Honouring Buck? Martinez just grateful to be back in the Blue Jays broadcast booth
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And there are plenty of thoughts ready to spill from the mouth of the 76-year-old Sportsnet legend when those familiar tones hit the airwaves on Friday night in Los Angeles.
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Martinez, whose most recent game was on May 29 before a diagnosis of lung cancer sidelined him, always has been fond of the little guy. That's why he's particularly enamoured by the efforts of players like Ernie Clement, Davis Schneider, Nathan Lukes and Myles Straw.
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'These guys, they value every single opportunity they have and that's what (manager John Schneider) wanted to get across to them in spring training,' Martinez said in an interview with the Toronto Sun. 'And he's done that. And these guys, the way they are playing, this is how you play winning baseball. This is how you win championships.
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'This is the perfect team for this era of baseball because they have five or six stars. But the rest of the team is guys who have had it taken away from them. There's so many guys who care about winning and care about each other that it's a wonderful group of talent.'
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What a welcome late Friday from L.A. it will be to have Martinez back talking baseball with such passion, alongside his long-time play-by-play partner, Dan Shulman.
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Expect many more of his views over the three-game weekend series and beyond. Martinez will also call the Jays six-game homestand beginning on Tuesday. He'll then head to Houston for a final cancer chemo treatment and return for the duration of the Jays run.
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Judging by the reaction to our Thursday column in which Martinez candidly shared details of his latest cancer fight and his yearning to return to the job that he loves so much, there will be joy on the other end of the screen as well.
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Besides a steady stream of well wishes from fans who have missed the soundtrack of their summer, many are calling for Martinez's immediate addition to the Blue Jays Level of Excellence, an honour that surely will come his way.
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Others have suggested a Buck Appreciation Day during the final homestand and that the team find a way to honour him some time during what has the potential to be one of the more exciting final two months of a season in his terrific broadcasting career.
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