Photograph # 31: Bowman
Steve Bowman from JM Associates, the people who do the TV show for BASS. It was Steve who opened the office door for me and invited me outside.
He is a BOSS, wasn’t my boss, wasn’t aware of my distain of bosses, so it is probably true to say we had a love/hate relationship, nothing against Bowman, more on me, the more you try and control me the more out of control I go.
As an investigative journalist I was paid to be first in breaking news and to be correct. Be nice, be reverent, chum up to bosses not in the contracts I signed.
Steve Bowman is also the person who introduced me to Sweet Tea in some cool restaurant in Arkansas…I am forever grateful and in his debt for that.
If I close my eyes and think of who it was that launched my outdoor career, only one person is there…BOWMAN.
He helped me, I hope that in some small way I helped him.
I would not be here had it not been for Steve Bowman.
And I want to say publicly to him this:
THANK YOU.
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Photograph #32: Gameday
Some who read this and don’t understand the sport of Professional Bass Fishing may think I’m crazy with what I’m about to say next…so be it.
The Elite anglers that I covered for 14 years are some of the toughest athletes I’ve ever covered in any sport.
And yes, they are every bit an ATHLETE.
Their game begins around first safe light, I never heard that at any game I covered, the competition begins around 7AM, and it ends around 3PM.
8 HOURS on the field of play.
No commercial breaks.
No time outs.
Weather…I’ve seen them launch and play in weather I wouldn’t leave the hotel in.
I’ve heard lots of chatter coming from fields of play, but it was a first here when I heard, “Keep an eye out and seek cover if you need to.”
But.
I mean BUT, once they get back in and are done with weigh-in they then go back to where they are staying and work another couple hours preparing their tackle and boat to do the same thing all over again the next morning.
Then, on a Saturday or Sunday, hook up their boat, drive 100 or 200 miles to the next event and do it all over again.
These guys have my utmost respect and admiration.
They are surly ELITE at what they do.
Athletes.
ETCHED.
Photograph #33: Wired2Fish
Wired2fish
At my very first Bassmaster Classic the Wired2Fish guys were the only ones in the media room that talked to me, actually had me sit with them.
I was the new guy, I get that.
I didn’t fish, I never, NEVER understood why that mattered, never got that.
I covered the NFL and never once did ESPN ever expect or ask me to suit up and tackle someone.
When fish read, I’ll write for them, until…
I wrote stuff for W2F for a couple years, but it got tough doing that and 60-70 some columns a year for BASS.
I never really felt I was a good fit there, nothing the guys said, they are like family to me, but because they focused more on the technical aspects of fishing.
I don’t. Wrong end of the rod for me.
These guys though have always been there for me as a friend, although truth in reporting, they damn near killed me on what seemed like a thousand mile walk from one place to another at some Classic somewhere.
I had to lean on a “No-Parking” sign to survive.
These are good folk who care about what they do, check them out.
To:
Terry Brown
Todd Hammill
Jason Sealock
Brothers to me then, brothers to me now. THANK YOU for all you did for me.
Forever ETCHED in my soul.
Photograph #34: The Ring
Dave Smith
His fans knew him as Dave Smith…to us though, to all of BASS he was: Super Dave.
A big man with an even bigger heart. Who knows how many in the game he helped without ever saying a word.
He owned a company called MTM Recognition Corp which made trophies for all the big time events, and Super Bowl Rings.
He passed in November of 2023.
He towered over me, but he always bent down and gave me a hug around the shoulders, asked how I was feeling, asked about what story I was working on, asked about my family.
But this one day he came up to me, big smile on his face, no hug, but he handed me something, and his smile got even bigger…
…and when I looked down in my hand was a ring…
…THIS RING
I have lost some weight and the ring slips off now. For some reason it can’t be resized, but it doesn’t sit in a drawer, or a box…
…It rests in a very special place and trust me when I say this…
…the gift from
Dave Smith means as much to me as the object it rests upon.
R.I.P Super Dave…Thank You…and I’ll never forget you.
ETCHED!
