By Matt Williams
Outdoors Writer
NACOGDOCHES —
Professional bass fishing pundits and weekend warriors around the globe seem split in their conclusions of how the 2010 BASS Angler of Year points race played out between the sport’s two hottest sticks last weekend on Alabama River in Montgomery, Ala.
Some are calling the outcome a travesty that culminated under a hokey format that needs to be trashed. Others say the chips fell as they should have, and that the best angler won the title under a set of rules that were in place long before the title was decided.
I’m with the latter crowd on this one.
Fishing under a unique, postseason points format that weighs heavily on the final two events, Kevin VanDam, of Kalamazoo, Mich., collected his sixth AOY title on the heels of back-to-back performances that exemplify his status as a sledge hammer who will beat you down when the stakes are the highest.
VanDam, 42, turned in a third-place finish in the opening postseason event on Lake Jordon on Wetumpka, Ala., then followed up with his 19th BASS career victory in the finale on the Alabama River.
Meanwhile, Skeet Reese of Auburn, Calif., wound up third in the AOY points behind KVD and Oklahoma’s Edwin Evers after finishing 10th at Jordon and sixth at the river.
Reese, 41, entered the postseason with a bull’s-eye on his back after building an AOY lead of more than 100 points through eight regular-season events. Not only did Reese lead the AOY points race all year long, he dominated it on the tails of a fairy tale regular season that included six top 5 finishes and pair of victories while competing against a full field.
No doubt, Reese’s 2010 regular-season performance ranks among the most remarkably consistent in BASS history. Therein lies the rub some have with the postseason format.
BASS, currently owned by ESPN, readjusts the points during the postseason to tighten the competition, create drama and ultimately make for better television footage. To see such a historical year erased by an altered points system that places more emphasis on a pair of postseason tournaments than the rest of the season is what some bass fishing fans are calling a farce.
It is worth noting at this point that the 2009 AOY points race was decided in an eerily similar fashion on Alabama River, with the same two players battling for the trophy to the very end. VanDam won that fight as well, unseating Reese from the AOY points lead he’d built before the postseason got underway.
There is a unified belief among many followers of the sport that Reese has been robbed of an AOY title for two seasons in a row. Not to take anything away from Reese’s ability to catch bass, but I have to disagree.
Pressure can make diamonds or it can make dust. VanDam made diamonds under pressure by reeling in bass when the stakes were at a premium. Meanwhile, Reese turned in sub-par performances when he needed to fish at the top of his game. As a result, the California pro choked on his own dust.
