Tonight marks a special night at the Air Canada Centre.
Long-time voice of the Toronto Raptors, Chuck Swirsky, returns to Toronto tonight as the radio voice for the Chicago Bulls.
Chuck was an entrepreneur type broadcaster in Toronto sports. He arrived in 1998-99 to a hockey crazed city to do radio for the lowly Toronto Raptors. Another face of a kid from North Carolina also showed up that year, and with Vince Carter's play, and Chuck's exuberant calls of "Vincent Lamar Carter", or "Air Canada Carter", the Raptors were put on the NBA map, and more importantly, onto the Toronto Sports fans radar.
Chuck excelled so much in the Radio role that he was promoted to television play by play not long after.
Through inspired calls like "Onions, baby Onions!", and "that was sick, wicked and nasty," we watched for years as the Raptors worked under Vince. Chuck was the eternal optimist and always gave Raptors fans a positive look at what was going on in Raptorland.
And what long-time raptor fan didn't yell out "Raptors win, Raptors win, Raptors win" after the season opener this year?
Other than his calls of the game, some of chucks finest work came on "The Chuck Swirsky Show" on the fan 590. Nothing was nicer to here on an afternoon drive home from school than Chuck's classic "It's always great talking sports in the great, and I mean GREAT city of Toronto." And who didn't laugh when chuck talked about "having the big one."
Other lines that we in Toronto will miss will be ones like "Ring it up from downtown" "Just ate some Spalding" "nothing but Nylon" "Oh My Bosh!" and whoever "is showing a little something something"
I know Chuck didn't want to leave the city, especially a short time after he received his Canadian citizenship, but we wish him the best in his future endeavors in Chicago.
I will be attending the game tonight, and am truly hoping for a tribute and a much-deserved standing O.
Well Chuck,
I for one will finish off my dinner tonite with a Large DQ blizzard for the man who brought to the forefront of Toronto Sports.
You are truly "a class act".
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