Some stuff that isn't Swirsk, and some Swirsk too, of course

Holy Salami and Cheese, Batman.

Even for you crazies, this Swirsky stuff is over the top. About 80 comments yesterday, I see another 30 or so in there now I have been able to get to yet and there have to be two dozen e-mails.

I swear it’s bigger than Jose-TJ. Sorta tells you something, doesn’t it?

TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO

Give us your favourite Swirsk moments in the comments section below.

Here’s my take:
A guy’s gotta do what a guy’s gotta do and if there are family considerations in play – and there are – Chuck’s gotta go.

Guess it sucks but, you know what, life goes on, for all of us.

In the decade he was here, he did a wonderful job promoting the game and the team when it was needed most. How in the world he maintained any semblance of enthusiasm through some of those wretched years is beyond me (of course, he missed the truly awful first couple of seasons).

Obviously he evoked great passion – on both sides of the aisle – and as an entertainer-slash-broadcaster, isn’t that what he’s supposed to do?

He’ll be missed by many, not missed by others but there will be broadcasts next year and someone will fill his shoes.

But, what the heck. Since I’ve got nothing better to do, let’s see if you can come up with your favourite Swirsky moment, dump ‘em in the comments section and I’ll get to ‘em a couple or three times over the next couple of days and post them.

Yes, I seem to be a glutton for punishment.

-

Now, on to the big question.

Who’s next?

I presume resumes were being polished all over the GTA last night and the big shot broadcasters with agents – if there are any in this market – will have calls made on their behalf this morning.

But I also presume there is no short list for a couple of reasons.

One, the Raptors don’t have next year’s TV lineup set yet, they don’t know for certain how many games are going to be on what networks and whether those networks – like the CBC did last year – might want to explore having their own “voice.” It didn’t work for the CBC because they were so late getting their final schedule down pat but this might be an opportunity for any network to put its own stamp on its show.

And, secondly, if I know Maple Leaf Sports, this is not going to be the highest-paying gig in network television, regardless of who gets it.

So all of us who’d love to repatriate Dan Shulman or even John Saunders should come the realization that it’s not financially possible. Too bad, though. Either of those guys would be great.

Oh, and one other thing to think about when you’re hoping some big name NBA broadcaster might be interested: As much as some of you’d like to think otherwise, broadcasting Toronto Raptor games to the relatively miniscule audiences they draw is not the biggest plum in television history.

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The great man speaks. And if he’s cooking, I’m eating. The one thing few knew about Oak was that he knew his way around the kitchen like few others.

And it’s always nice to see an Oak story.

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Here’s a little exercise for you all:

Every time you make a trade proposal, walk away for five minutes, come back and look at it from the other team’s angle. Take everything into consideration, contracts, lengths of contracts being traded, players already under contract. Then see if you still think it’s realistic.

It’s nice to talk about all these deals, and very nice of you to ask me about each and everyone but, really, some of them are too far-fetched.

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You know why it’s good to have the Celtics in the playoffs playing meaningful games?

(Beside the fact it’s a great city I’d like to be in for June and the final).

Because when they show guys like John Havlicek and Jo Jo White on TV and an old dude like me starts remembering back in the day.

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Had to wade through about a kabillion Swirsky questions to get a good mailbag offering:

Q: Just a general question about trades. When does the trade deadline lift during the post-season allowing eliminated teams to make deals again? I seem to remember the Araujo-Humphries deal happening when the Finals were still going on.

Dave G, Toronto

A: The moratorium on trades is lifted at the end of the regular season but remains in effect for teams in the playoffs. But once a team’s eliminated, deals can be made, which is why Toronto and Utah pulled that one off during the Finals.

It’s rare that teams do make trades until everyone’s able to, actually.

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So Kobe’s the MVP (I’ll resist the ‘I told you so’ moment) but if there was on thing that was surprising, it was the margin of victory. I figure, just from talking to a few other voters I know, that he’d win; I also figured that Paul would be a lot closer.

But I also think we got the top four right, in order, with Bryant, Paul, KG and James.

Guess that puts the lid on most of the awards for the season, the only significant one left to come are the all-NBA teams. It’ll be interesting to see if Bosh is able to crack the top three.

I’d be surprised.

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Final mail:

Q: Everybody's talking about trading for Yao or Antawn, why? They are looking for a 20 pt.-dropping wing player.I personally really like the team they have now but if you ask me why not go for a Richard Jefferson? He wants out of the Nets and I think he would be awesome in the Raptors playing style.

Justin A, Saskatoon

A: The Antawn Jamison talk is only less slightly off the wall than any mention of Yao, can we please, please, please, please stop mentioning either of them.

And Jefferson does not want out of New Jersey in any way, shape or form. But the fact is the Nets may want to move him. Trouble is, they’ll want a wing player back and there’s really nothing on the Raptors that intrigues them I’m sure.

Comments

[AK]

Favourite Swirsky moment- when I realised how much of a coorporate suck he was saying while camera is on him "Leo...I'm going to take my Rogers Blackberry out right here and sent David Stern a note"

I will miss his passion and enthusiasm and his sincere love for Canada/Toronto Raptor ball but will not miss his over the top tag lines...it was sometimes like watching the same commercial over and over again.

[green]

Fave chuck call was last year'ish when Rasho decked someone in retaliation for a hard foul earlier in the game. Watching the replay chucks only comment "Ohhhh Rashhhooo."

[Pete]

I've got two favorite Swirsk moment that I want to share with everyone. One is the infamous "Derrick Martin keeps the streak alive!" - where D.Mart hit the three to keep the longest streak of hitting at least one three by a team alive. Chuck was going banana's although the Raps got blown away by the Mavs. Onions, baby onions!
The other one is the "Leo, because I know you love Dick." - reffering to Dick Bavetta ofcourse. Chuck was asking Leo's favorite Dick Bavetta moments and he suddenly pops this question. Leo goes silience for about a second or two. Priceless.

Raptors broadcast won't be the same without Chuck. This is bigger loss to the franchise than losing who-shall-not-be-named, few years back.

[Ellie]

Just the fact that Chuck encouraged fans to email or CALL him about anything troubling or exciting our feverish little minds sets him apart from most public relations types and speaks to his dedication.

I wasn't a fan of everything that came out of his mouth, but he did an excellent job of walking the line between commentating and promotion in a professional manner.

I'll miss him and wish his family well.

[Jim K]

My fav Swirsk moment: Carter back in TO for the first time. His first spectacular dunk against the Raps, Swirsk calmly says, "Carter with the bucket".

[Paulino Nunes]

I just scanned some of the Swirsk comments from the previous posts. I understand the range of reaction - shock/relief/sadness/joy - but betrayal?

Please, people. He's an employee doing a job. He didn't promise you anything. He didn't hold your hand and "mouth oaths" to you. The only thing he owed the fans was to do his best, which he did.

If you're feeling 'betrayed' by Swirsk, you should take both hand and firmly grab a hold of reality (or just grab a hold of your own head and give it a shake). Shocked? Relieved? Sad? Sure.

Betrayed? Get a grip.

[Swanda C.]

Great blog! I enjoy reading it every morning. Anyway, back to the Chuck leaving announcement. Personally, I'm not a fan of his at all. I find his "Chuckism" corky and lame. Everytime the Raps get a win, the way he comments made it seem like it was so difficult for the Raps to pull a W.
Anyway, I remember one of Chuck's classic moments when our 3pt streak was about to come to a close, and you can hear Chuck's disappointment. In the final seconds of the game, DMart threw up a three just past the half line and the basket counted. Chuck was so ecstatic to the point where it was hilarious..."OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! ONIONS BABY ONIONS! AHHHH"

[voislav]

A farewell to Chuck, he'll be missed. Better get those salami and cheese t-shirts while you can. Any chance of Eric Smith getting the gig, I like him on the radio, but I'm not sure how his style would work for a TV broadcast. It would also be too bad to break him and Jones up.

[Jerome Carson]

Not that it was an really important play, but I remember a game this season (Utah? Denver?) where Jamario drove the lane(!) with this vicious dunk - surprised everyone that saw it, just out of nowhere. All I can hear is Chuck's exasperated-turned-excited "That was sick, wicked, and nasty!"

No doubt, Swirsk brought a lot of fun to Raps' games.

[Scott]

If Rod Black gets the gig, I am going to weep. Seriously, I will cry and then never watch another Raptors game. Everything that man calls grates on my nerves. He is a decent colour man, but when he calls sporting events, he doesn't show the depth of knowlege other do to keep the broadcast interesting. I know he does some work with the TSN games now, but I am seriously hoping he is not promoted.
Any chance the networks could go a complete change and get rid of Leo too? It is going to be a very strange year next year watching the raptors.

[charlie]

"So Kobe’s the MVP (I’ll resist the ‘I told you so’ moment)... "

please Doug, go ahead and 'tell me so'. why don't you also tell us all again about how there's no point guard controversy. or about how the raptors have a chance against orlando. or how bargnani is just in a slump. there's nothing a sports fan detests more than sideline hacks and their 'predictions'. just tell us the news and the numbers. we don't care about your half-baked prognostications.

and on that note, the swirsk was fine for a season or two, but it's good he's going. he brought a level of blind homerism to calling games that had me pounding the mute button to save my sanity. And nothing is more disappointing than having to endure swirsk and "jack rautins" during the playoffs (our limited taste of them anyway); i'm begging MLSE to pipe in the US national broadcasters so we raps fans can hear an actual informed, high-level, objective national voice talk about our team. alas, we get rod black. yikes.

[Andrew Gregg]

My favourite Swirsky moment was yesterday.

[Nigel]

My favorite Chuck moment would be when the Raptors were in LA and they were up a fair margin at the beginning of the third quarter and Chuck says something to the tune of "Well Leo, I am going to say that there is no possible way the Raptors lose this one". Then Kobe gets 81. Sigh

[Kent]

"Carter with a layup" in calm monotone as VC dunks for the first time against his former team. Classic!!

[Sean]

Favourite Swirsk Moment (off TV)= Giving Andrea a first place vote for ROY. The reason I love it is that I genuinely think he believed Andrea deserved it more than Brandon Roy. He was a homer, but you gotta admire the onions to be THAT much of a homer.

Favourite Swirsk Moment (on TV)= Tie between dubbing Robert Archibald and Ronnie Baxter the "the Banger Bros" during the Dark Ages, and pulling out the "Salami and Cheese" in the 3rd quarter against the Lakers two years ago, only to have the Black Mamba drop 81. I think it took him a while to get over that.

Honestly, though I wasnt always his biggest fan, I think I'll miss the guy. He is the only person affiliated with the organization who transcended the team. My mom couldnt name a single Raptor (outside maybe Bosh), but she knows who Chuck Swirsky is, and thats a big thing for a team that never seems to win all that much. Best of luck Chuck.

[Andy]

"My favourite Swirsky moment was yesterday."

My coffee almost came out of my nose..that was hilarious.

"Betrayed, people get a grip"

Honestly, are you betraying everyone when you quit your job? No, life is about personal decisions that are best for you and the ones you love. Even if Chuck was a great commentator, I'd be upset...but understand people have to move on.

[Amanda]

I think all of the people saying that they're glad he's gone will miss him next year. The only person I would rather see calling games for the Raptors is Charles Barkley. But since that won't happen in a million years, I am really sad to see Chuck go and MLSE will be hard-pressed to find someone that even comes close to the Swirsk. Favourite moment: Chuck just going absolutely bezerk over the miracle 3-pointer by Mo Pete in Washington.

[davelaemers]

Favourite Chuck Moment: I can't remember which game it was, but Chuck called a game when he was clearly sick and had hardly any voice left in him.

Chuck should be remembered for how he brought it every night. Whether you like Chuck or not, no matter what the score, how bad the Raptors were, or how he felt that day, Chuck always brought it.

[AK]

On Swirsk, I would be extremely disappointed if they got Rod Black or some Jamie Campbell-type clone got the gig. I get nautious seeing Rod Black on Raps telecasts to begin with. They need a solid person calling the games. Someone who knows what they're talking about, is not overly nostalgic and who doesn't treat the listener like someone who stumbled upon the game while flipping between pucks games.

Other than Shulman, Saunders and Swirsk, TO non-pucks teams have not had a good TV play-by-play person since I can remember. Too many bad broadcasters have been thrust into our lap. I fear the same may happen again. If it does, I may have to move to another NBA city, or figure out how to get this NBA league pass thing.

[Anthony]

My personal favourite memory is getting my first email back from him. I thought to myself, HOLY CRAP. Someone who actually works closely with the Raptors responds to a fan's comments or questions! Amazing?!?!?

[Matt G]

Fav Swirsky moment...the moment I heard he was leaving. C'mon Doug, for all your gifts as a journalists, you're letting the guy's good personality cloud your judgement. Gawd, we had to endure his brutal analysis, when he should have been calling the games, and then had to listen to Leo and Jack scold him endlessly for being retarded. His play-by-play skills may have been decent but he strayed too far towards being a perpetual ham. And what a homer to boot! No wonder he's going to Chicago, their sports broadcasters are notorious, e.g. Ken "Hawk" Harrelson, for being outrageously blinded by homerism.

I'm praying that Swirsky will be the Raptors version of Fergie Oliver and the better days are ahead with a new version of Hughson/Shulman. Or maybe Mike Inglis could be persuaded to come back to Toronto? Then again, who would want to leave Miami for Toronto?

[Dave Benner]

Charlie, if hard numbers and news are what you crave then I humbly suggest that you look somewhere other than an intentionally subjective blog that exists mainly to interact with readers and entertain. Box scores and objective game summaries are available on the internet, perhaps you should direct your browser elsewhere. Furthermore, prognostications that are correct cannot rationally be described as "half-baked". Lastly, unless you have surveyed the readers of this blog to determine their preferences, please do not attempt to tell Doug what "we" want to read. "We" have our own opinions and, like rational consumers, will continue to voice them by choosing to visit or not visit this blog.

If many of these anti-DS commenters were as passionate about their opinions in real life as they are in their comments I can't imagine why they would have read enough of this blog to form an opinion, much less to have taken the time to voice their displeasure.

Keep up the good work Doug, you've got a lot of grown-ups who admire your work.

[Nick M]

Two favourite Swirsk moments.

1) The awkward moment of Leo and Chuck on the 'kiss cam'.

2) I'm not sure of who the Raps were playing but it was near the end of this season. I seem to remember Chuck breaking out the 'Salami and Cheese' with 2 minutes left in the 2nd quarter. Is this true or am I dreaming? It seems outrageous but thats Onions!

[GM]

My favourite Swirsky moment came off the air, and I'm sure it happened to lots of people. He often used "dropping a dime" to refer to an assist. I knew what it meant, but for the life of me I couldn't out where it came from. So I e-mailed Chuck early in a game when he said it. During halftime I went to the kitchen. Came back to my laptop and there was an answer. Chuck had written me back at halftime of a game he was calling!

No denying his enthusiasm and by all accounts he's a peach of a guy. But I, for many, am glad I won't have to listen to him anymore. But if they replace him with Rod Black, I'll be pining for the old salami and cheese.

[Neil Julita]

Some sports teams retire numbers , some retire people who worked for that organization. We should retire CHUCK!!

He is the greatest thing that happened to the Raptors, but like all good things in sports they eventually want out.

chuck and his blog on the raptors will be sorely missed