Anaheims Stanley Cup winning team in 2007, when the Ducks beat Ottawa to become the first team from California to win it all. I dont really have expectations. Ive never been a part of anything like this before, Selanne said of the jersey retirement ceremony. Its going to be exciting, and its going to be a special night. I have 60 people from Finland flying over. All the fans here, my family -- its going to be an emotional moment, for sure. Its a big honor for me. Im not going to cry, for sure. Tough guys dont cry, he quipped. Fittingly, the Ducks chose to honor Selannes outstanding career on a night when they host the Winnipeg Jets. The all-time leading Finnish player in goals (684) and points (1,457) began his NHL career in Winnipeg back in 1992-93, playing for the original Jets, who are now known as the Arizona Coyotes. The current iteration of the NHLs Winnipeg Jets were originally known as the Atlanta Thrashers before moving to Manitoba following the 2010-11 season. In addition to the pre-game ceremony, Anaheim is hoping to pay tribute to Selanne on the ice as well. The Pacific Division leaders are also aiming to rebound from a loss after falling 4-1 in Wednesdays tilt against the visiting New York Rangers. Anaheim only got one puck past Henrik Lundqvist on Wednesday, a power-play tally from Francois Beauchemin to make it a 2-1 game midway through the third period. However, Mats Zuccarello restored New Yorks two-goal cushion less than five minutes later and the Rangers added an empty-netter with 2:14 left to seal the victory. Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf, who tallied an assist on Beauchemins goal, recorded a point for the 11th time in his last 12 games. The veteran centerman is leading Anaheim in points this season with 45 on 13 goals and 32 assists and he was named to the NHL All-Star Game on Saturday. Annaheim reserve goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov stopped 26-of-29 shots fired his way Wednesday in his second start of the season. Black Friday Uggs Sale. It also marked Bryzgalovs first start for Anaheim at the Honda Center since 2007 during his initial stint with the club. We had a lot of bad turnovers tonight, Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau said. We gave them two goals. They were the better team and deserved to win. Frederik Andersen is expected to be back between the pipes for the Ducks tonight. The 25-year-old Dane is 3-0 with a 2.36 goals against average in his career against Winnipeg. Anaheim is 3-2-0 so far on an eight-game homestand. The residency continues Wednesday against Toronto before ending Friday versus New Jersey. The Jets, meanwhile, are hoping to avoid a season-series sweep at the hands of the Ducks. Anaheim won the previous two meetings of 2014-15 in Winnipeg, posting a 4-3 overtime win on Dec. 7 before a 4-1 victory on Dec. 13. Andersen earned the victory in both contests. Anaheim has taken three in a row and four of five from the Jets. The clubs have split two meetings in Orange County since the franchises move from Atlanta to Winnipeg. The Jets played Saturday night in Los Angeles and recorded a 5-4 shootout win to move one point ahead of the Kings for the first of two wild card spots in the West. Winnipeg jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the opening seven minutes of the first period against L.A., but the Jets would need a goal from Zach Bogosian with 5:56 remaining in the third period to send the game to overtime. Bryan Little then scored the lone shootout goal to award the extra point to the Jets, who scored three goals on their first three shots of the night. That was a game you like to be a part of, especially the first period, Jets coach Paul Maurice said. Im not just talking about the score; the physicality of it, the intensity, and lots of big hits going both ways. It was fun. Little also scored in regulation, as did Blake Wheeler and Mathieu Perreault. Michael Hutchinson made 25 saves for the win. Ondrej Pavelec is expected to get the start in net for the Jets on Sunday. He is 1-1-2 with a 3.49 goals against average in four career games against Anaheim. Tonights test marks the end of a three-game road trip for Winnipeg, which owns a 12-5-4 record as the guest. Cheap Jerseys nfl jerseys cheap authentic wholesale jerseys jerseys from china authentic Cheap Jerseys wholesale stitched jerseys ' ' '