Blue Jays: Campbell and Siddall should return to the 4th and 8th innings

Jamie Campbell and Joe Siddall started working together on a permanent basis in 2018 on Sportsnet’s Blue Jays Central telecasts.

Campbell has been a day one employee at Sportsnet dating back to the days when the network was owned by CTV. Campbell would host the nighttime highlight show called Sports Central (Now Sportsnet Central and Sportsnet Connected before that) with Mike Toth, Brad Fay, and some others mixed in. He would start serving as an in-studio host for Sportsnet’s Blue Jays Broadcasts.

In 2005, Jamie would become Sportsnet’s play-by-play announcer for his beloved Toronto Blue Jays. Being from Oakville, he made many trips to Exhibition Stadium when he was a young man and fell in love with the Blue Jays just like many of us all have at some point. Campbell would work with a group of rotating color commentators ranging from Pat Tabler, Rance Mulliniks, and Darren Fletcher.

For the 2010 season, Campbell would be re-assigned to pre and post-game duties in favour of the returning Blue Jays legend Buck Martinez to the booth.

Blue Jays Central Broadcasters Jamie Campbell and Joe Siddall should return to the 4th and 8th inning in-game assignments.

From there, Jamie as he always seems to do tried to make lemonade out of the lemons he was given. He formed a pretty solid pre and post-game show called Blue Jays Central. He would work from 2010 to 2017 with former Blue Jays catcher Gregg Zaun. Zaun became very popular around the city however he was terminated before the 2018 season by Rogers.

This led to an opening on the Blue Jays Central broadcasts. After working four years doing primarily radio broadcasts with the great Jerry Howarth, Joe Siddall decided to bet on himself and took a shot at landing a television job with the Blue Jays, starting with the color commentator position that was vacated by Jack Morris.

Siddall got the job and he was impressed by the opening broadcasts. Many of his colleagues at the time from Howarth to Campbell himself were so taken aback by how quick Joe caught on.  Joe would also occasionally fill in on the television side for Pat Tabler as well.

In 2018, Jamie and Joe would take Blue Jays Central forward. They would come on in the fourth and eighth innings to discuss certain events of the game. As the years have gone on people have come to look forward to Siddall’s analysis while also seeing Jamie Campbell welcome them to the broadcasts.

In 2022, things have changed for the duo. Jamie announced before the season he was receiving treatment for leukemia and I’m so happy to hear that he is moving along very well. Blue Jays Central has received a new sponsor in Bet365. It looks to me like Samsung has moved on which is unfortunate. With Bet365 now in the fold, Jamie gives a highlight package update in the 5th inning then the duo comes on in the 6th to talk about the game. I’m not sure if this is by design but as a viewer, I think it’s a mistake.

In Friday’s 28-run affair, Siddall and Hazel Mae did not get to their sixth inning segment until 10:28 pm. Most games are over by then, and so much happened. The fourth and eighth innings were perfect because Jamie and Joe could discuss what they saw at the start of the game and what we’re seeing towards the end.

To me, there is no reason why one of the 30000 Sportsnet anchors couldn’t do the highlight package for Bet365. It has nothing to do with the game we are watching. Bring back Jamie and Joe for the fourth and the eighth innings. They are too good to not keep in the game.