blogsketball

Before the TJ Ford rumours start up, before Jose Calderon gets richer than he ever imagined and before Andrea Bargnani can be called soft like twinkie filling for the umpteenth million time, there has already been a shakeup with the 2008/09 Raptors: Chuck Swirsky is leaving the team to be the voice of the Chicago Bulls.

The Swirsk leaves TO on good terms, saying he had to do what was right for his family. The organization had nothing bad to say on the topic, probably (hopefully) because they’re like me and can’t pull themselves off the ceiling.

I’ve always thought Swirsky had one of the smoothest voices in broadcasting, but the endless tirade of cliches and attempts at creating catch phrases (or just attempts at getting a voice-over in that night’s highlight reels) is Swirksy’s downfall. You can’t get that excited on every single play, you just can’t. It kills your credibility. Plus, he backed Rob Babcock in the Vince Carter trade.

With the Swirsk packing his fridge full of salami and cheese up for Chi-city, you have to wonder who will take his spot. Jack Armstrong was let go this year, so there’s an opening in the seat next to Leo Rautins. I’ve got two pieces of advice:

1) Don’t take anyone from TSN
Brian Heaney? Rod Black? No thanks. Heaney’s a pioneer in Canadian basketball, but really, putting him at center court with Leo would be a mistake. Same with Rod Black. This leads me to suggestion two.

2) Take someone from The Score
Last night, TSN opened their show with Jays highlights. The Score opened with Magic-Pistons. This network loves basketball, and doesn’t give it the “hockey’s over, what else is out there?” coverage that TSN and Sportsnet do. These guys are passionate and knowledgeable about the game and they’re funny as hell. Snatch Tim Micallef up, get Sid Seixeiro in there. Have Cabbie working the sidelines. This is a chance for Canadians to actually look good on TV without having the words Showcase original attached to it.

Finally, something to remember the Swirsk by: