Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith joins JD to discuss the Blue Jays’ Opening Day win in Tampa, José Berríos’ impressive outing on the mound, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s majestic homer and encouraging swing decisions, which Blue Jays players bear the most pressure in 2024, and why he’s bullish on Toronto's offence this season. Then, JD shares his thoughts on the Maple Leafs’ 5-1 win over the Capitals, Joseph Woll’s strong performance, and the response from the “Core 4” after Sheldon Keefe’s public criticism earlier this week (42:54). Later, JD is joined by Brandon Belt, former Blue Jays DH/first baseman, to chat about his future, the lack of offers/interest that materialized in free agency, his level of dialogue with the Blue Jays’ front office during the winter, the team’s offensive struggles last season, his relationship with the Jays’ young stars, and why the team’s offence hit a snag at Rogers Centre in 2023 (50:11). JD closes the show by weighing in on Simon Benoit’s three-year contract extension and the fallout from Thursday’s Sweet 16 games in the NCAA Tournament (01:25:55).

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Dan Shulman, voice of the Toronto Blue Jays, opens the show talking about Opening Day hopes, the outlook on the Jays' season, the importance of a strong start, how Daulton Varsho has prepared for a bounce-back year, the translation of energy in the clubhouse and one standout player to watch as March Madness continues (6:00). Joe Siddall, Sportsnet's Blue Jays Analyst, discusses the Jays' batting order, the pressure on Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the intricacies of hitting a fastball, which Blue Jay made a positive adjustment at the plate, and starting the season without Jordan Romano and Erik Swanson (34:00). J.P. Ricciardi, former Blue Jays General Manager and Host of The Brushback with JP, chats about why he's optimistic about the Jays, if Vlad is the Jayson Tatum of baseball, what's behind the rise of pitcher injuries, the place for analytics in the MLB and expectations on a GM (50:00). 

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Blake Murphy, Host of Jays Talk Plus, joins JD in-studio to dive into the numbers that project positive or negative regressions for the bats in the Blue Jays' lineup (00:00). Luke Fox, Sportsnet's Maple Leafs and NHL writer, chats about Sheldon Keefe's potent post-game comments, the Leafs' defensive pairings, how the team is using load management, Ilya Samsonov's injury, and the chances Tyler Bertuzzi wears the Blue and White next season (52:00). The show ends with 'What We Missed!'

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Arden Zwelling, Sportsnet Writer and Co-Host of At the Letters Podcast, discusses Shohei Ohtani's comments regarding the gambling and theft investigation into his interpreter, Kevin Gausman ramping up, updates on Jordan Romano and Erik Swanson, Alek Manoah's status, the most overlooked thing of Spring Training, how the offence can be more productive, what the batting order might look like, and potential surprise stories of the season (5:00). Jackie Redmond chats about notification messes, picking playoff matchups, Leafs' hopes, travel and sports venue tribulations (50:00). 

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

James Mirtle, Senior Managing Editor with The Athletic, discusses his takeaways from the Leafs' weekend, the impact of having three goaltenders on the roster, how Zach Hyman will be remembered in Toronto, if the Edmonton Oilers are legit, the Leafs' blue-line since the trade deadline, and what Mitch Marner's line might look like upon his return (8:00). Ben Ennis, Co-Host of The FAN Morning Show, chats about March Madness, the investigation into Shohei Ohtani's interpreter, his predictions for the biggest stories of the Blue Jays' season, and which player they are looking forward to watching and buying stock in (50:00). 

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

JD starts today's show weighing in on the current state of the Maple Leafs (00:00). David "Funny Dave" Dameshek joins the program to discuss sports fandom and the differences between cities, before sharing his take on the new-look new Steelers era and Kyle Dubas' Penguins (06:00). Mike Bibby, former NBA point guard and Sacramento Kings analyst, talks about the state of college athletics, getting drafted to the Vancouver Grizzlies, advice for the lottery-bound Raptors, and playing against LeBron James (50:00). JD ends the show with his thoughts on the Blue Jays trading Santiago Espinal. 

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

James Mirtle, Senior Managing Editor of The Athletic, chats with JD about the Leafs being stuck in the standings (again), potentially changing the NHL playoff format, topics at the NHL GM Meetings, the Leafs' lack of cohesive lines and their defensive core, plus the continued decision-making between Ilya Samsonov and Joseph Woll (8:00). Craig Berube, NHL veteran and Stanley Cup Champion Head Coach, discusses John Tortorella's thought process benching the Flyers' captain,  what he's seen from the Leafs, and what he instilled in his Stanley Cup winning teams, before sharing some memories of his former teammate Chris Simon (50:00). Senior Producer at The FAN 590, Daniele Franceschi, joins the show to breakdown some March Madness prospects that Raptors fans should know about (1:20:00). 

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Riley Cote, former Flyers Forward, Co-Host of the Nasty Knuckles Podcast and Co-Founder of BodyCheck Health, joins JD Bunkis to discuss the Flyers' identity, Philly fandom, reinventing himself after retirement, championing mindfulness and sports psychology (7:00). Justin Bourne, Co-Host of The Real Kyper & Bourne, stops by to chat about the challenge of over-information, the Maple Leafs' powerplay and penalty kill problems, Toronto's injury bug, and the direction of youth hockey (50:00). The show ends with 'What We Missed!'

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Ben Ennis, Co-Host of The FAN Morning Show, joins JD Bunkis to discuss getting older than the current generation of professional athletes, Danny Jansen's injury, positioning the Blue Jays' defence, and the future of pro golf (00:00). JD then goes over the positive angles around the Maple Leafs; Mitch Marner's health, a notable Timothy Liljegren stat, balanced scoring, and Ilya Samsonov's sustained performance (55:00). The show ends with 'What We Missed!'

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

JD opens chatting about the Raptors' ugly loss to the Pistons, before MLB.com's Keegan Matheson checks-in from Blue Jays Spring Training to get into Bowden Francis' spot on the starting rotation, the process of getting Alek Manoah back in the rotation, why Yariel Rodriguez is his favourite off-season signing, the word on Jordan Romano, and other optimism in the Jays' bullpen (9:00). Scott Hartnell, 17 year NHL veteran and Flyers Analyst, talks about John Tortorella's suspension and his culture setting ways, refereeing gripes, and playing in Toronto (55:00). The show ends with 'What We Missed!'

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.