The Boston Celtics won the NBA Championship on Monday night, securing the 18th banner in the history of the organization and officially claiming the title of the franchise with the most championships in league history. Celtics radio play-by-play announcer Sean Grande delivered a final call encapsulating the moment on 98.5 The Sports Hub and then commenced postgame coverage with color commentator Cedric Maxwell. To close the broadcast, Grande delivered an emotional sign-off message to the listeners in which he told Maxwell that he loved him and thanked the listeners for tuning into the broadcasts. Fred Toucher played the audio of the sign-off on Wednesday morning’s edition of Toucher & Hardy on 98.5 The Sports Hub and proceeded to deliver his opinion on the matter.
“The 23 years I’ve spent with you guys has been, with the exception of being a dad, has been the honor of my life, and I wouldn’t trade any of it,” Grande said on Monday night. “I recognize that being the voice of the Boston Celtics is probably the first line of my obituary one day. It has been an honor in every way, shape and form an honor could be.”
At the moment, it is not clear whether Grande is retiring from his job as the radio play-by-play announcer for Boston Celtics games. Earlier in the year, he did not receive the television play-by-play job for the team following the retirement of Mike Gorman at the end of the season. The way in which he signed off, however, resembled what one would say on their last broadcast, according to Toucher, considering the remarks about his time with the team and his obituary.
“If he’s not leaving and that was just the end of the season, he’s an absolute lunatic,” Toucher said. “And quote it, say I’m a di-k, I don’t care. I thought about it overnight – I’m even more convinced than ever. If he’s not leaving, he’s a pretentious lunatic. That’s lunacy to make that about yourself at the end.”
As Toucher gave his opinion, he articulated that Gorman was not comfortable making the broadcast about himself at the conclusion of the first round of the playoffs. While he recognizes that Grande deserves a sign off if it is indeed his last broadcast, not revealing whether or not he is retiring has elicited speculation. Co-host Rob “Hardy” Poole asked if Grande genuinely does not know if he will be back, leading Toucher to express that he should not have signed off in that manner if it was the case.
“Putting myself in his position and having sort of the same job – talking on the radio – it’s insanity,” Toucher said. “It’s insanity. They just won the championship; it has nothing to do with you.”
Show anchor Jon Wallach, who has filled in on Celtics broadcasts in the past and has always wanted to be the voice of the team, shared that he had not heard anything. Additionally, he spoke with Maxwell on Tuesday and learned that he was not aware of any potential change taking place.
“Sean has signed off similarly in the past,” Wallach said. “This one was a little bit more, I don’t know if ‘dramatic’ is the right word, but this one he seemed more choked up than in previous years, but similarly he’s said things like, ‘Thank you or going on this ride with us. It’s been an honor.’ That kind of stuff.”
Toucher thought that Grande should have ended the broadcast by congratulating the Boston Celtics for winning the NBA Finals and conveying that they would be remembered for the rest of their lives. Instead, the minute-long monologue about the honor he has to call Celtics games and work with Maxwell is a decision he regarded as insane. In fact, if Grande was sitting in front of him in the radio studio, Toucher said that he would have expressed the same thing and does not feel badly about his opinion.
“If he’s retiring, I wish he would have said he was retiring, and then he could be honored like he deserves for having the job for 23 years,” Toucher said, “but if he’s not retiring, he’s a lunatic.”
Toucher should be replaced. He sounds like he’s under influence of something and always negative. I wait until show is over before I put station on. Felger IS MR NEGATIVE however!