Chuck Swirsky has written a memoir about his broadcasting career and life called Always a Pleasure. We recently sat down with Chuck to discuss the book, available for pre-order now at Eckhartz Press.
EP: After such a long and distinguished career in broadcasting, what was the tipping point reason for you to sit down and write this memoir?
Chuck: In the past I’ve been approached but just felt it wasn’t the right time. Now it is. This is my 25th season broadcasting NBA basketball, approaching 2000 career games. I have a story to tell that involves passion, positivity, purpose and perseverance in life, broadcasting and sports. I love engaging with young people who have goals and dreams of excelling at a high level in our industry. Mentoring is important. Whatever I have achieved in this business would not have been possible without the assistance and support of others.
EP: This book has so much information for sports fans, and we’ll get to that in a moment, but it’s also about your journey as a radio broadcaster. You take readers all across the country from Seattle to Ohio to Chicago to Michigan, and even across the border to Toronto. Can you tell us a little bit about why each of those radio stops was important to you?
Chuck: In each stop I grew as a broadcaster, and more importantly as a person. Seattle was my home and I wanted so very much to establish a solid foundation in the business. Columbus was important because it was my first day in/day out on-air job. It provided me confidence which I needed to have. Chicago in 1979 was a new world. It was the big leagues. I appreciate WCFL for taking a chance on a 25-year-old, placed in a position of hosting the city’s first nightly sports talk show. Calling University of Michigan basketball was big time hoops. Big stage. Big program. Big time games. I loved Ann Arbor. Loved being around the Wolverines athletic department. Toronto will always have a special place in my heart. My first NBA job was everything I dreamed of since the age of five. I loved the Canadian culture, and the Raptors were outstanding to me.
EP: If readers are interested in sports stories, this book has a ton of them. I think one of our favorite tales is the one that happened behind the scenes during the famous Ryne Sandberg game in 1984. Can you tell us what happened that day?
Chuck: June 23, 1984, was a turning point in Cubs franchise history. The game magnified the emergence of a budding young superstar in Ryne Sandberg and a clear message sent by an upstart Cubs team that they were ready to compete on a national stage. With NBC televising the game there was plenty of drama in the radio booth. Trust me.
EP: People will have to buy the book to read that story. (It involves Milo Hamilton and Harry Caray). Those are just a few of the big names that appear in this book. Anyone who goes on the webpage for Always a Pleasure will be blown away by the star-power of the blurbs…Steph Curry, Chris Bosh, Jerry Reinsdorf, et al. Tell us why you chose to ask those people to contribute to the book.
Chuck: I thought long and hard about whom I wanted to contribute to Always a Pleasure. I’ve known Stephen Curry since he was12 years old. He and his brother Seth would accompany their dad Dell, who played for the Raptors, to the Air Canada Centre. He was draining NBA three pointers even then but what truly impressed me was his politeness and manners. Chris Bosh is total class. Intelligent, articulate and a wonderful human being. I called his first NBA game and admire and respect him. I’ve known Jerry Reinsdorf over 40 years. I love the man. He’s a winner in the sporting arena but his passion for people, education, and charitable causes is unparalleled.
EP: You’ve been an NBA announcer now for 25 years and you’re beginning your 15th year with the Bulls. What does it mean to you to behind the microphone broadcasting those games?
Chuck: I can’t believe I’m entering my 25th season. It seems like yesterday I was in Boston calling a Raptors-Celtics game featuring two rookies in Vince Carter and Paul Pierce. I have loved every second. I have plenty left in the tank and want to broadcast hoops for many more years.
EP: There are so many great stories about basketball. Do you have a few favorites to share?
Chuck: I have many stories in college and pro. I loved the Meyer years at DePaul and Michigan ball. Calling Raptors game featuring Tracey McGrady, Vince Carter and Chris Bosh then the Bulls with Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Luol Deng and others became front page news. I called Kobe’s 81-point game. The highlight of my career.
EP: There are many other highlights Chuck shares in the pages of Always a Pleasure. That phrase is Chuck’s signature sign-off, and it’s really the perfect title for the book. Always a Pleasure is positive, reaffirming and enthusiastic, just like its author.
The book is available now for pre-order. It ships towards the end of the month.
I had knee surgery in Chicago in 1992, to repair what I suspect was a meniscus tear; I know it wasn’t a ligament. The orthopedic surgeon was Dr. Keagy. Like Lonzo Ball, it took me a long time, approximately a year and a half, to heal completely. Dr. Keagy seemed surprised after a couple months or so, that I wasn’t yet walking normally. Unfortunately Dr. Keagy died. I think an angioplasty broke loose and plugged a heart valve.
Why it was so difficult, for a long time, to do the exercises he gave me, is something I’ll never know (stepping up onto a stool, and eventually stepping back up onto the stool, something that was clearly impossible for some time). Today, I still do those exercises faithfully every day because the knee became arthritic, but the reward is, I have been able to walk normally for almost 30 years! Dr. Keagy told me after the surgery that I could participate in sports like I used to.
I wish I could tell Lonzo Ball about it, it took a year and a half, but the problem went away entirely. I’ve always wondered why it was clearly impossible to step back onto that stool for many months, and think it might have been caused in part, because Dr. Keagy probably had to spread the joint space in order to get in and cut out cartilage that had been catching worse and worse from the original injury. It must take some time for that separated joint to regain its original tightness. If so, Lonzo would be better off just waiting until the past separation has time to heal. For some people, for some esoteric reason, knee surgery healing is slow.
John