Sportsnet's Buck Martinez on Blue Jays' Bowden Francis: He can't make another start

Just because you haven't heard Buck Martinez on the air covering Blue Jays games over the past couple of weeks doesn't mean that the venerable voice of the team doesn't have some thoughts.
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In fact, he has a few.
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First things first: Martinez, who is taking some extended scheduled time off from his regular analyst's role on the Sportsnet broadcasts, will return for a home stand against the New York Yankees at Rogers Centre starting on June 30.
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In the interim, studio analysts Joe Siddall and Caleb Joseph will take turns filling the air alongside play-by-play voice Dan Shulman.
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'I'm taking some scheduled time off,' Martinez told the Toronto Sun on Monday. 'But I'll be back for that homestand (against the Yankees). And then I'll have a good chunk of July off for my 50th anniversary. My schedule is to do 100 games.'
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And with that, the 76-year-old Martinez shifts the conversation to his favourite topic — the Jays — who were scheduled to begin a three-game series in St. Louis on Monday night, part of their current nine-game, 10-day trip.
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The long-time Jays broadcaster certainly is clear in what he thinks about the Toronto rotation minus Max Scherzer and the alarming struggles of Bowden Francis.
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'(The Jays) are playing pretty good, but they can't start Bowden Francis another start,' Martinez said. 'It's the one thing that's causing them so many issues. The fourth and fifth spots (in the rotation) have been the issues all season long.
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'Unfortunately (Max) Scherzer can't pitch right now. It's just the way it is.
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'I'd be surprised if they start (Francis) again. He's just too inconsistent. It just highlights how difficult it is to be a long-term starter in the major leagues. It's the toughest position in baseball, to be a consistent starter.
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'Now hitters have made adjustments and he has to establish that he can throw on both sides of the plate.'
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Martinez believes that if the struggles of Francis, combined with the bullpen days for the fifth spot in the rotation continue, the rest of the bullpen will wear down.
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'It's already cost them Yimi Garcia (who is on the injured list with a shoulder issue) and it's going to cost them someone else,' Martinez said.
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The former catcher has been impressed with the Jays recent surge at the plate, which largely has been the reason they've gone on a 9-1 run and sit in a three-way tie for the top AL wild-card spot prior to Monday's action.
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'Everything has come together offensively,' Martinez said. 'They've cut down their strikeouts. They're more patient. And they're realizing one or two guys aren't going to carry the team. They're getting contributions from everywhere in the order.'

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Windsor explores modified schedule, possible new privately run home for curling

CBC

an hour ago

Windsor explores modified schedule, possible new privately run home for curling

The city of Windsor is moving ahead with a handful of directives aimed at finding solutions to an ice shortage stemming from a fire at an arena earlier this spring. Most notably, city officials will consult with the curling community about possibly modifying their 2025-2026 schedule at Capri Pizzeria Recreation Complex. On Monday, city council heard several ideas concerning ice time reallocation. One that will be explored could see curling pushed back until next spring — allowing for both ice pads at Capri be used for hockey during the fall and winter. This after curling's entire season was originally on the chopping block to make up for ice time lost with the fire above one of the rinks at the WFCU Centre. It's expected to take more than 10 months to fix the damage there meaning the one pad is completely unusable. The loss of the rink has ice schedulers scrambling to find roughly 50 hours of ice time for local hockey and figure skating. Privately run option? Central Park Athletics (CPA) is a privately run multi-sport complex just east of the Windsor assembly plant and close the E.C. Row Expressway. Owners James and Leigh King say they have around 20 hours of ice-time available on weekends across their two skating rinks. They're also willing to discuss the possibility of converting one of their indoor soccer spaces — directly beside their two ice pads — into four curling sheets, as a long-term investment for the city. James King told council the space is big enough and requires the necessary refrigeration. And that's something, he says, could be done before October. "We would have an isolated facility next to the ice rinks — it would be a separate pad," said King. "It would have its own amenities, washrooms … parking. Everything you need to have in a standalone facility." The facility is also licensed to sell alcoholic beverages. Kipp Van Kuren, representing Windsor Minor Hockey Association (WMHA) at the meeting, has worked with the Kings for a handful of years because the association runs out of CPA. "I've seen it in action how quickly James King can get things going," he said. Coun. Fred Francis supported exploring the idea further with ongoing discussions between city administration and the Kings. However, he thought doing so for this year wasn't possible. "That is what I would consider an act of God," he said, referring being able to have a new curling rink up and running by October. Whatever timelines end up being sorted out between the local curlers and city, one municipal staff member suggested "ice could be converted in a week," back to curling sheets. Terry Fink, who represents a Windsor group focused on saving the sport long-term in the city, called a modified curling season at Capri as a "fair resolution." "In principle, I think that may be a wonderful opportunity for us to continue to curl," he said before city council.