TORONTO -- Forty-five years ago, Buck Martinez got home from a run to find his wife, Arlene, with a bottle of champagne waiting. He’d just been traded from the Brewers to the Blue Jays, and all he could think of was, ‘That’s the best they could do?’
Saturday afternoon, Martinez walked onto the field at Rogers Centre to the loudest ovation this stadium has heard since the World Series. It’s his induction day to the Blue Jays’ Hall of Excellence, where he’s now the 12th member and will forever be enshrined as one of the most beloved figures in this organization’s history.
What a man, what a life, what a story. Martinez still remembers every detail of those early days. There was a deal to the Yankees that fell through, then he rode around with the Brewers as a fourth-string catcher until the Blue Jays came calling, looking for a veteran catcher to help the pitching staff and work with a young Ernie Whitt behind the plate. So much more was waiting for him, though. So many times over the years, he’s called that trade “the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“Baseball isn’t about stats, it’s about memories,” Martinez said, “and we’ve experienced a lot of great memories over the years. The city of Toronto has changed my life. This organization, the Toronto Blue Jays, has changed my life. You, the fans, have changed my life. As I enter the Hall of Excellence today, I do so with a heart overwhelmed with gratitude. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for welcoming me into your family. Thank you for letting me tell the story of Toronto Blue Jays baseball.”
The stadium Saturday was filled with people who love Martinez in different ways, but aren’t they all the same? There were former teammates like the great Dave Stieb, then Blue Jays legends who played under Martinez as manager, like Carlos Delgado. Younger fans will know him as the voice of the Blue Jays, that unmistakable voice in your living room, night after night.
“Get up, ball! Get out of here!” Joe Carter shouted, doing his best impression of Martinez Saturday morning. “It’s the enthusiasm he has for the game, then the way he played the game and managed the game. Just being involved in baseball for all of the years he was involved in it, this is a great honor.”
Regardless of which image comes to mind when you first think of Martinez, though, it all comes back to the same place. He connects with people. Whether he’s catching, managing or broadcasting, something about Martinez connects with the player or fan on the other side, making them feel like they’re part of something.
“He’s been here for such a long time and meant so much to so many people,” said Jose Bautista. “Being the voice in so many households, that goes a long way and that stays with people. I’m very happy for him and I’m happy he’s going to be in the Hall with us.”
At the unveiling of the Blue Jays’ new Hall of Excellence Saturday morning, all of these baseball legends lit up when they were asked about Buck. Just like us, all of them have known Martinez at different stages of his legendary career. When he was traded to the Blue Jays, Martinez thought he was “at the end of the line”, but he played six more seasons up to 1986, playing alongside some of this organization’s greats.
“He was an awesome teammate and an awesome person,” Stieb said. “He had a knack to calm me down when things kind of got out of control for me. He just has this way to soothe you and get your focus back into the game, and forget whatever I was mad about.”
Then came his move to broadcasting. Martinez’s full name is John Albert Martinez, and Paul Beeston, always the eccentric, calls him “Albert”. When Martinez’s playing days finally came to an end, Beeston, sitting in that meeting, had an idea.
“Albert…” he said, “do you want to do TV?”
Martinez didn’t have any interest in it. He’d always been a player and that’s all he knew, so he politely declined. By the time he got home and told his wife about this, Arlene made sure that Buck picked that phone right back up and called Beeston. The rest is history, and as Buck likes to say, she was right again.
“He’s been a leader in spreading the gospel of baseball across the country,” Beeston said.
This moment is so rare because Martinez is so rare. Players of past and present, coaches, executives and media members are rarely unanimous on any topic, but Martinez transcends all of those labels he’s worn. He is, to everyone, just “Buck”. He’s the man who feels like your old friend, but just happens to be one of the most important figures in this country’s sports history.
“The only thing I would say to Buck is thank you,” said Vladimir Guerrero Jr., “and I love you, man.”
As Martinez spoke Saturday, players watched on and cheered, friends and colleagues wiped away tears. One last time, we got to hear it.
“Swing and a drive!” Martinez said. “Get up! Get out of here! I’m gone!”