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SIMMONS: The mystery of the missing Buck Martinez

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The most important sport in a season of very giant Blue Jay video games was performed Tuesday night time and Buck Martinez was nowhere to be discovered.

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Nicely, he was someplace. Simply not right here. He was possible residence in Florida, hundreds of miles away, most likely watching on tv the sport he ought to have been or may have been broadcasting, together with his companion Dan Shulman, who was working as a substitute alongside the very succesful Pat Tabler on Rogers Sportsnet.

This was by no means the plan, in fact, however the pandemic has modified so many plans alongside the best way. The Blue Jays broadcast crew has been a blended bag of who’s in and who’s out all season lengthy. Shulman in, Shulman out. Tabler in, Tabler out. Martinez doing video games from Florida dwell however not from wherever else. And all this delivered to you by the community that occurs to be owned by the identical firm that owns the ball membership.

The published crew has been Dan and Buck. Or Buck and Pat. Or Dan and Pat. Or two of the above relying on the day, the night time, the venue. Totally different play-by-play voices. Totally different color voices. You decide the crew.

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Typically, like Tuesday night time, they’re on the park. Typically, like many nights, they’re calling video games from their residence broadcast studios.

And what has been saved reasonably quiet although this considerably spectacular season: Martinez, the previous Blue Jays participant, the previous Jays supervisor, one half of one of the best tv broadcast staff the Jays have ever had, can’t make it Canada to broadcast video games.

He isn’t double vaccinated. He will not be vaccinated in any respect. It means he can’t be on the sector of any big-league park. It means he can’t get into Rogers Centre to do video games. It means, that Sportsnet is adjusting and adjusting some extra for nearly each Blue Jays sequence constructing studios in broadcasters’ houses and attempting to make sense of what generally appears to make no sense.

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Hardly per week has passed by currently with out some type of COVID sporting information. The newest: the top coach of the Montreal Alouettes, Khari Jones, can’t coach as a result of he examined constructive for the virus. The opposite day the Argos needed to take away two coaches for what they’re calling private causes, which is the hush-hush equal of it being virus-related. The Columbus Blue Jackets eliminated former Leafs defenceman Sylvain Lefebvre from their teaching workers as a result of he refused to get a shot. And a sideline reporter for ESPN, Allison Williams, has chosen to go away the sidelines as a result of she doesn’t need to get pictures: she says she needs to get pregnant.

That’s this week in your COVID sporting calendar. The week earlier than, the identical. Subsequent week, most likely a lot of the identical. Nevertheless it hits residence right here as a result of that is your staff and this can be a wild-card race and this can be a Blue Jays membership so younger and deep and proficient that it may well really go locations.

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And, but, the Blue Jays stay reasonably quiet on the Martinez absence and the printed disruption of this season. It’s a tightrope stroll, actually, being owned and operated as a ball membership by the identical individuals who put your video games on tv and determine who the broadcasters are. You could not take care of the broadcasters. You could not take care of what number of video games — or lack thereof — get televised from spring coaching. You might have questions. However these aren’t your selections as baseball operators. That’s one hand telling the opposite hand what to do — and that’s not the way it works.

However make no mistake — Buck Martinez is a Blue Jays spokesperson. Each time he says one thing, each sport he broadcasts, he’s spreading some type of Toronto baseball message. Talking, in a method, on behalf of the staff There has lengthy been a private relationship between broadcasters of any staff and the town wherein they work. All you must do is dangle round Joe Bowen for a second or Jack Armstrong to know the facility of the spoken phrase.

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And now the Rogers folks, silent on today concerning the Martinez scenario, had been requested to remark however provided none, and definitely, have a dedication to make when this season ends. They’ve a call not realizing, in fact, whether or not COVID is coming or going.

Are they OK with Martinez working Jays video games or do they need to distance themselves from him?

Nobody will reply that query at this time. The topic makes everybody uncomfortable.

ssimmons@postmedia.com
twitter.com/simmonssteve

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