Buck Martinez
Buck Martinez
John Albert "Buck" Martinez, nicknamed "The Grey Jay", is an American former professional baseball catcher and manager, and is currently the television play-by-play announcer for the Toronto Blue Jays. He played 17 seasons in Major League Baseballwith the Kansas City Royals, the Milwaukee Brewers, and the Toronto Blue Jays. Since the end of his playing career, he has been a broadcaster, working on The Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles radio and television broadcasts, and nationally for TBS...
ProfessionSportscaster
Date of Birth7 November 1948
CityRedding, CA
everybody feeling kicked locker quiet room
It's a very quiet locker room right now. I think everybody is feeling like they got kicked in the stomach.
chance heat number pitching ready short tendency throw
With the number of closers on our roster, we have a chance for some pretty short innings. They have a tendency to get ready early, throw a lot of strikes, and they are used to pitching in the heat of battle.
doubt stuff team wait
This is big stuff for our team. There's no doubt about it. I have no hesitations to say that our team is really enthusiastic and that we know what the expectations are. We can't wait to get going.
bit mexican saw spirit team
I think the spirit of the Mexican team will be dramatic. We saw a little bit of it in Tucson the other day.
balls good heart hit miss pitch pitches quality
When they got a good pitch to hit, they didn't miss it. They pitched very effectively to the heart of our order. We hit some balls hard. They made quality pitches when they had to.
baltimore bench gives impressed met pitching sitting success
He's had a lot of success pitching in international competition, and that gives him an edge. I met him in Baltimore during their first series, and sitting on the bench with him before the game, I was impressed with his composure.
anxious best catching guy importance jason loves players red represent strapped team whether work
He has been through this before and he understands the importance of representing your country. I think Jason is one of the best players who's ever strapped on the catching mask. He understands the game, he loves to represent his team, whether it's the Red Sox or Team USA. I'll be very anxious to work with a guy like that.
decision fact games given history injuries played respect year
He made his decision and we respect that, given his history of injuries from a year ago and the fact that he only played in 14 games (in 2005).
aware coming everybody fact represent states sure talent talked understood united whatever
We talked about the talent in the room, the fact that we represent the United States of America, and just making sure they understood how everybody is coming after us. . . . They're all aware of (doing) whatever it takes.
ability close confidence fit guy hard lots pennant strikes throws
Nathan is a guy that has been in pennant races, and we have a lot of confidence in him. He's a hard thrower, throws lots of strikes and has the ability to close out games, so we think he will fit in well with this bullpen.
I have no hesitations to say that ... we know what the expectations are.
years average people
There were times last year when people looked at the scoreboard and thought my batting average was the temperature.
spring unique reality
I think Barry Bonds was in a unique situation given his injuries from a year ago, the fact that he played in just 14 games. Even though I spoke to Barry in December and he was enthusiastic and excited about the possibility, I think the closer he got to the reality of spring training, and as he got himself in shape for the regular season and the San Francisco Giants, he felt like it may be too much of a challenge to try to push his body at this point in his career.
game joy level playing returned special
This has been such a special experience. We've all returned to the level of playing the game for joy in this thing. It's been a rebirth.