by Alejandro de los Rios

This is, without a doubt, the funniest sign that I’ve ever seen at a Hornets game. It was made by Jazon Pitre (far left), who found the picture of the shirtless Slovak using a Google image search (isn’t the internet wonderful?). He printed the picture on multiple sheets of paper and put it together piece by piece. Kevin Billiot (left) said it was Ashley Stewart’s (middle) duty to hold it up should a camera catch sight of them.

But while this Peja sign is the funniest thing I’ve seen at the Hive Nest, the man that deserves an award for his sign(s) has to be Larry Lane for his “Mucho Jannero” sign and the “Peja Vu” sign and the “Give me a Hive Five” sign and his “Jam Ball-Aya” sign and … well it goes on and on.

“I try to make a new sign for every home game,” he said.

He’s been doing the signs since the Hornets moved into town and his wife, Ethel (a.k.a. Apple), bought season tickets. Larry draws his inspiration from players (”All Wright”), crowd reaction (”CP3: MVP”) and just overall silliness (”We’re Hor-NUTS” featuring a bulging-eyed baby). While he’s never short of ideas, Larry did say that some signs are harder to come up with others.

“I mean, what rhymes with Tyson Chandler?” he pointed out.

Ever the innovator, Larry still came up with a couple of Chandler posters, one with a picture of the center dunking and the words “Oop, oop and Away” and one that says simply, “Ty-yay-ay.” But, he said, of all the signs, this is his favorite:

What does he call it?

“Chris Paul,” he said.

Very post-modern. And, should Larry’s imagination one day fail him, at least there’s a new generation of sign makers waiting to take his place. Namely, Hayley Ross, who, with some help from her mother Dee, made this beauty:

Looks like the future of awesome signs is safe.