Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In 1985, the voice of the Boston Celtics went on live TV and pitched a business idea that wouldn't be worth a billion dollars until 32 years later. Then it vanished without a trace.
Johnny Most — the rasp behind "Havlicek stole the ball," two years removed from a stroke, still seething over Larry Bird and the Celtics losing the '85 Finals to the Lakers — sat on the Good Day couch at WCVB Channel 5 with his partner Glen Ordway. They weren't there to talk about the Finals. They were there to sell "Fiddle Diddle Sports Fantasy Tapes": call a phone number, and the actual voice of the Celtics records a custom play-by-play where YOU hit the game-winner.
Personalized recordings from a famous voice, ordered as gifts. In 2017, three guys in Chicago built that exact idea into an app called Cameo — valued at over a billion dollars. Johnny and Glen ran the same play in 1985 with a tape deck and a phone number. As far as we can find, this tape is the only surviving proof it ever existed.
CLNS Founder and NBA Historian Nick Gelso breaks down the lost tape nobody remembers.
CHAPTERS
0:00 The Voice of the Celtics
0:56 PrizePicks
1:00 37 Years, 16 Banners
1:16 "Havlicek Stole the Ball"
1:35 Johnny at 61, Two Years After the Stroke
2:06 The Good Day Couch, Channel 5
2:39 Losing the '85 Finals — Hours Earlier
3:27 Every Laker Excuse in the Box
4:34 DJ's Game 4 Buzzer Beater
5:12 Was the Rage an Act?
5:45 "I Still Chase Girls"
6:02 Why They Were Really There
6:11 Fiddle Diddle Sports Fantasy Tapes
6:46 The Psychology of the Fan Economy
7:15 They Invented Cameo
7:58 The Tom Cottle Fantasy Tape
8:56 826-6999
9:04 It Vanished Without a Trace
9:38 Whose Voice Would You Pick?
10:24 PrizePicks
#Celtics #NBAHistory #JohnnyMost
NBA History on CLNS Media is Powered by:
💰 PrizePicks - Sign up at prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/CLNS & Download the app today and use code CLNS to get $150 instantly in lineups when you win your first $5 lineup!
—
MUSIC LINKS & ARTISTS CREDITS:
SONG TITLE- [NICK: confirm track used in final cut]
🎧 All music is fully licensed in compliance with Epidemic Sound. You can also enjoy this vast catalog of royalty free music here- Visit our partners for royalty free music at share.epidemicsound.com/fx0q30
In 1985, the voice of the Boston Celtics went on live TV and pitched a business idea that wouldn't be worth a billion dollars until 32 years later. Then it vanished without a trace.
Johnny Most — the rasp behind "Havlicek stole the ball," two years removed from a stroke, still seething over Larry Bird and the Celtics losing the '85 Finals to the Lakers — sat on the Good Day couch at WCVB Channel 5 with his partner Glen Ordway. They weren't there to talk about the Finals. They were there to sell "Fiddle Diddle Sports Fantasy Tapes": call a phone number, and the actual voice of the Celtics records a custom play-by-play where YOU hit the game-winner.
Personalized recordings from a famous voice, ordered as gifts. In 2017, three guys in Chicago built that exact idea into an app called Cameo — valued at over a billion dollars. Johnny and Glen ran the same play in 1985 with a tape deck and a phone number. As far as we can find, this tape is the only surviving proof it ever existed.
CLNS Founder and NBA Historian Nick Gelso breaks down the lost tape nobody remembers.
CHAPTERS
0:00 The Voice of the Celtics
0:56 PrizePicks
1:00 37 Years, 16 Banners
1:16 "Havlicek Stole the Ball"
1:35 Johnny at 61, Two Years After the Stroke
2:06 The Good Day Couch, Channel 5
2:39 Losing the '85 Finals — Hours Earlier
3:27 Every Laker Excuse in the Box
4:34 DJ's Game 4 Buzzer Beater
5:12 Was the Rage an Act?
5:45 "I Still Chase Girls"
6:02 Why They Were Really There
6:11 Fiddle Diddle Sports Fantasy Tapes
6:46 The Psychology of the Fan Economy
7:15 They Invented Cameo
7:58 The Tom Cottle Fantasy Tape
8:56 826-6999
9:04 It Vanished Without a Trace
9:38 Whose Voice Would You Pick?
10:24 PrizePicks
#Celtics #NBAHistory #JohnnyMost
NBA History on CLNS Media is Powered by:
💰 PrizePicks - Sign up at prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/CLNS & Download the app today and use code CLNS to get $150 instantly in lineups when you win your first $5 lineup!
—
MUSIC LINKS & ARTISTS CREDITS:
SONG TITLE- [NICK: confirm track used in final cut]
🎧 All music is fully licensed in compliance with Epidemic Sound. You can also enjoy this vast catalog of royalty free music here- Visit our partners for royalty free music at share.epidemicsound.com/fx0q30
