‘Monday Morning QBs Never Lost a Game’

Yep, back on the Nate Wellman thing. Not because of the wildfires of opinion that have burned a bit outta control on forums (I don’t read ’em, folks send stuff to me), but because of a published opinion piece.

In this case it was by Bobby Cleveland of the Jackson, MS Clarion-Ledger newspaper – who, if Google is working right, is the only guy at a newspaper to have issued an opinion on the issue. That’s the good part.

Imo, the bad parts start with the headline:

B.A.S.S. mess threatens all tournament integrity

I’m not an apologist for anyone, but “mess?” “All tournament integrity?”

Really?

Then there’s this stuff:

> Cheating is a word that nobody in those circles likes to hear. Tolerance isn’t allowed. Well, at least, it appears, not until now.

> …what troubles me is that B.A.S.S. did issue a penalty, fining Wellman $2,500 for violation of a rule for “suggesting to another competitor that he violate rules” and he was put on a year’s probation. A guilty verdict, with a slap on the wrist.

“Tolerance?” “Guilty verdict?”

Imo:

> Okay, it may be a bit of a mess but I bet most B.A.S.S. members (who aren’t tourney folks) don’t have a clue it’s going on.

> Second – “all tournament integrity:” I’ll tackle that one at the end of this post.

> Third, I read the punishment as a stiff warning, not a guilty verdict.

What Sources?

Bobby quotes from B.A.S.S.’s coverage, BassFan’s and a chatroom/forum. Not Wellman himself, not Joe Stois, not Jerry McKinnis.

Don’t get it – which is what I told the pros who contacted me about this: I haven’t talked to Nate or Joe or Jerry myself, so how can I possibly have an opinion? An informed opinion – because we can all have opinions. (Ever been to a bassin’ club meetin’?!)

They want me to have an opinion, do some investigating, but that ain’t my gig anymore fellas! Call the BassFan guys!

Do I wish I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt what went down in that boat? Heck yeah! But I don’t and prob’ly never will.

Last word on Bobby’s column: “all tournament integrity” – nah. No way.

B.A.S.S. isn’t a “sweep it under the rug and post a guard around the bulge” organization. Thank goodness because we don’t need two of ’em. B.A.S.S. put the info out there and took the inevitable lumps – because the only certainty in bassin’ is you can’t please everybody.

And it’s not like the non-fishing public or non-bassin’ corporations are out there watching bass fishing, and saying, “Whoa – cheating in an Open? Bassin’ is bad.” (No one but us is watching. Search for “fishing cheating” on YouTube and it’s all about video game cheats.)

It’s also not like there’s a better game in town.

All that said, I’m still a big fan of the polygraph – I think Ray Scott said it best here – though again not certain if it can be used effectively in this case.

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Tough to listen to, but the chorus matches the headline….