July 25, 2022 • 44 mins
Cavaliers legend Campy Russell sits down with Tim Alcorn and Jim Chones in the latest episode of CavsHQ. In-Game host Ahmaad Crump comes on in the second half to discuss getting the crowd into games.
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Speaker 1 (00:11):
Welcome to Cavs HQ presented by bet Way. Thank you
for joining us on the Cleveland Cavaliers Radio Network. Now
here's your host, Tim Alcorn and Jim Charles Well I
get everybody will Welcome to Cavs HQ presented by Bentley
on the Cavaliers Radio Network. Great to have you with
us once again. And boy, Jim, we're gonna have a
(00:32):
jam packed show. Cavalier legend and of course Cavalier full
time employee and broadcaster, can't be Russell is going to
stop by and pay us a visit. And then a
little bit later on in the show, Boy the voice
that gets everybody wrapped up at Rocket Mortgage field House
in Arena, hosts a mod Crump will stop by and
(00:52):
say hello to Cavs fans. Just right, Tim. And the
unique thing about a modest he's the Cleveland kid, and
he's been with us so long that is come a
generational awareness. You know, people that that know the Cavaliers.
You know, his voice has become synonymous with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
And of course can't be Russelled my younger brother from
another mother. He and I are very close and to
(01:14):
have him he's had some very exsightful things to talk about,
old and beyond just basketball, yep, so we look forward
to hearing from both of them. Can't Be Russell and
a mod from We'll start things off with Campy, so
stay with us. Can't Be Russell joins us next on
Cam's h presented by bet Way on the Cavaliers Radio Network.
(01:40):
Welcome you back to Cam's HQ. It's presented by bet
Way on the Cavaliers Radio Network, Jim Elcorn, Jim Jones.
Of course all sorts of help from the guys on
the other side of the window, Kurt McLoughlin and Marty Allen,
and it is great to have with us once again
on Cam's HQ. Cavalier Legend and of course you see
(02:00):
him all season long on Vally Sports with pregame and
halftime and post game one. Campy Russell, can't be great
to have you back with us as we work our
way through the off season and eagerly anticipate the three
season which will be getting on hurt way quicker than
we realize. Well, Tom, thank you very much you and
(02:21):
Jim for allowing me to be a part of you
guys a great show that you guys put on on
a regular basis, and Uh, to your point, I'm excited
about this coming season as well. There's a lot of
great expectations for us, and uh, I just feel like
this is the team that has the ability to deal
with whatever expectations that will be put before them. Campy,
(02:42):
thanks for coming. I wanted to start. You know, we
got plenty of time to talk about basketball, but I
wanted to talk about the Wall of Honor induction and
and then I also wanted to talk about the great
Dave Being. I sent next to Dave doing you know,
doing your induction? You did they being come up? Could
you talk a little bit about both those situations. Let
(03:04):
me start with the most important person, and that would
be Dave Being. You know, for me, Uh, this is
a guy that definitely helped me along my road to
where I am today. He's a guy that I met
when I was in the seventh d eighth grade. He
came to a banquet that our basketball coach, Earl McKee,
(03:26):
had put together, and he knew Dave and they came
to the event and you know, talk to us about
a lot of different things, but more importantly from that
time on, you know, he invited our whole basketball team
to come out to his basketball camp in the Poconos
in Pennsylvania, and from that time on, he has had
(03:47):
all kinds of impact in my life as well as
my family. So he, to me is a guy that
has helped build me, along with my dad, along with
my family. But for me, I think about Dave being
I just think about a great guy who clearly understands,
who's always in a mode of wanting to help, wanting
(04:10):
to assist, trying to create a good environment for you
and more importantly give you the information that you need
to be successful. So for me, when I think about Dave,
I think about the guy I just truly loved, a
guy that took me to his basketball camp and exposed
me to this guy called Ralph Simpson. And I'm sure, Jim,
you know who ralphs him. I was in the ninth
(04:33):
grade and Ralph might have been in the twelfth grade.
I think may have been twelve. And this guy was
the best player probably in the country, definitely in the
state of Michigan. Ralph Simpson. But this guy beat me
so bad. I mean he just I mean, he just
he just took it all, you know. He just really
(04:54):
and I think it was done by design by day,
you know, to have him up there to show me that, hey,
you know where you think you are, you're not there.
And this guy beat me so bad. He dunked on me,
He was close to me up he was just doing everything.
You know how big brownphi six five, you know, so man,
(05:16):
he beat me so bad. And one thing I left
out of there saying, I said, next time I see
this guy, I'm gonna handle him. I didn't see him.
I didn't see him until I got into the NBA,
and he and I talked about that same situation at
that time. And uh, but truly being at at Dave
Being's basketball camp, Howard Lander was his partner who was
an outstanding college coach on all levels, junior college as
(05:40):
well as in UH Division one. Howard Lander was an
outstanding teacher, and I'm telling you he taught a lot
of guys how to play this game. Maurice Lucas was
at that camp. Moses Malone was at that camp. Terry Furlough,
I mean, John Brisker, you know you named Fatty Taylor.
All these guys exposed me to the game of basketball,
(06:02):
and a lot of that just has to do what
they've been Well, look, Camping. As far as the induction,
I thought you were at your best to talk, just
to give us a few minutes. But what was that like? Well,
that has been a great passion of minds since the
first time I got back here, came back to Cleveland,
and that passion was about how did we go by
(06:23):
exposing and letting the city and the country and everybody
knows the type of players that plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers,
And there was no better way of doing that but
by putting together this type of classform of having the
all of honor, because I think it speaks to the
(06:43):
quality of guys that have come through this Cavalier organization,
the talent level that has come through the Cleveland Cavalier organizations,
of success that has come through this Clevland Cavalier organization.
So you wanted to highlight that. So for me, I
think that was the perfect vehicle for us to highlight
the contributions that the guys who have come through this
(07:06):
organization has made to this organization from help building effect
starting back in the nineteen seventy seventy one when our
first draft choice, John Johnson was picked and then the
following year, I think it came Austin Carr was number
one packed in the in the entire league. So I
just think it gives everybody, particularly our local family, a
(07:29):
better understanding of what this Cavalier team is, who it is,
why it is what it is, and the talent base
that have come through here and the quality of guys
that have been picked as draft choices by this capital organization.
So for me, this is a great opportunity to give
(07:50):
a lot of information and exposure to how great this
Cavalier organization has been over it's what almost this past
fifty years, so over over fifty years. So I think
that's the that's the beauty of this organization, and that's
the beauty of having the Wall of Honor. And as
you know, Jimmy, I think we're looking at not having
(08:14):
it uh this season, but two thousand and twe we're
looking to have it every other year. And we're also
looking to not just identified the people who have played here,
but also the people who have helped build this organization
(08:34):
and they may not even be related to actually playing basketball.
And I think that's the beauty of this organization too,
is to have such great support staff that has helped
impact this basketball team as well and this organization. So
that will be in addition to just having players, but
we also will have I'm gonna use Shaquille O'Neills where
(08:55):
we're gonna have others who have impacted the Cleveland cabal.
That's a great point, and again it really is something
special that's a part of the fabric of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Now,
camp we gotta take the break. But real quick, I
want to circle back because you mentioned you didn't see
Simpson again until you got to the NBA. Did you
exact your revenge that night? Did you? No doubt about it?
(09:22):
It took a long time, but I hold him. Well,
we're gonna have to look up the buck score. Then
we'll go back and do some research out that. That's
a great story. Again, we're talking with Cavalier legend. Can't
be Russell And of course he's a part of the
Cavaliers broadcast team as well on the television side Valley
(09:42):
Sports with free game, halftime and post game and certainly
a great storyteller. So we'll have more with Campy after this.
Cam's HQ presented by bed Way on the Cavaliers Radio Network,
continuing our conversation with Campy Russell as he joins us
(10:05):
here on Cav's HQ presented by Bet Way and of course,
one of Campi's great teammates when he was with the Cavaliers.
My co host for Cavs HQ presented by Bet Waite
One Jim Jones. Jimmy, want to start things off with
your good friend camp be here in the second segment,
Thank you, thank you very much. Can't be talking about
the current Calves team and seems like they're trying to
(10:27):
plug all the holes. What's your thoughts on the potential
of this particular Cavalier team, Jim. For me, I think
we have a lot of great pieces, and I think
that starts with our bigs. As we all know. When
you look at Jared, you look at you know, mobile marketing,
(10:48):
You look at Kevin Love in the kind of year
that he just had and and I'm sure he's looking
to build on that. You look up at the makeup
of our basketball team, I'm just really excited about the
potential that there. We saw some of the potential. We
went through some injuries last year, but we still exactly
what we need to do, and that was to get
(11:08):
better put ourselves in the position to be in the playoffs.
And now we have added additional players to this basketball team.
So I'm very excited about the possibility of this basketball
team because again, you look at the personnelity we have,
the length, you look at the small forward, the big forwards.
UH our guards, which I believe is on this way
(11:31):
to being one of the best guards in our league.
You know when you talk about how well he is playing,
we know when we talk about this young man, his
game has really went to a whole different level. And
Darius have continue to put in the work to put
himself in the position that he's in at this particular time.
(11:51):
So for me, I'm very excited about this coming season.
I think we're not gonna catch anybody by surprise. But
I think the good news is about this is the
attitude of this basketball team, no matter what it is,
that they're gonna always come and play the right way
and play hard and give it their all. And I
think we are built or being built for success in
(12:14):
long term success can't be of course, UH first round pick.
UH comes to the Cavaliers after a terrific four year
career a full college career at Kansas, the resigning of
Ricky Rubio, Your thoughts on those two offseason moves by
the calfs well Abogi. For me, the thing I like
(12:35):
about him is his overall size. I mean the body
that he has. He's six five, about two fifteen to fourteen.
When I had a chance to see him, what I
saw was a great body, a guy who really understands
what his game is. He kind of reminds me of
(12:56):
Bradley Bill and the kid Buddy Hill Uh. I like
that side that he brings. I like the fact that
this young man clearly understands his own game. He's an
outstanding I say score as well as a shooter. I
like his size and his length because he has the
(13:16):
ability because of his strength, to be solid defensively. He
has great awareness out there on the floor offensively as
well as on the defensive side of the ball. So
I'm very excited about watching this young man grow his game.
But the most important thing I like about him, though,
and in some cases some people may look at as
a negative, but that he's twenty two years old. He's
(13:38):
ready to go, like right now, and for me, I
think that's the most important thing that put for him
to be in that position to be able to add
a lot of bagge to our basketball team going forward.
As for Ricky Rubio, I guess for the most part,
we all have to kind of take a weight and
see kind of situation, you know. But I think it's
good to have him back on the roster because he
(13:59):
definitely added a lot of values to our team prior
to him getting hurt, and from the time he got hurt,
I think, you know, if we kind of took a
step back, but at the same time, it allowed Darius
to take his game to a whole different level as well.
So I think it was a bad thing and losing
Prickey Rubio, but the other side of it is we
(14:20):
saw Darius take his game to a whole different level.
Great stuff, Campi, Campy, you're on the business side in
the Cabs front office, in particular the Legends and most
programs that have to do with that. Explain to our fans, uh,
the role that you play in the front office, you know,
running the Legends and other programs, Well, there's definitely my
(14:43):
focus primarily are the Legends, you know, as the current
players and you know, as you know you're part of it,
as well as being your Larry NaN's uh andy very y'all,
you know, Z. You know, all these guys are all
a part of it. But the thing that my day
to day is is more about dealing with the community
and the community relations and just being visible out in
(15:05):
the community and dealing with the different entities that are
out there. And for me, that is something that is
unnatural for me. That's why when this position was put together,
I just felt like it was a natural and obviously
our ownership felt the same way at that particular time,
and they still feel that way today. But my daily grind,
(15:29):
my daily things that I do, it's primarily sooner around
our legends as well as the community and that as
you know, and I don't know whether you know that,
but Pam Fresco is now the VP of Community Relations
but also of our cast Foundation as well, and so
I kind of report to her as well as Dave Dombrowski,
(15:53):
and uh you know, both of those people have done
a great job of guiding our respective position, but also
they've done a great job of allowing me to be
who I am, and I think that's the most important
thing for me is to continue to be who I
am and be the person that in some respects is
(16:16):
the face of the franchise as relates to some of
the community things that we do as well as the
things that we do with the the Cavalier in amag
Okay B. I can speak firsthand for a couple of
the organizations that I know you're involved with that I
have also been involved with, and you just do remarkable
work for the Cavaliers as far as that community relations
(16:38):
aspect is concerned. So hats off to you. You do
a great great regard. I think that's just part of
my nature and for me that that's how I came
up that that is how my dad raised us, is
to always be in a giving mode and trying to
give back and affect the area that you live in.
(17:01):
So that is I would say my blessing from my
dad as well as from from God. That's awesome. Well,
camping here has been once again a thrill to have
you with us on CAB's HQ. As we said at
the outset, we're all looking forward to getting this thing
rolling because excitement is high and anticipation it's high, as
(17:25):
are the expectations for this Cavalier team coming up. So
we'll look forward to seeing you a whole lot more
as the season unfolds here in the next couple of months.
Kim and Jim, you know, I think both all of
us know about expectations, and I fully believe that the
type of personnel we have, the type of characters that
we have on our team, the type of chemistry that
(17:45):
we have on our team, I think they're built to
be a team that's going to have a long run
for a long time. And I'm willing to stand on
that because I just believe in that, in the the
guys that they have, and the will of our coaches,
and the leadership from the top in the turn of
Kobe Ottman, so I think there's no question in my
(18:06):
mind that we're moving in the rank direction to be very,
very successful going forward a long time. I think we
all agree with that. We appreciate you. Thank you, Thank you,
all right, guys, thank you now, Heavy Russell turning us
here on Cavs HQ, presented by Bet Waite, will take
a quick time out and another voice that's very familiar
to Calves fans, Mod Krump and Arena host at Rocket
(18:29):
Mortgage Fields House, will stop by and pay us a visit,
so stay tuned for that. Cavs HQ presented by bed
Waite follows this on the Cavaliers Radio Network. During Calves
and Monster seasons, every dunk and every goal earned a
ten dollar donation from Lexus for our two community foundations
(18:52):
to support charitable organizations in Northeast Ohio. Our first Dunks
for Dollars Saves for Goals end of season event was
held this week at Fatima Family Center in Cleveland, where
children received new basketball hoops and basketball's hockey goals, balls
and sticks, got to mingle with Moondog and took home
snacks and swag to close the afternoon out Caves in
(19:15):
the Community is brought to you by Discount Drug Mart.
We'll be back with more Cabs HQ presented by bet Waite.
After this on the Cavaliers Radio Network, just started out
for your let First, we have the guard he for
(19:41):
fair to build God. People come up in the hid tree.
He had welcome back. It's Cav's HQ presented by Betway
(20:21):
on the Cavaliers Radio Network to Melborne along with Jim
Jones and of course you hear our voices all along
the Cavaliers Radio Network but a voice that you hear,
perhaps in the background on the Cavaliers radio network, certainly
when you are at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse for Cavaliers basketball,
is that of our in house public address announcer. He
(20:44):
gets the crowd all wrapped up a mod crump. And
I'll tell you what a mod your voice maybe one
of the most recognizable in Northeast Ohio. What an unbelievable
you job you do at Rocket Mortgage field House. Great
to have you on Cav's h you. Hey, I really
appreciate that. Thanks for having me. Thanks for having me
for sure. Well, as I mentioned, Cavs fans, fans in
(21:08):
Northeast Ohio know your voice. You know how to get
that Rocket Mortgage field House crowd pumped up. But before
we talk about that for Cavs fans and listeners to
kev's HQ that may not know, but tell us a
little bit about your background and how you ended up
being a guy on the mike down at Rocket Mortgage
field House. I'll tell you what I was working for. Uh,
(21:31):
I came out of college, I graduated from college, and uh,
you know, I wanted to be a lawyer, you know,
and so I started working for a few law firms,
and uh, you know, just watching. So I started working
in the records department and and paralegal work and docket work,
and just I just wasn't happy. I just wasn't happy.
In all my life, I've played basketball, I've I've watched basketball.
(21:55):
I've watched Cavs for you for years and years. You know.
So before Lebron got here, you know, the Calves, you know,
they were they were struggling, struggling to make it to
you know, the playoffs for a few years. And uh,
you know, we used to get tickets for free, and
I would just go to the games and I would
just I would let whatever hair that I had, I
(22:17):
would let it down and just have a good time.
You know. Um, I used to host talent I used
to host talent shows in college, used to host talent
shows in high school and things all all like that.
But you know, the opportunity came open to be a
part of the Cleveland Rockers rock squad, which was our
w NBA team back in the day, and uh, being
(22:37):
that led to being on the first ever screen team
when the Calves drafted Lebron in two thousand three, and uh,
you know, I was I was a familiar face around.
When Dan Gilbert brought the team, he wanted new everything,
new new hosts, new new dancers or whatnot. Uh, since
I'm not a dancer all like all like that, I
(22:58):
had to find a niche or something that could make
me happy, you know. And I always enjoyed talking to people.
I enjoyed hyping up crowds. I was always like that
hype man at a party, you know, if I was
you know, in college or whatnot. And Um, I tried
out to be the entering the hosts in two thousand five.
I didn't make it, you know. Um they told me no,
(23:21):
just that I need to work on a few things
or what now. I was more nervous than anything, and
um they called me a couple of weeks later. Uh.
We were playing against the Denver Nuggets on a Thursday,
November the fifteen, two thousand five, and they said, hey,
Um we went to to fill in and be our
b our host in front of twenty thou people. And
(23:44):
you know, I was so nervous going out there from
twenty thou people. And from that point on they told
me to come back the next game, which was November
the seventeen Calves against Miami Heat, and um that was
two thousand five as well. And from on they said, hey,
why don't you quit the law firm and just work
here full time. And it was just a moment that
(24:06):
I would never ever forget something that I love to do,
love to entertain, love, love to play basketball, be around
the guys, and to turn into something that I love
to do, it's absolutely humbling, unbelievable. Well, that's great stuff
for mud and you know, I've been one of your
biggest supporters for years from the beginning. One of the
things I just want to give our fans a perspective
(24:27):
is that you're the most recognizable voice, not only in
the Cabs organization, which is a billion dollar plus business,
but in all the three major sports. There's no one
like you. And how does that feel? This is a
two part question, but how does that feel? I appreciate that, Jim.
It's humbling, It's it's really humbling, you know, just coming
(24:50):
from you know, um, just growing up in Cleveland and
Cleveland Heights and like I said, just being around sports
my whole life. You know, our older brother played football,
back basketball, you know, I played you know, little league, sports,
and I got a chance to play high school sports
and just it's a humbling feeling where I get to
walk around and a lot of people don't even know
(25:11):
my name. They'll just say, hey, it's the calf guy,
you know, or you know, hey it's it's it's the
hype man, or when I see as a matter of fact,
quick story, I was in Starbucks. Uh, like what two
weeks ago, I was in Starbucks and twenty four year
old guy he comes up to me and he says
(25:32):
to me, isn't your name on my And I said yes,
and he said, I just had to tell you. You You
came to my school when I was in the eighth,
eighth grade and you left such an uh and impression
on me. Uh he works for he works for a
law firm downtown, you know. Um. But he came up
to me, he was like, I just wanted to know
(25:52):
that nobody ever told you. I just want to let
you know that in the eighth grade, you know, you
left such an impression impression on me and in my
life and your whole story. I don't want to say
thank you for everything that you do for the actual city.
You know, So when you hear stories all like that
when you hear stories that you that you actually touched,
because you know, everybody's not gonna like like you, you know,
(26:14):
and no matter what and what, no matter what profession
that you're man. But when you hear stories like that
where you actually touch somebody, it makes it even more humbling,
you know, Uh, to be recognized like that, and I'm
grateful for it. Well, go ahead to him, he answered again,
we're talking to a mad crump. You know that voice
(26:34):
he gets everybody repped up at Rocket Mortgage, field House
or in arena host and Amanda, everybody has that signature call.
And to me, when I hear you give the elongated
Cleveland to start things, I'm not gonna try to imitate it.
Only you can. Uh, did you think that up to
that just comes naturally? Because I think if you have
(26:56):
a signature call, that's it. You know what. I had
to come up with something that separated me from everybody else,
you know, I wanted to do something that actually made
it stick out to you know, fans, and my goal
was back when I first started doing it. You know,
when you hear the word Cleveland, it's game time. It's
goal time. Forget about everything, else and uh, you know,
(27:20):
just um, put your heart and your soul out there
for the for the team. You know, cheer as a lot,
a lot a lot as you can, you know. Um.
And I know my style. I know it's not for everybody,
and I totally respect that. Like you know, UM, one
of my great conversations being with the organization was the
(27:41):
late great Joe Take. You know, I talked. He used
to talk to me quite quite a bit. And I'll
never forget I used to I used to be very
emotional about about this team. You know. I we were lost. Um,
we lost to the Detroit Pistons in two thousand six
in Game six at home in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
(28:02):
And I'll never forget. I'm sitting courtside after the game
is over and I'm looking down. I'm looking depressed, and
Joe Tate walks up to me. He was like, hey,
Amna you all right. I was like, I'm all right,
Mr Tate. You know, I'm just you know, taking it
all in. And he says he so he had, um,
he had a scores sheet in his hand and he says,
you know, a man, do me a favor. Look at
(28:24):
all the players on this on this list, and I say,
I see it, and he says that do you see
your name in this? And I said, let me see,
I don't see my name. He says, then you had
nothing to do with him. Mind. You can only control
what you can control, you know. So, um, when I
(28:47):
hear words like that from you know, Alleger like him,
you know I knew I was in the right right
place to actually be there. So you know. Um, when
fans when they hear the word Cleveland, you know inside
the arena, they know, you see, it's go time and
it's time to go to work. That's an awesome story. Again,
we're talking with the mod Frump. He's our guest on
(29:07):
kev's HQ presented by bet Way. We're gonna sneak in
a quick time out. When we come back, we'll hear
more from a mod, So stay with us on the
Cavaliers Radio Network. Welcome back. It's cavisiates Q presented by
bet Way on the Cavaliers Radio Network. Tim L. Corn
(29:28):
along with Jim Jones. Let's not forget the other two
guys who really make this show hum, the dynamic duo
of Kurt McLoughlin and Marty Allen and we're thrilled to
have this week our guest a mod Crump. Yes, he's
the inn arena host at a Rocket Mortgage field House.
You know that voice, You certainly know that excitement. He'll
(29:48):
get your adrenaline flowing before, during, and sometimes even after.
Cavaliers Basketball, Jimmy want to start things off in segment
two with them on Yeah, thank you, Tim the mind.
A lot of people don't realize that you've done a
lot of NBA stuff for a lot of NBA events.
What are some of the league events that you've mc um.
(30:11):
I was blessed by the NBA. I've been chosen six
times to be a part of NBA All Star Weekend.
So that was the actual All Star All Star Game.
But this past season, I was a part of the
HBCU Classic, the first ever NBA HBCU Classic. I've done
(30:31):
the Slam Dunk Contests. I've done the Rising Stars Challenge,
I've done the Celebrity Games, the NBA All Star Practice.
I was invited to go to China back in two
thousand and seven for the first ever NBA China Games
with Orlando Magic versus our Cleveland Cavaliers. It's been humbling
to be recognized by the NBA a lot of the
(30:54):
relationships that I've created across the league as well too.
And you know, this past season for All Start, I
was blessing an honor to be able to do the
intros for the Offstar game a Rocket Mortgage field House,
and that was absolutely you know, that was a dame
contrue for me because I've done the NBA Off Star
intros in l A back in two thousand and eleven,
(31:16):
you know, but just to do it in front of
the hometown team, it was absolutely amazing. It's a feeling
that I'll never ever forget about. I want to ask
you about how much of what happens on the floor
during time outs and things that you are hosting per se,
how much of that is scripted and how much of
(31:36):
that is impromptu as far as just what you're saying
and the and the verbiage that you're using. We get
a script before every game, and my job is pretty
much just to read that, read that script, make a
couple of notes on some on some que cards, and
I try to turn it that script into just like
(31:57):
me having a conversation like we're doing now, you know.
I try to sound authentic as possible because fans, what
I've learned over the years, they can see, they can
see fakeness. They can hear it in your voice, you know. Um,
So I try to be authentic as um as possible,
and a lot of it pretty much is impromptu. As
(32:20):
long as I get those bullet points out, they pretty
much give me free rein, you know, with what I
actually do on the floor. Yeah, I just want to
say just a quick follow up because as Jim and
I are sitting there in those commercial breaks, popping the
headsets off to listen to you, you're truly enjoying yourself.
You're enjoying the moment, and no matter what the promotion is, uh,
(32:41):
it seems as though you're just loving every second of
it absolutely, you know, like they say, you know, in sports,
there's only thirty of us in the NBA, and sometimes
it's sixty of us, you know, because some a lot
of NBA teams they do have two hosts or whatnot.
So I just feel lucky and blessed to you know,
be a part of it and just seeing you know,
(33:03):
no matter if the team has been good or if
the team has been bad, just seeing the team grow
you know, because there were some years you know, after
Lebron left the first time, you know, there was some
trying times, you know. Um, so getting a chance to
see the team grow and and to where they are now,
you know, it's just like, uh, it's one of the
(33:25):
greatest jobs ever. You know, definitely one of the greatest jobs.
And I wasn't trade it for anything. You know, your ability,
we call it relatability because you're from Cleveland and your
community engagement piece, you know, you're all over the place.
I was just wondering, what do you tell aspiring young
people when you go to some of these junior highs
and elementary schools and even high schools. You know what
(33:48):
I tell them, If you have a dream, you know,
don't let anybody take it away from you, you know,
if it's yours, you know, find out how you how
you can achieve that and you go ahead and you
actually take off with it. Don't run with the wrong crowd,
you know. And a piece of advice I was told
told to me was follow your gift and don't follow
(34:10):
the passion. And pretty much what that is is that
what he broke it in in in my sense, you know,
as of late I've developed this passion for golf, you know.
I love getting out there, you know, and you give
me ten shots off of the tea, two of them go,
two of them go straight, three hundred yards three hundred yards.
But the majority of the time, I mean somebody's backyard
(34:32):
in the woods trying to find that ball, you know.
So it's just a passion that I have for that's
just not my gift. And I discovered in college that
my gift. I love talking to people and the calf
they paid me to be that face in the community,
you know, representing the organization, myself and my family to
(34:54):
the utmost respect um. And you know, just giving these
kids that that extra light that they may or they
may not have had in the past, give them a
little bit of hope that they may or may not
have in the past. I love, you know, I guess.
I love going out in the community. I love giving
away tickets to to you know, these student centers and
these ratings and these recent centers, or anything to put
(35:17):
a smile on their face. If it's a handshake, it
it's a high five, if it's a T shirt. I
always take it upon myself that you just never know
what anybody is going through you don't know what their
situation is in life and and finances. You just don't know.
And you know, by us being with the Cleveland Cavaliers
(35:37):
and all around, you can be that saving grace. You
can be that saving grace for them that hey, everything
is gonna be okay. So I take that upon. I
take that as as a challenge. If I can make
one person smile and make them forget about what's going
on on the outside world, I feel like I've done
my job. Oh that's a great message. So final question
before we let you go. I know Jim and I
(35:59):
are always asked about favorite game or favorite moments, and
it's really hard to rank them. But man, you've been
down on that floor for some electrifying moments. Is they're
one that really stands out to you? There's definitely, there's
definitely a few. Uh. I would have to say there's
actually three and number one obviously was the watch party
(36:25):
we had June n who won the NBA title. Just
a moment that you'll never ever forget. I would have
to say, Um, the first Eastern Conference championship that you
want in two thousand seven, you know that was that
was a feeling that we're just like, oh my god.
(36:47):
And you know, and although we didn't succeed against the
Spurs at that year, it's just I've never seen my
all my years in life, I've never seen a city
come together the they did when we won. And it
was just the Eastern Conference title, you know, it was
absolutely unbelievable feeling. And then I would have to say, um,
(37:08):
Lebron's first game back here in twenty fourteen, that was, uh,
you know, we were playing against the Knicks, and although
we didn't beat the Knicks, it was just the intensity,
the electricity in the building. It was just, I mean,
I couldn't believe how great you know. I mean, it
was watching parties all over no matter if you were downtown,
(37:31):
if you're in different local bar establishments around downtown. It
was just an absolutely great feeling to be a part of.
And so yeah, those are my top three that I'm
just like, wow, it's it's been one hell of a ride,
and I'm looking for a whole lot more. And you know,
I wish, you know, I was born in seventy six,
(37:52):
and I really wish that I was alive and competent
enough to understand the miracle and rich rich Field Jim.
I've seen all these videos, um, and all these highlights
and how the fans you know, pulling onto the floor
and you know, tearing down the hoop or whatnot. I
mean that was oh man, that was this. That was
(38:16):
just some authentic fans that just love their Cavaliers team. Man.
You know, I get chills every time I see that
and the stories that I hear that, Oh yeah, Jim
didn't break his foot when it went on to beat
the Celtics, know the following series. You know, I really
wish that, Um, I could have actually experienced that, but
(38:39):
just watching um, watching those watching those videos, it definitely
still gives me chills for sure. Well there's no doubt, mind,
you give people some chills and some adrenaline and something
fever pitch excitement when you get things rolling in Rocket
Mortgage field House. Can't wait to hear you down in
the arena again, as they only three season is not
(39:01):
that far off. Hey, we really appreciate your spending some
time with us here on cav's HQ. Hey, thanks, thank
Mod Krump. He's the in arena host that Rocket Mortgage
field House. You know, that voice, A great voice, of
the Cavaliers when they're playing in downtown Cleveland. A quick
(39:22):
time I'll stay with us. Kevin's HQ presented by bed
Way continues after this on the Cavaliers Radio Network. That's
gonna do it for this week's edition of Cava's HQ
presented by bed Way. That was a fun show. We
heard from Cavalier legend and of course the guy who
(39:45):
brings you pregame, halftime and post game on Dally Sports
one camp Be Russell and i'mbout a fun conversation with
a Mod Crump, the in arena host at Rocket Mortgage
Field House. As we mentioned throughout that conversation with the
you know that voice anywhere, he can get that proud
to a fever pitch when the Cavaliers are at home.
(40:07):
So a great big thank you to those two guys.
Of course, thank you to the Dynamic duo Kurt mclaugh
went along with Marty Allen and Jim Jones. A great
big thank you to you. We hope you enjoyed this
week's edition of Cav's HQ presented by bet Wave. We'll
be back at you again next week for another edition
of Cav's HQ. So until then this is to Belthorne
(40:28):
saying once again thank you very much for listening, and
so long everybody,
Welcome to Cavs HQ presented by bet Way. Thank you
for joining us on the Cleveland Cavaliers Radio Network. Now
here's your host, Tim Alcorn and Jim Charles Well I
get everybody will Welcome to Cavs HQ presented by Bentley
on the Cavaliers Radio Network. Great to have you with
us once again. And boy, Jim, we're gonna have a
(00:32):
jam packed show. Cavalier legend and of course Cavalier full
time employee and broadcaster, can't be Russell is going to
stop by and pay us a visit. And then a
little bit later on in the show, Boy the voice
that gets everybody wrapped up at Rocket Mortgage field House
in Arena, hosts a mod Crump will stop by and
(00:52):
say hello to Cavs fans. Just right, Tim. And the
unique thing about a modest he's the Cleveland kid, and
he's been with us so long that is come a
generational awareness. You know, people that that know the Cavaliers.
You know, his voice has become synonymous with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
And of course can't be Russelled my younger brother from
another mother. He and I are very close and to
(01:14):
have him he's had some very exsightful things to talk about,
old and beyond just basketball, yep, so we look forward
to hearing from both of them. Can't Be Russell and
a mod from We'll start things off with Campy, so
stay with us. Can't Be Russell joins us next on
Cam's h presented by bet Way on the Cavaliers Radio Network.
(01:40):
Welcome you back to Cam's HQ. It's presented by bet
Way on the Cavaliers Radio Network, Jim Elcorn, Jim Jones.
Of course all sorts of help from the guys on
the other side of the window, Kurt McLoughlin and Marty Allen,
and it is great to have with us once again
on Cam's HQ. Cavalier Legend and of course you see
(02:00):
him all season long on Vally Sports with pregame and
halftime and post game one. Campy Russell, can't be great
to have you back with us as we work our
way through the off season and eagerly anticipate the three
season which will be getting on hurt way quicker than
we realize. Well, Tom, thank you very much you and
(02:21):
Jim for allowing me to be a part of you
guys a great show that you guys put on on
a regular basis, and Uh, to your point, I'm excited
about this coming season as well. There's a lot of
great expectations for us, and uh, I just feel like
this is the team that has the ability to deal
with whatever expectations that will be put before them. Campy,
(02:42):
thanks for coming. I wanted to start. You know, we
got plenty of time to talk about basketball, but I
wanted to talk about the Wall of Honor induction and
and then I also wanted to talk about the great
Dave Being. I sent next to Dave doing you know,
doing your induction? You did they being come up? Could
you talk a little bit about both those situations. Let
(03:04):
me start with the most important person, and that would
be Dave Being. You know, for me, Uh, this is
a guy that definitely helped me along my road to
where I am today. He's a guy that I met
when I was in the seventh d eighth grade. He
came to a banquet that our basketball coach, Earl McKee,
(03:26):
had put together, and he knew Dave and they came
to the event and you know, talk to us about
a lot of different things, but more importantly from that
time on, you know, he invited our whole basketball team
to come out to his basketball camp in the Poconos
in Pennsylvania, and from that time on, he has had
(03:47):
all kinds of impact in my life as well as
my family. So he, to me is a guy that
has helped build me, along with my dad, along with
my family. But for me, I think about Dave being
I just think about a great guy who clearly understands,
who's always in a mode of wanting to help, wanting
(04:10):
to assist, trying to create a good environment for you
and more importantly give you the information that you need
to be successful. So for me, when I think about Dave,
I think about the guy I just truly loved, a
guy that took me to his basketball camp and exposed
me to this guy called Ralph Simpson. And I'm sure, Jim,
you know who ralphs him. I was in the ninth
(04:33):
grade and Ralph might have been in the twelfth grade.
I think may have been twelve. And this guy was
the best player probably in the country, definitely in the
state of Michigan. Ralph Simpson. But this guy beat me
so bad. I mean he just I mean, he just
he just took it all, you know. He just really
(04:54):
and I think it was done by design by day,
you know, to have him up there to show me that, hey,
you know where you think you are, you're not there.
And this guy beat me so bad. He dunked on me,
He was close to me up he was just doing everything.
You know how big brownphi six five, you know, so man,
(05:16):
he beat me so bad. And one thing I left
out of there saying, I said, next time I see
this guy, I'm gonna handle him. I didn't see him.
I didn't see him until I got into the NBA,
and he and I talked about that same situation at
that time. And uh, but truly being at at Dave
Being's basketball camp, Howard Lander was his partner who was
an outstanding college coach on all levels, junior college as
(05:40):
well as in UH Division one. Howard Lander was an
outstanding teacher, and I'm telling you he taught a lot
of guys how to play this game. Maurice Lucas was
at that camp. Moses Malone was at that camp. Terry Furlough,
I mean, John Brisker, you know you named Fatty Taylor.
All these guys exposed me to the game of basketball,
(06:02):
and a lot of that just has to do what
they've been Well, look, Camping. As far as the induction,
I thought you were at your best to talk, just
to give us a few minutes. But what was that like? Well,
that has been a great passion of minds since the
first time I got back here, came back to Cleveland,
and that passion was about how did we go by
(06:23):
exposing and letting the city and the country and everybody
knows the type of players that plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers,
And there was no better way of doing that but
by putting together this type of classform of having the
all of honor, because I think it speaks to the
(06:43):
quality of guys that have come through this Cavalier organization,
the talent level that has come through the Cleveland Cavalier organizations,
of success that has come through this Clevland Cavalier organization.
So you wanted to highlight that. So for me, I
think that was the perfect vehicle for us to highlight
the contributions that the guys who have come through this
(07:06):
organization has made to this organization from help building effect
starting back in the nineteen seventy seventy one when our
first draft choice, John Johnson was picked and then the
following year, I think it came Austin Carr was number
one packed in the in the entire league. So I
just think it gives everybody, particularly our local family, a
(07:29):
better understanding of what this Cavalier team is, who it is,
why it is what it is, and the talent base
that have come through here and the quality of guys
that have been picked as draft choices by this capital organization.
So for me, this is a great opportunity to give
(07:50):
a lot of information and exposure to how great this
Cavalier organization has been over it's what almost this past
fifty years, so over over fifty years. So I think
that's the that's the beauty of this organization, and that's
the beauty of having the Wall of Honor. And as
you know, Jimmy, I think we're looking at not having
(08:14):
it uh this season, but two thousand and twe we're
looking to have it every other year. And we're also
looking to not just identified the people who have played here,
but also the people who have helped build this organization
(08:34):
and they may not even be related to actually playing basketball.
And I think that's the beauty of this organization too,
is to have such great support staff that has helped
impact this basketball team as well and this organization. So
that will be in addition to just having players, but
we also will have I'm gonna use Shaquille O'Neills where
(08:55):
we're gonna have others who have impacted the Cleveland cabal.
That's a great point, and again it really is something
special that's a part of the fabric of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Now,
camp we gotta take the break. But real quick, I
want to circle back because you mentioned you didn't see
Simpson again until you got to the NBA. Did you
exact your revenge that night? Did you? No doubt about it?
(09:22):
It took a long time, but I hold him. Well,
we're gonna have to look up the buck score. Then
we'll go back and do some research out that. That's
a great story. Again, we're talking with Cavalier legend. Can't
be Russell And of course he's a part of the
Cavaliers broadcast team as well on the television side Valley
(09:42):
Sports with free game, halftime and post game and certainly
a great storyteller. So we'll have more with Campy after this.
Cam's HQ presented by bed Way on the Cavaliers Radio Network,
continuing our conversation with Campy Russell as he joins us
(10:05):
here on Cav's HQ presented by Bet Way and of course,
one of Campi's great teammates when he was with the Cavaliers.
My co host for Cavs HQ presented by Bet Waite
One Jim Jones. Jimmy, want to start things off with
your good friend camp be here in the second segment,
Thank you, thank you very much. Can't be talking about
the current Calves team and seems like they're trying to
(10:27):
plug all the holes. What's your thoughts on the potential
of this particular Cavalier team, Jim. For me, I think
we have a lot of great pieces, and I think
that starts with our bigs. As we all know. When
you look at Jared, you look at you know, mobile marketing,
(10:48):
You look at Kevin Love in the kind of year
that he just had and and I'm sure he's looking
to build on that. You look up at the makeup
of our basketball team, I'm just really excited about the
potential that there. We saw some of the potential. We
went through some injuries last year, but we still exactly
what we need to do, and that was to get
(11:08):
better put ourselves in the position to be in the playoffs.
And now we have added additional players to this basketball team.
So I'm very excited about the possibility of this basketball
team because again, you look at the personnelity we have,
the length, you look at the small forward, the big forwards.
UH our guards, which I believe is on this way
(11:31):
to being one of the best guards in our league.
You know when you talk about how well he is playing,
we know when we talk about this young man, his
game has really went to a whole different level. And
Darius have continue to put in the work to put
himself in the position that he's in at this particular time.
(11:51):
So for me, I'm very excited about this coming season.
I think we're not gonna catch anybody by surprise. But
I think the good news is about this is the
attitude of this basketball team, no matter what it is,
that they're gonna always come and play the right way
and play hard and give it their all. And I
think we are built or being built for success in
(12:14):
long term success can't be of course, UH first round pick.
UH comes to the Cavaliers after a terrific four year
career a full college career at Kansas, the resigning of
Ricky Rubio, Your thoughts on those two offseason moves by
the calfs well Abogi. For me, the thing I like
(12:35):
about him is his overall size. I mean the body
that he has. He's six five, about two fifteen to fourteen.
When I had a chance to see him, what I
saw was a great body, a guy who really understands
what his game is. He kind of reminds me of
(12:56):
Bradley Bill and the kid Buddy Hill Uh. I like
that side that he brings. I like the fact that
this young man clearly understands his own game. He's an
outstanding I say score as well as a shooter. I
like his size and his length because he has the
(13:16):
ability because of his strength, to be solid defensively. He
has great awareness out there on the floor offensively as
well as on the defensive side of the ball. So
I'm very excited about watching this young man grow his game.
But the most important thing I like about him, though,
and in some cases some people may look at as
a negative, but that he's twenty two years old. He's
(13:38):
ready to go, like right now, and for me, I
think that's the most important thing that put for him
to be in that position to be able to add
a lot of bagge to our basketball team going forward.
As for Ricky Rubio, I guess for the most part,
we all have to kind of take a weight and
see kind of situation, you know. But I think it's
good to have him back on the roster because he
(13:59):
definitely added a lot of values to our team prior
to him getting hurt, and from the time he got hurt,
I think, you know, if we kind of took a
step back, but at the same time, it allowed Darius
to take his game to a whole different level as well.
So I think it was a bad thing and losing
Prickey Rubio, but the other side of it is we
(14:20):
saw Darius take his game to a whole different level.
Great stuff, Campi, Campy, you're on the business side in
the Cabs front office, in particular the Legends and most
programs that have to do with that. Explain to our fans, uh,
the role that you play in the front office, you know,
running the Legends and other programs, Well, there's definitely my
(14:43):
focus primarily are the Legends, you know, as the current
players and you know, as you know you're part of it,
as well as being your Larry NaN's uh andy very y'all,
you know, Z. You know, all these guys are all
a part of it. But the thing that my day
to day is is more about dealing with the community
and the community relations and just being visible out in
(15:05):
the community and dealing with the different entities that are
out there. And for me, that is something that is
unnatural for me. That's why when this position was put together,
I just felt like it was a natural and obviously
our ownership felt the same way at that particular time,
and they still feel that way today. But my daily grind,
(15:29):
my daily things that I do, it's primarily sooner around
our legends as well as the community and that as
you know, and I don't know whether you know that,
but Pam Fresco is now the VP of Community Relations
but also of our cast Foundation as well, and so
I kind of report to her as well as Dave Dombrowski,
(15:53):
and uh you know, both of those people have done
a great job of guiding our respective position, but also
they've done a great job of allowing me to be
who I am, and I think that's the most important
thing for me is to continue to be who I
am and be the person that in some respects is
(16:16):
the face of the franchise as relates to some of
the community things that we do as well as the
things that we do with the the Cavalier in amag
Okay B. I can speak firsthand for a couple of
the organizations that I know you're involved with that I
have also been involved with, and you just do remarkable
work for the Cavaliers as far as that community relations
(16:38):
aspect is concerned. So hats off to you. You do
a great great regard. I think that's just part of
my nature and for me that that's how I came
up that that is how my dad raised us, is
to always be in a giving mode and trying to
give back and affect the area that you live in.
(17:01):
So that is I would say my blessing from my
dad as well as from from God. That's awesome. Well,
camping here has been once again a thrill to have
you with us on CAB's HQ. As we said at
the outset, we're all looking forward to getting this thing
rolling because excitement is high and anticipation it's high, as
(17:25):
are the expectations for this Cavalier team coming up. So
we'll look forward to seeing you a whole lot more
as the season unfolds here in the next couple of months.
Kim and Jim, you know, I think both all of
us know about expectations, and I fully believe that the
type of personnel we have, the type of characters that
we have on our team, the type of chemistry that
(17:45):
we have on our team, I think they're built to
be a team that's going to have a long run
for a long time. And I'm willing to stand on
that because I just believe in that, in the the
guys that they have, and the will of our coaches,
and the leadership from the top in the turn of
Kobe Ottman, so I think there's no question in my
(18:06):
mind that we're moving in the rank direction to be very,
very successful going forward a long time. I think we
all agree with that. We appreciate you. Thank you, Thank you,
all right, guys, thank you now, Heavy Russell turning us
here on Cavs HQ, presented by Bet Waite, will take
a quick time out and another voice that's very familiar
to Calves fans, Mod Krump and Arena host at Rocket
(18:29):
Mortgage Fields House, will stop by and pay us a visit,
so stay tuned for that. Cavs HQ presented by bed
Waite follows this on the Cavaliers Radio Network. During Calves
and Monster seasons, every dunk and every goal earned a
ten dollar donation from Lexus for our two community foundations
(18:52):
to support charitable organizations in Northeast Ohio. Our first Dunks
for Dollars Saves for Goals end of season event was
held this week at Fatima Family Center in Cleveland, where
children received new basketball hoops and basketball's hockey goals, balls
and sticks, got to mingle with Moondog and took home
snacks and swag to close the afternoon out Caves in
(19:15):
the Community is brought to you by Discount Drug Mart.
We'll be back with more Cabs HQ presented by bet Waite.
After this on the Cavaliers Radio Network, just started out
for your let First, we have the guard he for
(19:41):
fair to build God. People come up in the hid tree.
He had welcome back. It's Cav's HQ presented by Betway
(20:21):
on the Cavaliers Radio Network to Melborne along with Jim
Jones and of course you hear our voices all along
the Cavaliers Radio Network but a voice that you hear,
perhaps in the background on the Cavaliers radio network, certainly
when you are at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse for Cavaliers basketball,
is that of our in house public address announcer. He
(20:44):
gets the crowd all wrapped up a mod crump. And
I'll tell you what a mod your voice maybe one
of the most recognizable in Northeast Ohio. What an unbelievable
you job you do at Rocket Mortgage field House. Great
to have you on Cav's h you. Hey, I really
appreciate that. Thanks for having me. Thanks for having me
for sure. Well, as I mentioned, Cavs fans, fans in
(21:08):
Northeast Ohio know your voice. You know how to get
that Rocket Mortgage field House crowd pumped up. But before
we talk about that for Cavs fans and listeners to
kev's HQ that may not know, but tell us a
little bit about your background and how you ended up
being a guy on the mike down at Rocket Mortgage
field House. I'll tell you what I was working for. Uh,
(21:31):
I came out of college, I graduated from college, and uh,
you know, I wanted to be a lawyer, you know,
and so I started working for a few law firms,
and uh, you know, just watching. So I started working
in the records department and and paralegal work and docket work,
and just I just wasn't happy. I just wasn't happy.
In all my life, I've played basketball, I've I've watched basketball.
(21:55):
I've watched Cavs for you for years and years. You know.
So before Lebron got here, you know, the Calves, you know,
they were they were struggling, struggling to make it to
you know, the playoffs for a few years. And uh,
you know, we used to get tickets for free, and
I would just go to the games and I would
just I would let whatever hair that I had, I
(22:17):
would let it down and just have a good time.
You know. Um, I used to host talent I used
to host talent shows in college, used to host talent
shows in high school and things all all like that.
But you know, the opportunity came open to be a
part of the Cleveland Rockers rock squad, which was our
w NBA team back in the day, and uh, being
(22:37):
that led to being on the first ever screen team
when the Calves drafted Lebron in two thousand three, and uh,
you know, I was I was a familiar face around.
When Dan Gilbert brought the team, he wanted new everything,
new new hosts, new new dancers or whatnot. Uh, since
I'm not a dancer all like all like that, I
(22:58):
had to find a niche or something that could make
me happy, you know. And I always enjoyed talking to people.
I enjoyed hyping up crowds. I was always like that
hype man at a party, you know, if I was
you know, in college or whatnot. And Um, I tried
out to be the entering the hosts in two thousand five.
I didn't make it, you know. Um they told me no,
(23:21):
just that I need to work on a few things
or what now. I was more nervous than anything, and
um they called me a couple of weeks later. Uh.
We were playing against the Denver Nuggets on a Thursday,
November the fifteen, two thousand five, and they said, hey,
Um we went to to fill in and be our
b our host in front of twenty thou people. And
(23:44):
you know, I was so nervous going out there from
twenty thou people. And from that point on they told
me to come back the next game, which was November
the seventeen Calves against Miami Heat, and um that was
two thousand five as well. And from on they said, hey,
why don't you quit the law firm and just work
here full time. And it was just a moment that
(24:06):
I would never ever forget something that I love to do,
love to entertain, love, love to play basketball, be around
the guys, and to turn into something that I love
to do, it's absolutely humbling, unbelievable. Well, that's great stuff
for mud and you know, I've been one of your
biggest supporters for years from the beginning. One of the
things I just want to give our fans a perspective
(24:27):
is that you're the most recognizable voice, not only in
the Cabs organization, which is a billion dollar plus business,
but in all the three major sports. There's no one
like you. And how does that feel? This is a
two part question, but how does that feel? I appreciate that, Jim.
It's humbling, It's it's really humbling, you know, just coming
(24:50):
from you know, um, just growing up in Cleveland and
Cleveland Heights and like I said, just being around sports
my whole life. You know, our older brother played football,
back basketball, you know, I played you know, little league, sports,
and I got a chance to play high school sports
and just it's a humbling feeling where I get to
walk around and a lot of people don't even know
(25:11):
my name. They'll just say, hey, it's the calf guy,
you know, or you know, hey it's it's it's the
hype man, or when I see as a matter of fact,
quick story, I was in Starbucks. Uh, like what two
weeks ago, I was in Starbucks and twenty four year
old guy he comes up to me and he says
(25:32):
to me, isn't your name on my And I said yes,
and he said, I just had to tell you. You You
came to my school when I was in the eighth,
eighth grade and you left such an uh and impression
on me. Uh he works for he works for a
law firm downtown, you know. Um. But he came up
to me, he was like, I just wanted to know
(25:52):
that nobody ever told you. I just want to let
you know that in the eighth grade, you know, you
left such an impression impression on me and in my
life and your whole story. I don't want to say
thank you for everything that you do for the actual city.
You know, So when you hear stories all like that
when you hear stories that you that you actually touched,
because you know, everybody's not gonna like like you, you know,
(26:14):
and no matter what and what, no matter what profession
that you're man. But when you hear stories like that
where you actually touch somebody, it makes it even more humbling,
you know, Uh, to be recognized like that, and I'm
grateful for it. Well, go ahead to him, he answered again,
we're talking to a mad crump. You know that voice
(26:34):
he gets everybody repped up at Rocket Mortgage, field House
or in arena host and Amanda, everybody has that signature call.
And to me, when I hear you give the elongated
Cleveland to start things, I'm not gonna try to imitate it.
Only you can. Uh, did you think that up to
that just comes naturally? Because I think if you have
(26:56):
a signature call, that's it. You know what. I had
to come up with something that separated me from everybody else,
you know, I wanted to do something that actually made
it stick out to you know, fans, and my goal
was back when I first started doing it. You know,
when you hear the word Cleveland, it's game time. It's
goal time. Forget about everything, else and uh, you know,
(27:20):
just um, put your heart and your soul out there
for the for the team. You know, cheer as a lot,
a lot a lot as you can, you know. Um.
And I know my style. I know it's not for everybody,
and I totally respect that. Like you know, UM, one
of my great conversations being with the organization was the
(27:41):
late great Joe Take. You know, I talked. He used
to talk to me quite quite a bit. And I'll
never forget I used to I used to be very
emotional about about this team. You know. I we were lost. Um,
we lost to the Detroit Pistons in two thousand six
in Game six at home in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
(28:02):
And I'll never forget. I'm sitting courtside after the game
is over and I'm looking down. I'm looking depressed, and
Joe Tate walks up to me. He was like, hey,
Amna you all right. I was like, I'm all right,
Mr Tate. You know, I'm just you know, taking it
all in. And he says he so he had, um,
he had a scores sheet in his hand and he says,
you know, a man, do me a favor. Look at
(28:24):
all the players on this on this list, and I say,
I see it, and he says that do you see
your name in this? And I said, let me see,
I don't see my name. He says, then you had
nothing to do with him. Mind. You can only control
what you can control, you know. So, um, when I
(28:47):
hear words like that from you know, Alleger like him,
you know I knew I was in the right right
place to actually be there. So you know. Um, when
fans when they hear the word Cleveland, you know inside
the arena, they know, you see, it's go time and
it's time to go to work. That's an awesome story. Again,
we're talking with the mod Frump. He's our guest on
(29:07):
kev's HQ presented by bet Way. We're gonna sneak in
a quick time out. When we come back, we'll hear
more from a mod, So stay with us on the
Cavaliers Radio Network. Welcome back. It's cavisiates Q presented by
bet Way on the Cavaliers Radio Network. Tim L. Corn
(29:28):
along with Jim Jones. Let's not forget the other two
guys who really make this show hum, the dynamic duo
of Kurt McLoughlin and Marty Allen and we're thrilled to
have this week our guest a mod Crump. Yes, he's
the inn arena host at a Rocket Mortgage field House.
You know that voice, You certainly know that excitement. He'll
(29:48):
get your adrenaline flowing before, during, and sometimes even after.
Cavaliers Basketball, Jimmy want to start things off in segment
two with them on Yeah, thank you, Tim the mind.
A lot of people don't realize that you've done a
lot of NBA stuff for a lot of NBA events.
What are some of the league events that you've mc um.
(30:11):
I was blessed by the NBA. I've been chosen six
times to be a part of NBA All Star Weekend.
So that was the actual All Star All Star Game.
But this past season, I was a part of the
HBCU Classic, the first ever NBA HBCU Classic. I've done
(30:31):
the Slam Dunk Contests. I've done the Rising Stars Challenge,
I've done the Celebrity Games, the NBA All Star Practice.
I was invited to go to China back in two
thousand and seven for the first ever NBA China Games
with Orlando Magic versus our Cleveland Cavaliers. It's been humbling
to be recognized by the NBA a lot of the
(30:54):
relationships that I've created across the league as well too.
And you know, this past season for All Start, I
was blessing an honor to be able to do the
intros for the Offstar game a Rocket Mortgage field House,
and that was absolutely you know, that was a dame
contrue for me because I've done the NBA Off Star
intros in l A back in two thousand and eleven,
(31:16):
you know, but just to do it in front of
the hometown team, it was absolutely amazing. It's a feeling
that I'll never ever forget about. I want to ask
you about how much of what happens on the floor
during time outs and things that you are hosting per se,
how much of that is scripted and how much of
(31:36):
that is impromptu as far as just what you're saying
and the and the verbiage that you're using. We get
a script before every game, and my job is pretty
much just to read that, read that script, make a
couple of notes on some on some que cards, and
I try to turn it that script into just like
(31:57):
me having a conversation like we're doing now, you know.
I try to sound authentic as possible because fans, what
I've learned over the years, they can see, they can
see fakeness. They can hear it in your voice, you know. Um,
So I try to be authentic as um as possible,
and a lot of it pretty much is impromptu. As
(32:20):
long as I get those bullet points out, they pretty
much give me free rein, you know, with what I
actually do on the floor. Yeah, I just want to
say just a quick follow up because as Jim and
I are sitting there in those commercial breaks, popping the
headsets off to listen to you, you're truly enjoying yourself.
You're enjoying the moment, and no matter what the promotion is, uh,
(32:41):
it seems as though you're just loving every second of
it absolutely, you know, like they say, you know, in sports,
there's only thirty of us in the NBA, and sometimes
it's sixty of us, you know, because some a lot
of NBA teams they do have two hosts or whatnot.
So I just feel lucky and blessed to you know,
be a part of it and just seeing you know,
(33:03):
no matter if the team has been good or if
the team has been bad, just seeing the team grow
you know, because there were some years you know, after
Lebron left the first time, you know, there was some
trying times, you know. Um, so getting a chance to
see the team grow and and to where they are now,
you know, it's just like, uh, it's one of the
(33:25):
greatest jobs ever. You know, definitely one of the greatest jobs.
And I wasn't trade it for anything. You know, your ability,
we call it relatability because you're from Cleveland and your
community engagement piece, you know, you're all over the place.
I was just wondering, what do you tell aspiring young
people when you go to some of these junior highs
and elementary schools and even high schools. You know what
(33:48):
I tell them, If you have a dream, you know,
don't let anybody take it away from you, you know,
if it's yours, you know, find out how you how
you can achieve that and you go ahead and you
actually take off with it. Don't run with the wrong crowd,
you know. And a piece of advice I was told
told to me was follow your gift and don't follow
(34:10):
the passion. And pretty much what that is is that
what he broke it in in in my sense, you know,
as of late I've developed this passion for golf, you know.
I love getting out there, you know, and you give
me ten shots off of the tea, two of them go,
two of them go straight, three hundred yards three hundred yards.
But the majority of the time, I mean somebody's backyard
(34:32):
in the woods trying to find that ball, you know.
So it's just a passion that I have for that's
just not my gift. And I discovered in college that
my gift. I love talking to people and the calf
they paid me to be that face in the community,
you know, representing the organization, myself and my family to
(34:54):
the utmost respect um. And you know, just giving these
kids that that extra light that they may or they
may not have had in the past, give them a
little bit of hope that they may or may not
have in the past. I love, you know, I guess.
I love going out in the community. I love giving
away tickets to to you know, these student centers and
these ratings and these recent centers, or anything to put
(35:17):
a smile on their face. If it's a handshake, it
it's a high five, if it's a T shirt. I
always take it upon myself that you just never know
what anybody is going through you don't know what their
situation is in life and and finances. You just don't know.
And you know, by us being with the Cleveland Cavaliers
(35:37):
and all around, you can be that saving grace. You
can be that saving grace for them that hey, everything
is gonna be okay. So I take that upon. I
take that as as a challenge. If I can make
one person smile and make them forget about what's going
on on the outside world, I feel like I've done
my job. Oh that's a great message. So final question
before we let you go. I know Jim and I
(35:59):
are always asked about favorite game or favorite moments, and
it's really hard to rank them. But man, you've been
down on that floor for some electrifying moments. Is they're
one that really stands out to you? There's definitely, there's
definitely a few. Uh. I would have to say there's
actually three and number one obviously was the watch party
(36:25):
we had June n who won the NBA title. Just
a moment that you'll never ever forget. I would have
to say, Um, the first Eastern Conference championship that you
want in two thousand seven, you know that was that
was a feeling that we're just like, oh my god.
(36:47):
And you know, and although we didn't succeed against the
Spurs at that year, it's just I've never seen my
all my years in life, I've never seen a city
come together the they did when we won. And it
was just the Eastern Conference title, you know, it was
absolutely unbelievable feeling. And then I would have to say, um,
(37:08):
Lebron's first game back here in twenty fourteen, that was, uh,
you know, we were playing against the Knicks, and although
we didn't beat the Knicks, it was just the intensity,
the electricity in the building. It was just, I mean,
I couldn't believe how great you know. I mean, it
was watching parties all over no matter if you were downtown,
(37:31):
if you're in different local bar establishments around downtown. It
was just an absolutely great feeling to be a part of.
And so yeah, those are my top three that I'm
just like, wow, it's it's been one hell of a ride,
and I'm looking for a whole lot more. And you know,
I wish, you know, I was born in seventy six,
(37:52):
and I really wish that I was alive and competent
enough to understand the miracle and rich rich Field Jim.
I've seen all these videos, um, and all these highlights
and how the fans you know, pulling onto the floor
and you know, tearing down the hoop or whatnot. I
mean that was oh man, that was this. That was
(38:16):
just some authentic fans that just love their Cavaliers team. Man.
You know, I get chills every time I see that
and the stories that I hear that, Oh yeah, Jim
didn't break his foot when it went on to beat
the Celtics, know the following series. You know, I really
wish that, Um, I could have actually experienced that, but
(38:39):
just watching um, watching those watching those videos, it definitely
still gives me chills for sure. Well there's no doubt, mind,
you give people some chills and some adrenaline and something
fever pitch excitement when you get things rolling in Rocket
Mortgage field House. Can't wait to hear you down in
the arena again, as they only three season is not
(39:01):
that far off. Hey, we really appreciate your spending some
time with us here on cav's HQ. Hey, thanks, thank
Mod Krump. He's the in arena host that Rocket Mortgage
field House. You know, that voice, A great voice, of
the Cavaliers when they're playing in downtown Cleveland. A quick
(39:22):
time I'll stay with us. Kevin's HQ presented by bed
Way continues after this on the Cavaliers Radio Network. That's
gonna do it for this week's edition of Cava's HQ
presented by bed Way. That was a fun show. We
heard from Cavalier legend and of course the guy who
(39:45):
brings you pregame, halftime and post game on Dally Sports
one camp Be Russell and i'mbout a fun conversation with
a Mod Crump, the in arena host at Rocket Mortgage
Field House. As we mentioned throughout that conversation with the
you know that voice anywhere, he can get that proud
to a fever pitch when the Cavaliers are at home.
(40:07):
So a great big thank you to those two guys.
Of course, thank you to the Dynamic duo Kurt mclaugh
went along with Marty Allen and Jim Jones. A great
big thank you to you. We hope you enjoyed this
week's edition of Cav's HQ presented by bet Wave. We'll
be back at you again next week for another edition
of Cav's HQ. So until then this is to Belthorne
(40:28):
saying once again thank you very much for listening, and
so long everybody,
Hosts And Creators
Tim Alcorn
Jim Chones
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