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Toronto struggled this season, finishing 76-86. Zaun, a former big-league catcher, was critical of several Blue Jays, including Stroman.

For instance, he balked at Stroman being overly animated after an April win versus the Los Angeles Angels, explaining: “There’s no reason for it. It’s an unsportsmanlike way to behave. You just dominated somebody. Just high five your teammates and go back in the clubhouse and celebrate. I don’t understand why the jumping around, the flashy, the showboating.”

Zaun, in an interview to promote his Nov. 3 appearance at the UBC fundraiser at Boston Pizza on Beatty Street, didn’t mention Stroman specifically when asked about how difficult it is to be hard on players and performances, but it’s probably fair to suggest that the one-time Vancouver Canadians right-hander was among those top of mind.

“It gave me a little pause my first year, because some of the guys then were former teammates,” said Zaun, 46, who had a 16-year major-league career. “I looked at it two ways: I’m not saying anything that I wouldn’t say to your face as a teammate, because I was brutally honest with my teammates and they were brutally honest with me, and it’s the network and not the players that pay my bills.

“Now, I don’t feel bad at all. The players today are so thin skinned. They’re used to mommy and daddy telling them how pretty they are. I have no problem giving them a dose of reality. And I never criticize the man. It’s my job to analyze the performance. Sometimes it’s good. Sometimes it’s bad. Apparently some of these guys have forgotten that it’s a game of failure, that the best hitters are only successful three of every 10 times. What am I supposed to do? Spin it positive all the time?