Change Up : How to Make the Great Game of Baseball Even Better
Author(s): Buck Martinez, Dan Robson
In the spirit of Moneyball, the voice of the Toronto Blue Jays offers cutting insights on baseball
Buck Martinez has been in and around professional baseball for nearly fifty years as a player, manager and broadcaster. Currently the play-by-play announcer for the Toronto Blue Jays, Martinez has witnessed enormous change in the game he loves, as it has morphed from a grassroots pastime to big business. Not all of the change has been for the better, and today’s fans struggle to connect to their on-the-field heroes as loyalty to club and player wavers and free agency constantly changes the face of every team’s roster.
In Change Up, Martinez offers his unique insights into how Major League Baseball might reconnect with its fanbase, how the clubs might train and prepare their players for their time in “The Show,” and how players might approach the sport in a time of sagging fan interest. Martinez isn’t shy with his opinions, whether they be on pitch count, how to develop players through the minor-league system, and even if there should be a minor-league system at all. Always entertaining, ever insightful, Martinez shares brilliant insights and inside pitches about summer’s favourite game.
Review(s):
“Buck told me long ago that he wasn’t a great player, but he knew what one looked like. As you read the pages that follow, know that you are joining a baseball lifer who only wishes that baseball, in its next life, is better than baseball in its current life.”
“A fun and fascinating look back at what made baseball great, and how that former glory might be recaptured”
“Buck Martinez is as knowledgeable about what is going on in the baseball world as anyone I know. Between playing, managing and broadcasting, Buck has been around the game forever, and has a keen eye for what is really important.”
“Buck Martinez brings a unique blend of old school baseball thinking mixed with the new statistical mind which is so prevalent in today’s game. Buck has played, coached, managed and broadcasted the game of baseball through many different eras, his love and knowledge of baseball is second to none.”
“I’ve always admired Buck Martinez’s baseball career from afar but during my time as the general manager of the Blue Jays I had the opportunity to watch, observe and learn from Buck on so many levels. His passion and insight into the game is unparalleled.”
ISBN: 9781443440738