Joe Tait, Legendary 'Voice of the Cleveland Cavaliers,' Comes to Mentor Tonight at Barnes & Noble

Mentor Patch recently had a conversation with Joe Tait, the legendary “voice of the Cleveland Cavaliers” for 39 seasons. He also did play-by-play for the Cleveland Indians.

Joe, 74, recently published “Joe Tait: It’s Been a Real Ball,” which he co-wrote with sports writer Terry Pluto. The funny thing is Joe never wanted to write a book about all of his experiences as a long-time sports broadcaster. But he changed his mind while recovering from major heart surgery last year.

The book tells how Tait got his start in broadcasting, how he landed jobs with the Cavaliers and Indians and how his no-nonsense commentary won fans and sometimes got him in hot water with coaches and owners.

Now retired, Joe can say just about anything he wants and not get into trouble.

Joe said he’s looking forward to coming to Mentor to sign books at , 7900 Mentor Avenue, today from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Terry Pluto will be there too.  The event is free and open to the public.

Here are the highlights of our interview with Joe Tait:

What is your favorite chapter in the book?

 I had not read the comments from the fans until Terry put the book together. I think that was very heart warming because there are some things in there that are very, very nice. I did not know I evoked that kind of a response from people, especially with some of the guys I had worked with. I think that is what I appreciated the most.

What about “The Miracle Year” chapter that describes the “Miracle of Richfield” during the 1975-76 season when the CAVS made the playoffs for the first time. Was that one of your favorite chapters as well?

Well, no doubt about it. Had CAVS player Jim Chones not broken his foot during the Washington and Boston Series, there is no doubt in my mind we would have won the championship that year. But that was just one of the things that happen in sports and you have to learn to live with it.

Do you think there is a Cleveland Curse? And do you think the CAVS will ever win an NBA Championship?

There is no Cleveland curse. The only curse is in the minds of those people who think there is a curse. They are the ones who are cursed. I think the CAVS have an owner who is willing to expend the money to put a competitive team on the floor,  and I personally think Byron Scott is as good a coach as they have had in many, many years, I really liked how he dealt with last year’s adversity. I think it’s only a matter of time until they put a competitive team on the floor.

 Do you have a favorite CAVS player?

I have a fondness for Danny Ferry who came here as the Cleveland part of the Ron Harper deal. That was a deal most people really disliked so he came in with that. Then he had the bad knees and played for a coach that had no interest in playing rookies. So that all added up to a lot of downtime. But rather than just sit there and collect his money, Danny would practice at night after everybody went home and bring his fiancé with him who would rebound and pass for him. He kept working and working to the point one year he was inserted the starting line up and put together a fair career and held a number of Cavaliers records for a long time.

 Is basketball your favorite sport?

Not necessarily. I enjoy about anything you can do play-by-play wise. The thing I enjoyed most over the years was doing Mount Union College football on television. I love the atmosphere, the school and people who are involved in the program. That would be No. 1 on my hit parade.

Will you be watching the CAVS games from the comfort of your home?

No. I’m done. It’s like a postman who walked a route for 35 years and retired. He enjoyed the walk, met a lot of nice people, etc., etc., but the day he retired he is not going to go out for a long walk. I am content to go on to other things in my life that have taken a back seat that kept me from pursuing my No. 1 hobby, which is model railroads. Also my wife, Jean, was involved in thoroughbred horse racing for over 20 years and now is retired. So here we are sitting looking at each other and saying OK, let’s get down to the serious business of being married. We are having a good time just being together.

What do you want readers to take away from your book?

Well, if you are an aspiring young sports announcer ----  and goodness knows there are enough of them ---  the name of the game is get a job and get the experience and don’t think about the money. If you go in from day one and want a certain amount of money, you are going to fail. You have to have the experience first, develop your skills and if you are talented enough and lucky enough, the rest of it will come. I guess that probably is good advice for any career.

What do you want people to remember about you?

I think the thing I am proudest of is when people, especially blind people, who have told me, “I can see the game through your play- by-play.” There is no greater compliment than to hear somebody say that.

How is your health?

Well, so far so good. I don’t recommend the 50-pound weight loss from open-heart surgery as a diet. I try to hold down the food intake. I’m too old to become a vegetarian or some silly thing like that.  Let me tell you this, in the years I have been involved in sports, I bet I knew about a half dozen coaches who continued to jog, work out and all that sort of thing, and they dropped dead in the gym or on the running track. Everybody walks over to the body and says, how did he die? He was in such great shape. All I know is when I go down, they’ll all gather round the body and say, how the hell did he live this long?