Note to J.P. Arencibia: Give it a rest and start hitting

For argument's sake, let's say that Miguel Cabrera complained publicly about, oh say, the fact that the Detroit Tigers commentators were saying bad things about him. Even though Cabrera is arguably the best player in baseball, odds are the only reaction would be the sounds of crickets chirping.

So what do you think the chances are that anybody in the world would give a hoot about what a weak-hitting, strikeout machine with an iron glove says about those commenting on his inability to hit, field and avoid strikeouts? None.

So why is that Toronto Blue Jays catcher J.P. Arencibia insists on whining about the fact that Sportsnet commentators Gregg Zaun and Dirk Hayhurst think he has to pick up his game? Just two weeks after knocking the former ball players on Toronto's Sportsnet 590 The Fan, Arencibia went international on the weekend and made the same points on MLB Radio's Inside Pitch.

As if that wasn't enough to get Arencibia into the Whiners Hall of Fame, he told hosts Casey Stern and Jim Bowden that he'd actually taken his case to Blue Jays president Paul Beeston. Here's what he said he told Beeston: ``I talked to our president about the issue (and asked), `How do you build a fan base when everything that fans are hearing is negative?' You don't build a fan base just by having somebody who works for you throw out negative stuff all day long."

He didn't elaborate on Beeston's reaction, but I'm guessing there was some rolling of eyes involved. I guess Beeston didn't point out to him that Zaun and Hayhurst work for Sportsnet, and not the team.

Admittedly, there's a fine line there when both are owned by Rogers, and objectivity has never been a hallmark of team broadcasters. But Zaun and Hayhurst are doing their jobs -- quite well -- and credit Rogers for letting them call a bad ball team a bad ball team.

Zaun said as much in a Twitter response.

<blockquote><p><a href="https://twitter.com/StivBators">@StivBators</a> Furthermore, It's not our job to act as PR directors for him. I don't get paid to portray him or his performance positively.</p>— Gregg Zaun (@greggzaun) <a href="https://twitter.com/greggzaun/statuses/358330973601009664">July 19, 2013</a></blockquote>
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He might have also offered Arencibia some advice: Stop swinging at pitches outside the strike zone and stop leading the league in passed balls and maybe we'll stop pointing out things like that.

The fact that Arencibia seems more obsessed with what people are saying about him than his embarrassing .256 on-base percentage says a lot about where he -- and the Jays -- are right now.