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PAGE 6B
BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2021
Prep Calendar
THURSDAY, SEPT. 23 Volleyball
Apalachee at Gainesville playdate,
Softball
Bethlehem Christian Academy at Thomas
Jefferson Academy (doubleheader). 3 p.m.
Loganville at Apalachee (doubleheader),
4 p.m.
Buford at Winder-Barrow, 5 p.m.
Volleyball
Winder-Barrow home tri-match: vs. East
Jackson, 5 p.m.; vs. Gainesville, 7 p.m.
Loganville at Apalachee. 6 p.m.
FRIDAY, SEPT. 24
Football
Eastside at Apalachee, 7:30 p.m.
Towns County at Bethlehem Christian,
7:30 p.m.
Winder-Barrow at Habersham Central,
7:30 p.m.
Softball
Winder-Barrow at Lanier, 6 p.m.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 25
Cheerleading
Apalachee and Winder-Barrow at Mill
Creek competition
Cross Country
Apalachee, Barrow Arts and Sciences
Academy and Winder-Barrow in Battle
of Barrow meet. Apalachee High School,
8 a.m.
8 a.m.
MONDAY, SEPT. 27
Softball
Winder-Barrow at Archer, 6 p.m.
Volleyball
Winder-Barrow home Region
8-AAAAAA matches, 5 p.m.
Eastside at Apalachee, 6 p.m.
TUESDAY, SEPT. 28
Softball
John Milledge Academy at Bethlehem
Christian. 4 p.m.
Habersham Central at Winder-Barrow,
5 p.m.
Apalachee at Walnut Grove, 5:30 p.m.
Volleyball
Apalachee tri-match at Prince Avenue
Christian: vs. King’s Ridge. 6 p.m.; vs.
Prince Avenue Christian, 7 p.m.
Bethlehem Christian at Augusta Prep,
6 p.m.
Winder-Barrow region matches at Lani
er. 6 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 29
Softball
Winder-Barrow at Flowery Branch,
6 p.m.
Howard crafts his own style
as Georgia play-by-play announcer
College play-by-play announcers
are generally homers for good reason.
Their employer, at least indirectly, is
the school which they represent.
Even so, many of those on the out
side are not philosophically comfort
able with blatant “homerism,” such as
that of the late Larry Munson who ar
rived in Athens far from be
ing a homer. He later learned,
however, that his popularity
was based on his overt pas
sion for the team.
When Verne Lundquist first
heard Munson while driving
to the Atlanta airport from an
afternoon Alabama game in
Tuscaloosa, he was appalled
at Munson’s frequent use of
“we” on the broadcast of a
Georgia night game. Howev
er, when Lundquist was the
radio play-by-play voice of the Dallas
Cowboys, he would have had difficul
ty criticizing management on the air,
since he, too, was a club employee in
his radio role.
Nonetheless, Verne was amazed at
how much of a homer Munson was.
The Braves’ Milo Hamilton was a fine
baseball announcer but was severely
rebuked by the Georgia Tech alumni
when longtime announcer A1 Ciraldo
was replaced by Milo at the direction
Bobby Dodd, Tech athletic director.
The Tech alumni felt like Ciraldo
“was one of us.” Ciraldo soon got his
job back.
When Scott Howard, Georgia’s vet
eran announcer — now in his 14th
season as the Bulldogs play-by-play
voice and 28th with the broadcast —
succeeded Munson in 2008, Bulldog
fans were familiar with him because
Scott had been providing color on the
network for years. They became aware
of his broadcasting style in 2007 when
he announced Georgia’s road games
as Munson’s declining health caused
him to call home games only.
Looking back, the transition from
Munson to Howard was seamless —
owing to the fact that the Decatur-
born-raised-in-Nashville-and-Miami-
Howard has a durable, resilient and
seasoned voice. He functions on the
air with a bent to give his audience the
facts. Lurthermore, he has never tried
“to be like his predecessor.” He gets
excited but never is as emotional as
Munson was.
Scott can be graphically clever as
he was in a game at Missouri when
running back Brendan Douglas ex
perienced a collision at the goal line
which resulted in the Bulldog back
flipping over the would-be tacklers
and landing on his feet in the end
zone. Scott said on the air, “Give him
six for the score and a 10 for the flip.”
Very descriptive and apropos.
A very balanced and levelheaded
type, Scott has considerable blue col
lar, lunch pail influence in his career.
He is always on time, he underscores
the fundamentals of his business —
he always gives you the down and
distance — and never becomes flum
moxed by a new player going on the
field with an unrecognized number.
He is not given to outbursts; he never
carps about broadcast booth
inadequacies or fusses about
travel conditions — even in
private.
The thing about this loyal
Bulldog that I appreciate the
most is that the many iconic
Munson calls that continue to
be played as part of the Geor
gia broadcast does not rankle
Scott Howard.
If I were a betting man, I
would wager that there are
not two announcers in the
country, more than likely, none, who
would be comfortable with a situation
such as that. Especially after Mun
son’s last active year dates back a de
cade and a half.
Much of that is that Georgia’s cur
rent play-by-play announcer is not
ego driven. He is not only familiar
with Munson’s legend, he enjoys and
embraces Munson’s memory and un
forgettable moments. He assesses it
as he does with the Braves celebrated
announcers Skip Caray and Pete Van
Wieren.
“It is sad,” Howard says, “that they
are not with us anymore, but I’m glad
their memories and their voices are
still with us through their calls.”
When his family moved to Nash
ville, Scott remembers hearing Larry
calling Vanderbilt football and bas
ketball games. He also recalls seeing
Munson’s fishing show on television.
Scott, a very passionate family
man, has a very dry sense of humor;
his hobby is his work and his focus
is giving every Georgia broadcast his
best effort. He will never shortchange
those who tune in.
There is no job out there he aspires
to hold, no big-league position for
him to pursue. The lights of Athens
are bright enough for him, and his
network affiliation is the only one he
wants. There’s nothing out there that
would turn his head. He enjoys his
laidback lifestyle in a college town
and appreciates the distinction of be
ing the “Voice of the Dawgs.”
A dedicated professional, Scott’s
portfolio includes a positive attitude, a
seasoned work ethic and a personality
devoid of ego.
One more thing: He is a Damn Good
Dawg.
Loran Smith is a syndicated colum
nist around the state and a University
of Georgia sports radio announcer.
He can be reached at loransmith@
sports.uga.edu.
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