I grew up listening to Joe Tait call Cavs games on WWWE during the 1980s. I usually watched the East Coast games on television. The Mountain and Pacific games were on when my parents watched television and — this being back when families only had one television — I was sent off to my room to listen to Tait describe the action on the court in rich detail. Thank God mom and dad never wanted to miss an episode of L.A. Law. Otherwise Joe Tait would not have been a part of my life.

Joe Tait: It’s Been a Real Ball (Stories from a Hall-of-fame Sports Broadcasting Career) gives Cleveland sports fans such as myself a glimpse of the man away from the microphone. Tait had a most impressive career. He created opportunities for himself, did his work the right way and touched a lot of lives. It wasn’t all roses. He was divorced. He watched a lot of bad baseball and basketball. He worked for Ted Stepien, insomuch as anyone could work for Ted Stepien. But he always gave the fans his best.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s a must-read for anyone who has ever yelled “Line to the lane” or “Bingo!” or ”Three ball … GOT IT!” while playing hoops.