The JD Bunkis Podcast

JD Bunkis kicks off today's show recapping the Blue Jays' festivities honouring Jose Bautista this weekend and reminisces about Jose's time in Toronto. Sportsnet's own Ben Nicholson-Smith joins JD to share his thoughts on the ceremony and some of his favourite memories of Jose, before the guys break down the Jays' weekend series with the Cubs (10:12). They discuss if Sunday's offensive surge will...

JD Bunkis kicks off the show with his thoughts on how people maintain their spots at Blue Jays games, and friends who are late paying you back. JD then goes over his thoughts on Blue Jays hitting coach Guillermo Martinez, and why he is suffering so much backlash online, is it his fault? (00:01) Then, former Blue Jay first basemen Chris Colabello joins JD to talk about the role of a hitting coach o...

JD Bunkis kicks off the show today with the good, the bad, and the ugly of a 1-0 Blue Jays loss last night. How impressive has Kikuchi been this year? Why was Biggio in there and what is Varsho doing hitting 5th? (00:01) CBC.ca and Sportsnet.ca writer Vivek Jacob joins JD to then go over the rumors surrounding the Toronto Raptors and Pascal Siakam. How have they still not budged off their asking p...

JD Bunkis kicks off the week with the host of FAN Drive Time Ben Ennis! They take a deep dive into the weekend series after getting a sweep against the Boston Red Sox and why the Jays struggle against the Orioles, is the division still in play, the idea of Davis Schneider being ‘for real’, and if the Jays should do a 6-man rotation. The guys then look at the drama surrounding the Orioles suspendin...

JD Bunkis kicks off Friday's show with his thoughts on the Blue Jays' disappointing series loss to the Baltimore Orioles, Toronto's dismal offensive performance, and how to get the bats back on track (00:01). Then, legendary Canadian MMA fighter Georges St-Pierre joins JD to preview his upcoming grappling contest in December, his training regimen, who he wants to face off against in the octagon, a...

JD Bunkis kicks off today's show praising the atmosphere of the Rogers Centre and shares why Toronto should be proud of their home field (00:01). Soon after, Ben Ennis, host of The FAN Drive Time , reunites with JD for a post-trade deadline edition of the ‘Good Hour’! The pair discuss what's left to be desired by the Blue Jays, what level of improvement can come from within the organization, and i...

JD Bunkis kicks off the show reviewing what the Jays did (and didn’t) do during yesterday's MLB Trade Deadline and gets into why any more improvements this year may need to come from within (00:01). Soon after, we get a front office perspective from 16-Year MLB GM, former Executive of the Year and current analyst for CBS Sports, SiriusXM and The Athletic, Jim Bowden! He and JD break down the posit...

JD Bunkis is back! He kicks off today's show discussing the Blue Jays ahead of today's trade deadline and how the addition of Jordan Hicks could help solidify the bullpen (00:02). Sportsnet Blue Jays insider Shi Davidi hops aboard to share the latest on Bo Bichette's injury suffered during Monday night's game, before zooming out to discuss if the team should address his absence at the deadline. La...

JD Bunkis recaps last night's uneventful Blue Jays loss against the Padres and breaks down why the team can't consistently produce offence (00:01).  Then, former Blue Jays GM and current special advisor to the San  Francisco Giants, J.P. Ricciardi  joins the show to offer a front office perspective to the trade deadline! He discussing the internal and external pressures to make trades and how to b...

JD Bunkis kicks off today’s episode recapping last night's disastrous start from Alek Manoah and where it leaves the Jays' rotation heading down the stretch. Afterwards, Nick Kypreos of Real Kyper and Bourne joins JD to sift through the latest news out of Leafs Land! The pair discuss what Auston Matthews' next contract might look like, if any progress has been made in William Nylander's negotiatio...

JD Bunkis is joined by "The Golf Guys" Brent Gunning and Sam McKee! They start things off discussing why Steph Curry's win at the American Century Championship had more attention than Rory McIlroy's win at the Genesis Scottish Open over the weekend, and if that attention is good for golf. The guys then preview The Open Championship starting this weekend and highlight the best storylines heading in...

JD Bunkis welcomes on Sportsnet Blue Jays reporter Ben Nicholson-Smith to recap the team's sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks over the weekend. The pair re-evaluate the Jays' stance in the A.L. East, the team's top trade deadline priorities, if the "clutch gene" actually exists, and if they would reverse the trade for Daulton Varsho in hindsight (03:45). JD closes out the day with the biggest stori...

Ariel Helwani, host of the MMA Hour, joins JD to chat about the Knicks and Damian Lillard, the changed feeling around Canada Soccer, the hopeful come-up of Canada Basketball, and Francis Ngannou versus Tyson Fury (09:30).  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, Host of Sportsnet's The Fan Drive Time, joins JD to discuss filling the void of the slow summer sports season, before sifting through the Blue Jays first half, how the American League standings may shape out, optimism about Hyun-jin Ryu, likely trade scenarios, and a couple "what if's" heading down the stretch. Later on, JD and Ben chat about the fast-growing Threads app and proper golf...

On the heels of yesterday's All-Star showdown, JD likes the direction baseball is heading in! Blue Jays television voice, Dan Shulman, joins JD to discuss Shohei Ohtani's looming free agency, the keys to a strong second half of the season for the Blue Jays, Daulton Varsho's impact, Toronto's urgency heading towards the trade deadline, if a six-man rotation is ideal, and a potential reunion with Te...

JD starts with Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s home-run derby victory. Then, Sportsnet's Raptors reporter Michael Grange joins JD to give his first impressions on Victor Wembanyama, before diving into the Raptors relationship dynamics, what's looming with Pascal Siakam, and what he's seen  from the Raptors rookies at Summer League (06:00). Later, James Sharman, Head of Content and Senior Producer at Room...

JD Bunkis kicks off the week offering his thoughts on the Alex DeBrincat trade and extension and what it means for the Leafs and William Nylander going forward? He then gets into Fred VanVleet's comments this weekend on the Raptors chemistry, before debating if Saturday's win cemented Alex Volkanovski as the greatest featherweight of all time. Later on, MLB Network insider Jon Morosi joins JD to g...

JD Bunkis and Ben Ennis are back together for another edition of the 'Good Hour'! They go over the premature demise of Twitter and emergence of Threads. Is this the new thing? The guys then go over Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s hot streak and whether or not Ben is walking back any of his criticisms of him? Does he expect it to continue? JD and Ben then go over the situation both the Leafs and Raptors fi...

JD Bunkis is joined off the top by Sportsnet's Arden Zwelling! The pair chat about how underrated and underappreciated Shohei Ohtani is, before getting into the Blue Jays' decision to call Alek Manoah back up to the Majors (00:01). Later on, the guys dig in on the Jays' offence and what might be stifling it so far this season, if there's an issue with Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s pitch selection, and w...

JD Bunkis kicks off the show celebrating the Argos' huge win over the B.C. Lions last night and highlights the excitement that Chad Kelly is bringing under centre (01:32). Later on, two-time Stanley Cup Champion and founder of the Klevr app, Kris Versteeg joins JD to weigh on how the Leafs' should approach William Nylander's contract situation. The pair also sort through Toronto's latest free agen...

JD Bunkis is joined by his Leafs Talk co-host Sam McKee to go over all the moves the Leafs made in free agency this weekend! James Mirtle, Senior Managing Editor at The Athletic, joins the guys to share his thoughts on new additions Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi, the key players lost from last year's roster, and question if this group has another move left in them. JD and Sammy then weigh in on the...

JD Bunkis kicks off the show chatting about the news surrounding Fred VanVleet's looming free agency decision and what it means for the Raptors' off-season (00:01). Later on, Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli sorts through the lack of moves coming out of the NHL Draft and if this trend will continue as we head into free agency (09:23). JD and Frank then try to understand the Mape Leafs' front office...

JD Bunkis is back! He kicks things off with his thoughts on the Blue Jays at the midway mark of the season and ponders if the fanbase's frustrations with the Jays might extend beyond baseball to the Toronto sports scene as a whole (00:01). Later on, Senior Managing Editor at The Athletic James Mirtle joins JD on the heels of last night's NHL Draft! He explain why we saw no trades during the first...

JD Bunkis opens up discussing last night's NHL Awards and why he was left disappointed overall, but hopeful for the future. JD then dives into the Leafs' contract numbers to anticipate what William Nylander and Auston Matthews might receive (00:02). Later on, Senior NBA writer for Yahoo Sports Jake Fischer stops by to take a look at the latest Raptors rumours! He discusses O.G. Anunoby parting way...

JD Bunkis starts the week chatting about what posters bring back the most nostalgia, before getting into the Jays' weekend series victory over the Athletics, the fan base's seemingly negative mindset, and if this series renewed his faith in Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (00:01) Next up, JD is joined by Justin Bourne, co-host of Real Kyper and Bourne , to chat about the latest news for the Maple Leafs! The...