“I can help…”
Dateline: Michigan
“The state of bass fishing in Michigan is flat out incredible.”
Paul Sacks
President
Michigan B.A.S.S. Nation
It is always those behind the scenes, who make those scenes work.
There would be no stage, without stage hands.
Gladys Knight is great, but the Pips didn’t hurt her none.
And here in Motown, most of the greats from this area would have been only “OK” without the incredible backup music of the house band, The Funk Brothers. Google them, you’ll be amazed.
I have been flat-out blessed, not by an ability to put words to paper, but blessed to have the support, the comfort, the encouragement of those around me who understand what writing on the edge is all about and who stick by me and pick me up when I fall, bring me back down to earth when I succeed.
Civilization is the parts, making the whole.
And to me, the greatest stories are about the parts.
This is a flat-out homage to them parts.
When you see full-frontal B.A.S.S, the stage, the big camera on the jib, the weigh-in, the trophies being held, the tears being shed…that’s Machine B.A.S.S., but the oil for that machine are the dozens and dozens of people that you for the most part don’t see, don’t notice.
We have all around us employees of B.A.S.S., we have all around us independent contractors who set things up and take things down, but we also have volunteers.
Volunteers. Most of whom, if not all of whom, come to us to help from the local B.A.S.S Nation clubs of the B.A.S.S. Nation that we happen to be standing in.
When we are in Florida…it’s the Florida Nation helping out, in New York, the New York Nation lending a hand, and so on. Here on the shores of Lake St. Clair, north some of Detroit, helping us out here are the members of the Michigan B.A.S.S. Nation, and I’d like you to meet them.
“…I’ve got two strong arms…”
The Michigan B.A.S.S. Nation volunteers: Brian Lobkovich, Steve Fenske, Mark Wilson, Larry Gargus, Gunner Wilson, Gary Emerson, Paul Wagner, Jerry Doucette, CJ Hatton, Paul Sacks
These Michigan Nation folks are pretty much just like all of the B.A.S.S. Nation folks. Here today we have a master mechanic; three firemen, two active, one retired; a pharmacist; a construction business owner; a couple retired guys, one from General Motors right down the boulevard.
Ten or twelve total, counting two high school kids who also belong to the Michigan B.A.S.S Nation.
Every one of the guys, here to help, volunteering to help.
Here, meet a couple of them:
Mark and Gunner Wilson
Father and son, Mark (dad) and Gunner (son) Wilson, members of the Michigan Bass Anglers club. Mark is working the table where the anglers first bring the fish to, his 15-year-old son runs the bags back to the boats.
Dad (an active firefighter): “I love everything about Michigan, the four seasons, the outdoors, hunting and fishing, great place to raise kids.”
Son (sophomore in high school and avid Detroit Red Wings fan): He looks up at Dad and smiles. “My father and I have been fishing together since I was four years old. I’ve now been fishing competitively since I was 10, hoping to go to college, a college with a bass-fishing team.”
Meet:
Paul Wagner
Paul Wagner (retired captain, Ypsilanti FD): Paul, another Michigan Bass Anglers club guy, takes the hand-off of the fish from the stage and carries the bass over to the release boats. “Michigan is just home, just home, born here, raised here, will die here. Unless you come up here you have no idea the size of, and the diversity of, the Great Lakes. The fishing is just phenomenal here. Won’t take anything away from any other state, but we here in Michigan can hold our own bass fishing-wise against any other states…except of course when the lakes freeze over.”
I have to tell you, I immediately liked Paul, I watched as he reached over and opened a cooler and dug out of the ice a cold can of beer…root beer. My go-to favorite drink, then he holds it out to me and says, “You want some pop?”
The word “pop” immediately brings me back home to Buffalo where we also call soft drinks “pop.”
But I also like him because of the last thing he told me, the interview was done, I got up shook his hand, thanked him for talking to me and for volunteering to help us out when he said, “I also love this area because I met my wife here, my wife Diana, I have a fantastic wife, just fantastic, you know.”
I know the feeling Paul, know the feeling, and I thank you for showing the love and support for the wives behind many of us guys, the wives who make so much of all we do possible.
“…it would sure do me good…”
Larry Gargus
Larry Gargus (retired from GM): This life member, and one of the guys from the Michigan Bass Gang club, is also bringing fish to the release boats. “We’ve got some of the best smallmouth fishing in the country; the roads could use some help around here, but the fish, we’ve got the fish.”
Larry and I talk some about the roads, you know, it’s up north, same thing back home in Buffalo or over in Connecticut, invasive-species problem: potholes.
Larry: “I’ve been a life member since 1970 (which, by the way, never seems far back to me since I remember the year well ‘cept it was 44 years ago, which always shocks the bejesus out of me), but I’m also the historian for the Michigan Nation, I have all the history of B.A.S.S. fishing in totes and totes at my house.”
Larry my friend, I’ll be back next September for the Elite tourney here…going to be making a trip to see some of those totes, and what’s inside, at your house. See you then.
Gary Emerson
Then comes Gary: Gary Emerson (retired master auto mechanic…who I bet can still swing a mean wrench) from the Cheery Capital Bass Anglers club stands at the foot of the stairs that lead off the stage and is the guy who hands the anglers a tiny slip of paper that tells them how much their fish weighed and some other stuff that I forgot to ask about. “I grew up in almost a magical place; as a kid I played in ponds, creeks, rivers, spent all my time outdoors, can’t think of a better way to grow up. I love Michigan…”
…But as I was walking away, Gary tossed one other tidbit out: “…love Michigan…Bears fan, Chicago Bears fan though.”
I didn’t mention to him I’m a big Buffalo Bills fan and we play the Bears this coming Sunday, didn’t say anything because I kind of have a bad feeling on how that game may turn out. Zona, my friend, no mas, no mas on this game.
“…to do you good…”
The colorful Paul Sacks, president of the Michigan B.A.S.S. Nation
“db, our membership here has been strong, we are right around 550 members right now.”
Paul Sacks has been the president of the Michigan B.A.S.S. Nation for the past nine years and he is out back of the B.A.S.S. trailers schlepping around hoses and cables.
A retired pharmacist, he has been battling health problems for years, he doesn’t say much about it, just pitches in where he can, and he does so often. “You know when the Elites come up here, and I’m so happy to see them coming back next year, when those guys show up we pick up 25-30 new members every time the Elites come to town.”
As we stand and talk, I catch Paul watching CJ Hatton, a high school senior and member of the Michigan Bass Anglers club, working right up front on stage next to Chris Bowes, the Opens tournament director. Every time Paul looks that way, he smiles.
“We are getting kids coming to the sport now, especially those high-school kids like CJ, it is really going strong, believe it or not, but in 2015 we are going to double the number of high-school kids we will have taking part with us.”
As Paul told me that, he never took his eyes off the stage.
“…let me help…”
Myself and retired GM Corvette test driver Jerry Doucette
To be honest with you, I was starstruck with the last volunteer I interviewed, Jerry Doucette of the Sterling Heights Bass Club.
I don’t ask to have my picture taken with many folks; I’m always willing and honored to take selfies with folks, take photos with folks, but I don’t on my own ask to have my picture taken with many.
I asked Jerry for that honor though.
Here’s why, the exact beginning interview with Jerry:
“So tell me, what’s your name?”
“Jerry Doucette.”
“And what do you do for a living?”
“I’m retired from General Motors.”
“Cool, what did you do there?”
“I was a test driver for General Motors; I was a test driver in their Corvette group.”
And I put the pen down.
OMG.
When I called my wife, Barb, up after the interview and told her who I met and what he did, all she did was laugh and say, “You just met your dream job.”
I am suddenly a kid, I don’t know what to say, the interview has pretty much gone out the window, I’m fumbling for words, OMG…a Corvette test driver.
The first car I ever owned was a Corvette; it got stolen right out from under me and I’ve never been able to replace it, what with being practical and married, and with two kids and college bills, and a mortgage and taxes and tax fines, and replaced hips that would have trouble getting into Corvette seats, and with my good friend Mac being the guy who put the hips in and, since he is a good friend, he would at some point find out that I would be lying to him and saying I wasn’t driving a ‘Vette especially when I pick him up at his house or hip-replacing office in the above-mentioned lie.
For 20 or so minutes I told poor Jerry all this. Every time he said something I had to stop and compose myself.
“I was the high-speed track tester, did that and also worked the city track, ramped the Corvettes up on the high-speed track to test the speed factors, went down on the street course to check, you know, handling and suspension issues.”
I’m telling myself to be composed, not sure Jerry is buying it much though.
“Most of the times, Don, the Corvette was all sealed up like a Batmobile or something; we would have the automobile press with photographers up in the trees around the track trying to get photos of the new prototypes we were out there testing.”
Composure, Don, composure.
“Sometimes, especially when we were introducing new things, new models, we would go out there at night and test, pitch dark all around, and I’m on the high-speed track or coming through the chicanes and suddenly dropping down a curve on a hill, trees on both sides, just me and the car, was quite thrilling actually, quite enjoyable.”
Had to ask: “Favorite Corvette?”
“The one that came out with that Lotus engine, that was really nice, real nice, but bringing a Lotus engine to a Chevy dealer to get fixed was an issue. But after that, no doubt favorite, the 2011 C6 in Black, love that car, love looking at it, loved testing it.”
That’s when I stopped everything and had my photo taken with Jerry.
I once met an astronaut who told me simply this, “I just sit atop of a bomb, it’s all the people around me, all the crew on the ground that make it a spaceship.”
To all the B.A.S.S. Nation members, all those local club members, who show up when we show up in your town, to all of you who volunteer, to all of you who have our back (stage), thank you.
You are our crew on the ground.
Please do not think we forget that, please do not think we don’t need your help, please know how much we respect you for all you do.
And from me personally, it is an honor when I shake your hand…hands.
“I Can Help”
Billy Swan
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