Joe Tait and the Long Shadow he Casts

I'll always remember the first time I heard Joe Tait's voice without realizing it was Joe Tait. I was going through some of my father's cassette tapes and blindly playing them on his stereo one afternoon shortly after my parents told my brother and me that they didn't love each other anymore. I was 11, and had started to take an interest in basketball. The Cavs were a good, solid, young team on the rise, with plenty of stars to like. Anyways, after pressing play and starting another random tape, I heard the closing minutes of the 4th quarter of perhaps the most famous game in Cleveland Cavaliers franchise history. The Miracle of Richfield. The Cavs were in just their 6th year of existence as a franchise, and this was their first playoff series in team history. The opponent was the Washington Bullets. The year was 1976.

As I listened, so many sounds were flooding through the headphones and into my ears. The crowd was roaring, the players were making big time plays at both ends of the floor, and the announcer of the game, Joe Tait, was shaking the mic with every call. I couldn't see him, but I could just see him; sweat beading on his forehead, shortness of breath, and sweaty palms as he called every second of this battle. His voice was strained at times, barely audible over the crowd noise. After it was all over, it was as if Joe was on the floor, fighting for rebounds, setting screens, and directing teammates on the floor. When the Cavs won that game, you felt like you won. You felt how Joe felt...alive!

I was hooked. I listened to all the Cavs games moving forward. Turn the sound down on the TV, put on the Sony Walkman, and just listen to Joe Tait bring it home. 7th grade camp, yep I had to have my Sony Walkman so I could listen to the Cavs/Bulls playoff series. I heard all the catch phrases over the years that became favorites with Cavalier fans like "3 Ball...GOT IT", "Wham with the right hand!", "Line to the left, sights it, shoots, it...good." and "The Cavaliers will be moving left to right on your radio dial". I would be shooting hoops outside and would play all the parts; the crowd, the d-fense chant, and of course, Joe Tait's radio play-by-play. Joe Tait was responsible for my interest in basketball. I was certain that I would do radio broadcasts one day, just like him. I often regret not following through on that.

Now, only 2 games remain in the broadcasting career of Joe Tait. I'm not sure what the Cavaliers have planned for their radio team beyond this year, but it's going to be hard, after 39 years, to flip on the radio for Cavs broadcasts, and not hear Joe's voice. I suppose he's earned a break. Thank you for being you, Joe, and thank you for sharing your passion of basketball with all of us. You'll be missed after one final "Have a goodnight, everybody".

TR