HELLLLOOO DINO NATION BLOG

Dino Naton Blog Goes 1 on 1 With Jack Armstrong

 

Today’s Extra Blog is going to be a bit different but in a good way. I have been talking about Jack Armstrong in recent days. So have lots of others lending their praise and support of him. I as some of you are aware, call into “Hoops” on a weekly basis. Before I was James in Hamilton or James the Dino Nation Blogger. I was James Borbath getting my media education at Mohawk College here in Hamilton. In those days I worked on AHL Hockey broadcasts for the Hamilton Bulldogs. I also worked on a show called “Jock Talk” and was the hosted a segment called the Round Ball Review. These things were broadcast on C101.5 Radio. I enjoyed working on the station so much I continued on after my education was complete. But to do that I wanted to make sure I was doing quality stuff. So I took my job which was not a paying one as if it was. The same way I approach this blog each and everyday. I was able to be some what successful at doing that thanks to great people that were willing to come on air with me. Sometimes on pre taped and other times live. One of the first people I was able to get to come on with me was Chuck Swirsky. I also had Eric Smith of the Fan 590 on as well. It would lead to many other things. Including getting actual NBA players on college radio through Vince Carter’s Charity event in the summer in Toronto. Basically if there was something or someone I wanted to get on, I gave it a shot. The sports director John was helpful to me in make all of my crazy ideas become reality. I got to interview Trish Stratus for 5 minutes, that is my HELLO MOMENT in broadcasting. I also had James Duthie if any of you are hockey fans out there. He broke the news that TSN had a new idea of having a monkey predict playoff games. I had worked at TSN for a time and I honestly thought he was pulling our leg. But Maggie the Monkey was real and so is this. I had the chance to interview Jack Armstrong for all of you folks to read some of what Jack had to say. I wanted to get this done in audio form because I would understand that people may doubt this being real. But I wasn’t able to secure the studio I would need to pull it off. That is why I felt the need to give you the background on myself. I hope to get the Coach on tape for a podcast in the future. But for today you will just have to trust yours truly the Dino Nation Blogger.

I had contacted Jack hoping that he might answer some questions I was going to email him. I got much more then that. I was offered the honour of having a one on one conversation with Jack. What was going to be a 10 minute chat turned into a much longer conversation. The first thing I felt I should ask Jack was his thoughts on this tremendous show of support from his many colleagues in the media. The coach said it was obviously an honour and the he was very appreciative of the support from them as well as the many Raptor Fans. He has been a part of Raptors basketball for 10 years starting as the analyst on the Radio with Chuck Swirsky. He said, on his 10 years that he is proud of his work and feels comfort with his track record and body of work. I would second that feeling as I think in my humble opinion he has become the best evaluator of this Raptors basketball team with all do respect to the others that cover the Raptors. I think many of the people that work with him would not disagree. Which seems proven by the many shows of support he has gotten from Eric Smith and Doug Smith and many other media personalities in Toronto. Jack also did a great job covering the NCAA for Sportsnet when they had rights to NCAA Tournament. That is where Armstrong’s broadcasting career began. He was a grad of Fordham with a masters in communications. He worked for MSG and Empire Sports which are based in New York State covering college basketball. He had worked on T.V and Radio as part of his role as coach at Niagara. He said people had always told him he should consider broadcasting. The time came where his coaching career at Niagara had closed. He had a year remaining on his contract and was feeling the burn out that many coaches experience. So he decided to give the T.V thing a shot. He became aware of the Fan 590 in need of a new broadcast team for the Raptors. He came to Canada and was paired up with Chuck Swirsky who he knew from Chuck’s time at DePaul and his time with the Purple Eagles. The two started on the air that strike shorten season at the same time Vince Carter joined the Raptors. Both have become stables of Raptors basketball long after Vince was relocated to New Jersey. The man who had planned to take a year away from coaching had found a new career that offer far less pressure and a lot more fun. We both joked about the fact of, as a coach he was always wrong according to fans but magically he got a microphone placed in his hand he became a lot smarter to those same fans. This makes me think Sam Mitchell may one day have a career in this media game if he wanted it.

One of the things about Jack that I think seems very obvious is his ability to relate to the average fan. That skill is on display in his appearances on the Fan 590. He does not insult fans but at the same time is not afraid to tell a fan that they are wrong. I have always respected that. I asked him if he enjoys that type of interaction with fans. He said he loves it. He went on to say that talking sports on the radio had the feeling of sitting down at a local sports bar and chatting with folks. He went on to talk about his Brooklyn roots and being not just a fan of basketball but all sports. You can tell that in how Jack does his job. He is always able to make smart retaliations between the various major sports in his work covering the Raptors. He shared many sports stories as we talked. You can tell that he may be an ex coach and a media member but he is still very much a sports fan. That is something I am a big fan of myself. Jack shared so many things with me about sports that I could not possible mention it all but to sum it I felt proud to be a sports fan after talking with him.

I asked him after 10 years with the Raptors what was the one moment that stuck out for him in that time. He said that was the game 5 victory over the New York Knicks at MSG. To watch that Raptor team make history by winning there first ever and to this day only playoff series. The players like Alvin Williams, Charles Oakley and Vince Carter getting that first taste of success as a team. Jack would go on to talk about the great series with Philadelphia that would follow. He said that it was great to watch this franchise grow and develop. I got the sense he gets the same joy from this current collection of Raptors.

Speaking of those Raptors it would not have made any sense not to ask Jack his thoughts on the Raptors playoff chances. He said and I agree that Raptors would not have won a series should they have drawn Cleveland or Detroit. But Orlando if the Raptors are on their A game they have a chance to win over the Magic. Keep in mind Jack more then anyone has great respect for Orlando. Stan Van Gundy the Magic coach is a good friend of Armstrong from his days in the coaching ranks. He was quick to point out what an excellent job that Stan had done with the Magic this season. He mentioned something that I had been thinking. The Magic are almost in the same spot as the Raptors were a year earlier. When it was time to make a expert prediction Jack Armstrong said Raptors in 7. But he said the this was by far a sure thing. Please don’t run to Vegas and bet the farm based on Jack’s Opinion. Armstrong said that if the Raptors could get back to playing the type of defence they had early in the season at times they had a good chance at success. He also pointed out that the defence they have shown in recent games would not come close to getting it done. Another point he made was the Raptors must get a win in these first two games of the series. I also think that is a requirement to any Raptor victory in this series. I asked the coach to give us 3 keys to the Raptors winning this series. Here is his Answer:

Raptors Keys To Victory over Orlando

• 1. Post Defence on Dwight Howard….Rasho Nesterovic and friends needed to do a good job at defending him. they also should not be afraid to wack Howard and send him to the line. Howard is not a great free throw shooter and make him earn it from the line rather then give up an easy dunk. I mention the hard foul Bosh had on Richard Jefferson recently. Jack said that type of aggressive defence was critical to the Raptors success in this series.
• 2. Perimeter Defence…Raptors can not give up open looks to guys like Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu and others. All shots need to be contested. Something the Raptors have not been getting done lately but must in this series
• 3. Inside Out on Offence: The Raptors key on Offence is to run through their main weapon Chris Bosh. It begins with him and getting him established will be key. But beyond that when the double teams come, having him pass out and having the great ball movement that the Raptors have shown, making that extra pass that can get the great shot instead of just the good one. The Raptors can not just shot 3’s with reckless abandon and just hope they make them.

It is hard for me to add much to what the coach said. He has stated all the things I would have mentioned. I think Jack would agree too that the Raptors have a great advantage at the point guard and need to take advantage of that fact as well. I am sending him a copy of this to look over before my readers are seeing this so if he doesn’t he can tell me.

I want to say what a personal thrill this was for me. I said to Jack that I was just a Joe bag of donuts blogger and the fact that he took the time to talk basketball with me and allow me to share that with my readers was a great honour for me. If you have read this blog in the past I mentioned the times I had the chance to talk with Morris Peterson. I said that I felt like he was a friend of mine as we talked. He made me fill important and it felt like any conversation I would have with a close friend. This interview with Jack gave me that same feeling and it was a great honour to me to have him share his time with me. I must also thank Eric Smith of the Fan 590 as he is the person that helped me get in touch with Jack and have since been able to stay in contact with him. Eric as I mentioned at the start of this was kind enough to do the same thing for me many years ago. I have always valued the people that have helped me do what I love to do. Jack Armstrong talked about his love of sports and his work covering basketball and that it does not feel like a job because it is a lot of fun. I get that, and share that same spirit about doing this blog. This is why I have been so set on making people aware of things in relation to Jack. After talking with him I am even more proud of my efforts on his behalf because they are well deserved. Jack never asked me to do it and same goes for everyone else I can say with great confidence. So why do all these people do it? That is the easiest thing of all. JACK ARMSTRONG IS A GREAT BROADCASTER AND BEYOND THAT A GREAT PERSON. I don’t think I can put it any simpler then that. SO GO SAY HELLLLLLLLOOOO to people that make the calls about Raptor broadcasts and say what I put in the blog recently:

MY RAPTOR BASKETBALL INCLUDES JACK ARMSTRONG

Tags: Jack Armstrong Interview, Magic, Playoffs in NBA, Raptors