Duane Kuiper is perhaps known, above all, for being able to come up with the perfect call when a Giants player hits a huge home run. It makes sense because when Kuiper hit his only big league homer, Indians broadcaster Joe Tait did an amazing job of matching the moment.
Tait, a longtime Indians broadcaster and a member of the NBA Hall of Fame because of his work with the Cavaliers, passed away Wednesday at the age of 83.
The Indians put out a statement that included the fact that Tait would often joke that one of his favorite calls was the one on Kuiper's homer in 1977. Kuiper was one of his favorite players, and in a tribute video put out by the team, there are two clips: Tait calling the end of Len Barker's perfect game, and his call of Kuiper's homer.
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On Thursday's Giants Talk podcast, Kuiper paid tribute to Tait, who spent 15 years with the Indians on radio and TV.
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"Some stuff that I use over the years as a broadcaster I stole from Joe Tait," Kuiper said. "One of them is in the seventh inning he used to just yell, on radio, 'UP on your feet' before he would go to break, and then at the end of a game he would sign off by saying 'Have a good night everybody.' So I stole those things from Joe and I'm thinking about him a lot today."
