Toronto Mike'd: The Official Toronto Mike Podcast - Chuck Swirsky: Toronto Mike'd #1137

Episode Date: October 25, 2022

In this 1137th episode of Toronto Mike'd, Chuck Swirsky looks back at his days calling play-by-play for the Toronto Raptors and hosting The Chuck Swirsky show on The Fan 590. Get out the salami and cheese, mama, this one is loaded with fun facts and mind blows. Toronto Mike'd is proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, Palma Pasta, Yes, We Are Open, The Advantaged Investor, Canna Cabana, StickerYou, Ridley Funeral Home and Electronic Products Recycling Association.

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Ridley Funeral Home Pillars of the community since 1921 And Canna Cabana, the lowest prices on cannabis, guaranteed. Joining me today, making his Toronto Mike debut, is Chuck Swirsky. Welcome to Toronto Mike, Chuck Swirsky. What a pleasure to meet you. Thank you. Thank you. I've heard so many great things about you and your show, so I am definitely fired up. Okay, good. Good, good, good, good. By the way, just yesterday, sitting here in my home home studio was roger lejoie ah he says hello to you yes uh i'll tell you what roger loves

number one he's so nice first and foremost he is a great human being and he has a handle on toronto sports um better than anyone like know, you can put them in afternoon drive, evening, overnight, he'll, he'll crush it. I told him he's like a utility player, you know, you can plug them in and he'll, uh, he'll do a great job. Yes. And it's interesting because he, here, I'll show you something here. We're on zoom. So I can show you, this was a Scott Metcalf, uh, gave me this. Yeah. Now that was pretty swersk yes because you were never on 1430 by the way i should point out to the podcast listeners i'm holding up a binder that

says the fan sports radio 1430 uh chuck we will talk about your time obviously at the fan but it's interesting about roger that he's been there almost exactly 30 years. The station just turned 30 about a couple of months ago. Yeah, how about that? Because I'll tell you what, sports fans everywhere kind of unite, and that base in Toronto is great, but it's also a testimony to Nelson Millman. I think the world of Nelson. I cannot say enough about the impact he made and has made on sports media in Toronto.

Another good guy who's, you know, made the trip here. Now here, Chuck, we are going to get to that. I'm going to try to keep it a little chronological, but I want to just read some notes that came in. When I announced Chuck Swirsky was making his Toronto Mike debut, the notes that came in from fans of yours and FOTMs, that means friends of Toronto Mike, you, Chuck, are now an FOTM, so welcome to the club. Thank you.

You're in a steam company with Leo Roudens and Jack Armstrong. Oh, yeah. Eric Smith, all the greats are there. Okay, so I'll read them just to make you feel good on a Tuesday morning. Craig M. writes in, Big fan of Chuck. Wish there were more people like him in the world. The world would be a better place.

Make certain he brings you cookies. That's true. Courier them. Tell me, where are my cookies junk well uh the cookies are probably on on hold i i have not made cookies in a while um that that story beyond the cookies is that actually it started way back in the day uh my kids were small they were growing up in burlington uh just outside of tor, as you know. And they would make cookies for the players. And so it became a tradition. Every road trip, every road

trip, Mike, I mean, the players expected chocolate chip cookies. And it just morphed into one season after another season after another season to the point where my main man, Chris Bosh, loved those cookies. And when the Bulls were actually trying to recruit Bosh, when he became a free agent, leaving the Raptors, eventually ultimately signing with the Heat, as we know. But I went to Dallas as an employee of the bulls because of my connection with chris and part of the recruiting package was my daughter's cookies wow now unfortunately there's not a happy ending there because that story needs the ending to be

you know chris bosh chooses chicago i think he did all right for himself. All the fame player, one rings. And I love the guy. He is like world-class. Would you say, and now this, I'm putting you on the spot here, but who is the greatest player? When your time with the Raptors I'm speaking about, who is the best Raptor that you called on the air? That I called?

Yeah. Vince. Vincent Lamar Carter. Vincent Lamar Carter, Air Canada Carter, Vince Sanity? Yeah. Vince. Vincent Lamar Carter. Vincent Lamar Carter, Air Canada Carter, Vince Sanity. Yeah. And, you know, before he started, you know, those injuries started to mount. And then, of course, he had a falling out with the front office. But that window, when he first came on the scene as a rookie in the 98, really 99 season,

because there was a lockout and we didn't start play until February of that season. But I mean, every night, Toronto Mike, every night, he not only, it was not only a dunk marathon, I mean, because it would start from the opening tip to the last you know second of a game but i mean like he left uh such an impact on toronto in the sporting scene and he made basketball i mean the maple leafs were kind of i don't i'll never say they were an afterthought because hockey will never ever ever ever be so i don't want to embellish this but he put the raptors on the front page without a doubt without a doubt and i think i read 23 canadians run starting opening day nba rosters this season something like that and you can draw you know a line to vincent lamar carter

yes you can because he planted the seed i think when we started in 99, 98, 99, I know there was Bill Wennington from Montreal. And I'm trying to think there was maybe one other Canadian, maybe Steve Nash from, you know, Victoria, but he moved there as a young child. But, you know, the growth of basketball in the country has been felt year after year. And it's not going anywhere. I mean, the generation of young people, both girls and boys, playing the sport, it warms my heart. I'll tell you what, of all the things, of all the things that I can tell you, and I appreciate your invitation, and I hope your viewers and listeners understand what I'm about to say. The greatest joy I have received coming out of 10

years of working in Toronto, the relationships I made, but the greatest joy is seeing the sport, the essence and core of the game of basketball grow to heights where it's mind-boggling to see where it was and where it is now and where it's going. You know, oh my goodness. Oh my goodness. Not only are there now Canadians in the NBA, you know, dozens, but we can go first overall in NBA drafts. I have Leo Roudens over here pretty regularly. He's been over a few times.

And we always talk, Leo, first ever Canadian to go in the first round. That's no longer news, my friend. Yeah, how about that? I mean, Leo, I saw Leo play in college, and he was an outstanding, great player. Had he not sustained that knee injury, I think he would have played a decade in the NBA because he knew how to play. He knew the fundamentals of the game.

He was a team player first and foremost. But, I mean, if Syracuse needed to hoop, they were going to Leo Robbins. And the thing is, everyone in the arena knew he was getting the rock. And, you know, he could create off the dribble. He could shoot. He had the entire scope of the game. But, you know, Toronto Mike, here's the thing. The young girls and young women that are playing the game of basketball in Canada now, and not only that, okay, but then going into coaching, going into broadcasting, it's fabulous. And I love it. And I've been away from the city for 15 years. It's hard to believe. Seems like yesterday I left and it was the hardest decision.

I write about it in my book, Always a Pleasure. The toughest professional decision I have ever made was walking into Tom Insomi, the VP of the MLSC and saying, hey, I got a job offer. You know, there are a lot of moving parts.

I think I'm going to take this job because I wanted to, you know, when I became a Canadian citizen, I thought I was going to be there forever until they wheeled me out. And as it turns out, I'm in Chicago. Everything works out a whole bit. But, I mean, to see young girls, women, you know, ladies go into sports, you know, whether it's broadcasting, marketing, branding, public relations, you know, from the legal standpoint, running a show, HR, all these departments of significance, Toronto Mike, of significance, not just, well, we have a minority or, hey, well, we have a woman. And so we're going to put a, no, MLSC, along with, I will say this, the Chicago Bulls and

the NBA, they said, listen, you know what? This door has been closed for a very long time. We need to not only open it, we need to tear it off the hinges and say, you know what? We are here to help. We are here to invite you in. And that's why I am so excited about what's transformed in Canada. Love it. Love it.

Look, we're off to a roaring start here. This is as awesome as I hoped it would be. Quick note on the Canadians in the NBA. We were so desperate to claim, yeah, you mentioned Steve Nash and Bill Wennington, but we were so desperate to claim Canadians. We were touting, you know, Rick Fox as a Canadian, and I'm pretty sure he left this country

when he was two years old. Yeah, he was from, was he from Jamaica? Yeah. But he grew up in Indiana, Warsaw, Indiana. Right. So thank you for that. Yep. We no longer need, we don't need the Rick Foxes anymore.

We have our own. Well, you know, we had Jamal McGlore later. Of course, yeah. And he was a fabulous player at Kentucky. In fact, he made the All-Star team one season, I believe with New Orleans, when he spent some time there. But, I mean, to see where we're at, I'll tell you what was great, to go full circle,

Tristan Thompson played for the Bulls last year. And I remember Tristan Thompson as an eight-year-old playing against my son in a travel team. So you had Kelly Olenek, now in Utah. You had Tristan Thompson, Corey Joseph. You had Steph and Seth Curry. My son played against them. And so Tristan winds up as a player for the Chicago Bulls.

And I mean, he would watch Raptor Ball, and he would watch Vincent Lamar Carter, and he got hooked. I mean, and so to the point now where still some of these young Canadian players entering the NBA, I've been removed. I mean, when they're 20 years old, 21 years old, you know, I left when they were five or six. So they really don't remember my broadcasting or my style or whatever. But some of the Canadians do. And I'll tell you what, every time I see them, they say, get out the salami and cheese chocolate. I was hoping you'd do that. I was hoping you'd do that. That's true. And you know, in that whole scene you're talking about, it's amazing amazing those names, you know, Seth Curry.

It's just amazing, Seth Curry. Now, meanwhile, Popeye Jones' kid becomes a great NHL defenseman. Yeah, I saw Popeye two weeks ago. And, you know, again, the kids are great. They decide to go into hockey you know one of his sons as you know signed a huge contract with the Blackhawks

and the Hawks are in a major rebuild but he's going to be a key component to that rebuild here in Chicago but Popeye always a smile on his face you know he was early Raptor shout out to seth

jones's boy and uh we because we mentioned leo i always promise whenever we mention leo reddens i'd mention he's the kid from keel street and don't you forget it chuck i will hey listen working with leo you know what i loved about leo and jack i mean i got spoiled working with jack and leo different styles, which is very, very healthy for a viewer. It was great. But Leo knew the game so well. And I was thinking, if you had to, when they first came on the scene in 1995, if you needed, you know, one analyst to really set the foundation of basketball, you'd want Leo because he knows the sport and he would not talk down to his audience. And so, you know, then Jack and I came on the scene in 98, 99 on radio. And, you know, Jack as a coach offered a different perspective.

And, you know, then Jack's personality started to, you know, percolate. Where, you know, like when Antonio Davis and Charles Oakley, and then we had Keyon Clark blocking shots. And Jack, get that garbage out of here. Get that garbage out of here. Get that garbage out of here. Chuck, that official. That official. Get that official.

What? I got to write the legal office. Oh, man. Oh, by the way, do you have a pint? You know, it's true because when I interviewed i interviewed uh jack armstrong he gets that when you come in person here chuck you get a uh six pack of fresh beer from great lakes brewery but he actually off we finished recording he goes here could you drop another six pack off at my hotel and he gives me you know leave it at the desk for me so uh that was jack armstrong loving

his glb so you want to hear a great Jack Armstrong? Of course, of course. Okay, Toronto Mike. Here's one for your audience. So this is our first season together, and it was a truncated schedule. We played 50 games in like 90-something days. So we're in San Antonio, Texas, and the game's over, and we're spending the night in San Antonio in the middle of a road trip.

So Jack says, come on, Jack, we're going out. Now, one thing is that, like, here's my world on the road. I go to the game. I come back. I order a sandwich. I start working on notes. That's my world, okay? It's not that I don't enjoy company, but I'm like programmed into this routine.

That's how I'm wired. But I'm new. I'm trying to get to know Jack, and we go out. And so now it's about 11 o'clock, 1130. And Jack, we go into this Irish pub on the Riverwalk, Toronto Mike, in San Antonio. And so Jack orders a pint, and we see a couple of our players walk in. And so there's a guy at the piano. And now the bar is ready to close.

Now it's like 1 a.m. And so Jack, being Jack, and we all love Jack, tells the guy playing the piano, you've got the rest of the night off. Just take it off. I've got the rest of the night off just take it off i've i've got this and so jack is at the piano singing oh danny boy of course and now the people in the bar are singing along and our players are looking at jack like what the heck and, oh, Danny boy. The pipes, the pipes are calling. Yes.

And, I mean, I started to get emotional. I mean, and Jack was singing from the heart. And so, I mean, Jack, I love Jack. We've remained very close friends. He's an icon. You know what they really should do? And this would go for Leo and Paul Jones and Eric. They should have some type of wing.

And Matt, by the way, they should have some type of wing at the Scotia Bank Arena to honor them. Because the connection they have with the fan base in Toronto is awesome. You've been very, you know, you're a big part of this, Chuck, but we've been very blessed in this market in terms of the personnel covering our Toronto Raptors since 1995. It's top shelf. It's been fantastic. Yes, no doubt. I mean, you know, because, you know,

especially the fact that from an infancy standpoint, we're not talking about a franchise that's 50 years old. I mean, still, I mean, it's not like they're pups anymore. I mean, this is a mature franchise, one of the best franchises in the NBA. I'll tell you what, Larry and Judy Tannenbaum. Let me tell you what, Larry and Judy Tannenbaum, let me tell you what, Toronto Mike, if they called me up at one in the morning and said, I need a favor, I'm flying to Toronto within seconds because that stuff. I mean, Larry's Larry has an impeccable reputation of doing the right thing. And he cares about human beings. And he treats employees with like a ton of respect and sincerity, no matter Toronto, Mike, no matter, you know, your position. I don't care if you're a seasonal employee or if you work in the upper tier of MLSE,

he treats everyone the same. And Judy, with her heart for charity and her heart for people, unparalleled. And I love them to death. I love them. I take the sword for them. But this is the foundation of what this franchise is all about. You know, I wear t-shirts older than the Toronto Raptors. That's all you need. Yes, I do. Yes. Tell me about your t-shirt collection. Well, I wear, I have a Pearl Jam. Well, actually that, okay. The one that my, my daughter once told me the, like I wear, I have a lot of t-shirts, I should point out like dozens and dozens and dozens. And my daughter once told me she's 18 now she's living in Montreal, going to McGill. And she told me that my favorite shirt you wear is that and dozens. And my daughter once told me, she's 18 now, she's living in Montreal going to McGill.

And she told me, dad, my favorite shirt you wear is that Yield shirt. And it was, I got that from a Pearl Jam show in 98. So that's a little bit younger than the Raptors, but not much younger. But I do wear some t-shirts from the 90s. Nice. The whole circle, I'm from Seattle.

Pearl Jam, you know, there you go. That's grunge, baby. Hey, listen. I grew up with Nancy Wilson from Heart. Who then? Yeah, go ahead. We've known each other since we were kids. Okay, because Chuck, you know that Heart

qualified as CanCon because I guess one of them was dating a draft dodger who ended up in Vancouver and because they recorded and there's the rules for CanCon or whatever, but they qualified, and you'd hear Hart as if that was a Canadian artist. That's correct. In fact, after we graduated from high school, Nancy and her older sister,

Anne, went to Vancouver, signed a radio contract deal with Mushroom Records. And that's how they got their start. Right. And so I'm very, very proud of Nancy. She's got her own band now, and she's touring, actually. I have not spoken to her in many, many, many years. But I am so proud of her. I remember her in elementary school,

junior high school, high school, and you could tell she was going to the next level. She was that gifted. Really. Heart's a great band. I mean, shout out to heart. I've seen,

I've seen, I saw him open for Def Leppard, but I would have seen them headline. That's a, that's a quality band with a lot of great, great jams. Well, yeah,

I, you know, I mean, you have the information in front of you. I believe it. They're in the rock and roll hall jams. Well, yeah. I mean, you have the information in front of you. I believe they're in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Well, if they're not, I'm going to start my campaign. That's right. Give it up to the 206.

Okay. Love it. Jimi Hendrix is from Seattle. That's all you need to know. Jimi Hendrix, a left-handed guitarist. I mean, I loved Jimi Hendrix. And I'll tell you what, when he died, my world, I was in high school at the time. And that day, again, no social media, no Twitter, nothing.

And all of a sudden, you know, there was like, hey, did you hear what happened? We're thinking, what? Because he had moved from Seattle to London. Right. But, I mean, actually, there are two songs that I listen to before every game, and one of them is Along the Watchtower by Jimi Hendrix. There must be some kind of way out of here Say the joker to the thief There's too much confusion

I can't get no relief Businessmen there drink my wine Come and dig my earth None will level on the mine Nobody up it is... As you can hear, I'll zoom when necessary, but not necessarily Zoom. Ideally, all my guests are in person because then I give them fresh craft beer from Great Lakes Brewery. For my money, that's the only craft brewery in this province that I'll patronize.

They're available in LCBO that I'll patronize. They're available in LCBOs across this fine province. Palma Pasta. They're hosting us for TMLX 11, the first Saturday of December at 12 noon at Palma's Kitchen. Every guest in this studio leaves with a large lasagna. Delicious. I have a sticker you sticker. It's a Toronto Mike sticker, quality sticker made by the good people at sticker you.com. They're waiting for you online for your stickers, decals, temporary tattoos, et cetera. I have a Ridley funeral home flashlight. See, I wish all my guests were here. I could give them all this great stuff. Shout out to Ridley Funeral Home, pillars of this community since 1921. The good people at Moneris have sent over an amazing wireless speaker. It uses Bluetooth technology. And you can use that speaker to listen to the Yes, We Are Open podcast

hosted by FOTM, Al Grego. Season three is underway. I'm sharing new episodes at torontomic.com. Al has been traveling the country interviewing small Canadian businesses and he's been telling the story of their origin, struggles, and future outlook. And if you're a small business owner or entrepreneur like myself, you'll find this podcast both helpful and motivational. But if you just like human interest stories, the podcast is also for you. Learn how to plan, invest, and live smarter with the Raymond James The Advantaged Investor Podcast. Featuring insights from leading professionals,

The Advantaged Investor Podcast provides valuable perspective for Canadian investors who want to remain knowledgeable, informed, and focused on long-term success. I love this podcast. It's hosted by Chris Cooksey, and I highly recommend you subscribe. Again, the Advantage Investor Podcast. You can listen to that on the Moneris Bluetooth speaker. Just make sure you also listen to the Yes, We Are Open podcast. And last but not least,

I just arranged with Mark Hebbshire to have him as our special guest for a Halloween episode of Toronto Mike with Andy Palalas from Canada Cabana. It's going to be in my backyard. And you know what that means? Canada Kev might also show up. This is happening in late October, just in time for Halloween.

And if you enjoy cannabis, remember Canada Cabana will not be undersold on cannabis or cannabis accessories. Now let's get back to the podcast. Great Dylan cover. Fantastic. Fantastic. Love Jimi Hendrix. Okay. Now I'm going to get us back to these lovely notes that came in from FOTM. I think I did one and look at us now, half an hour later. Okay. My bad. No, listen, Chuck, I love this. I love it did one, and look at us now, half an hour later. My bad. No, listen, Chuck, I love this. I love it. If you've ever heard Toronto Mike, that's what we do here.

The produce stand, he just wrote in one word, kaboom! Yep. For dunks. We miss it. On that note, Garnett Barnsdale writes in, he's the best, and I miss him. Hashtag salami and

cheese. Hashtag Vincent Lamar Carter. Yeah. Well, I, you know what the fan base that I, I had a special connection with a fan base because here's what I wanted to do early. I wanted to be a communicator. I did not want to shout to people. I did not want to be someone other than genuine and authentic. And I wanted to speak from the heart. So all the passion I had was real. There's nothing phony about me. I always speak from the heart.

Everything is about the heart. So I said, how can I connect with Canada? You know, Toronto, they get it. I got it. You know, with Carter and McGrady and Kevin Willis and Charles Oakley and Doug Christie and Dee Brown, on and on and on. So I said, all right, we're going to reach out to Canada. I said on the air send me where you're watching and I need your name so someone would say you know John Doe from Moncton and I would say ring it up from downtown Moncton that goes to John Doe watching our ball game tonight and it and it caught on it hooked well in and said, from downtown Innisfil. There you go.

And so every broadcast, every broadcast, the first three ball, boom. I only did it once, once a game and the only time I did it multiple times was the last regular season game because when I put it out, I wrote a

daily column like I do now for the Bulls. Chuck checks in. I started that with the Raptors. And when I put out my email address, the first day I put out the email address requesting, I need your name, give it to me, I received over 500 emails. Good enough for four seasons right five seasons and obviously i

couldn't get to all of them but it showed you what was happening a tsunami was coming toronto mike with the raptors and then uh it all culminates in 2019 and from where you are and again i'm kind of jumping around but we're going to get back to the linear storytelling that's where i'm like i'm like quentin tarantino you know there's a little flashback a little i love it but when you're in chicagoland and you're watching uh you're you know the raptors win it all in 2019 how does chuck swirsky feel do you feel like we won do you feel like good for them is there anything like oh i wish i was still there i want to hear what you thought when we won it all in 2019 you know what here here's that's a great

question toronto mike very good so um okay i'm i'm going to kind of like do layers here okay because um i i still care very very much about Raptors, primarily because some of the people that are still there, very few, I might add. But some I mean, I knew Masai when he first joined the Raptors as an assistant under Brian Colangelo. OK, I know, you know, you know, Kevin and Paul in the equipment room where they do a fantastic job. You know, I know some of the PR people. And so all these, and of course I know the broadcasters who were there when I was there, but I was so thrilled for Larry and Judy Tannenbaum. Of all the people, I wanted Larry to raise the Larry O'Brien trophy and hold it and embrace it. And so I was thrilled

for that. Now, as a broadcaster, if you ask 30 NBA announcers, or actually 60, radio and TV, they will tell you one of the greatest joys is taking advantage of an organization when you're winning. Because that means people are locked in, they're watching, games are more exciting, the broadcaster becomes a sense of fiber of what's going on. And the fabric of calling a championship round, I've never experienced at any level. I did 18 years of college Toronto Mike before the pros. I did DePaul when DePaul was really, really good. Mark Aguirre, Terry Cummings, Rod Strickland, Kevin Edwards, Dallas Commengy, Stanley Brundy, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. I did Michigan, tail end of Fab Five, and then Tractor Trailer,

I did Michigan, tail end of Fab Five, and then tractor trailer, Maurice Taylor, Macy Obastin, that group. I never went to a Final Four. The closest I've been is an Eastern Conference Finals with the Bulls against the Heat, but never to a Finals. So when the Raptors won vicariously, did I live through that moment? Absolutely. Was I bitter? No. Was I envious? No. Because those are two sins that destroy the character of a human being with envy and jealousy.

Right. And so I don't go there. I don't want to go there. I mean, this business is hard enough because people come at you with, you know, daggers all the time. And I try and take the high road. But as a human being, I was ecstatic. Love to hear it. I happen to co-host a sports podcast with Mark Hebbs here. Hebbsy on sports is what we call it. And we were broadcasting the morning of the parade. The Larry O'Brien, the NBA championship parade here. So right after we finished, we hopped on our bikes and we went to

the lakeshore portion. That's a pro tip for the next big parade we have. The lakeshore portion is where you go if you want to. Anyway, it's a better spot. So we're on the lakeshore. I'm there, you know, Kyle Lowry. Oh, wow, it's unbelievable, Pascal Siakam. They're all there celebrating.

And I'm looking at this crowd and I'm thinking to myself, because earlier in this conversation you said this will always be Leafs first. And I was thinking to myself, I think I read there was at least a million people coming out for that parade. Beautiful, beautiful June day. And I was thinking, I'm not so sure read there was at least a million people coming out for that parade. Beautiful, beautiful June day. And I was thinking, I'm not so sure about that, Chuck. I'm not so sure. I doubt it could be any bigger for a Stanley Cup parade than what I saw.

And I'll give you that. You were there. I was not. And the demographics are changing. For sure. I mean, and so, you know, we'll see. I mean, I'm disappointed that the Leafs have not put it together because they've tried everything, whether it's management, coaches, players.

And, I mean, because I went through with the Raptors, I mean, you know, we were trying to figure things out. And Glenn Grunwald, who's a terrific, terrific human being and administrator and really, you know, put in a sense planted the seeds for that franchise. And I think we took a step back a little bit later and then they finally got it together because I think Wayne Embry, you know, who is a legend. Right. I mean, we throw that word around a lot. Wayne Embry is a legend. He is a Hall of Fame human being, legend, Hall of Fame executive. And with Wayne and Masai, and then you brought in Dwayne Casey and Nick Nurse. I mean, wow.

Because I'm a huge Dwayne Casey guy. I'm a huge Nick Nurse guy. And Kawhi Leonard didn't hurt either. No. Well, again, this is the thing. DeMar is with us with the Bulls. Yes. And I love DeMar. Everyone loves DeMar. Absolutely. And I can only imagine. And again, this is pro sports. And you got to think Toronto Mike with your head and not your heart as hard as that is. Trust me. I know. I mean, rejection is not fun,

not fun. And so when DeMar was traded to San Antonio for Kawhi Leonard, you know, I mean, that was a huge, huge risk gamble trade and it paid off for the Raptors, regardless of what happened afterwards with Kawhi signing with the Cl the Clippers hey that's okay hey you know what you you got you got the rings and yeah I'm sure deep down you know DeMar's gonna have his day with a rap they're gonna

retire his jersey he is beloved in Toronto and should be yes he is a great man and I tell him all the time. We had him on postgame last night, Toronto Mike. I'm giving you inside stuff. Love it. Love it. Okay. I tell him all the time when I see him.

Number one, you are appreciated. And I am glad you're here. Because he needs to hear, like we all do, Toronto Mike, that we have value in a place in society. And I felt that way with the Raptors because I worked for Tom M. Selmy, Richard Petty, you know, and the people that were in the broadcast division that I was appreciated. And I loved going to work. I loved going to work every day because that fan base, they were ready to rock.

When you get 1980 game and, you know, the Air Canada Center, now Scotiabank, and they're getting into it and you go, oh my gosh, TMAC to the rack, Air Canada Carter. I mean, like I was, you know. And you are, I mean, just like DeRozan, I shoot it, it goes in. But DeRozan very much missed.

You, Chuck, here. I'm not even done here. Catherine says, wow, very cool. I miss him the best. And I won't even let you respond because I'm going to go right to the next couple here. Brian says, Chuck's enthusiasm for the game was an integral part of the Raptors' growth here.

Even I can forgive him somewhat for voting for Primo Pasta for Rookie of the Year over Brandon Roy. That was Andrea Borgnani, not Primo Bresic. Primo Pasta. Primo's had a really neat personality. You know, backups that are huge. I mean, this guy, I'll tell you what, the rat, remember a guy by the name of Garth Joseph? Of course. He had this deep voice.

He'd say, hey, Garth, how you doing? How are you, Chuck? Okay, I guess. How are you, Chuck? Okay, I guess. But speaking of which, you know who I met last night? Who? The 7'6", 16-year-old from Montreal.

I saw the photo of you of this guy. You look like you're not even up to his belt. No. I think his name is Oliver Riau from Montreal. Wow. And he's headed to the IMG Academy. He is the tallest teenager on the planet. Wow.

Wow. And I'll tell you what, what a nice young man. I mean, think about what his world must be like where everyone is just obviously, you know, fixated on his height and realizing he's 16 years old at 7'6". But you know what? I think he's kind of embraced it, and he's getting a ton of attention, and hopefully he has the right people, which I believe he does around him. But, I mean, I can't wait to follow his journey. Nice kid, very nice kid. And, Chuck, we both know you can't teach height. No, I can't wait to follow his journey. Nice kid. Very nice kid.

And, Chuck, we both know you can't teach height. No, you can't. Thank you very much. That's it for Toronto Mike. Somebody write that down. All right. Eight seconds. How much time?

I got a little bit here I'm going to play, and then I'm going to ask you about this. Let's listen to this. Calderon in the paint. On his ramp up and good. Down and foul. Onions. Baby On to this. Calderon in the paint. On his ramp up and good. Down and foul. Onions, baby onions. Jose Calderon and one.

And it's taken away by Bosh. The 55-footer. And one. Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? Onions, baby onions. Now with a Richard foul down the floor. And it's a deflection by Ruffin.

And the play continues. Peterson. I don't believe it. I don't believe it. We're going into overtime. And a Hail Mary three by Moe Pete. Onions, baby onions. Onions, baby onions.

I got to ask you about that Moe Pete shot in a minute, actually. I still can't believe that happened. But Greg Winston wrote in and wrote, Onions,, onions. Where does that catchphrase come from, Chuck? Okay. Well, here's the storyline of that one. Bill Raftery, a broadcaster, former coach, came out with onions on his network. But I first heard onions by Ray Meyer, my former analyst. Hall of Fame coach went to Paul. He was my analyst. And one day we're talking off the air, and he said, that guy has big onions.

And I had never heard that expression. This is before Bill Raftery came. And I said, what? And he repeated it. And then he told me what that meant. And so I said, okay. So I just took it and tweaked it to another

level. But those I can tell you exactly those cuts. Calderon that was against Boston in Boston. And you can look at it in video. I believe that was Calderon on a drive to the rim against the Celtics. The Bosch 55-footer, I believe, was against the Nets. Wow.

And, of course, the Wizards game with Mo Peet. Oh, yeah. So, let's talk. So, I should just point out, I'm looking for the audio. See, I remember everything. You remember everything. Those 10 years. Oh, yeah. So let's talk. So I should just point out, I'm looking for the audio. See, I remember everything. Those 10 years. That's amazing. So that's a TSN, like top 10 catchphrases of Chuck Swirsky or something.

So there's like a TSN sports desk thing I took there. Although I don't think it's been sports desk in many years, but I guess I'm aging myself there. But that play where the game's over and then Moe Pete, the deflection and he kind of just, he gets off the three and it goes into forced overtime. You could watch that 100 times in a row, and it's shocking and amazing that that play happened. What was it like when you're witnessing the Mopete three to tie things up?

Well, the thing is that so free throws were made. If you look closely, Toronto Toronto Mike at the video Eddie Jordan the coach of Washington at the time is walking near midcourt to shake hands believing the game was over right and so Sam Mitchell is in the huddle or right with his bench Eddie Jordan is going over and all of a sudden, Michael Ruffin decides to throw the ball in the air. Now, normally, you throw the ball in the air, okay, and with a second or two to go, the game's over.

But there's still time on the clock, and then Moe with that twirling move, and as a left-handed shooter, as Peterson was, and it went down, and I lost it. I mean, I flat out lost it. And it was a Friday night, and I will never forget it. And we went into overtime, and it was one of the craziest, strangest games I will ever call.

And it was one of the craziest, strangest games I will ever call. I mean, the Kobe 81 game, without a doubt, is the single most impactful, significant contest I've ever broadcast in any sport because of the magnitude of it. And now with his passing, a tragedy, has come into, you know, even magnified more. Wow. You know, I heard you say in that clip, are you kidding me? Colin Kennedy just wrote in when he heard Chuck Swarovski was coming on Toronto, Mike, he just wrote in with it. Are you kidding me? And, you know, these catchphrases, Chuck, I mean, I'm thinking, you know, Jack's got his too, like, hello, get that garbage out of here, whatever. But you've got the number these catchphrases chuck i mean i'm thinking you know jack's got his too like hello get that garbage out of here whatever but you've got the number of uh catchphrases you left

when you uh went back home to chicagoland that went back to chicago uh wow like i have another one i'm gonna play here just to drain my swamp here let's uh let's talk about this one right here salami and cheese chuck where does that come from buddy okay so i get a letter from a fan now again you know actually like a letter really really a letter, which is awesome. Handwritten saying, listen, you know, I'm really into the broadcast. Love your passion. Love the enthusiasm. And he was, but I, you know, I'm watching the game in my little man cave. I'm starting to get hungry.

And like, you know, when the game's over, because I just want to make a sandwich. And by the way, you know what? I love salami and cheese. I'm reading the what? So I said, OK. So a couple of days later, you know, Raptors are up by like eight points with about 32 seconds to go. And out of nowhere, I remember the letter. And so I said, get out the salami and cheese

mama this ball game is over well in the production truck you know dan gladman the producer uh chuck um now again the audience can't hear this he's talking to me in the headset. Chuck, what was that? And I hit the mute button to talk back. I said, I'll tell you later. Okay, I just want to make sure you're okay. So the game ends. And again, this is in an age where social media is now starting to mushroom here. And, and so the next day, like, people called the switchboard at MLSC. And they're saying, Oh, man, the salami. And the next thing I know, Pizza Pizza is doing endorsements. And the next thing I know, Pizza Pizza is doing endorsements.

We have T-shirts, salami. The players, the reserve players, I'm not making any of this up. The reserve players on the Raptors at the time, when we did this, would enter the game with like a minute to go, and, you know, the Raptors are winning. They would come in and they said, hey, have you called the salami and cheese? And so it just, it went viral. Man, you know, that was probably the go-to phrase when I said Chuck Swirsky was coming on

was people telling me to get out the salami and cheese, mama. Love it. Now, Phil writes in, and I think you've got the message by now. Phil writes in, tell him we miss him here in Toronto. Chuck, please tell me you've got the message. You are very much missed in Toronto. it's great. I mean, the people with the Bulls are fantastic. Very similar to the Raptors, great ownership, great management. I work with Bill Wennington, a Canadian. And so we got two Canadians doing Bulls ball, you know? Right. Because lest we forget, you are a Canadian citizen. Yes. And I'm very proud of it. I am very proud of it. And, you know, I'll tell you what I would love to do one day. And I'm just throwing this out because Matt is a terrific broadcaster.

By the way, I have a scheduled connect with Matt Devlin today because we're finally going to pick his day and time for him to visit the studio here. So, yeah, if you have any message for him, go ahead. So my hope is because I'm not retiring. I, this is my 25th year in the NBA as Jax is 15 with the Bulls, 10 with the Raptors. And, um, and so in fact, hold on for a second. This is, can I do the shameless plug here? Yeah, please. Of course. Okay. Always a pleasure. You can pick it up. The release date is the 26th.

Chuck Swirsky. Wait, October 26th? Yeah. That's tomorrow. It's tomorrow. Chuck Swirsky, thebook.com. And it's Eckhart's Press. A lot of great stories, a lot of pictures, whatever.

Chuck Swirsky, thebook.com. So one of my hopes is Matt can come over on the radio side for the Bulls for a quarter, and I can join Jack for a quarter to reminisce. I would love that, of course. We can make that happen. Well, I don't know if we're going to make it happen or not, but I'm not ready to retire. So when the time comes, years down the road, maybe we can do that.

But I'll tell you what, you know, like I, I, I have so much energy and it was based on the feedback I got from our audience because, you know, I wanted to make sure every broadcast, every broadcast, I never broadcast to the scoreboard we had some really tough years um and yet I approached a snowy you know Tuesday in Cleveland as the same I did when the Bulls made the playoffs against the Knicks, Sixers, Nets, Magic when I was there. It was tremendous. When we wrap up in six hours time, just kidding, Chuck. But when we do wrap up.

Yeah, that's all right. Toronto, Mike, this is awesome because I love talking Toronto. Well, you came to the right place, my friend. But will you conclude our conversation by saying always a pleasure? Always a pleasure. Al Grego writes in no question. Cause I said, do you have any questions or comments?

He writes no question. Just miss him as raps play by play. He's my favorite of all Toronto sports. I hope he's well. Yeah. Thank you. Um, uh, I I'll tell you what, I mean, I'm not sure.

I mean, I appreciate it. Trust me. And you're very, very kind. So thank you. I mean, you know, the Toronto legacy of great announcers. You know, when I arrived, we had Tom Cheek, I mean, Jerry Howarth with the Blue Jays. And I had some great conversations before Tom passed. Jerry, you know, became a very good friend while I was there. You know, Joe Bowen, I mean, come on, Joe, when you think of Maple Leafs hockey. Holy mackinaw. Yeah, that's right. And, you know, Joe is such a Notre Dame football fan. And, you know, I'm University of Michigan.

So, I mean, we would have, you know, hey, Joe, what do you think of the Wolverines beating your Irish? So it was good. You know, then the Argos, I actually bought season tickets to the Argos and Toronto FC, the Toronto FC's first year. Okay. And their first game, and you can have your viewers and listeners,

the first game was against, I believe it was Chicago, and the fans threw their pillows out on the field, their seat cushions. And this is when Danny Dicchio scores at like the 23-minute mark. I'm like, do I have the right game? And they still chant. They still sing. It was the first game, I believe. Okay, I think Danny Dicchio scores at the 23. I think that's the first goal in franchise history. Danny Dicchio,

was he bald? Was he tall and bald? Oh, man. I jumped on that bandwagon much later, so I got to plead a legal ignorance. But when you go to a game today at BMO Field, at the 23 minute mark, the crowd, at least the supporter section, still chant a song. They sing a song for Danny Diccio

still. And by the way, much like the Raptors, who finally climbed the mountain in 2019, it was great that TFC, and it was a couple years earlier, finally climbed that mountain and won that MLS Cup. I almost called it the MLS E-Cup, but that's a Freudian slip, I think. Yeah. You know what? Actually, podcasting is wonderful

now because you can reach different venues of your audience. So about four years, maybe less than that, maybe two years after I left Toronto for Chicago, I was thinking, you know what? I'd like to still, you know, stay in touch with the Toronto audience. And maybe the Fan 590 could give me a weekend show or whatever, because now, you know, you just, back in those days, if you had an ISDN line, you know, and you could travel with a little box, you could do a show. And so, because we did a one to four, Nelson Millman sat down and I said, Nelson, you know

what? I've got plenty of sports talk experience in Chicago and Detroit. And he goes, you know what? I'm thinking about, you know, tweaking middays and one to four is open. And he goes, you know what, I'm thinking about, you know, tweaking middays, and one to four is open. And I said, I can do that. He goes, well, how are you going to do that? I said, Nelson, I can do one to four. I'll take the train. I go into the, you know, Union Station. I'm there calling a game on the road. Just give me an outlet where I can do a show on the road. He said, you do that? I said, absolutely. So they'd find a station in Milwaukee, San Antonio, you know, Oakland, California, everywhere. And I did the show from there and I loved it. And the ratings were good and the guests were good. I told Nelson, I said, I am not doing three hours of hockey.

I will let you know that. I will talk hockey. I stay up on the sport. I can't tell you the third line centerman for the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. That's not my mojo. But I'll do enough homework on hockey where I can hold the conversation and I'm going to bring in guests. I want guests and I want to talk to people.

And so we did, Toronto Mike, an American-type sports talk show in Toronto. We talked Major League Baseball, just not the Jays. We talked NFL. We would talk MLB, NBA, everything. Obviously with Toronto in mind. But I mean, we said this is what we're doing. And God bless Nelson Millman.

He said, hey, go for it. You do it, you're going to be held accountable. If your ratings suck, you're out the door. And if they're good, we'll keep it. boom and they call this the chuck swirsky show so you were uh you got your name in the title that's uh half the battle right there well that's yeah but i mean the truth of the matter is yeah that had the show

gone in the tank you know your name's attached to it that's right i was not going to let that show That's right. I was not going to let that show fail for two reasons. Number one, because anything I put my name on and care about, I want it to be done right. And that's not to say that everything's going to be perfect because it's not. But I and also Nelson Millman, I would go through a brick wall for him. I love the man very, very much. Okay, he might ask you to do that, because he's listening right now.

How do you know that? Because I get regular messages. He's been on the show, and whenever there's anybody who's been on the fan, he absolutely listens. He could be at Tim Hortons. He's listening right now at Tim Hortons. Now, Brian, I like this question about your time at the fan.

Everybody remembers fondly the Chuck Swirsky show, but Brian says he'd love to hear you talk about Barb DiGiulio as you had great chemistry on the air together. And then he points out if Barb were starting out today, she'd be one of the top women in her field. And then he is of the opinion that she got shafted by working when she did in sports radio, but that's Brian's opinion.

But please talk to us about fellow FOTM, Barb DiGiulio. Well, Barb was way ahead of her time. I mean, I think she was and is a very gifted communicator. And one thing that Barb did with the show, because sometimes sports can get really intense with X's and O's and all that, and Barb brought a different flavor and chapter and feel to that segment, which I appreciated. I mean, she had a very young family and would talk about her family, so our listening audience could really relate to what she was going through.

And in turn, like it was, it was really a breath of fresh air. She was very, very good. And, you know, at that point, there were not a lot of women, I think like, um, Kara Graham was on the show from time to time. Kara was awesome, great broadcaster. And Barb, excellent. I'll tell you who I think, in addition to those women who are very, very skilled and awesome, was Jodi Vance. And Jodi was, again, way ahead of her time before women became featured for being not just a woman, but because they know sports, okay?

This isn't some talking head. This is a legit, okay, credible individual. And the door needs to be open. You know, I mean, I've got a daughter and I want her in the same opportunities as a man based on her skill, her knowledge, everything. Okay. So I think when Barb, Kara, Joy and others in the Toronto market. Christine Simpson, for example. Yes. I mean, unbelievable, fabulous talent, great talent.

Okay. Martine, I think she was on the score when she first came. Martine Geyer, yes. Yes. And so all these, I mean, it was great. And so there, that's my answer. I think it's fantastic. Love it. Now, Kenshi, since we're talking about your time at the Fan 590, it was great. And so there, that's my answer. I think it's fantastic. Love it.

Now, Kenshi, since we're talking about your time at the Fan 590, Kenshi says, ask Chuck if he remembers the Stumped by Sworsk segment on the Fan 590. Please pass along my thank you to him as I won many a dinner for four from Mandarin. That was the prize pack back in the day. Ha ha.

So Kenshi says thanks for the dinner for four from Mandarin. Okay. Wow. Well, you're welcome. And I'm glad we were able to do that for you. I'm a big Mandarin fan. Mandarin is still around, right? Oh, yes. Absolutely. Yes. Oh, gosh. That was one of my favorite go-to places. The food. Oh, I could spend. Oh, wow. I love Mandarin. Okay. So we did a stump the swirsk. So I went to Nelson one day. I said, Nelson, as you know, like my brain is kind of wired. And I know a lot of stuff, trivial stuff that makes no sense, but it's in the cranium. Why don't we do a stump the swirsk? And where fans call up, we have a segment.

And if they can stump me, okay, they will get a dinner. And, uh, you know, so we would say, Hey, we're talking, you know, call number 34. Um, and that's for Charles Oakley. So, Oh, number 34, we're going to call 34. So, you know, the producer, you know, I don't know if they would actually go through 33 calls. No, no, I've seen it in action, Chuck. It's like your caller one, your caller two, your caller 34. Congratulations.

There you go. Toronto Mike, you nailed it. Done. So, you know, they would come out and say, okay, Chuck, who was BJ Ryan's first Major League team. Baltimore Orioles. You know, or whatever. And so, you know, I stumped you. But I would

always find a way to give out a dinner. You know what I mean? You can't. Come on. Oh, absolutely. We stumped you. Here's a dinner. I think I'm all into that spirit because when guests physically come here, like we're Zooming it today

because you're not here in Toronto, but if you were here, you would leave with a meal from Palma Pasta. Like I literally give everybody a lasagna on their way out the door to enjoy. Well, it's very nice. You know, the Bulls are playing one of these, you know,

because the NBA schedule now is a little, they, they've kind of reconfigure things the last few years. So we have a, a back to back home and home with Toronto coming up in about 10 days. So we play Toronto on a Sunday night at a Scotiabank. And then we play the Raptors Monday night in Chicago. Well, listen, I think we, you know, let's, let's, let's chat.

I think we could work something out here and then you can get Jack some more GLB. I'm just saying that, you know, there was so much fun to that show. I never, never walked into the fan 590 and said, oh God, I have to do this show today. Never. Homer Road, I loved it because I love communicating with the audience. Okay. So now we know how you got the gig at the Fan 590, but you were already into your tenure as a play-by-play voice of the Raptors. I haven't got that origin story. So before I have you leave the Raptors, I got to get you to the Raptors. So can you please tell us,

how did you get the gig with the Raptors? Okay, so the Raptor job opened, the Kings job opened, Sacramento. And my agent said, hey, you know what? You know, you interested in Toronto. And I was doing the University of Michigan, which in itself, Toronto Mike, was a franchise. Right. They ran their athletic department like a pro franchise. They're getting $110,000, $15,000 a game for football.

Right. They're selling out Chrysler Arena on the Fab Five and then the next class. I mean, their facilities were better than some NBA facilities. I mean, the Big Ten was, I mean, you had Michigan, you had Michigan State, you had Penn State, you had Iowa. I mean, Toronto, Mike, we're talking Big Ten. Right. So I interview with Sacramento. And the people were great.

And then I interview with Raptors. And excuse me. So I spoke to Nelson Millman. Doug Ackhurst, rest his soul. He was the GM. Nelson was the program director. And I go in. I drive from Detroit to Toronto. NELSON WAS THE PROGRAM DIRECTOR. AND I GO IN, I DRIVE FROM DETROIT TO TORONTO.

THE TRAFFIC ON THE 401 WAS ABYSMAL. I HAD BEEN TO TORONTO ONLY ONCE. I CALLED A SOCCER GAME, THE NASL SOCCER BOWL WITH THE COSMOS AND THE CHICAGO STING. WOW. I REALLY DIDN'T KNOW THE CITY AT ALL. I GREW UP IN SEATTLE AND WOULD GO TO VANCOUVER AND VICTORIA, BUT NOT TORONTO. And the Chicago Sting. Wow. I really didn't know the city at all. I grew up in Seattle and would go to Vancouver and Victoria, but not Toronto. Right. So I interview and there was something with Nelson that just clicked in, just boom.

And so I thought we had a good interview. He said, hey, we appreciate it. You know, we're going to interview other candidates. Great. Totally appreciate it. You know, we're going to interview other candidates. Great, totally get it. Because the way I looked at it, hey, I'm not even sure if I'm offered the job. I'm going to take it because I love the University of Michigan. Our family was happy, everything. So I get a call saying, hey, they want you to come back for a second interview.

Second interview, sat down with Nelson, talked things over again. They said, you're in the final two. I didn't ask who the other one was. It's really not important because this is about the connection I have with Nelson and the Raptors. Met people, met Glenn Grunwald with the Raptors. And so I said, okay, well, if it happens, it happens. If it doesn't, it doesn't. Sacramento, you know, never offered me the job, but they were saying like, where are we at right now? They didn't know I was talking

to Toronto. So I found out two or three days later that, you know, they offered me the job and I accepted. And that's how I got the job. And there were a lot of candidates. I wasn't sure they were going to hire an American, but I gave my word to Nelson that our family was prepared to move to Toronto, that the kids were going to be enrolled in school in Toronto, wherever we decided to live, and that I would make Toronto a full-time home, and that I would do off-season work for the fan,

doing talk shows, updates, whatever. And that's the truth. Amazing. And then you mentioned the Chuck Swirsky show on Fan 590, and that came to an end in the summer of 2008. Yeah, when I left. You left. Okay, so please, for the definitive record here,

because nothing is true until it's said on Toronto Mic, what is the reason you left your life? You were a Canadian citizen. You loved your job at the Raptors why go back to chicago well there are a lot of moving parts that i really you know would like to have that kept within my heart and soul a lot of moving parts and i decided okay this had nothing to do with the city, the country. This had nothing, absolutely nothing to do with my work environment. The people that I worked with were superb, were great.

And this was, you know, a family situation. So, you know, out of the blue, the bull's call. And, you know, I mean, I've known Jerry Reinstorf now for 43 years, and he's very, very cut from the same cloth as Larry Tannenbaum. Just an incredible human being, Jerry is, as well as his son, Michael, who now runs the franchise. So we made that decision as a family, and it was extremely hard, very painful, to make that choice to leave. And, you know, there were times when I had some moments

where darkness entered my world, where I thought, you know, what did I do? But, you know, there's always light. And I try and stay positive on everything because I think our world is can be very abusive and hurtful. And I try and always shed positivity, purpose, passion, perseverance. And that's what I tried to include in my book. And so there you go. Well, family first, Chuck, you had me at family. Yep. No, I completely get that. So it's, you know, we miss you, but we get it. And, you know, Matty D did a great job, you know, filling in for you and everything worked out,, you know, we miss you, but we get it. And, you know, Maddie D, uh, did a great job, you know, filling in for you and, uh, everything worked out as you said off the top. Yeah.

So Chicago, uh, this, I got a cluster of questions about this. I'm hoping you'll comment on it, but you, you know, you were no, you know, you went back to Chicago. So, you know, you were familiar with Chicago cause you had a professional life in Chicago for many years, right? You were familiar with Chicago because you had a professional life in Chicago for many years, right? Yeah. Oh, yeah. I mean, you know, I came to Chicago in 79, left in 94 for the University of Michigan. And, you know, during that time, I did pre and post for Cubs baseball, pre, half and post on the Bears radio network, did TV play by play for Northwestern football, Football, did radio play-by-play for DePaul, and for the Chicago Sting. I did public address for the Cubs, the Bulls. We did a lot. So when you're at WGN, okay, so now I'm going to take you back to, and I know you're good at dates and trivia,

so you know exactly where I'm going, but November 22, 1987. So we're going back in the time machine. November 22nd, 1987. You can go on YouTube and see this. I almost pulled a clip, but it's kind of creepy. I know it's Halloween, but there's a guy who wore a Max Headroom mask. Yep, yep.

And he hijacked a couple of TV signals in Chicago. So Mike, why are you asking? Mike, why are you asking Chuck Swirsky about this? Because he's in Chicago? Yeah, the Max Hedrum thing. I got multiple questions because Brendan wants me to ask you about the Max Hedrum incident. Mark wants me to ask you about the Max Hedrum incident and

he also wanted to hear about salami and cheese but we covered that. But the fact is, we don't know who this guy was in the Max Hedgum mask, but he did drop your name. Yes, he did. And to this day, I still have no clue as I think no one really does how they were able to get and take over, which is kind of dangerous actually. of dangerous actually um but how they took over a television station and so um remember this 1987 there was no social media there was no internet there are no phones there's no nothing right and i am sitting and this was a sunday night i was sitting in my apartment in Chicago, and I started getting phone calls on a landline.

Right. And it just kept telling me, hey, did you just see what happened? No. And then it went on and on. So it was nonstop. I had to take the phone off the hook. I was getting calls, and I am not exaggerating. It could have gone on for hours.

So someone pirated the airwaves television. They use my name, Chuck Swirsky, freaking liberal. And it's on YouTube. You can watch it. I had no idea what happened. And to this day, I had no idea what happened. Um, and to this day, I don't know what happened.

I honestly, I don't care because I had nothing to do with it and I have no idea who did it. And there's worse things to be called. Like of all the things he's going to call you, he hijacks a broadcast fricking liberal liberals, not the worst thing to be called. Yeah.

So that there, there you go. That, and the other thing to be called. Yeah. So that there, there you go. That, and the other thing that caught me off guard. Well, so like Saturday night live during the bears, the bears with Ditka, with George Wendt,

Joe Mantegna, uh, Chris Farley, you know, they had the Swirsky brothers. Yes. And so it was the bears. So if you go on YouTube and Google the Swirsky brothers Saturday night live.

So what they did, George Wentz from Chicago. And so he took where my last name was spelled S-W-I-R-S-K-Y. He put S-W-E-R-S-K-I. And so they did. And so I was doing a college game with DePaul in Georgetown. And the engineer, I see the engineer two hours before the game, the radio engineer, and he goes, da bears, da bears. He goes, da bears, da bears. And I'm like, uh, you know, he goes, do you see Saturday Night Live?

The Swirsky brothers. I can't believe it. Well, here. What? Can I give a little taste, real quick taste here? And I won't play too much of it edition of Bill Swirsky's Superfans. I'm Bob Swirsky, and I want to thank everyone for sending those cards to my brother, Bill, who recently had another heart attack. We are coming to you live from Ditka's here on Thanksgiving Day.

So you are, I mean, I don't even think I connected these dots till right now, but the Swirsky brothers, which everybody knows, DeBears, it's one of the great recurring skits on Saturday Night Live. You are the inspiration for the name Swirsky. Yes. Wow! Chuck, my mind is blowing, man. So, George Wedge,

so, I'm doing a DePaul game, and we're playing in Malibu, California against Pepperdine. He came to the game. I didn't know he was coming. And so, and this was during, you. This was during every other week they would do because it caught on. It was on fire because the whole country during football season in the United States loved the Bears.

Who couldn't love the Bears? You had Walter Payton. You had the Fridge. You had the Danimal. You had Richard Dent. You had Singletary. And the Super Bowl shuffle. Come on, Chuck. Don't bury the lead. With the punky QB, with Jim McMahon. Right. And so I see George Wendt. And there's a picture in the book, actually, of myself and George Wendt courtside.

And he signed it from one Swirsky to another. I had no idea, Chuck. Remind us again where we can buy this book. Just one more time. Okay. So thank you very much, Toronto Mike. It's Chuck Swirsky, S-W-I-R-S-K-Y. Chuck Swirsky, the book.

Chuck Swirsky, the book.com by Eckhart's Press. And a lot of great stories of Toronto, Chicago, my Willie Mays story, Kobe Bryant story, a lot of stories. Wow. Wow. Okay, Chuck, what a personal, like what a thrill this was. What a delightful conversation. Like I'm so glad I finally got to have Chuck Swirsky on Toronto Mic'd.

This was a pleasure. Yeah, well, Toronto Mic'd, always a pleasure. I appreciate it very, very much. Thank you. And I just want to tell your viewers, your listeners, people that joined, how much I sincerely am blessed that I have spent 10 years. And even though I am not in Toronto physically, how much I sincerely am blessed that I have spent 10 years. And even though I am not in Toronto physically,

you are always, always Canada in my heart. And I mean that sincerely. So thank you. And that brings us to the end of our 1137th show. You can follow me on Twitter. I'm at Toronto Mike. Chuck Swirsky, he's also on Twitter at CTS Bulls. CTS Bulls.

Follow Chuck on Twitter and buy his book. It sounds amazing. Our friends at Great Lakes Brewery are at Great Lakes Beer. Palma Pasta is at Palma Pasta. Sticker U is at Sticker U.

Moneris is at Moneris. Raymond James Canada are at Raymond James CDN Recycle My Electronics are at EPRA underscore Canada Ridley Funeral Home

are at Ridley FH I know Brad Jones there is a big Raptors fan big Hoops fan and a big Chuck Swirsky fan and Canna Cabana are at Canna Cabana underscore big Raptors fan, big Hoops fan, and a big Chuck Swirsky fan. And Canna Cabana are at canna-cabana-underscore. We're live in my backyard on Thursday

night. My special guest is the aforementioned Mark Hebbshire from Hebbsion Sports. See you all tomorrow. See you all Tomorrow Thank you. And it won't go away Cause everything is rosy and gray Well, I've been told That there's a sucker born every day

But I wonder who Yeah, I wonder who Maybe the one who doesn't realize There's a thousand shades of grey Cause I know that's true Yes I do I know it's true Yeah

I know it's true How about you? Are they picking up trash And they're putting down roads And they're brokering stocks The class struggle explodes And I'll play this guitar Just the best that I can

Maybe I'm not And maybe I am But who gives a damn Because everything Is coming up Rosy and gray Yeah, the wind is cold But the smell of snow

Warms me today And your smile is fine And it's just like mine And it won't go away Because everything is rosy and gray Well, I've kissed you in France And I've kissed you in Spain And I've kissed you in places

I better not name And I've seen the sun go down On Sacré-Cœur But I like it much better going down on you Yeah, you know that's true Because everything is coming up

rosy and green Yeah, the wind is cold but the smell of snow warms us today And your smile is fine and it's just like mine and it won't go away cause everything is

rosy now everything is rosy and everything is rosy and great yeah guitar solo