 |
||
|
Play-by-play job to Grande He's set to become Celtic voice By Bill Griffith, Globe Staff, 7/11/2001 If all goes as expected, the deal would be announced next
week.
Grande, a former WEEI talent, is the perfect fit for both
WWZN and the Celtics - a proven NBA talent who not only knows
the Boston market but who also is known here. Another Grande
hallmark is loyalty. That caused his original reluctance to
resign from a Minneapolis situation that has been good not
only for Grande but also his wife, Lori, who is a morning
radio personality in the Twin Cities.
Those obstacles apparently have been overcome - the
Timberwolves have a track record of not standing in the way of
employees who move on for a better offer - but WWZN general
manager Mike Kellogg would only say yesterday that a deal is
in place but hasn't been finalized.
After not being able to finalize a deal with either Grande
or WEEI's Ted Sarandis earlier this summer and having another
candidate that he didn't feel would meet the Celtics'
approval, Kellogg looked at the more than 600 audition tapes
for the job and groaned.
Even though many were from candidates with ties to the city
and at least seven were from the NBA, Kellogg still thought
Grande would be the best fit with analyst Cedric Maxwell.
Indeed, one of Grande's tapes was from a Celtics game he had
called with Max.
Meanwhile, WWZN is looking at a mid-September move into its
under-construction Burlington studios.
Soon to follow will be an afternoon drive-time show as WWZN
becomes a significant player in the Boston sports radio scene.
But, in the Grande Scheme of things, it's first things
first.
This story ran on page E6 of the Boston
Globe on 7/11/2001. |
||