From courtroom to courtside, a daring career change has landed John Michael a job with the Cavaliers.
View full sizeIn 2003, John Michael took a risk in walking away from his career as a lawyer to become a broadcaster, and it's paying off with a job with the Cavaliers.CLEVELAND, Ohio — In the winter of 2003, John Michael took his family to a Mexican restaurant in suburban Pittsburgh to surprise them with news of his change in career paths.
He was leaving behind a six-figure income as a trial attorney to become the play-by-play voice of a minor-league baseball team for $5,000 a season. Eight years of Notre Dame education and three college degrees would be put to use calling Class A games in Hagerstown, Md., unloading equipment trucks after all-night trips and running from broadcast booths to help unfurl tarps during rain delays.
"I am the most unnecessarily educated individual in pro sports," Michael said. "But it was something I really wanted to try. I didn't want to look back years later with any regrets."
Upon hearing the decision, his mother nearly cried. His father cursed. Lots of friends and peers couldn't understand why Michael would trade financial stability to chase a dream that might anchor him in minor-league ballparks and hockey rinks for decades.
But the broadcasting legend whom Michael has replaced as the voice of the Cavaliers chuckles at the story of a dinner gone bad. In 1970, Joe Tait took a 25 percent pay cut to leave a radio station in Terre Haute, Ind., to call the games of a fledgling NBA franchise in Cleveland for $10,000 a season.
"I got those 'Are you kidding me?' responses, too," Tait said. "I can relate to the decision."
Whether Cleveland faithful will embrace the 39-year-old Michael -- teamed with analyst and former Cavaliers forward Jim Chones – remains to be determined. The duo makes its regular-season debut, along with veteran in-game host Mike Snyder, on Monday, as the Cavaliers host the Toronto Raptors.
Few topics engage sports fans as much as the broadcasters who call their team's games. It's why the search for Tait's replacement was as newsworthy here as almost anything NBA Commissioner David Stern had to say in the early months of the lockout.
Michael's hiring is intriguing, not only because he lacks an NBA pedigree, but also that he's a self-taught announcer who walked away from the corporate world to take his future wife on tours of minor-league markets such as Hagerstown; Johnstown, Pa.; and Springfield, Mass.
Michael has spent the past four years in Ohio, serving as the Lake Erie Monsters' announcer for two seasons before working as the in-game host for Fox Sports Ohio telecasts of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
His preparation for games and ability to describe play have brought him back to Cleveland to chronicle the start of the Kyrie Irving era. He acknowledges and welcomes the remarkable challenges of following Tait.
Winning over listeners is something Michael has had to do since he left family members slack-jawed in a restaurant eight years ago.
Joe Tait enjoying his retirement
View full sizeTaitAfter 39 seasons as the voice of the Cavaliers, Joe Tait appreciates the little perks of retirement.
Like going to sleep at 10 p.m. and waking up in his own bed every morning.
Tait, 74, is done with an NBA career that landed him in the Basketball Hall of Fame. As a new season begins, he's not scratching at the door, hoping to hop the next charter to Toronto with the Cavs.
"I don't miss it at all," Tait said. "I'm very happy to be home and spending more time with [his wife] Jean."
Tait isn't totally removed from the game or his fans, however. He is enjoying the book-tour circuit following the release of "Joe Tait: It's Been a Real Ball," written by Plain Dealer columnist Terry Pluto.
He's in good spirits and good health after undergoing heart surgery last season. He keeps up with his Mount Union football and Cloverleaf High basketball, but he won't be seen around The Q often this season.
"I wish the Cavs' organization nothing but the best," Tait said. "But when I finish with a town or an assignment, that's it."
Tait has spoken to his replacement, John Michael, only briefly, but he hasn't listened to the preseason broadcasts.
"This guy didn't just get yanked off the fun bus," Tait said. "He's a pro sports broadcaster, and I trust in the judgment of Dave Dombrowski [the Cavs' director of broadcast services]. I'm sure he will do a fine job."
-- Tom Reed
Michael's men behind the mic
Aside from Joe Tait, the broadcaster he's replacing, John Michael was willing to share thoughts on four of his favorite play-by-play voices.
• Vin Scully (Los Angeles Dodgers): "He's like listening to your grandfather tell stories around a campfire. It's similar to listening to Joe [Tait]."
• Mike Lange (Pittsburgh Penguins): "Everyone thinks of the catchphrases after his goal calls, but his description of the play is second to none in his sport."
• Kevin Harlan (NBA on TNT): "He just has such a great, crisp voice."
• Bob Uecker (Milwaukee Brewers): "He's just hilarious. He seems to have more fun than anyone in our business."
-- Tom Reed
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Big decision
On their first date at Notre Dame, Julie Maund wanted to know what had inspired Michael to study law. After all, her father is an attorney. Her two sisters are attorneys.
Michael was pursuing a law degree and a master of business administration after already graduating with a mechanical-engineering degree.
"But as we spoke, John seemed most enthusiastic about sports broadcasting," said Julie, a middle-school teacher.
Michael, an Aliquippa, Pa., native, played four sports in high school, yet at 5-foot-7, 140 pounds, there would be no Rudy redux at Notre Dame. Maund was the college athlete, captaining the Irish soccer team her senior season (1997).
His only work in the sports field had been operating a scoreboard clock at Irish hockey games for $25 and free pizza. But as he began his career as a trial attorney in 1998 – Michael specialized in construction law -- the idea of calling games gathered momentum.
He made a few demo tapes using the law firm's Dictaphone while watching ESPN Classic games. A Pittsburgh sports radio network liked his work enough to give him a shot at a high school football game, Plum against Penn-Trafford. One game became two. Football season turned into basketball season.
Michael litigated by day and called games at night, a hobby morphing into a passion. Work at the firm was great, but it didn't stop him from sending out tapes to minor-league teams looking for radio announcers. When the Hagerstown Suns offered him a job in 2003, Michael was faced with the biggest decision of his life. He was 31 years old, well established in the law community and involved in a serious relationship.
Most make the safe play and spend the rest of their lives sitting on barstools telling their buddies they could call a better game than Joe Buck. Not Michael.
"It came down to whether I wanted to wake up every morning and go to an office or an arena," Michael said. "It seemed like a pretty simple choice to me."
When he asked Maund's father for permission to marry his daughter, their conversation about his career choice was as uncomfortable as the one he had with his dad. But Julie went to Hagerstown and stayed in a makeshift apartment in which their mattress was plopped on the floor.
At each stop, she found work as a teacher. She supported his decisions, but privately, she had moments of doubt. Michael's old firm, K&L Gates, had been gracious enough to give him some off-season cases to bolster the bank account.
"There were times, selfishly, I wanted us to have more stability and maybe even go back to law," Julie said. "But John worked so hard, and he kept progressing."
Michael wasn't looking to make a lateral move in 2007 when the Monsters offered him the job to call their American Hockey League games. But it meant a larger market and the opportunity to have 20 games a season simulcast on Fox Sports Ohio.
The lifelong Pittsburgh fan immersed himself in the Cleveland culture. He loved its working-class ethos and its passionate fan base. He also liked the energy at The Q, especially at a time when the Cavaliers were contending for titles.
Within two years, FSO gave him a chance at the big leagues, serving as in-game host for Blue Jackets telecasts. Dave Dombrowski, director of broadcast services for the Cavs and Monsters, told Michael he needed to take the position.
Michael also acted on another piece of Dombrowski's advice before departing for Columbus: Because he didn't have much basketball on his resume, he should reacquaint himself with the sport in case a good job unexpectedly arose.
Perched in the upper decks of The Q, Michael recorded practice tapes of Cavs' playoff games in 2009, never thinking he would be doing the real thing within three years.
'Size 17s'
On the first day of training camp, coach Byron Scott greeted Michael at the club's practice facility by wishing him well and reminding him: "You've got big shoes to fill -- size 17s."
Tait jerseys hang in the team gift shop. A Tait banner hangs from The Q rafters. But Tait's legacy doesn't appear to hang over Michael's head.
"Joe is Joe," Michael said. "He did the game his way, and it was a great way. There's a reason why he's a Basketball Hall of Famer, a reason why many of us consider him the best in the business."
When Tait took ill last season, some listeners called the Cavs to complain about his absence. The fact he was hospitalized undergoing heart surgery didn't satisfy some. They wanted the voice who had filled their homes and cars for 39 seasons.
Tait returned at season's end before retiring.
"It's humbling the organization looked to me," Michael said. "What greater motivation for hard work is there than following someone like Joe?"
Tait declined a chance to serve on the committee to find his replacement. The Cavaliers chose Michael from more than 200 applicants, including 25 that Dombrowski said were highly qualified.
The announcer's voice quality, preparation and passion for the job were keys to his hiring, Dombrowski said. The committee was familiar with Michael and recalled the meticulous work that went into each broadcast.
Michael used the NBA lockout to research the league, scribbling vital franchise information on scores of note cards. He has rarely missed a practice since training camp opened, taking every opportunity to interact with players and coaches.
He's had little trouble keeping pace with the game's flow in his preseason broadcasts. He emphasizes time and score. He sets up Chones and draws on his expertise. There's lots of description and no catchphrases. No dunks are punctuated with, "Wham, with the right hand!"
"You can't replace Joe, and you certainly can't replicate his style," Michael said.
Ten years ago, he argued construction law in front of judges and juries. On Monday night, Michael will describe the NBA debuts of Irving and Tristan Thompson to thousands of Cavs fans.
His daring career change has taken him from courtroom to courtside. And his parents couldn't be more proud.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: treed@plaind.com, 216-999-4370
Source: http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2011/12/cleveland_cavaliers_new_radio.html
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