Chuck Checks Back In

By James Borbath…

There have been a lot of things different this Raptor Season. The team is
sure a lot different on the floor. But the most noticeable change for the
average fan is no more salami and cheese. Chuck Swirsky caught everyone
off guard when Chuck had announced on his own radio show that he was
leaving the Raptors and returning to Chicago to take a job with the Bulls
doing radio broadcasts. When Chuck first came to Toronto he was hired to
do radio broadcast with Jack Armstrong. Both he and Jack would expand from
the radio to move into T.V. Even if you are not a media person it is not
hard to understand people in T.V in general make more money. So, if anyone
thought Chuck left for more money that is not true. The reason he would
give is family reasons and he would not say anything beyond that. It all
seemed strange as Swirsky had become a citizen of Canada in early 2008. In
fact in my first conversation with Matt Devlin who has replaced Chuck with
the Raptors. He had said to me that he figured Chuck would remain here for
a long time and was as surprised as anyone that he made the move to
Chicago.

Raptors fans at the time and since have had various reactions to Chuck
leaving. Some were glad to see him go and had grown tired of his homer
approach to broadcasting games. Others truly loved Chuck and have not been
able to accept that he has left. Some were sad and others felt that they
had been personally screwed. It has been a wide range of emotions for
sure. Matt Devlin meanwhile has been the guy that has had to come in and
replace Chuck or at least do his job. Matt is a very different style
commentator from Chuck and has worked on both a national level for TNT as
well as for organizations in the NBA in Charlotte and Memphis. Some fans
have embraced that change and enjoy Matt’s different style and others miss
the days of Chuck and his salami and cheese and long list of chuckisms. It
is going to be a very strange scene when Chuck Swirsky comes back to
Canada. I have talked with him about it and am going to be having that
interview in the Dino Nation Blog as the game with the Bulls approaches.
Chuck pointed out he is still a Canadian Citizen and he looks forward to
the return to Toronto. In his 10 years in the city no one can deny he
became a big part of the city and a true promoter of the Raptors and
basketball. I did get the sense that he was very much the same person I
use to interview on the radio a long time ago. He is a good person and is
a class act in every way. I never did asked the question that most people
want to know which is why he left. I respect the answer he has given that
it was a family matter. Instead of wondering why he left, Raptor fans who
loved him should just be thankful for the memories they have and move on.
You will still get to see Chuck twice a year and NBA now offers radio
feeds for free if you are in desperate need to hear Chuck do his thing. He
just will be doing it for another team.

The debates over Chuck and Matt I find to be a pointless waste of time. I
have the fortune to have got to know both on a small level. I can state
that both are great people. They are different people and do their job in
a different way. That is the same in all things though. People are
different and that is what makes the world the place it is. Matt Devlin
was aware it would take time for fans to make the transition and he is
truly happy to be here in Toronto with the Raptors. He had family in the
area and has really embraced his new life here in Canada. He has become a
fan of Tim Horton’s coffee and he is doing his best to get to know Raptor
fans. I am glad that a lot of folks have been welcoming to him and given
him a chance to let us get to know him. He is never going to be the same
as Chuck and to his credit he has never tried to be. Chuck also said what
a great person Matt is and that he was an excellent hire for the Raptors
to replace him.

So maybe when folks get the chance to say hello to Chuck on January 14th
when the Bulls and Raptors meet up for the first of 4 games this season it
will allow some closure to all of this. However this is the same city that
still boos Vince and even Tracy McGrady at times so maybe it won’t. Bottom
line of it all is Chuck whatever you think of him as a broadcaster is a
great person and it was nice to talk with him. I have also enjoyed getting
to know Matt and have had fun getting to know him. All I know is both have
been very kind to me and are always willing to reach out to fans and make
time for them. I think that makes them both good people. In a sports world
that sees headlines of people in trouble with the law and all kinds of
other bad things. We need all the good people we can get. So I welcome
Chuck back the same as I would an old player that I liked in his time
here. Matt Bonner, Morris Peterson and for me personally T.J Ford. But I
move on and continue to be a Raptor fan. It is not like if anyone leaves
it is going to change how I feel about the Raptors. Chuck in his time here
made a lot of fans of the Raptors and I hope that is the legacy he left
us. He certainly did his best to do just that.