CLEVELAND Cavs to honor Tait for calling 2,500th game

The team will give away 5,000 "Bobble-belly" dolls tonight.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Joe Tait's distinct voice has been about the only thing Cleveland Cavaliers fans have been able to count on for 31 years.
Calling the play-by-play with a signature style that often blends humorous personal observations with brutal honesty, Tait has witnessed some Cavs teams that rank among the worst in NBA history.
"Remember, I also did the Cleveland Indians for years (1973-1987)," Tait said. "I have probably seen more losses than any other human being on the planet."
The 65-year-old Tait, who started calling Cavs' games in 1970, will broadcast No. 2,500 with the team tonight when Cleveland plays host to Sacramento.
Only Al McCoy of Phoenix (2,662 and counting) has called more games among current NBA broadcasters.
As part of its celebration of Tait's milestone, the Cavs will give away 5,000 Joe Tait Bobble-belly Dolls to fans as they enter Gund Arena.
"I'm not sure I would say that's an honor," said the jovial Tait, whose strong voice is matched by a stout waistline. "Let's just say I don't quite have Chick Hearn's physique. But if the promotion brings down two or three more people, I'm all for it."
Perhaps a more fitting tribute to Tait's longevity is the state of the current Cavs. They've lost 10 straight.
Not prepared
The ever-modest Tait admits he's been caught off guard by all the attention he's received leading up to what he says is "just another game".
"I had no idea how many games I had done until somebody told me earlier this year," he said. "I honestly didn't know it was 2,500. I think the best statistic I've heard is that I've done games in some 85 different arenas."
As well as in an untold number of living rooms, bedrooms, dens, bars, and cars of sports fans across northeast Ohio and around the nation who have tuned in to hear Tait's familiar delivery.
Listening to one of Tait's broadcasts can be as educational as it is exciting.
His trademark lines, "Wham, with the right [or left] hand!" for a dunk or "3-ball ... got it!" for a 3-pointer are part of any Clevelander's sports vernacular. Tait also calls it like it is.
During his 2,499th broadcast Saturday, the Cavs allowed New Orleans to make six 3-pointers, several uncontested, during a 97-84 loss. After Hornets guard Baron Davis hit his third 3-pointer, Tait muttered, "You'd think they [the Cavs] would have learned by now."
Tait got the Cavs' job by accident. He was managing a radio station in Terre Haute, Ind., when Cleveland coach Bill Fitch, a longtime friend, recommended him to former owner Nick Mileti.
"Bill said he remembered that I made the worst football team [Monmouth College] he ever saw sound exciting," Tait said. "The Cavs knew they might need some help making their team sound fun."