ATLANTA - B. cheap nfl jerseys .J. Upton would like a do-over on his debut season with the Braves. The subject came up when Upton, as part of the teams winter promotional tour, made a recent visit to Redan High School in the Atlanta area. He was asked by a student if would change anything in his career. Upton didnt hesitate before answering, "Anything in baseball? Last year. The whole last season." Its an understandable wish. After signing the biggest free-agent contract in Braves history — $75.25 million for five years — Upton endured a nightmarish 2013 season. He hit only .184, struck out in more than one-third of his at-bats and was benched. The only highlights were playing beside his younger brother, Justin Upton, in the outfield and seeing the Braves advance to the playoffs. "Definitely it was tough," B.J. Upton told The Associated Press. "You know, baseball is going to throw you some curveballs, so to speak." After missing far too many curveballs — and fastballs and sliders — Upton is writing off the season as an aberration. "Maybe not to that magnitude, but at some point I think every player goes through that type of season," he said. "As long as you can learn from it so that some of the things that happened wont happen again, thats all you can ask." The new start begins with spring training. Braves pitchers and catchers report on Thursday. The full squad reports on Feb. 18, and the first full-squad workout is Feb. 19. Upton impressed his teammates and manager Fredi Gonzalez by continuing to spend extra time on his swing through his disappointing season. "Hes one of the hardest workers on the team," said third baseman Chris Johnson. "Hes always in the cage. Those two brothers are workhorses." Assistant hitting coach Scott Fletcher said Upton never changed his demeanour, even after losing his starting job. "He didnt pout," Fletcher said. "He just kept working. He was ready for anything that Fredi needed from him. That shows a lot of his character. I look for him to come back and do well. Thats just the type of competitor he is. Hes had a lot of great years and hes going to continue to do that. I think hes going to have some great years for us." Upton hit 28 homers and had 31 stolen bases in 2012 with Tampa Bay. He hit only nine homers with 12 steals last season. The Braves need Upton, 29, to at least approach his career .248 batting average. Upton worked on his swing at his off-season home in Tampa, Fla., where he had a visit from Braves hitting coach Greg Walker. "My reports from Greg have been positive," said Braves general manager Frank Wren. "I think hes approached the off-season well. From what Greg has seen of his work, he thinks its steps in the right direction." After last season, Wren said Upton may have tried too hard to show he deserved the big contract. "Its a deep hole that gets deeper and deeper the harder you try," Wren said. "Weve seen dozens and dozens of players go through it." Upton said he didnt expect such a difficult transition to the National League. "Its just the nature of the beast," Upton said. "You come to a new organization and a new league and its just a whole bunch of variables that I dont think you really think of affecting you as a player, and they might have the slightest bit. I dont think a lot of guys see it really hitting them that hard. It was just a totally different situation. "Obviously you dont want it to go that way. I dont regret it. Maybe it was something I needed to happen. Its not something Im going to dwell on. Its a fresh start and I get to move on." wholesale jerseys . In a memo to the committee sent earlier this week and obtained by The Associated Press, the league said research showed there were 30 ACL injuries in games through the preseason and first 13 weeks of the schedule. cheap jerseys from china . - Robby Fabbri and Kerby Rychel each had a goal and two assists as the Guelph Storm extended their win streak by downing the visiting Sarnia Sting 6-1 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League play.http://www.worldcupjerseys.us.com/ .J. -- Jaromir Jagr has moved into some rarefied company with a deft scoring touch over 20 NHL seasons.Edmonton Oilers general manager Craig MacTavish spoke out on Thursday and pulled no punches when talking about his clubs poor start to the season. The Oilers have been shut out in three straight home games and are in last place in the Western Conference with a 4-14-2 record. "Things have obviously not gone as well as I would have thought probable...Im frustrated, Im pissed off...I want to see results," MacTavish said at a news conference. MacTavish said the Oilers "self-destructed" in their first six games, and said that their "low point" was a 5-0 home loss to Detroit on Nov. 2. The Oilers general manager also spoke about rookie head coach Dallas Eakins, whom he hired over the summer from the AHLs Toronto Marlies. "What this team needs is continuity in coaching, and theyre going to get it... (Eakins is) hitting all the right messages," said MacTavish. Despite their early-season struggles, MacTavish is still supporting his plaayers and coaching staff. cheap jerseys. He said he met with his players on Thursday and said "were all suffering together." "I have not seen the same, beat-up, negative group that Ive seen here in the past. If I thought for one instant it was a lack of work ethic on the players part, wed be having a much different conversation. "Im going to continue to support this group, and I think the players deserve my support... I feel and see progress," added MacTavish. MacTavish also addressed Edmontons player needs, starting with their defence corps. "The blueline needs to be improved upon... do we need a big stud defenceman? It would help immensely," said MacTavish. But MacTavish explained that hes not willing to part with one of his teams core pieces at this time. In terms of a message to frustrated Oilers fans, MacTavish offered, "Its painful, but were going to get through this and eventually be a much improved team." cheap jerseys ' ' '
