Rogers Sportsnet has gone after a familiar name in Blue Jays circles to provide a more high-profile play-by-play voice for the club's broadcasts. Yesterday the network revealed that former Toronto player, manager and broadcaster Buck Martinez was returning to the fold as the play-by-play voice in 2010, replacing Jamie Campbell in the TV booth.
The shift marks an investment by Rogers, the team's owner, in firming up the Blue Jays' brand on television at a time when its investments on the field have not paid off.
The move to Martinez will give the Sportsnet broadcasts a credibility that Campbell was unable to establish in his five years in the booth. Martinez can speak to the game at every level and is an integral part of the Blue Jays' institutional culture that president Paul Beeston has sought to instill since returning to the club.
With the Martinez hire and the likely return of Alan Ashby on the radio side, the club now boasts two former MLB catchers who are unafraid to speak their minds on broadcasts.
The move marks a reunion for the 61-year-old Martinez and Sportsnet vice-president of production Rick Briggs-Jude, who worked with Martinez for years at TSN after the California native retired in 1986 to take up broadcasting. When his 17-year playing career ended that year, Martinez began doing radio and TV in Toronto until being named manager of the club in 2000. After his tenure as manager ended during the 2002 season, Martinez worked as broadcaster for the Baltimore Orioles and, most recently, served with TBS and the MLB Network.
Campbell, who just finished his fifth year as the play-by-play voice with the Blue Jays, will be reassigned within Sportsnet. One of his problems was a rotating series of analysts who made it difficult to create a natural tone in the broadcasts. Campbell's next assignment is the Olympics in February.