June 18, 2013

Asdrubal, Mr. Cavalier Highlight Cleveland Sports Awards

February 3, 2012 by 30 Comments

I was lucky enough to attend one of the better annual events in our city last night, the Greater Cleveland Sports Awards. Held at the Renaissance Hotel Ballroom downtown, the night celebrates the best of our local sports scene for the past year. Each year, the event has a big name host. From Jim Nantz to Mike Tirico to Bill Walton to Kirk Herbstreit, the committee has always hit a home run. This year was no exception – ESPN siren Erin Andrews was in charge of the evening.

Let me just get it out of the way – she is absolutely stunning in person. Fortunately for me (and thanks to a great friend), I was at a table right next to the stage. This is a family site, so no need to get any deeper, but in all seriousness, up close she is even more beautiful than on TV.

As for her presentation, she did a nice job, although she did hit our fair city with a few barbs here and there, but it was all in good fun. One thing she did say that would be of some interest to Buckeye fans is that Urban Meyer is like “a second father” to her and she just raved about the man who has taken over the Ohio State Football program and his top five recruiting class. [Read more...]

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Cavs Announce New Broadcast Team

October 6, 2011 by 8 Comments

I won’t even bother pretending. I was pulling hard for Matt Dery to land the coveted seat as heir to Joe Tait. Whenever you have a dog in the fight, you can’t help but be disappointed when it doesn’t go your way. With that disclosure out of the way… [Read more...]

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Facebook Question on Tom Hamilton

June 3, 2011 by 37 Comments

We have a Facebook page in case you didn’t know.  It gives us another venue to interact with readers.  We got a question on Facebook this week about Tom Hamilton, and I brought it to the rest of the WFNY to get their thoughts.  The question comes from Chad.

“I was wondering about your thoughts regarding Tom Hamilton. I have always had a problem with the fact the he gets all excited about the opposing team’s good fortune but seems bored with our own. Other people have told me that it is a common technique which is used to make a broadcast more interesting, but it strikes me as treason.”

While I think the word “treason” is too strong, let’s talk this over. Tom Hamilton undoubtedly gets excited on his calls even when the opposing team does something impressive like striking out the last Indian of the game. Do you like that? Do you think it is a good part of Hamilton’s play-by-play? Would you prefer a bigger homer like maybe the Cavaliers have on TV?

WFNY responses after the jump. [Read more...]

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Joe Tait Did it “His” Way

April 14, 2011 by 16 Comments

In 1951, Red Smith wrote one of the most-recognized and lauded ledes in sportswriting when discussing Bobby Thompson’s “Shot Heard ‘Round the World.”

“Now it is done,” writes Smith. ”Now the story ends. And there is no way to tell it. The art of fiction is dead. Reality has strangled invention. Only the utterly impossible, the inexpressibly fantastic, can ever be plausible again.”

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Without Joe Tait, I May Not Be a Cavs Fan Today

April 13, 2011 by 20 Comments

I was 4 years old during the ‘Miracle of Richfield’ season. My fan-dom certainly did not begin there. In fact, it wasn’t until I was in high school did myself, or my dad for that matter, really begin to follow the NBA at all.

I do remember listening to the radio down in the basement when I was a kid. We had a fabulous basement for a little boy. It was big and open, and had a cement floor. I was allowed to ride my bike down there, bounce the basketball or just play around with the exercise equipment. Often I would just watch my dad work at his workshop. (For the life of me I have no recollection of him actually finishing a project, but that’s another story.)

As I rode my bike or played whatever imaginary game my mind conceived of I would sometimes listen to Tait call the Cavs games. I remember hearing the names of World B. Free, Roy Hinson, Mel Turpin and John Bagley. It wasn’t until Price, Daugherty, Nance and Hot Rod though that I became a fan of the Cavs.

At age 14 I got my first job. We’ll be nice and leave out the names of the guilty so as not to cause any child labor inquiries. I worked evenings and couldn’t watch the Cavs from the kitchen of the restaurant. I was allowed to bring in a radio however, and listen to the Cavs while I did the dishes or prepped food for the following day.

And that is where my affection for the Cavaliers, and Joe Tait began. [Read more...]

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While We’re Waiting… Honoring Joe Tait, Interviewing Pure Rage and Questioning the Cavs

April 13, 2011 by 1 Comment

While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

Good tribute to Joe Tait, one of many you’ll hear about today- “During my second year in Wyoming, Joe sent me a hand-written note. I don’t recall exactly what it said — it just offered support and reiterated the fact Joe dreamed of retiring in Evanston. I showed it to my colleagues in Wyoming, and they were in awe. Yes, even most of them had heard of Joe Tait. “Why is HE writing to YOU?” my editor asked, shortly before accusing me of penning the letter myself to impress everyone.” [Amico/FSO] [Read more...]

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On Joe Tait Appreciation Night, and how much I’ll miss the guy

April 9, 2011 by 3 Comments

When the Cavaliers players took a moment after intros to collectively look up and appreciate Joe Tait last night, it dawned on me that Joe’s been on the Cavaliers call longer than each one of them have been alive.  

His thirty-nine years of service to this team, and this community, began way back when fifty year-old coach Byron Scott was an eleven.  A lifetime of memories ago.   

After the hoopla ended, his banner was raised to the Quicken Loans rafters, and it was basketball time once again, the first thing Joe Tait said in response to the ceremony was simply the following:

“I’ll tell you this, I haven’t seen so many ugly sweaters in one place in my entire life.”  

Which made me smile, and realize just how much I’m gonna miss Joe Tait. [Read more...]

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Retiring the Sweater: Cavs to Hold Joe Tait Appreciation Night

April 8, 2011 by 24 Comments

On a night when MVP hopeful Derrick Rose comes to town with the Eastern Conference-leading Chicago Bulls, Quicken Loans Arena will have a sold out crowd on hand to celebrate a man who will not even step foot on the court.  Well, at least during the course of the game. 

Joining the greats like Mark Price and Brad Daugherty, the “Voice of the Cavaliers” Joe Tait will have his name hoisted in to the rafters of The Q.  Before Friday night’s tip-off, a special banner branding Tait’s name will commemorate his 39 years with the Wine and Gold.  In what will be his second-last broadcast before the great Tait heads into retirement, the Q-Tube will feature several video vignettes which highlight Tait’s illustrious career while featuring well wishes from friends, colleagues and fans will run throughout the evening. [Read more...]

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Cavs Lose to Hawks, But Joe Tait is Back!

March 28, 2011 by 4 Comments

With the Cavaliers and Hawks squaring up for the last Sunday home game of the 2010-11 season, there was actually one moment where the entire Quicken Loans Arena was on their feet: a standing ovation for Joe Tait, broadcasting his first game of the season since undergoing heart surgery roughly five months earlier.

“The Voice of the Cavaliers” took to his perch Sunday evening, where he will be for the remaining four Cavs home games.  Unfortunately for the Hall of Fame broadcaster, he was treated to a 99-83 loss, the Wine and Gold’s 58th of the season.

Admitted to a Houston area hospital following a Cavs preseason game, Tait was diagnosed with pnemonia, but was later told that the medical staff had found a heart issue that could only be corrected with open-heart valve replacement surgery. Tait had attempted to return to his spot in the WTAM play-by-play booth several times this season, but doctors nixed each attempt due to concerns of his stamina and the stress that could be placed on Tait’s heart in the event of a high-emotion play. [Read more...]

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“Have a Good Night, Everybody”

March 16, 2011 by 6 Comments

April 13th will mark the last day of the Cavaliers 2010-11 regular season. 

For many, this serves as a light at the end of the tunnel as the 12-win Cavs find themselves in the midst of yet another losing streak.  However, for some, it will mark the night where legendary broadcaster Joe Tait is honored in his very own one-hour segment, “Have a Good Night, Everybody.”

Following the game against the Washington Wizards, the Cavaliers will broadcast a 60-minute special honoring Tait, rife with commentary from other Cavs legends including Wayne Embry, Mark Price, Campy Russell, Mike Fratello, Jim Chones and – of course - Tait himself.  Rather than turning to their blue screen of HD death (man, that looped track is brutal), Fox Sports Ohio will give Cavs fans a special high-definition broadcast titled after the Hall of Famer’s token send-off as he officially retires from a 39-year stint as radio announcer for the Wine and Gold.

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More Fun With Cavs Videos

January 13, 2011 by 4 Comments

No two ways about it, being a Cavaliers fan is depressing right now. I tried to find something that would make all of you Wine and Golders smile this afternoon. Clearly seeing LeBron James highlights will only make us sick. So I tried to dig deeper.

I’m guessing that a large majority of our readers were not born during “The Miracle of Richfield.” Being the elder statesman of the WFNY crew, I was the only one born during this magnificent time in Cavs history. Yes, I was just a few months old when it happened, but my father had an old record he used to play that had Joe Tait’s calls of the clincher against the Washington Bullets, which put the Cavs one step away from their first NBA Finals. I remember it as vivdly as the sign that read “Coliseum, form two lanes.”

Like all of you, I miss Joe Tait. So in his honor, I give to you, the most excited the great Joe Tait has ever been during his illustrious broadcasting career. The Final moments of “The Miracle of Richfield.” [Read more...]

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While We’re Waiting… Shurmur’s Interview, Mangini’s Exit, Tribe Tickets

January 8, 2011 by 1 Comment

While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

Thoughts on the first candidate to interview with the Browns: “St. Louis Rams offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur used his connections to get a foot in the door at the Browns’ headquarters in Berea.

His ties to Browns President Mike Holmgren and General Manager Tom Heckert could also make him a legitimate threat to become coach Eric Mangini’s successor. Of course, his background in the West Coast offense and his work with quarterback Sam Bradford can’t hurt his chances, either.” [Nate Ulrich/Akron Beacon Journal]
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Joe Tait Undergoes Surgery

October 27, 2010 by 3 Comments

Everyone’s favorite sweater-wearing Cavs announcer has had a rough couple of weeks medically.  After going to the hospital in Houston with pneumonia, doctors discovered problems with Joe Tait’s heart.  Tait is expected to miss the bulk of this basketball season – his 39th – which was also supposed to be his retirement tour.  

The team reported yesterday that Tait underwent catheterization, which is a partially diagnostic procedure.  Depending on how this surgery goes, doctors determine what else needs to be done.  In Joe Tait’s case, the diagnosis is a double bypass and aortic valve replacement scheduled for next week.

There is good and bad news in all this.  First of all, it is good that Tait ended up in that hospital in Houston so they found out all his ailments.  On the other side though, it isn’t exactly providing Tait and all his fans around the area a chance to say goodbye to the legendary voice of the Cavaliers on his and their own terms.  I know I for one was looking forward to another year of “Wham with the right hand!” and DiGiorno Pizza plugs. [Read more...]

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Cavs’ Joe Tait to Miss Rest of 2010

October 22, 2010 by 9 Comments

Next Wednesday’s opening night will undoubtedly have a bit of a different feel to it.  Not only will there not be any pregame comments from individuals like Mike Brown or LeBron James, but Hall of Fame play-by-play man Joe Tait will not be visiting with those outside of the Cavalier locker room. 

Tait, who was diagnosed with pneumonia earlier in the preseason, will miss the rest of the 2010 calendar year as he undergoes treatment for aortic stenosis – a hardening of the aorta which restricts blood flow out of the heart.  [Read more...]

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Joe Tait Honored by Hall of Fame

August 13, 2010 by 29 Comments

Congratulations are certainly in order for the voice of the Cavaliers- Joe Tait. Joe was presented with the Curt Gowdy Media Award at the Basketball Hall of Fame on Thursday night. I remember listening to Cavs games on the radio frequently while at work during the Cavs great run in the ’90′s. In my experience, there are none better than Tait. A select few may be as good, but I’ve yet to hear someone better at calling the action.

I never would have guessed that anyone who calls themselves a Cavs fan could possibly not like Tait, but it has come to my attention over the past two years that there is at least a small segment of fans that do not like Tait. Whether it is his refusal to use a color man in his broadcasts or just his tone, I have heard grumblings that it is time for Tait to go. They will get their wish as Tait is in his final year of Cavalier broadcasts.

What has struck fans as interesting are some of Tait’s recent comments about his plans for retirement and the future of the NBA. In an interview with Terry Pluto, Tait made these comments- [Read more...]

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While We’re Waiting…Browns Hope, LeBron James Hate, Indians Pitching Prospects

July 11, 2010 by 13 Comments

While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com

After this week, some NFL reporters are now rooting for the Browns: “When Cleveland fans have cried their final tear over LeBron James, the local superstar whose breakup with his hometown Cavaliers couldn’t have been more tacky if James had written it on a Post-it instead of announcing it on his one-hour nationally-televised ego trip, they will look to the upcoming NFL season for hope and positive news…But maybe hope is not lost. Jake Delhomme, the veteran quarterback who was signed in 2010 after seven years in Carolina, sees sunshine behind the dark clouds. He said as much last month when he told me he senses the Browns are on the cusp of one of those head-shaking turnarounds. He said it’s the same feeling he had in 2003 when he left New Orleans to sign with Carolina.” [Jim Trotter/Sports Illustrated]

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While We’re Waiting…Holmgren on Peppers, Z’s Tenure, Tait critiques Cavs routine, Bradford Impresses

February 27, 2010 by 10 Comments

While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

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Mike Holmgren admits the Browns are interested in Julius Peppers but the current price may be too high: “Certainly Julius is one of the guys we talk about, but then I have to put on my other hat a little bit, because there are some financial ramifications there…I’d be reluctant, as great a player as Julius is, to compare anybody with Reggie White. We did it for Reggie. If you remember at the time, we bonused Reggie, I think we bonused him for $8 million…Everyone thought we were nuts. It was numbers off the charts, and think of that today. You toss around stuff like it’s nothing. If I thought there was a Reggie White out there, or if I thought there was a Brett Favre out there I could trade for, I’d be seriously interested.” [Aaron Wilson/National Football Post]

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While We’re Waiting… Odds on O’Neal, Keeping the DeRosas, and more on Joe Tait

June 15, 2009 by 10 Comments

While We’re Waiting aims to be the round-up of the recent WFNY-esque information for your morning viewing. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email in the sidebar.

lebron-james-shaquille-oneal-dance

Hit me with it!  Just give it to me straight.  I came a long way just to see you, Shaquille.  The least you can do is level with me.  What are my chances?
“I believe there is less than a 50 percent chance Shaquille O’Neal will traded to the Cavs this summer. But I am relieved that after quite a bit of nonsense out there this week, this is the first time something legit has passed through the Internet involving the Cavs.” [Brian Windhorst/Plain Dealer]

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The Greatest Cleveland Play by Play Men of the Past 30 Years

June 8, 2009 by 51 Comments

taitAfter spending a weekend listening to Al Pawlowski completely butcher his shot filling in for Matt Underwood as the Indians play by play man on STO, it got us thinking about the voices of my youth.

Growing up in Cleveland in the 80′s, I was blessed. Nev Chandler was doing the Browns and Joe Tait the Cavs, while the Indians had a revolving door next to the “legendary” Herb Score. I put “legendary” in quotes because Herb was interesting to say the least. I don’t like to speak ill of the dead, its bad mojo, but Handsome Herb would have only remained in his place for as long as he did in this town. Plain and simple, if a radio play by play man is supposed to paint you a picture of the action while you can’t see it, then Herb failed finger-painting in Kindergarten. [Read more...]

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While We’re Waiting… Magic’s defense on the final shot, Mo’s (Non)Technical Foul, Joe Tait’s Call

May 23, 2009 by 18 Comments

While We’re Waiting aims to be the round-up of the recent WFNY-esque information for your morning viewing. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email in the sidebar.

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The debate over how Orlando defended the final play (See Craig’s post below for a full recap): “Again, Van Gundy wasn’t specific on what he could have done, but we can take an educated guess, and part of that guess involves Pietrus, who blamed himself for chasing Sasha Pavlovic almost all the way to the midcourt line as Williams was still holding the ball.  Had Pietrus stopped chasing Pavlovic two steps earlier, Williams wouldn’t have had a clear passing lane to get the ball to James.” [Chris Sheridan/Espn.com] 

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