I want to see the Browns keep winning and doing great things this year for a lot of reasons, most of which are obvious.

Some, though, may not be so apparent, the most prominent of which is to honor Jim
Donovan.

The longtime Browns radio play-by-play announcer, who is in his team-record 25th season, is taking some time off to concentrate on his fight against leukemia. That is as it should be, because his health and well-being are certainly paramount, but in regards to the Browns, his absence is one they can’t fill no matter how hard they try. And they’ve tried very hard. The guys they’ve brought in as replacements have all been outstanding, especially the iconic Paul Keels — the voice of God —from Ohio State, but they’re not Jim Donovan, who, for my money, is the best in the NFL. The guy coming to town on Sunday, Pittsburgh’s Bill Hillgrove, is right behind him.

Donovan is incredible. He does the games with professional skill, but also with the heart of a Browns fan. If you or the guy down the street who puts out his Browns flag on game days or your great-uncle who attended the 1964 NFL Championship Game against the Baltimore Colts, were calling the games, they’d do so like Donovan does, getting excited about the good plays and disappointed about the bad ones. His voice gives him away, but that’s what you want from a home-team announcer.

Donovan has become a staple of Browns football. When you turn on the game, you hear him. He’s the old friend you invite into your home, your car or your place of employment. It’s been that way for a quarter-century. We’re working on the second generation of listeners.

This season, no matter how special it turns out to be for the Browns, will not feel right, or complete, until Donovan returns. Then the real fun will start.

Hurry up, Jimmy, we’re waiting on you.

Steve King