TORONTO -- A reflective J.P. Arencibia says he has been his own worst enemy in the past. "A lot of my struggles were from doubts and trying to do too many things," the former Blue Jay told reporters Friday upon his return to Rogers Centre with the Texas Rangers. The 28-year-old Arencibia also admitted he had heaped pressure on himself by worrying about all the permutations of what might happen when he stepped into the batting box. Now he has come to the realization that simple is best, it seems. "God gave me abilities to do something special on the field. What are those?" he said. "So I can say All right, I need to work on those things. And not worry about everything else. And when I get into the plate, think of one pitch at the time. Not hey, if I take this pitch, is it going to affect this pitch?" Arencibia endured a horror show of a 2013 season with Toronto, hitting .194 with 148 strikeouts in 474 at-bats. He did hit 21 homers and 54 RBIs. He said it was a year of pressure, his mind going a mile a minute. "Fortunately I was able to put the ball in play at times but I wasnt good," he said. "I was fighting myself," he added. "I was in my own way. That was the biggest thing. I had to go down (to the minors) and kind of get out of my own way." It seems to be working. He slammed a three-run homer off R.A. Dickey in the seventh inning Friday. Arencibia signed with Texas as a free agent, hitting .133 with a .182 on-base percentage in 20 games before being sent to the triple-A Round Rock Express in mid-May. He was recalled Thursday. With three other catchers (Robinson Chirinos, Chris Giminez and Geovany Soto) on the Rangers active roster, Arencibia has been getting a crash course in playing first base. He hit .279 with 14 home runs and 41 RBIs in triple-A. He got the start Friday at first base, becoming the eighth Ranger this season to start there. Asked if he was a first baseman or catcher now, he said that wasnt his decision. "Obviously they know I can catch and they have a lot of catchers on the roster. So right now if playing first is best for the team, thats what Im doing. Ill work hard to be the best first baseman I can be." The stint in the minors helped slow the game down, he said. "I 100 per cent needed it," Arencibia said. "It was something that was necessary. I went back and had to iron something out and be who I can be. "That was really the main thing -- changing my mentality and really understanding myself ... Obviously you dont want to be down there, and at the beginning it was tougher but more and more as I was down there, I realized there was good purpose behind it. And I was proud of myself to get past that and bounce back." Arencibia said his struggle was to be himself. "A lot of times I tried to be somebody I wasnt. I tried to be maybe what baseball or whatever I thought needed to do statistically to be a better player. And by doing that, by not being myself, I went backwards. "Im the player I can be (now). I went back to triple-A and really tried to be that." That mindset included being aggressive at the plate "and looking to do damage as opposed to worrying about swinging at a pitch in the first or making this mistake or that mistake." Arencibia was warmly received by some of the Rogers Centre staff before the game, with hugs and handshakes. He said he was not worried about how the crowd might react. "I know the people that cared about me and the people I impacted," he said. "Whatever may be the reaction, good or bad, I wish everybody well. Obviously I cant control that stuff." He received a smattering of boos when the Rangers starting lineup was announced. The fans were far more vocal at his first at-bat -- a strikeout that turned the boos to cheers. Arencibia was far more cutting in Texas in May when quizzed by the Toronto Star about his time in Toronto. "I learned the media controls a lot of things and the only question that you guys were writing in the off-season was what they were going to do behind the plate, when obviously the pitching was something that needed to be addressed," he told the newspaper. "But I was the only question because I was the villain of the team." Asked Friday whether he regretted such comments, he said: "Im not really here to talk about any of that stuff. We all said what we needed to say. Im excited to be back in the major leagues." Arencibias life has also changed off the baseball field. In June, he married Band Perry singer Kimberly Perry in Greeneville, Tenn. Deonte Thompson Jersey . His apology came before a pregame ceremony in which the team honoured its 2004 team that won Bostons first World Series championship since 1918. "I realize that I behaved bad in Boston," Ramirez said. Tony Romo Jersey .com) - Graeme McDowell opened up with a first- round, 5-under 67 on Thursday and he holds a 2-shot lead at the WGC - HSBC Champions. http://www.officialdallascowboysfootball...n-jersey-womens. - Rookie Tesho Akindele scored three goals and Fabian Castillo added two in FC Dallas 5-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday night. Tony Dorsett Jersey . Future Hall of Famer Ricky Ray is in his prime and back for a third season in double blue. The 34-year old was magnificent in 2013, throwing for just under 2,900 yards despite missing eight games, tossing an impressive 21 touchdowns against just two interceptions, completing 66 per cent of his passes in the process. Leighton Vander Esch Jersey .ca presents its latest weekly power rankings for the 2013-14 Barclays Premier League season.NEW YORK, N.Y. - The NHL suspended New York Rangers defenceman John Moore on Wednesday for five games without pay for an illegal hit to the head of Minnesota Wild forward Erik Haula. The decision was handed out by the leagues Department of Player Safety following an in-person hearing with Moore, who is considered a repeat offender. Moore was assessed a match penalty 7:12 into the second period of Monday nights game when he delivered a shoulder to Haulas head in the New York zone after Haula shot the puck. Moore will begin serving the suspension Saturday when the Rangers host the Winnipeg Jets, and he will be eligible to return on Nov. 11 at home against Pittsburgh. He was also suspended for two games in last seasons Eastern Conference finals when he landed a similar hit to the head of Montreal forward Dale Weise in Game 5. Under terms of the collective bargaining agreement, Moore will lose US$51,859.75 in salary that will go to the Players Emergency Assistance Fund. In a video explaining the suspension, the league said the nature of the hit, Haulas resulting injury, and Moores repeat offender status were key factors in determining the punishment. Just after Haula releases the puck, Moore drives into him forcefully with his left shoulder, the video narrator said. While initial contact is made with Haulas shoulder, the main point of contact is Haulas head.dddddddddddd The league pointed out that Haula was eligible to be checked, and Moores hit wasnt late. Moore also didnt hit with his elbow as he landed the hit, but it was still illegal. If Moore is to attempt this extremely difficult hit, his timing and angle of approach must ensure that he hits squarely through the body and that Haulas head is not the main point of contact. Moore does neither, the video stated. Haulas head absorbs the brunt of Moores shoulder, and the way Haula spins to the ice is a clear indication that this hit was not square through the body. Moore was the second Rangers player ejected from Monday nights 5-4 win. Earlier in the game, forward Chris Kreider was kicked out after he received a major penalty for boarding defenceman Jonas Brodin in the first period. New York killed off both five-minute power plays that resulted from Kreiders and Moores hits. Kreider didnt receive any supplemental discipline from the NHL. Michael Kostka is expected to replace Moore in the lineup beginning on Saturday. He hasnt played since he committed two turnovers that led to goals in a loss to the New York Islanders on Oct. 14. That is the only game Kostka has played in this season. 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