CB4 Just Wants To Have Fun( Chuck Is Gone Added To Regular Blog )

Chuck Swirsky Leaves

Chuck and Me
This was unexpected news that Chuck Swirsky has left the Raptors. I am going to do a full blog on this topic tomorrow. But for now I just wanted to talk about my personal contact with Chuck.

I first heard him on the radio waiting for someone and being ticked that I had to listen to the game instead of watch it. I must admit I liked the Radio guy who I would later learn to be Chuck Swirsky. I worked on a college radio station and really wanted to do a good job covering the Raptors. I took it as my personal goal to try what I could to get some decent coverage of Raptors on the air on that station. One of the things I thought I would try is to contact Chuck and see if he could help. He did in many ways including taping interviews on a some what regular basis. When I emailed Chuck I was just a fan who happened to be taking Broadcast Journalism. He had no need to be a part of a small Hamilton radio program who’s broadcast signal did not even reach Toronto. But he did. He also would help me make more contacts and through his help and my hard work I was doing things beyond my wildest dreams

I have had my concerns about the way he approaches calling games but I have nothing but praise for the person. My Dino Nation Blog is able to be what it is thanks in part to Chuck Swirsky. I think it is sad that some have taken his departing as a chance to take shots at him. Whatever you may think of him as a broadcaster, he has always been kind to me and almost any Raptor Fan that took time to talk with him. He said it was always a pleasure talking Raptors Basketball and he lived it.

So it is personally sad to me to see him go. I wrote an email to him and on this day where I imagine he had hundreds of them, I still got a quick reply with kind words. Chuck was always fast to reply to emails sent his way by me. I honestly have no idea how he manages it. I do my best to do as well with all of my readers. If you have talked with me or got to know me in any personal way you can thank Chuck for that to a point. He has many good qualities that I have tried to make a part of what I do. I just felt the need to add my personal thoughts before I let you get to reading today’s blog that was written before this story came to light. The topic seems fitting it is about having fun and working hard. Two things that Chuck Swirsky could easily been included in although he was not. So I invite you to read on to your regularly scheduled blog. I hope you will all come back tomorrow to read my complete look back on Chuck’s time in Toronto.

I contacted Jack Armstrong who the regular blog readers and Hoops viewers will recall was kind enough to do an interview for this blog. I asked him for a quote on Chuck leaving the Raptors and here is what Jack had to say on this topic:

” I feel quite fortunate to have worked with Chuck the past 10 years in Toronto. He brought a level of passion, enthusiasm and fun to the broadcasts over the years that have captivated Southern Ontario and fans all across Canada. He is the consummate pro who was always prepared for every game and event he was involved in. A wonderful ambassador for the Raptors and the sport of Basketball. To say he absolutely loved working and living in Canada is an understatement-this was an incredibly tough decision for him I’m sure. Lots of folks say family comes first well in this case it actually did with his decision to depart for Chicago. It’s been a great run and when I look back at our 10 years together a big smile comes to my face from all the good times and laughs along the way even during those leans years that the Raptors experienced just a short time ago. He’ll be missed and he has set the bar at another level and helped grow the game. I’m proud to say I got an opportunity to work with him.”

Blane Is Back

Chris Bosh is back on YouTube as Blane Harrington. Bosh will not be getting an awards for his multi-role acting in this latest video. But that is not the point of them at all. Chris Bosh is not Will Smith and the Fresh Prince can’t ball like Chris Bosh. But both share a great sense of humour and fun approach to life and work. I have no idea if the two have every met each other but I think they would get along. Bosh on the basketball court is a tremendous talent and serious in his approach to his work. But this season we have learned that there is much more to CB4 the person off of the floor. He is letting us all see that he has many other sides to himself besides being a basketball player. He has shown this to the world through his growing collection of YouTube Videos. The latest you can find at the bottom of today’s blog. I am becoming a fan of Bosh’s off court stuff as much as his on court work. I honestly feel I along with all Raptor fans have watched the growing and development of something pretty special on and off the floor.

When this blog started way back in November the odd time I would take a step back and have some fun. I over time had become more concerned with getting this blog to be taken seriously. I never have done some of the funny wacky stuff I use to try at the start. The time may have come to get back to that kind of fun once in awhile again. I mean how many times can you have a Jose vs T.J debate. I mean I get that people want to talk about it. I also understand that I am in the minority not the majority on the issue. If anyone thinks I am not aware of that fact as I write what I do, you would be mistaken. I also understand that the mention of it brings people to the blog to read it. The issue can not be avoided when all is said and done. But sometimes as Chris Bosh has taught me through his wacky videos it is ok to just have some fun. If you have read this blog from basically where it started you may remember a post I did that was a wacky off beat Raptors award show. I enjoyed writing that. It had no value what so ever as far as serious basketball talk. It made fun off lots of people in a very hopefully tasteful way. I think it wouldn’t hurt to do those kind of things again every now and then. I think it is important not lose sight of my own personal enjoyment of what I do. I don’t want to become so serious that I can not stop and have a laugh. There are many important issues to tackle in the off-season for the Toronto Raptors. This blog will always keep on top of all of that. But every now and again I may just try something to have some fun. I hope it will be entertaining for you as readers and give you just as much reason to read the Dino Nation Blog as on any other day.

Another thing that got me thinking on these lines is one of my readers that made a post in a Raptors Group on Facebook. It had nothing to do with the Blog or that much to do with the Raptors. Ron is a grade 10 student that had a essay due for his English class. His topic was to write a 5 paragraph essay on the Toronto Raptors season. He was hoping that some nice Raptor Fan would do it for him. I got the biggest laugh I have had in a long time. I have a hard time remembering grade 10 myself. College even is a long way off in my brain. But I do remember that homework was never a big priority for me. Maybe it should have been and I would be a more skilled writer. But I took the time to enjoy school and hopeful learn enough of what I needed for my life. The fact this young man came online to ask for someone to do his work for him made me laugh. In a good way, I could have seen myself do the exact same thing if the Internet and Facebook were around when I was in grade 10. In the end, Ron did his own work and I wish him luck and a good grade. I also admire his effort to get help of his fellow Raptor Fans.

I often talk about wanting this blog to be more then just another blog you read. I want it to have a feeling of a family, a community and hopeful someday a Nation. That is why I try to include my readers as part of what I am writing. If I can include people in what I am doing I take a lot of joy in that. I get help from folks and I try to do the same for my readers. I don’t do peoples homework because I would be afraid of what an English Teacher would think of this blog. I am certain the way I write sometimes could be taken to task. In fact some people point it out to me. I understand and I try and make it better from that standpoint. But to me, concepts and content are the most important things. I will always do my best to write as well as I am capable. But I am mostly concerned about the information I am providing. You will find better writers, but the hope is you will not find the type of opinion and content I am giving you. That is my strong suit and I do my best to use it. Just like the players the blog talks about this blog will always need tweaks and improvements. I think if you find someone that has read from the start they will tell you it is much better now than it was. I hope so anyway.

So thanks Chris Bosh and Ron for the reminder that this does not always need to be a serious thing each and everyday. I needed to be reminded of that fact and hopefully will be able to mix in my brand of fun every now and again. For now I will leave it to Chris Bosh and the latest instalment of his Blane Harrington Saga.

Tags: Blane Harrington, CB4TV, Chris Bosh, Chuck Swirsky, Jack Armstrong, YOUTUBE