Jonah, known as yyzsportsmedia on Twitter, posted a 2019 Toronto Media Summer Update on Monday. In this post was a wealth of information from the always-reliable and well-connected Jonah, but the most interesting thing to me was a line at the end regarding the Blue Jays’ long-time in-game tandem.
Rogers has a new head of media, which includes the Jays and Sportsnet. This is great news for fans. Someone who understands the modern landscape, the importance of engagement and the younger demographic. The playbook in corporate America, 90 days to make assessments then 90 days to implement changes and assemble the new team. The clock starts after labor day.
Is this the last year for Buck and Pat? I am told it may very well be. Who replaces them? Hmmmmmm….
This seems a little out of the blue, right? But according to BK on Twitter, Buck and Pat’s contracts are set to expire at the end of the season. Back in September of 2014, Buck and Pat, who have been calling Jays games together since 2010, were inked to five-year extensions. As Jonah suggests, we’ll likely hear in September as to whether Rogers decides to stick with their veteran in-game crew or if they’re going to move in a different direction.
Dan Shulman has been back in the mix doing occasional Jays broadcasts for the past few years and I imagine he would be the No. 1 choice for Rogers if they were going to make a change. That said, Shulman is paid incredibly well by ESPN, so affording him might not be feasible. I really dig the idea of Shulman doing play-by-play, which allows Buck to slide into a commentary role, where he thrives much more than he does calling the game.
A lot of people can’t stand Buck and Pat, but I don’t mind them. The messing up of names, the obsession with the size of player’s hands, and the hatred of the shift, among other things, can be agitating, but I still find Buck and Pat to be endearing. Maybe that’s because I’ve been listening to them since I was a teenager and I’m just used to them being the voice of summer. Regardless, this is something we’ll be keeping an eye on.
A lot of depressing headlines in the news lately. Finally one that makes me smile! Buck is much better as an analyst, but still too old school. And Tabler just plain sucks. Whoever the new crew is, I hope they understand how little batting average means when you have OBP and SLG numbers at your disposal.
Can’t remember who it was (maybe Houston?) but a team was experimenting with double broadcasts, one was old school fodder and one was more analytically inclined. I wonder if there would be an appetite for that here.
If it is Houston, which broadcast has Alan Ashby? Because that’s always the correct one to listen to.
Ah, nevermind, it was Oakland: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/27241166/athletics-offer-analytics-focused-simulcast
That would work great here, especially as Rogers has 4 channels they air the exact same thing on. If they split two and two it would give some option. TSN already does it with Sportscentre in the morning.
Yes! Options so our grandparents don’t get turned off, and we don’t get our intelligence insulted twice per inning. As the below comment mentions, Rogers could do this easily with their multiple channels. Would be a lot of added expense for them though.
Shulman is wishful thinking, unfortunately.
I’d say that I hope Ben Wagner gets the job, but you fear that maybe he’s not “TV friendly” enough.
Maybe Scotty Mac? That’d be pretty progressive, given recent news. He’s also proven to be knowledgeable, has a great voice, loves baseball and is Canadian (good optics).
Just as long as they don’t put Kevin “Teeth” Baker any more prominent of a role than he has right now. Fuck, that’d be grating.
please, please, please not Baker!
Buck and Pat were fired five years ago. Rogers has just been playing their commentary on an endless loop ever since. No one has noticed.
I’d rather get rid of Davidi, Hazel Mae, Jamie Campbell, Arash Madani and a few others.
Overhaul everything and bring in some new blood.
Hazel and Arash are excellent interviewers.
Post game interview to Josh Donaldson who hit a HR into the Fifth Deck. Arash: Josh did you know that it was gone? lol at least Buck and Tabby are former MLB players unlike Arash who fakes like he knows the game. And as far as Hazel is concerned, she is NOT easy on the eyes.
Okay, so you’re opinion is based on a three or four year old question and your blatant misogyny, so maybe it was my fault for thinking you might be worth responding to.
The argument against Hazel is that she’s not good looking. If we extend this logic, you’re either a blatant misogynist, or you jerk off to Arash Madani and Shi Davidi without any difficulty. Maybe a little of column A and a little of column B?
Don’t knock Shi & Arash cosplay until you’ve tried it.
I mean, I’d question whether or not anyone who doesn’t jerk off to Sexy Shi is even human.
Siddall was great on both sides of the radiocast
They are both management shills. Buck is tolerable – barely but Tabler is absolutely insufferable. I can’t listen to him for more than a few minutes without getting sick to my stomach.