Random awkwardness between Chuck + Leo

[Snowcrash]

-= original quote snipped =-



Are you serious?!?! He's even more selfish than I thought (OPINION).

Seriously though, could I get sued?

Leo, if push comes to shove, I think he'll just ask for more games with Jack.

[DonkeyPunch]

A colleague of mine is very involved with the University of Victoria bball program, he regularly converses with Leo.

Bottom line, he says everyone hates Leo, hes an arrogant prick.

[asif9t9]

Just my opinion......like pepperoni and pineapple....

You know what's worse than the awkward silence.... When they get back for commercial to do Ask The Expert, and Chuck stares into the camera with that weird look on his face. Very awkward.

Of course, you get the same thing when Chuck tries to talk to players after the game, or to the assistant coach at the end of halftime. "Alex (English), if you were playing in today's game, how many points would you score?"

[Basketball_Jones]

I mentioned this in the game thread. Leo said something along the lines of, "You're unbelievable, really. You completely changed the question. Just...unbelievable." Personally, I would have just laughed it off if I was Swirsky instead of being awkwardly silent. However, nobody here really knows Leo very well so maybe laughing at that moment in time wouldn't have been appropriate to him. Either way, one of these guys was taking it too seriously imo.

[Rhettmatic]

In my opinion...

Chuck has a tendency to ask questions that are really difficult to answer, and put his interviewee in a tough position. He does it on his radio show too. I can't speak to Leo's character, but I imagine he was just annoyed by that.

[pierrot]

My favorite moment came last year when Leo pulled out the Salami and Cheese because he felt Chuck was taking too long. Does anyone remember this?

They had been bantering about the Salami and Cheese amiably before that, but as soon as Leo pulled it out, Chuck went dead silent. He didn't say a single word until after the commercial break.

Obviously Chuck went absolutely ballistic as soon as they cut away. When they came back the tension was palpable; at one point, Leo claimed that Paul Graham had just said something about managing high maintenance colleagues into his earpiece.

Leo's transgression was never so much as alluded to again by either of them. Eventually Chuck joylessly pulled out the Salami and Cheese much later in the game, completely ignoring the fact that Leo had already done it.

It was so bad between them that the RaptorsTV guys mentioned in the postgame show. Chuck and Leo could barely speak to one another for several games afterwards.

It was glorious ... Chuck seemed like such a petulant, manipulative prima donna. Honestly, even if pulling out the Salami and Cheese is that important to him, couldn't he have laughed it off for one game and addressed i after the broadcast?

I hope someone else remembers this. It was easily the awkwardest moment in Raptors history.


(The preceding was, of course, strictly my own personal recollection and interpretation of the events.)

Edit: I found this link on the interweb, an article from the time obviously written by a realgmer: Salami and Cheese controversy!

I'd forgotten Leo's apology, and sarcastic "Way to go out on a limb there" when Chuck finally pulled out the Salami and Cheese. Pure gold.

[nesta]

I think Chuck wanted the answer to be Kobe because he was promoting the raptors vs lakers game. I think chuck would want canada to be watching a raptors vs lakers game instead of a Cavs game on friday.

[WD-40]

'My favorite moment came last year when Leo pulled out the Salami and Cheese because he felt Chuck was taking too long. Does anyone remember this?'

ha, that was classic

[Duffman100]

Not sure what kind of reciever it is, and have yet to see it work. But knowing this friend, its a rather super expensive one. I'll see if I can find out.

[Geddy]

My favorite moment came last year when Leo pulled out the Salami and Cheese because he felt Chuck was taking too long. Does anyone remember this?

They had been bantering about the Salami and Cheese amiably before that, but as soon as Leo pulled it out, Chuck went dead silent. He didn't say a single word until after the commercial break.

i think i remember that one. Couldn't believe at the time how seriously Chuck took the whole salami and cheese thing.

It has led to a lot of awkwardness between them.

In the first of the two games against the wiz, in the 4th Chuck was upset at a bad foul call (or it could have been a no call) in the fourth quarter. I think Leo didn't take it as seriously and Chunk went silent or about 30 seconds.


There's also some awkwardness between Chuck and Jack as well sometimes. I remember last year chuck made some comment about drinking and I don't think Jack found it too funny.

[Not Just a Ballboy]

Not sure what kind of reciever it is, and have yet to see it work. But knowing this friend, its a rather super expensive one. I'll see if I can find out.

Thanks. I wonder if the commentators are on a separate audio channel. That would be wonderful.

[Hypz]

I like Chuck and Leo most of the time, but I wish they cut down the filler blabber and concentrate on giving an exciting and informational play by play of the game at hand, not some info about some obscure player from 20 years ago or opinion-based stuff.

[YogiStewart]

as Mr Chuck Swirsky says: that's why you have chocolate and vanilla.

after seeing Lost tonight, i'm guessing some people are in the Chuck camp and others are in the Leo camp.

i can only guess which one of you would follow Hurley. personally, wherever Kate goes, i go.

which brings me to the great equalizer: Norma Wick. she should have done colour. no awkward silences.

[jaymeister15]

Damn Yogi, I think you might have almost ruined tonight's episode for me, I missed it and I'm downloading it right now

The last thing I expected reading this thread was something about Lost....and then, Bam, halfway through your post you start talking about it, I scrolled down as quickly as possible in case you had any spoilers in there

[pg16kid]

Guys

Chuck is like the best commentator ever!! He makes the games worth watching and is definitely not annoying by any means...!

[YogiStewart]

Damn Yogi, I think you might have almost ruined tonight's episode for me, I missed it and I'm downloading it right now

The last thing I expected reading this thread was something about Lost....and then, Bam, halfway through your post you start talking about it, I scrolled down as quickly as possible in case you had any spoilers in there

it was one of the best season openers of any show i've seen.
and keep in mind that i am not a Lost loser - i likehalf of the episodes, tolerate the other 25% and hate 25% of them.

[WaltFrazier]

I like Chuck and Leo most of the time, but I wish they cut down the filler blabber and concentrate on giving an exciting and informational play by play of the game at hand, not some info about some obscure player from 20 years ago or opinion-based stuff.

Their attempts at humor are filler, especially Leo's, and need to be reduced. But the references to past players? Chuck is very good at that, as he knows his NBA history. That's one of the best things he does. You only wouldn't like it if you're a teenager and your sense of the NBA's past barely goes back to Michael Jordan.

[NAFTA]

i personally enjoyed Leo's first-quarter assessment of Blatche:

"I love his package."

that had me laughing quite a bit.

and if you want politically incorrect, you obviously don't listen to the pre-game radio show. A few weeks back, Jones was telling Smith about the best bbq ribs. Smith started rambling about how Jones loves the BBQ and, before the game, he saw Jones (who is black) reaching for an orange pop.

Smith then says "orange pop, bbq ribs....you pretty much have every stereotype covered!!"

I don't think that's politically incorrect of Smith. He and Jonesy are probably buddies and I'll bet Jonesy was laughing. Plus, the only thing he said, accoriding to you, was "You pretty much have every stereotype covered". Since when is merely pointing out a stereotype politically incorrect?

That doesn't sound bad to me at all. And I didn't hear it, but I don't think it sounds like it was "awkward" in any way. Which brings me back to the original point of this thread: Chuck (in my opinion) is the king of awkward. I don't know what it is but his humors or attempts just don't seem to mesh with Jack or Leo, but especially Leo. There has got to be chemistry with Jack somewhere beneath the layers, because they used to be great on the radio. Smith and Jones are good, I'll take them, but Chuck and Jack were outstanding together when they used to do the radio call.

[Shaazzam]

I think my biggest issue with Chuck is that he feels that the story is more important than game. As he is part of the media I can understand where he is coming from.

But to set up an opinion question for Leo and Leo doesn't give him the answer he requires, and then to quickly backtrack and ask a different question, get called out on it and then he clams up? It just strikes me as disingenuous. I understand he has a job to do, but personal opinions and "The Story" need to be kept separate, because if they are not, how can we trust the opinion?