My problem with Raptors broadcasts

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Gman wrote:

I have to say that (except for the singing) I've always appreciated Jack. And I took another look at Matt ( who I thought was too smarmy America), when the NBA had him for some of the high profile playoff games. He's considered one of the best and it's little things like that that can change the perception of the league. Still miss Chuck...that one hurt.

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Me too.....

the problem with our broadcasts is that these guys come off far too much like they are fans who travel with the team..i.e. that they're emotionally invested with the players. I think that is the truth, don't get me wrong, but that means we will usually get either a string of whining when we're not playing well, or complete over the top excitement for basic plays like rebounding (like when matt devlin uses a raspy voice to go "ANDREA WITH THE REBOUND")

I think this is acceptable if you are fun to listen to like Chuck was (and I always loved how leo was jealous of his catch phrases)

But I would like some more objectivity in my broadcasts, similar to the way they have it on TNT. The one announcer with a former player or coach like Reggie Miller, or JVG is always much better to listen to because they know the game, and they speak about things realistically.

We spend all day talking to our friends about the games, we don't need another fan's perspective. Let's get some real knowledge from these people

P.S. no more changing the camera angle when we have a fast break....they ruined T-ross' windmill this year

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BallaBalla wrote:

P.S. no more changing the camera angle when we have a fast break....they ruined T-ross' windmill this year

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Wow, I COMPLETELY agree with this. The viewers can't appreciate a player's elevation/vertical leap while watching from the floor's point of view (we can't notice how far his feet are off the ground).

Stick to the main camera for live action, and use the baseline camera for replays.

Devlin is horrible. Every basket is announced with a gutteral DEROZZZZZAN or JOSEEEEE or (insert player name here). Without fail. It's horrible. He misses blocked shots. He lacks critical knowledge of the game. He uses the term "upfake". He says "bang on". For a miss he says "no". He calls players by their first name.

Leo is a cocky clown. All he does is complain and lecture like a know it all with 32 NBA games to his credit.

I'd rather listen to Jack do the games by himself - not necessarily doing play by play, but just commenting. That would be awesome.

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Nmbfr8WEmJc?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Listen and cry.

The only one I can't stand I Coach Leo. He is condescending and insults the viewer's knowledge. The raps are not a new franchise anymore and the viewers have been watching basketball for a while and don't need him telling us/coaching us the basic rules of basketball.

He also uses hindsight to always be right.
* shot missed * "Oh he shouldn't have taken that shot."
* shot hit from same spot, same player * "Perfect use of the offence"

Amazing how no one likes him and he still has a colour job. Can't we test drive someone else, or even better just let Jack handle all broadcasts?


As far as Chuck, "Salami and Cheese" was always the ultimate jinx. "NBA facial"-did he not know the other use of the word facial??!?! I may be the only one, but I prefer Devlin.

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robert parrish 00 wrote:

As far as Chuck, "Salami and Cheese" was always the ultimate jinx. "NBA facial"-did he not know the other use of the word facial??!?! I may be the only one, but I prefer Devlin.

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There were very few people loving Swirsky while he was here. He was embarrassingly over-the-top with his calls, came up with lame nicknames for the most inconsequential players (since when does Lonny Baxter deserve a nickname?), and the ultimate joke was Swirsky being the lone person voting Bargnani as rookie of the year, while the remaining 120 voters chose Brandon Roy. Swirsky was the king of homers.

Bell/Rogers should just shell out the cash and get Dan Shulman back to Canada.

Swirsk was a fake. Devlin is much more outgoing with fans. Once the camera was off, Swirsk would not give you the time of day.

I don't want to see shtick. That is all Chuck was. He also ruined Roys unianimous nomination by throwing Andrea's name in there, it was embarrassing.


Then he bolts to the USA because the medical system is so much better, then after his wife leaves him comes grovelling for his job to BC. I don't like slicksters and Chuck was one.


(I did like his radio show though, thought that worked very very well)

Leo and Rod Black need to F%$K RIGHT OFF. Rod Black is just spoon feeding Leo softball questions and giving him too much of a forum to run his mouth. I don't think he has ever really watched a basketball game either.

Leo spends the whole game trying to coach and tell every player what they should have done, as if his shit don't stink and he's never made a bad decision. When you get fired as coach of Canada's team, you shouldn't be giving anyone coaching advice you numptie. The Raptors should take a cue from Basketball Canada and dump this putz.

Another guy that needs to go is Paul Jones on radio. He knows a lot, and his play by play isn't that bad, but he try's way to hard to come up with some saying that might become a catch phrase of his. I also find he gets way to excited for the opposing team. Not to mention his excitement just doesn't sound genuine.

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NoPropsneeded wrote:

Stop bitching. There are worse commentators around trust me. Although i do agree on Leo Rautins sucking monkey balls. They need to bring back Swirsky and put him on sportsnet with Matt

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You cant have two play-by-play commentators on the same broadcast..

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Nilanka wrote:

There were very few people loving Swirsky while he was here. He was embarrassingly over-the-top with his calls, came up with lame nicknames for the most inconsequential players (since when does Lonny Baxter deserve a nickname?), and the ultimate joke was Swirsky being the lone person voting Bargnani as rookie of the year, while the remaining 120 voters chose Brandon Roy. Swirsky was the king of homers.

Bell/Rogers should just shell out the cash and get Dan Shulman back to Canada.

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Never liked Swirsky either. Dan Shulman would be terrific

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BasketballCrush wrote:

Swirsk was a fake. Devlin is much more outgoing with fans. Once the camera was off, Swirsk would not give you the time of day.

I don't want to see shtick. That is all Chuck was. He also ruined Roys unianimous nomination by throwing Andrea's name in there, it was embarrassing.


Then he bolts to the USA because the medical system is so much better, then after his wife leaves him comes grovelling for his job to BC. I don't like slicksters and Chuck was one.


(I did like his radio show though, thought that worked very very well)

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How do you know this??

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Sig wrote:

You cant have two play-by-play commentators on the same broadcast..

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i mean jack lol

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Nilanka wrote:

There were very few people loving Swirsky while he was here. He was embarrassingly over-the-top with his calls, came up with lame nicknames for the most inconsequential players (since when does Lonny Baxter deserve a nickname?).

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I loved Swirsky and still do. He was over the top, and a total dork. But he came across as a genuinely huge fan of the raptors, and since he wasn't relied upon to do to analysis I was totally okay with. "Get out the Salami & Cheese" will always a have a small place in my heart.

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BasketballCrush wrote:

Swirsk was a fake. Devlin is much more outgoing with fans. Once the camera was off, Swirsk would not give you the time of day.

I don't want to see shtick. That is all Chuck was. He also ruined Roys unianimous nomination by throwing Andrea's name in there, it was embarrassing.


Then he bolts to the USA because the medical system is so much better, then after his wife leaves him comes grovelling for his job to BC. I don't like slicksters and Chuck was one.


(I did like his radio show though, thought that worked very very well)

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I couldn't disagree with you more. I emailed swirsky personally a year or so ago to say that I missed him and I appreciated his time here in Toronto and he took the time to email me back. I'm not in the media (unless posting here counts) and I certainly don't have any tv cameras, but he had the "time of day" to respond to me my email, which I wasn't expecting and appreciated.

Here's a quote for you:

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Q: During your time in Toronto calling Raptors games, you became a Canadian citizen. This obviously shows how much you love the place, but what do you miss most about the city?

A: The mosaic atmosphere and the multicultural dimension of the city. The people are great. It’s an unbelievable place, and I spent 10 years there and loved it. As you say, I became a Canadian citizen, and I thought I’d spend the rest of my life there, but things come up that you don’t foresee, and so, we moved on.

The Raptors organization is first class, but we’re in Chicago now and making the most of it. The Bulls are very similar to the Raptors from the standpoint of great ownership. The men and women who work behind the scenes are all top class, and so I’m very thrilled to have been involved with two organisations that do it the right way.

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Swirsky loved the team, loved toronto, and loved Canada, and anyone who sends out that much love earns my respect. Yes he was over the top to the point of annoyance or embarrassment, yes he was dork and yes he had googly-eyes . BUT he was OUR embarrassing googly-eyed dork. And I miss him, and I'd love to have him back.

Also just found out where the salami and cheese came from which I also think is cool story

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Q: Our time’s nearly up so just one last question. You’re well known for your catch phrase, "bring out the salami and cheese." What was the inspiration behind it?

A: That’s the one that ended ball games when the Raptors won. About five or six years ago now, I got a handwritten letter from a guy who watches the Raptors games with his wife.

He said, 'You know Chuck, I get so excited, I can’t move away from the TV set. I’m starving, and I want to go in the refrigerator to make a sandwich, but I can’t because I don’t want to miss a play. So when you think the Raptors have won a game and it’s sealed, can you just let me know so I can go on my merry way and make a sandwich. Oh, by the way, I like salami and cheese.'

So the next game, the Raptors are up by 8-10 points with 30 seconds to go. I feel pretty confident they’re going to win the game, so I say, 'Get out the salami and cheese, mama, because this game is over!' The fans kind of bought into, and one thing led to the next.

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Swirsky=Beauty


PS - take my love for Swirsky, multiply it by the biggest number not yet named because it so ridiculously big and that is how much I dislike Leo Rautins.

Let me demonstrate with this hypothetical.

If I had to choose between this season + 2 more seasons of Bargnani, or this season + 10 more seasons of Leo Rautins as a broadcaster and I wasn't allowed to mute the sound on the broadcast if I wanted to watch a game, I'd pick BARGNANI. Luckily, in the real world I am allowed to use the mute button, so in the real world it's Bargnani who should be worried about being fired by me, but Leo, would it kill you to stop being such a giant douche?

I'd love to see backboard cameras at the ACC!

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robert parrish 00 wrote:

The only one I can't stand I Coach Leo. He is condescending and insults the viewer's knowledge. The raps are not a new franchise anymore and the viewers have been watching basketball for a while and don't need him telling us/coaching us the basic rules of basketball.

He also uses hindsight to always be right.
* shot missed * "Oh he shouldn't have taken that shot."
* shot hit from same spot, same player * "Perfect use of the offence"

Amazing how no one likes him and he still has a colour job. Can't we test drive someone else, or even better just let Jack handle all broadcasts?


As far as Chuck, "Salami and Cheese" was always the ultimate jinx. "NBA facial"-did he not know the other use of the word facial??!?! I may be the only one, but I prefer Devlin.

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Couldn't agree more with this post. Rautins motivates me to turn the sound off when watching Raptor's games.

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Nilanka wrote:

I hate Rod Black much more than Matt/Jack/Leo combined.

He once referred to a reverse dunk as a "back-handed jam" :|

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Agreed, Rod BLack has to be the worst sports broadcaster in history. HOw he managed to get involved in the industry is beyond comprehension. HE must have friends in high places or something. He doesn't add a single bit of insight into any sport he covers.

And Leo, not much better. I really don't like his analysis, totally boring. Love Jack, and Matt is pretty good. Do miss Chuck tho!

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JawsGT wrote:

Agreed, Rod BLack has to be the worst sports broadcaster in history. HOw he managed to get involved in the industry is beyond comprehension. HE must have friends in high places or something. He doesn't add a single bit of insight into any sport he covers.

And Leo, not much better. I really don't like his analysis, totally boring. Love Jack, and Matt is pretty good. Do miss Chuck tho!

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Indeed...Rod Black makes my skin crawl at this point...

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BasketballCrush wrote:

Swirsk was a fake. Devlin is much more outgoing with fans. Once the camera was off, Swirsk would not give you the time of day.

I don't want to see shtick. That is all Chuck was. He also ruined Roys unianimous nomination by throwing Andrea's name in there, it was embarrassing.


Then he bolts to the USA because the medical system is so much better, then after his wife leaves him comes grovelling for his job to BC. I don't like slicksters and Chuck was one.


(I did like his radio show though, thought that worked very very well)

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Just to throw some input about this, because people don't seem to buy it....

Has anyone ever met Swirsky and thought he was friendly? I ran into him once waiting for the TTC. I was alone, and on my way to the gym. The train wasn't there and he wasn't doing anything. I went up to him, just to say "hey, I'm a big Raps fan and love the way you call games"...he was extremely dismissive and didn't shake my hand when I held it out. He was just like "thanks, preciate it" and walked away down the platform a bit until the train came. I know he could just not want to be bothered in public...but again, he was EXTREMELY dismissive and unfriendly, like I was a leper or something.

Now, I don't care either way if the broadcast dude is friendly or not to fans. And I did like Swirsky as a broadcaster, but it was pretty disappointing anyway, and I lost some respect for him. I just thought I'd throw that out there to see what others' experiences were like.

Maybe he was having a bad day? you never know

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white men can't jump wrote:

Just to throw some input about this, because people don't seem to buy it....

Has anyone ever met Swirsky and thought he was friendly? I ran into him once waiting for the TTC. I was alone, and on my way to the gym. The train wasn't there and he wasn't doing anything. I went up to him, just to say "hey, I'm a big Raps fan and love the way you call games"...he was extremely dismissive and didn't shake my hand when I held it out. He was just like "thanks, preciate it" and walked away down the platform a bit until the train came. I know he could just not want to be bothered in public...but again, he was EXTREMELY dismissive and unfriendly, like I was a leper or something.

Now, I don't care either way if the broadcast dude is friendly or not to fans. And I did like Swirsky as a broadcaster, but it was pretty disappointing anyway, and I lost some respect for him. I just thought I'd throw that out there to see what others' experiences were like.

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I Lol'd

Its true I dont get why everyone is so obsessed with Swirski... he was goddam annoying say what you want about Matt and Leo you can at least talk to them if you ever see them, especially Matt pretty down to Earth dude ran into him and Leo after a game and we spoke no problem they know they are just commentators not Hollywood movie stars too important to speak with the common folk... The current iteration of Raps commentators are at least for the most part regular guys.