Ric Flair has an interesting cell phone.
"Who should I call?" he asks Tuesday night. "Spurrier or Bob Stoops?"
Spurrier.
Flair checks his phone's address book and realizes he doesn't have a number for Spurrier. So he calls Jamie Speronis, South Carolina's director of football operations, and he also calls Stoops, the football coach at Oklahoma.
How do you know Stoops?
"I met him when he was Spurrier's defensive coordinator at Florida," says Flair.
Flair leaves messages for Speronis and Stoops. "This is Natch," he says. "I'm here with Tom Sorensen. Give me a call."
It is concievable that Stoops has no idea who I am, I tell Flair. Likely, even. Speronis, too.
Flair calls Charles Barkley, gets his voicemail and hands the phone to me. Barkley's voice is unmistakable, but the recording is a surprise. It is devoid of humor. It's goes something like, "This is Charles, sorry I can't take your call, please leave a message."
Flair went to the premiere of "The Wrestler" and hung out with Mickey Rourke. Do you have a number for him?
Before Flair can answer, the phone rings. It's Speronis. Flair talks briefly and hands the phone to me. Nice guy, Speronis. I believe that he believes the Gamecocks will have a fine season.
I hand the phone back to Flair and ask him again about Rourke. Again the phone rings.
"Hi, Bob," Flair says, then hands the phone to me.
It's Stoops. He's upbeat and in the mood to talk. So we do. I hand the phone back to the Nature Boy.
"Forget Rourke," I tell him. "What about Joe Namath?"
I met Namath a few years ago at a hotel gym before the Super Bowl in Detroit. My older kid was in the gym with me and he wasn't excited about Namath, whom Flair knows. He was excited because Jenna Jameson, the, ah, actress, had signed her name on the gym sign-up sheet. Don't know what's wrong with that kid, not being mesmerized by Namath.
Do you have a number for Namath?
"I have one for Jenna Jameson, too," Flair says.
Wonderful.
Posted by: Roger Goodell | February 25, 2009 at 09:31 AM
Happy Birthday, Ric. All the best!
Posted by: Newsinz | February 25, 2009 at 10:06 AM
Happy Birthday Ric. You are the MAN!!
Posted by: Terri | February 25, 2009 at 11:11 AM
To be the man, you have to beat the man! Wooooo! Happy Birthday Ric!
Posted by: Bruce | February 25, 2009 at 12:26 PM
Happy Birthday Ric!!! You're still a stylin' and profilin', wheelin' and dealin', kid stealing, jet-flyin', limosine ridin', son of a gun!
Posted by: Tarheel Soldier | February 25, 2009 at 12:37 PM
And you didn't call Jenna or keeping that out of the article to keep you out of trouble?
Posted by: Orange Chuck | February 25, 2009 at 02:06 PM
Tom.....If I did not know any better I woud say you have a "Man Crush" on Ric. I canot wait for the article that tells me what color his poop is.
Posted by: JR | February 25, 2009 at 02:48 PM
Forget the rest, I would think the number for Jenna Jameson is about all one would EVER need. :-)
By the way Ric... a good friend of mine is security guard at JM&D. If you think long and hard you'll know who I mean. I'd like to thank you many times over for setting us up right during your stops in the area. He and I would go to watch others in the audience make fools of themselves and laugh our butts off in the process... but my 2 young kids would go to watch guys like you and Triple H turn things into a ballroom dance. So again... thanks.
And finally... Happy 60th! And as we say in my family... here's wishing you many, many more!
Regards.
Posted by: Huskers86 | February 25, 2009 at 02:54 PM
Everyone in Hollywood has Jenna Jamison's number!!! She would give it to me if I asked for it!
Posted by: Duston | February 25, 2009 at 04:17 PM
"Who should I call?" What an inflated sense of self importance. This guy may be the nicest guy on the earth but my perception is road rage, groping a flight attendant, numerous marriages, drunk in public.
It is just a matter of time before this guy gets in trouble again (DUI). But some folks are such narrow-minded intellectual midgets they have no clue.
He is basically Steve Smith with a fancy robe.
Posted by: Colin | February 25, 2009 at 05:46 PM
Happy 60. Thats about all I can say thats nice. Years ago I cheered when you would wrestle and even went and watched you. But in Cheraw SC this past Saturday night I did not see the nicest guy. You wouldnt autograph a ticket stub or a program. Only the pictures bought of you from you. So, is it about the fans or the money?? Kinda makes a person wonder. If I had to pick between you and Richard Petty is would have to go to Richard.
Posted by: Amy | February 25, 2009 at 06:35 PM
when will charlotte build a flair statue, it's long over due
Posted by: michaelangelo | February 25, 2009 at 06:47 PM
i second the flair statue
Three words: all night long!
Posted by: space mountain | February 25, 2009 at 09:36 PM
Memphis Tenn born orphan boy adopted and raised by Minnesota parents Flair couldnt have hit the jackpot at a better time coming back down south in the early 70s after winning the state private school championship and playing college football to Charlotte a longtime hotbed of show "wrasslin" with Jim Croketts mid Atlantic NWA with the likes of partners Swede Hanson and Rip Hawk and his famous chicken strut or many others including the original 1940s "Nature Boy" flashy showboat Buddy Rogers name and style Flair borrowed from who was an ex-cop from NJ who had long bleached his long hair and wore glittered robes putting on shows for the crowds in NYC who loved it. Flair took it a step furthur with the world expanse of this new Hollywood style wrestling. Both Flair and Hulk Hogan made wrasslin a Hollywood showtime event.
Big Bill Ward had hosted the Charlotte wrestlers on WBT3 every Sat nite or at Park Center since the 50s.
Crocket, who also owned the 1A Os and sold them to Shinn, sold to Ted Turner in the mid 80s and his WCW that sold to NC boy Vince McMahons WWF in the mid 90s. McMahon grew up in Pinehurst and played off guard for Moore County HS before moving to NYC to get in on the fam wrasslin business.
Flair and Hogan were both equally responsible for the rise of "wrasslin" to world heights and the co-kings of modern Hollywood showtime style for the sport that makes billions today.
Posted by: Wrasslin & Racin Rule QC | February 26, 2009 at 08:28 AM
I'll tell you what is in his cell phone. Pictures of his privates that he has shown half the country. He has groped and sexually harrassed half the bartenders, waitress, and hostess in Charlotte, and any woman that will stand still long enough. I agree with Colin up there. Just because he built up wrestling does not make him a decent person or statue worthy! Trust me, not the nicest guy on earth.
Posted by: Linda | February 27, 2009 at 09:43 AM
John - Judy is an amazing pheohgrapotr. It didn't even feel like a photo shoot, it felt like we were hanging out with just one of our friends. Thank you so much for the awesome pictures, I had a blast. My fiance looks amazing!!!!November 22, 2011 2:48 pm
Posted by: Productos | February 21, 2013 at 01:01 AM
class lives here like plastic coevrs on the lamp shades and shower curtains in the living room. One can only wonder at the lack of photos of family or friends in the accompanying frame; after all, who wouldn't want to be proudly displayed with this ensemble?Tre chic!
Posted by: Magambe | February 21, 2013 at 02:51 AM