I think Ike was getting off easy - I'd have disqualified him from the whole Classic if I had been in charge.  I think he got off with at least a slim chance of making the top 25 cutoff if he breaks his butt on day two!  I think that was a gracious decision.

There is absolutely NO excuse for that kind of unsportsman-like conduct at that high level of our sport!  He's not excused from representing our sport to millions of viewers (especially young viewers) just because he is a "successful" fisherman.  I don't even mind the "colorful" and "overly-exuberant" hotdogging the guy does - after all, it takes all kinds!  But uniqueness does not place him above the rest - I salute the decision and think he got off lightly.  

I guess every American can relate to a "rebel" in our culture - but to say there is no "line in the sand" anymore because someone is "popular" - that isn't right.  We've excused too many so called "sports heros" from being accountable for their actions because of a God-given skill that entertained us.  

But every successful parent knows that one of the very first lessons our children must learn is that "for every action there is a consequence."  Some good, and some bad.  Self-centered people are usually people who never learned that lesson.  People who DO care about others and pour themselves out to protect and build up the community around them - THEY should be the heros in our land.  

Mike knew he was admired by millions of little fishermen, and with that knowledge comes the responsibility to provide a great model for fans to emulate.  Nixon, Hite, Brauer, and others "get it" - and if it takes a lesson or two to get this through to Ike, then that's life.  

Fame and fortune are dangerous things in the hands of the immature.  This event does not spell the doom of our sport.  It's a simple example of stepping over the line and having to pay the consequences.  Had it happened to someone who was new and unknown in the fishing pro-circle, we wouldn't have even heard about it.  (Had a rumor gotten out - we'd have churckled and shook our head mubling something about inexperienced newbies.)  But because Ike was a well known icon, we seem to be so concerned about the unfairness of it?

Take any sport - baseball, football, basket-ball, and think about this: what makes the game so much fun?  Most people haven't thought about it or don't want to admit this, but a sport's popularity is due to the RULES.  If a basketball player could "make up" rules  or "ignore" the rules as he went along - people wouln't play!  If I could grab the basketball and just run around without dribbling, even take off down the street because I "felt like it" - people would say "This is dumb" and walk away.  Without rules the sport is nothing but chaos.  

Many teenagers of course (and I was one - once) have a natural dislike for rules and can't wait to get out on their own to "do it their way!"  As they suffer the consequences of ignoring the wishes and rules of others, they hopefully begin to mature, and they admit the rules weren't so dumb afterall; they exist for a reason.  

The BASS sportsman-like conduct rule was not designed just to piss people off.  They were well thought out and designed around a set of values that every participant agrees to before they get in their boat.  There is no mystery to this.  The umps may not always be popular, but they do represent the majority view of the bass fishing population.  

Ike is young, impulse, and obviously not always in control of his emotions.  But you either learn to control them, or they control you.  He lost the battle this time with his emotions, and it got caught on tape.  There is not just a rumor, the film speaks for itself.  I was more appalled and disappointed with all the media coverage it got, than the mistake itself.  

But you will notice, not one announcer disagreed with the call.  Many who call him "friend" admitted he went over the line, and one predicted that as soon as Ike calms down, he will admit this down the road.  

I am not casting stones, for I have payed too many times in my own life for acting without thinking.  I know exactly what it means to initially deny the facts, and then deal with the embarassment, and then have to stand up and admit your mistake.  Experiences like this either make you "bitter" or "better".  If Ike is as smart as people want to think he is, he'll learn just like the rest of us, too often by the hard way.  But I truly hopes he'll use this opportunity to show his fans the mature way to learn from one's mistakes.  

Other than that... I have no opinion!

The transcript is in the classic page on bassmaster.com to the left below the picture flip screen album.

Rev et al,
A great description of the "rules" and the lack of discipline expressed by Ike.  I have an even better one for you.  For those that do not know me very well, I am a hoops junkie.  Completely love the game and I have been involved with HS athletes for over 20 years.  Today, I was looking forward to watching a girls game here in Ellensburg.  It is a big regional tournament and there was a team there that I really wanted to watch.  At any rate, the girls were as good as advertised and were up by 22 in the third quarter.  As I was watching their coach, he could not shut-up.  Always ragging on the ref and hollering at his players.  I mean it was bad.  I know this guy a little bit and always thought highly of him.  Any way, one of his players turns the ball over and he thinks she got fouled.  He loses it with the ref and gets a technical foul called on his team.  Remember, he is up 20 and his girls are in complete control.  The gym falls pretty quiet, and then someone hollars out of the silence, "sit down and shut-up".  The whole place starts to applaud and totally humiliates this guy.  I did feel pretty bad for his team, but he deserved all he was getting.  They did finally win by 10, but the whole game was marred by his inability to deal with his emotions.  As a coach myself, we have a serious duty to keep our cool to teach the kids that there is a proper behavior when there is chaos.  Also worth noting, is the team name is LaSalle, a private Christian high school in Yakima.  My point is that Ike probably has never had anybody teach him, or his second personality, any method of professional behavior.  It does not surprise me and I see it all the time.  Disgusting. 

Luke was still in first after day 2 with about a five pound lead.  Day three has 30mph winds, bad rain.  As of 9:03 pst, Luke has 4 in the boat.  Scroggins has 5 though and making a big push is KVD.  He's caught 14 and is holding 8.  Hope he turned the air on....

Congradulations Luke.  BassMaster history too !

Congrats to Luke, but I was quite disappointed with the whole 3 day show deal. Way too many repeat commercials and very if any action.
Thats the last one I watch. Heck FLW shows three times as much action.
Russ

I'm glad Luke won.

The show was boring -- all three days.

Ike's antics were overblown and overrated by the press.  He admitted on the same day he messed up and publicly apologized profusely, but people have a need to hate, and not forgive, and the press has a need to feed off the hate.  
I think he learned his lesson.  I mean, if you made a mistake that cost you $500,000 and the respect of your fans and sponsors, wouldn't you sit up and take notice?  

Oh well... it seems to have taken away from Luke's win, adn that's too bad.  Congrats to him.  I hope a few years from now, nobody hates him too.

FYI - Luke is sponsored by Ranger, and gets his boat from Valley Marine.  I talked to the Conraths on Saturday and you can tell they were both excited and nervous for Luke.

Just way too cool to have this happen to a "local boy".