Loran Smith: "Well, I'm upside down in a French cornfield. The corn has attempted to surrender to me, and I'm sore as hell. But I'm indestructible so I'm fine. Back to you Larry."
Loran was injured in a car crash in France, but he's recovering nicely at home. The only thing that shocked me about this story is that Bobby Knight, Salman Rushdie or John McCain wasn't in the car as I've been told that Loran's list of friends and fishing / golfing buddies is pretty eclectic.
Best Loran / Larry exchange ever:
- Larry: "WhaddyaGotLoran?"
Loran: "Well, I'm on the sidelines here with Charles Grant. Charles, you're from South Georgia. You like Boiled Peanuts don't you?"
Charles: "Yeah."
Loran: "Well, back to you Larry."
Larry: (Pause) "Third and Six...."
PWD
(BTW -- Everyone remembers the Charles Grant story different. All versions are funny as hell if you do the voice right followed by Munson's reaction)
24 comments:
Larry: Loranwhaddyagot?
Loran: Well Larry Leonard Pope caught that last touchdown, and he's from Americus, Georgia which was named after the explorer Amerigo Vespucci. It looks like Leonard did a little exploring of his own in the endzone.
Larry:... ... ... Coutu lines up for the kickoff.
In 1996, UGA was playing in Starkville. Juan Daniels took a hard hit and was, as they say, knocked the f*ck out. His momma ran down to check on him, and it just looked terrible. They carted him off in a stretcher as a I recall.
Somehow someway, Juan wasn't seriously injured. Loran managed to get a legendary interview with him that went like this as I recall:
Larry: whaddyagotloran?
Loran: Larry, I'm with Juan Daniels on the sideline. Juan, what happened out there?
Juan: Loran, I don't even know.
Loran: Back you, Larry.
Larry: (pause) Thank you, Loran. I think.
Classic.
i don't remember the game. and please someone tell me i am not making this up.
"Well larry, the crowd is pretty liquored up down here."
this is from the richt era.
brilliant.
+ 1 El Diablo!
PWD
2004 vs South Carolina
Larry: whaddyougotloran?
Loran: Larry, I'm on the sidelines here with behind the defense where Coach Richt just gave them a firm talking to. Also, the heat index is about 98 deg here on the field and the big boys are sweating profusely so Coach Richt also gave them some water.
Back to you Larry
Larry: 2nd and 8
True story, I'll never forget it.
2000 Outback Bowl
Larry: Loranwhaddyagot?
Loran: Well Larry I'm standing here on the sideline next to a man wearing a white hat and a striped shirt with an "R" on the back. I asked him if he was going to referee the second half. I didn't know if in these new bowl games there was a different referee for each half. But he said no, he is the alternate. Back to you.
How about when Loran was talking to Fred Gibson:
Larry: whaddyougotloran?
Loran: Larry, I'm on the sidelines here with Fred Gibson. Fred do you want to play in the NFL?
Fred, you are from Waycross aren't you.? Do you like to go fishing on the Okeefenokee?
had to delete one. you know better than that.
These are great! Yet, all well and good, but you can't really do this without a vocal impression of Loran. My dad and I do a great one. Where can we upload the audio?
Westerdawg - while this might be impossible, it would be awesome if we could upload some of these exchanges. I bet 960 The Ref in Athens has these on mp3 if you were interested enough to check it out.
I know he is a staple of Georgia Football, but,....as these stories can attest, ...I just can't think of anyway to put it nicely so I won't say anything at all. GO DAWGS!!
I need to see what I can dig up. From what I've gathered, when my dad worked for the SID back in the '50s, Dan was much more entertaining than Loran when they'd get a beer after work at some joint in 5 points, but there's gotta be something. I really need to start recording those things while I can.
I will say that Loran's accent ought to make a great linguistic study of accents. Wrightsville-Loran versus Wrightsville-Herschel.
Back in '99 when I was in the mba program, a friend of mine invited me over to the Smith's house for an afternoon drink. Loran was just ending his battle with leukemia and didn't feel all that great, but we went over anyway. Loran and Myrna (sp) have a beautiful home and we were in the sunroom having drinks and talking about whatever. I noticed that a large bird had somehow entered the room and that the Smith's cat had also taken notice. The bird was flying around and the cat started trying to climb the damn wall to get at this thing. The Smith's ignored this mind you - and eventually the bird got tired and landed and the cat pounced and you've never heard more screeching and hissing from two animals. The cat won and made off with his prize, and stashed him somewhere in the house.
Loran and Myrna never once acknowledged any of this. Must have been the cocktails.
Later that year, Loran gave me his tickets to the infamous "Sanks fumble" Tech game. I was late picking them up and he got made saying something like "I'm out of the GD ticket business!".
DGD.
ps - his son was a monumental douchebag SAE when I was in school.
No, no, the greatest ever was in '94:
Larry: Loran, whaddayagot?
Loran: Not much, larry.
Larry: Ok, third and four...
Lorne looks like Bob Barker's brother in that picture on AJC.com
*Loran
"Well, Larry...we're here with Hiawatha Berry's grandmother from Wiiinder, Georgia...Mrs. Berry, do you think Hiawatha has the strangest name for the Bulldogs or would you go with Wycliffe Lovelace?"
Get well Loran...
Every time I hear/see Kenneth on 30 Rock I think of a young Loran doin his thing.
1996 Mississippi State game:
Loran: Coach, uh, looks like rain is in the forecast. Just how much will the rain affect your game plan tonight?
Donnan: Well, we'll probably put on some rain gear.
Donnan may not have won 'em all, but that man had/has a great sense of humor. I would have loved to see the look on Loran's face.
Heard this at my first Albany Bulldog Club meeting spring of 1990:
Loran: "Whenever I come to All-benny I drive down I-75...and all along the intra-state I see the crepe myrtles...and I'm reminded of the Georgia people, because like the crepe myrtle, they're perennial and always there".
This one from a game:
Larry: "Loran, whaddyagot?
"Larry, it's a bundle of nerves down here on the sidelines...it's raining on this side of the field, but on the other side, the alumni side, the sun is shining."
Larry: "Dawgs in an "I"..."
I can't remember the exact exchange, but after the Dawgs had just lost that heartbreaking '82 Sugar Bowl to Dan Marino and Pitt, Loran interviewed Coach Dooley and this classic line came up:
(paraphrasing)
Loran: "Coach Dooley, if you had that last play to do over again where Marino hit the TD on fourth down, would you call the same defensive strategy again?"
Dooley: Well, Hell no, Loran! I saw what would happen when I ran that defense. Why would I run it again?!!?
These are great. I don't remember anything specific from a game, but I do remember when he and Van Halanger came in to buy a treadmill from Play it Again when I worked there in college. Coworker and I went to deliver it and set it up, and it was just a surreal experience.
When we left, we didn't get a tip or anything, but we did get an opened box of Heineken keg cans.
Tech game in Bobby Dodd 98 or 99
Larry - WhatyagotLoren?
Loren - Weeellll Larry, you may not believe this but theres a port-a-potty down here on the sidelines with yur name on it?
Larry - Pause
Larry - Huh Well
Larry - Pause
Larry - Its 3rd and 3
Post a Comment