BuckMaxx Posted February 24, 2014 Posted February 24, 2014 I watched mostof the three days of all war room coverage and the weigh ins. Now let me start by saying this is supposed to be the "superbowl" of bass fishing. Guys like Zona and Mercer are the best commentators they xan come up with? Zona flat wears me out. Mercer wouldnt know new material if it bit him in the rear. The national anthem on the first weigh in was sang by a Reba Mccentire tribute singer (aka Impersonator) It wasnt horrible but it dang sure wasn't Reba. I am sure somewhere ahe had her head buried in a pillow trying to pretend she was deaf. Then for the preshow they have SRS dock dogs. Most of which are mutts not retrievers. One of which is a yorkie that jumps 3 feet. Biggest fishing stage in the world and thats all they could muster up? The coverage is like watching paint dry, but not as much fun. How about a scantly clad bimbo doing tripps job or someone running up and messing up skeet reese hair. Now thats entertainment. Quote
jhoffman Posted February 24, 2014 Posted February 24, 2014 If I never had to watch mercer again that would be fine, hes a dork. Quote
Bassintheweeds Posted February 24, 2014 Posted February 24, 2014 Just be glad that it was an option to watch online. No one made you watch it for three days. 3 Quote
Super User A-Jay Posted February 24, 2014 Super User Posted February 24, 2014 Like so many of us, I watched this entire event unfold on line. The past few season's I've been vocal here regarding my disappointment surrounding the poor live coverage of this event. Well, after this weekend, I'm singing a totally different tune. As an angler and overall BASS fishing fan, I can not remember any event that I enjoyed more than this years Classic. Always been a Fan of Randy Howell and to watch him come out of now where on the last day was fantastic. How can you not like this guy ? Really looking forward to televised version of this event and will be very excited to heard Randy's account of the events of the entire tournament and last day; after he's had time to relax and think about it for a while. BASS really needed an event like this and a Classy Champion like Randy Howell. Well Done. A-Jay 8 Quote
Rangerphil Posted February 24, 2014 Posted February 24, 2014 Is it perfect? No, but this is not a controlled environment like football or baseball. Miles and miles of water to cover with 55 guys to try and keep up with. The finished product that you will see on espn 2 will be polished and much better. I did however love the live stuff all weekend and will continue to be glued to the computer every classic. 2 Quote
ChrisAW Posted February 24, 2014 Posted February 24, 2014 I like Zona, he has personality and isn't afraid to let it come out. He can make it entertaining for people who aren't in to fishing as much as I am when I force them to watch it; like my girlfriend. haha Mercer is a good announcer. He is well spoken and quick witted. Sure, he repeats a lot of stuff, but what else are you going to say about a guy walking up on stage with a bag of bass? He will be at our Spring Fishing Classic here in Michigan, as well as Jonathan VanDam. 3 Quote
Gaerith Posted February 24, 2014 Posted February 24, 2014 On line coverage was pretty sad IMO. They should get with the times. Its a great format to easily monetize especially since not everyone gets extended cable these days or can afford to attend in person. Quote
Super User Felix77 Posted February 24, 2014 Super User Posted February 24, 2014 This is my second year watching the coverage. I think they are getting better with it in time. I particularly LOVED the dog jumping competition. Had me at the edge of my seat ... LMAO Quote
gripnrip Posted February 24, 2014 Posted February 24, 2014 I personally thought the guy announcing the dog competition stunk worse than anything. I liked the coverage. Mercer can be annoying at times as well as Zona. I thought the "live takeout" was awesome. Except the last day was horrible. Hopefully they'll get that fixed. You can't really complain to much IMO. It was free and the coverage is getting better. Quote
SudburyBasser Posted February 24, 2014 Posted February 24, 2014 Am I the only one who had a sneaking suspicion that they knew the victor of the Classic before the live weigh-in? It seems like Aaron Martens let the cat out of the bag when he mentioned Howell and Evers and then said something along the lines of "Did I say too much?" At that point I pretty much figured out that Randy Howell had won... not that I was disappointed as I was rooting for him. And the dogs... Lord... I think they can come up with better entertainment then dogs jumping for what is supposed to be the world's premier fishing championship. Quote
Tim Kelly Posted February 24, 2014 Posted February 24, 2014 I enjoyed it on the whole. Zona can't be like that without chemical enhancement surely? He's certainly entertaining. Woo! Be nice if they could provide live coverage of the fishing, but those guys in the war room do a great job of live scriptless broadcasting for three days. Loved Davy Hite on the pull out interviews, real shame the sound was so intermittent. The weigh ins are always tedious. Not the MC's fault, there's not much you can say 50 times! Quote
Super User Felix77 Posted February 24, 2014 Super User Posted February 24, 2014 Am I the only one who had a sneaking suspicion that they knew the victor of the Classic before the live weigh-in? It seems like Aaron Martens let the cat out of the bag when he mentioned Howell and Evers and then said something along the lines of "Did I say too much?" At that point I pretty much figured out that Randy Howell had won... not that I was disappointed as I was rooting for him. And the dogs... Lord... I think they can come up with better entertainment then dogs jumping for what is supposed to be the world's premier fishing championship. You weren't the only one ... When Aaron said all that I was pretty sure that Howell had won it. It was still fun to see it play out. You guys do know I was kidding about the dog competition. It was pretty bad ... LOL Quote
Dinky Posted February 25, 2014 Posted February 25, 2014 Just got back from the Classic last night. It was my second time as a Marshall for the Classic. The weather was much, much better than last year at Grand Lake in Oklahoma. This year it was in the low thirties at launch but warmed up to mid sixties as the day progressed. Sunny every day except Wednesday, the last practice day. Rode with Patrick Bone Wednesday (Southern Open Winner); Chris Lane Friday (Central Open Winner);Steve Kennedy on Saturday. Sunday the weather was nice enough that the media writers decided they would be able to go out with the pros and so there was no need for us. Last year it was too cold for the sissy media and many of us Marshals went out on the final day. On the spectator issue: There are two aspects to this-first is keeping a respectable distance from the pro while he is fishing. This has not usually been much of a problem. Occasionally someone drifts a bit too close, but it is seldom a problem and the pro will usually say something and the spectator will gladly move back. second: fishing the spots the pros have just left and/or jumping the spots before he arrives. This is a problem. And the reputation of Guntersville in particular and Alabama in general is horrible in this respect. Occasionally two pros will butt heads over a spot, but if one has not practiced in that area during official practice week he will most often not persist and will leave the spot. As for more 'live' coverage; the pros are very secretive about exactly when and where they are catching their fish--if it is made public knowledge as to where they are fishing and catching them in real time-and they are given access to basstrack(which they may or may not have, but which relatives and friends may have)it will compromise what they perceive as their private info. Unfortunately bass fishing simply does not lend itself to great live tv. Being in the boat with the pros is a real experience --whether it is the Classic or another Elite Tournament. I recommend it at least once if you can. 1 Quote
Dinky Posted February 25, 2014 Posted February 25, 2014 As for knowing who won- Realize that the boats have to be trailered from the lake with the fish in the live well to Birmingham for the weigh-in. As we pull out of the water we line up and each live well is checked by a BASS official: the fish are checked to see that they are alive, meet the length requirements and counted. The livewells are also checked to ensure they are full of water and working properly for the drive to the weigh-in. It was obvious that Randy H. had a huge sack of fish at the lakeside check in and that Tharp et all had smaller sacks--add that to the known weights each angler had for the first two days and it was fairly easy to figure out. Quote
black94gt50 Posted February 25, 2014 Posted February 25, 2014 Zona is awesome, he is a funny dude with a heck of a personality. His show always provides me with a lot of laughs. I didn't get to watch any of the classic, I'll just have to wait for espn. I'm sure it was still better than watching anything that was on tv, right? 1 Quote
BassResource.com Administrator Glenn Posted February 25, 2014 BassResource.com Administrator Posted February 25, 2014 The weigh-in on the last day was r-e-a-l-l-y d-r-a-w-n o-u-t. It was a good 2 hour show stretched out to nearly 5 hours. Quote
msk Posted February 25, 2014 Posted February 25, 2014 I'm hoping they put the espn version online after it airs. I don't have cable TV so the only way I can watch it is online! Quote
Dinky Posted February 25, 2014 Posted February 25, 2014 How do you become a Marshall? Go to the Bassmaster web site. Click on Elite Tournament block, then on Marshal block. Follow the instructions from there. 1 Quote
Super User roadwarrior Posted February 25, 2014 Super User Posted February 25, 2014 Dinky, Thanks for the inside skinny. It sure sounds like fun to be there in the mix! Quote
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