It was a very special Donovan Live Postgame Show on Tuesday evening.
My co-host and friend Jim Donovan celebrated his birthday! And who better than Jimmy's Browns Radio Network partner Doug Dieken to send wishes:
Jimmy told us on the show that he is now 62-years-old, but honestly wasn't sure if he would live past age 55. He was facing tough odds when he was diagnosed with leukemia, but thanks to the work of his team of doctors and a bone marrow donor who was a perfect match, he's here and better than ever.
We took some time on the show to reflect on our dual pasts as baseball play-by-play announcers. I recently put out a story about my year calling the games for the Lake Erie Crushers during their run to the Frontier League title in 2009.
Before coming to Cleveland, Jimmy called Class AA baseball for a year in Vermont. He got to see future MLB stars like Barry Larkin and Paul O'Neill up close. There's something special about being able to be around a baseball team every day. Every game has a unique story and the personalities you encounter are always memorable.
I asked Jimmy if once he got to Cleveland, did he ever think he was going to do radio play-by-play again? In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Cleveland sports teams all had iconic voices calling their games: Nev Chandler for the Browns, Joe Tait for the Cavaliers, Herb Score and Tom Hamilton with the Indians. Jimmy kept his play-by-play skills active by doing NFL games on NBC for 11 seasons, but wasn't sure if he'd ever get another chance to be the voice of a team.
Then came the return of the Browns in 1999 and an opening. Jimmy described it as his 'bottom of the 9th,' his last chance to be back on the radio calling games. He got his shot and the rest is history. Jimmy and Diek will soon begin their 20th season in the Browns radio booth together.
Let's hope that there will be more calls like this one to come in the future.
Watch the Donovan Live Postgame Show in the player above. And Happy Birthday, Jimmy!