Tait to make 3,000th call
Posted by Terry Pluto March 25, 2008 17:02PM
The Plain DealerThe Plain Dealer

Cathalynn Thompson has never seen a Cavaliers game, but she knows all about the team from Joe Tait.

Thompson was born three months premature, and all she can see is light, dark and a faint outline of people. Tait is her eyes on the Cavs, the radio broadcaster's voice the soundtrack of every Cavs season for her since the days of Tom Nissalke coaching the Cavs in the early 1980s.

"To the line, to the lane, to the hoop . . . wham with the right hand," said Thompson, repeating her favorite Tait call.

Thompson works for Mobile Meals in Akron, taking calls from clients. On game days, she wears her Cavs sweatshirt as she settles in front of the radio. If the game is also on network television, she turns the sound up on the TV . . .

"And I listen to Joe, too," she said. "I like the TNT guys, so I want to hear them . . . but I also like to hear Joe."

How does her husband handle that?

"It drives him a little crazy," she said, laughing.

Tait will be calling his 3,000th regular-season Cavs game tonight at Quicken Loans Arena against New Orleans.

`Thompson will be waiting for him to scream, "Three ball . . . got it!!!"

"I really like that one, too," she said.

Cavaliers radio play-by-play voice Joe Tait."I've met Cathalynn and her parents several times," said Tait. "When I do the games, I think about people like her and Gordon Gund. I know that several blind people do listen to me, and that's why I describe the color of the uniforms, the color of the lines on the court, anything I notice that they would like to see."
And Gund insists he does "see" the game, thanks to Tait. He has been listening to Tait for more than 25 years, at least 2,000 of those 3,000 Cavaliers games. He was the majority owner of the Cavs from 1983-2005, and he still owns a small share in the franchise.

"What a voice Joe has," said Gund. "It's so full, like a pipe organ."

Gund likes many of the same Tait signature lines as Thompson, especially when Tait bellows "Got it!!!" following a Cavs basket. But he also enjoys how Tait makes fun of the Cavs ticket sellers.

"It's great when Joe says, 'Operators are standing by, why doesn't someone get them a chair?' " said Gund.

But he has never seen the Cavs radio voice, Gund being blind since he was 30.

"I do have a picture of Joe in my mind," said Gund. "He's a big man with a round face, at least that's how his voice sounds. I know that he is kind of wide and stout, probably bigger than he wants to be. But I sense a steady presence."

Pretty close, as Tait would attest. About all that's missing would be Tait's beard.

Thompson and Gund both appreciate Tait's candor.

"It takes about three minutes listening to Joe know how the team is playing," said Gund.

"I'm glad we are celebrating Joe. He is the Cavaliers franchise to so many people. Fans know they can trust him."

Gund admitted that sometimes Tait's criticism of the team has bothered him.

"I thought about calling him, but I never did," said Gund. "I knew he was just being honest."

Tait said when Gund had the team colors changed to the "new" wine and gold before the 2003 season, the owner asked Tait to see them first.

"I want to hear what you say before you say it one the radio," Tait said Gund told him.

The 70-year-old Tait took over the Cavs radio microphone in the sixth game of their inaugural 1970-71 season. He still likes the old uniforms.

"I told Gordon that it looked more like tomato red and mustard than wine and gold to me," said Tait. "But because he really tried, I wasn't going to be critical. At least they were much better than the other uniforms."

What about doing 3,000 games?

"I don't care, it really doesn't matter to me," he said. "I've been doing this for 51 years. If you add up all the high school games, the college games, the baseball games, hockey games -- all of them, it's probably 10,000 or 15,000."

Tait said fans often mention his DiGiorno Pizza commercials.

"They want to know if it's as good as I make it sound," said Tait.

Well?

"Of course it is," he said. "Especially when you're hungry."

Gund will be at the arena tonight when Tait does Game 3,000. He will be wearing headphones. Cathalynn Thompson will be in her Cuyahoga Falls home, wearing her Cavs sweatshirt, waiting for Joe Tait to announce, "It's basketball time at The Q!"

And make it sound like it's the first time, not number 3,000.

Simply my favorite announcer of any sport.

Hell, he was profiled on PM Magazine back in the 80's and I insisted that my mom buy me the pen he was using in that feature. It was one of those multi-colored things where you clicked on whichever color you wanted to use.

Pretty awful pen, now that I think about it. But Joe is still WONDERFUL.

Beanpot

Joe is the best there ever was, it's not even close.

I can't begin to imagine what it would ever be like without him.