Tommy Sanders and Mark Zona - Guess Who's Back! on MERCER-192

It’s the Mercer Podcast Festive Special and it’s a good one! What Pat Summerall and John Madden were to Football, Tommy Sanders and Mark Zona are to Professional Bass Fishing. Both are individually members of the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame. But together they have a unique chemistry and an engaging connection that not only educates but it entertains. This week T & Z join the podcast and reunite for a candid conversation and a couple of very JUICY announcements that will make every Bassmaster fan very HAPPY!!! #TnZ

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
It is the festive
special and
we have cooked up something
a little extra special.
We are doubling down on guests
here this week
with two very big announce moments.
They are both Bass Fishing
Hall of Fame
inductees, the great Tommy
Sanders and Mark Zona
join me this week on.

(00:22):
You look
nothing like a lot
more than the rest.
I'm Bob Gard for the Bassmaster.
Welcome to Mercer.
Welcome one.
Welcome, all friends,
family, freeloaders, fishing freaks,
and of course, my jumpers.
Welcome to the Awkwardly

(00:42):
Honest Fishing podcast
that goes by my last name,
which is Mercer.
This is the
192nd edition of the Mercer Podcast.
And I hope wherever you are in the world,
whether you're listening
or watching this show,
I hope life is treating you well.
This past week, a crazy week in fishing.
A lot of stories.

(01:03):
Not that I'm
not going to talk about those,
but I'm just going to
leave it till we have a guest on the show
that's connected to some of that,
because there's
plenty of podcasts
and and internet things talking
about that.
And this is a time of celebration.
I mean, it's a busy time of year
and we're seven days away from Christmas,

(01:26):
which means I am
six days away
from starting Christmas shopping. Buddy.
It's a busy time.
I mean, podcasts need to be made.
Tomorrow's a big day for me.
It's my birthday,
so I'm looking forward to that.
Got big plans.
Another thing
that I'm really excited about
is you guys,
the fine
jumpers that support
everything that I do on this channel

(01:48):
and I'm so thankful for you,
Byron Velvick a great guest last week.
I love having him on here.
So many incredible stories.
We're already planning the show
in the new year,
but one of
the things that he promoted
is Byron's Bunker,
where he's
selling a bunch of cool tackle
and things that are a mega deal,
but also some historical stuff,

(02:09):
some really cool stuff.
In it's Byron's bunker and eBay,
he said on the show.
If you tell him you're a jumper
and you make a purchase,
he'll throw a little extra something.
He call me after the show,
and he was amazed at the amount of you
that reached out.
So thank you, thank you.
That truly makes a difference when you
support a guest
after they're on the show.

(02:29):
That makes them
just want to come back on here more.
When you support a sponsor,
when you reach out,
when you send a message,
you say,
thanks for supporting
the show that I love.
It truly makes a big difference.
So check it out and and check out this
because he's put on some new items
and I told you he's
got some historical stuff.
One of the coolest things ever
a 2006 Mike, Ike and Ellie

(02:50):
signed Jersey almost 20 years old.
That jersey
is from his angler of the year season
and it is flamed out embroidered for the
youthful viewers.
Embroidery was something
that used to happen
before sublimated shirts,
but it is prime icon Ellie.
It is a beautiful shirt and is signed.

(03:12):
It's a cool piece of bass
fishing memorabilia
and if you jump on there and bids,
you may
or may not be bidding against me because,
I mean, I'd like to have it.
It's very, very cool.
We're going
to have a fun
show about a lot to celebrate,
incredible guests

(03:32):
with an incredible announcement.
But before we get into that,
I just want to take a moment
and talk about what
we're all going to experience
in the next week.
I mean, it is the festive season.
It's about family.
It's about being together.
It's about shutting down
and focusing on what really matters.

(03:53):
And that is a tremendous thing.
I mean, anybody
everybody's excited about it.
I mean, you don't have to look
far to see people are excited about it.
But he also, when things are not going
well in your life,
it also can be a very, very tough time.
And,
because there's no distraction,

(04:14):
there's no going to work.
There's no you're focused on your family.
Well, if
tough things are happening,
that makes it even tougher.
And one of our longtime viewers,
I believe he's watched since day
number one,
I'm not going to single him out
by his name,
but he's going through something
tremendously tough.
Basically every parent's nightmare.

(04:35):
And I don't know how you recover from it.
I don't know,
there is no words that I could express
towards him and his family,
but I just want to say,
I'm thinking about you
and we're praying for you.
I mean, thoughts and prayers
is the most overused analogy
there is if you're a

(04:56):
Pat McAfee fan, he says TS and PS but
I'm sending them out to you guys.
And not just that individual.
I'm sure there's several people
watching this show
and they want to watch it
as a distraction, but
we're thinking about people
that are dealing with tough things.
And,

(05:16):
I hope that helps
ease the burden a little bit.
And as a group,
I would encourage you all to
think about those people,
think about and keep it in mind
when you're running in into stores
and people are
butting in front of each other
rather than throwing the bird up,
you know, I don't need to show it.

(05:40):
You don't know what's going on
in somebody's car.
You don't know where somebody's
driving from or driving to
and what they're dealing with.
So let's try to be a little kinder
this festive season.
Speaking of being kind,
something we started earlier
this month is making it rain prizes
for you guys
because you're such
incredible supporters.

(06:02):
And this past weekend's winner,
they won themselves.
This bad boy right here
showed it to you guys last week.
It is
a Plano edge
soft plastic organizer, jam packed
with Berkeley baits.
Well over
$300 value right there.

(06:24):
Our winner this week.
I'm told we can have drum rolls so
if it doesn't work, it's not my fault.
But drum roll please.
We put on Halliburton.
Hooked on Halliburton.
You will win that prize pack.
I will reach out to you. Congratulations.
Hopefully you're listening and hear this

(06:46):
before we even reach out to you.
Because it's even better that way.
And thank you for your support.
We will be in touch.
DM DM me on Instagram
and give me your mailing address
because most people don't
want to put their address
on a public forum.
And I understand that.
DM me on Instagram.

(07:07):
I will get you that prize pack.
Congratulations.
Thank you for your support.
And once again, we reach that point
where you're like,
I didn't win, I never win.
Well, there's more opportunities.
First of all,
we got a cool contest
going with BC right now BC hooks.
Earlier this month
I gave away that OCD box.

(07:28):
We're giving away another one.
If you go over to Instagram,
you'll see my post.
It's from last Friday.
It ends this coming Friday, December 20th
and all you got to do is this.
It's a simple Instagram contest.
You know, you go to like my account.
You have to like the BC account.
My account is Facts of Fishing.
And you have to tag three friends.
And we're going to randomly draw

(07:49):
and giveaway
one of those boxes,
making the festive season
oh so much more festive.
And again, you're thinking I didn't win.
Well, no, you're not thinking that
because nobody's won that yet.
But there is another
big contest here on the podcast.
And this one, I mean,
it's the end of the year.
It's got to be a mega prize.
We got a Plano Edge box.

(08:11):
This is actually the line keeper.
I mean, it's really cool setup,
but I've got it buried in baits.
Look at how many baits you got in there.
I got all sorts of Berkley
baits, some BKK hooks, an
AFTCO cool microfiber cloth
which I have them all over my boat,
a pair of Costas.

(08:31):
So you got sunglasses, you got the Plano
Edge box.
That thing's worth over 500 bucks.
That whole package right there.
And all you have to do
is like, comment and subscribe.
You need to like this video.
You need to comment on this video
and need to be subscribed
to this channel.
And of course, you need to include

(08:53):
something in the comments.
And I'm going to go
because it's a multi-pack this week
I'm just going to go with jumper.
I mean, that'll be fun.
Just make sure
jumper is somewhere in your
in your comment.
I mean you make your comment,
just put jumper at the end.
You can include jumper in your comment.
Some of you are very very creative.
I love all of you fine jumpers

(09:14):
and I look forward to giving that away.
That will be given away on January 1st,
which is our next show.
We do not have a show next Wednesday
because it is Christmas
and it's the only day I take off.
I mean, it's the only week
we take off from the podcast
all year long.
Which is amazing to me.
I mean, 192 episodes.

(09:37):
Basically been at this for four years
and the way it continues to grow
and everything is truly, truly amazing.
So thank you all.
Make sure you enter this week's contest.
Let's blow up the comments.
Last week
I think we had 8 or 900 comments
split up.
Let's get over a G.
Let's get over
a G in comments over a thousand.
Translate for you.

(09:58):
And then I'm also going to do
a bonus prize.
I'm going to do a bonus prize
not shown to you right here,
but for our streamers.
And I thank all of you
that have come over from streaming
services and comments on YouTube.
Keep that up.
I mean, watching all platforms.
I am thankful for every single watch.
But if you put a review
on Spotify, you put a review on

(10:22):
Apple Podcasts.
Wherever you're listening
to your podcast, if you comment,
we will go through those comments.
This,
you know, over the festive season
and we will have a double winner.
Another big prize.
So make sure you blow up
those reviews, the ratings
and everything on streaming services,
all of that.
As I always say, to stroke the algorithm,

(10:42):
if you stroke the algorithm,
the show will continue to come.
If you don't, well,
I mean, I'm still going to just do it.
Please.
So this is our final show of the year.
And I wanted,
you know, it's our festive special.
We always try to do something
a little extra special.
And I think this year
we have knocked it out of the park.

(11:04):
We have two amazing guests
with a very, very exciting announcement.
And, they're two of my best friends.
I mean, they are.
When I started the best, they
were I mean, if it wasn't for someone,
there's no way I get the job at best.
But they have
given so much to me personally,

(11:26):
but given so much to all of us.
And what I mean by that is they are
this generation's Bob Cobb or Ray Scott.
They are the voice that narrates
all those amazing Bassmaster moments.
And the world
kind of came to a screeching
halt earlier this year
when Zona announced his retirement.

(11:47):
But I am happy to reunite
the tandem that
literally is in people's dreams.
I mean, you know what I'm saying?

You hear people come to the elite series
and they're like,
I'm excited to hear Tommy
and Zona talk about me
because they're just that voice. It's

(12:08):
they're incredible people,
incredible friends,
and they truly
are the gift that keeps on giving.
The one and only Tommy Sanders
and Mark Zona.
It is the season of giving it.
And I could think of no better way
to give back to the fine folks that
tune in here each and every week.

(12:30):
And I am so thankful for all of you,
the giving you the gift
that keeps on giving.
Tommy Sanders marks on the world
the greatest broadcast tandem in outdoors
media history.
Maybe.
And I would put you right up there with
I mean, I would love to.
I've said it a million times,
I'd love to see you
to Monday Night Football.

(12:50):
Anything but welcome.
How are you boys doing?
Fantastic. Good day.
Thank you, thank you.
What a weighty intro there.
I don't know, it's awesome.
Yeah, yeah, well, you guys are pretty.
I mean, so not.
Yeah.
I don't think you guys realize
what you have.
I mean, I said it about zone
at the Hall of Fame, and I truly mean it.

(13:11):
You guys are two rare people
who, when you say words,
the words get louder,
the pictures get brighter.
I mean, you guys painted.
I don't think you know the impact
that you've had on people over the years.
Do you have any idea
X I know the impact Z
has because,
you know,
I mean,
the people just follow him around
like he's, you know,

(13:31):
Moses or something, like he really does.
He really does have some people. Yeah.
So I don't know.
I'm not sure about mine,
but I'm happy to play the,
the role of the setup guy for the
for the man himself right up there,
you know, you know Dave,
what's strange about it and I've talked
I've talked to you about this.
I've said I've talked to Tommy about this

(13:52):
a long time.
And these
general just communication
and and chemistry is it's a very
it's a hard thing to find.
It's a very, very hard thing to find.
But what has been I don't this
sounds really strange to
go into this, but,
when Tommy and
I started working together,

(14:13):
that was back in the.
And I texted you this
actually this morning
that was way back in the ESPN days,
and and I was
obviously I was used to working
when I started at JM,
I was working with Tommy,
Mike McInnis and Jerry McInnis.
But then we would have we
I don't want to say

(14:34):
that we were
like the Chicago Bears of recent,
but I thought
Tommy and I had some potential together.
But but we had
when we would go up to certain
classics and certain majors,
I think we had some bad coaching,
which I think was good for us.
I think it was, yeah, it's good learning.
What not to do is
sometimes as important as learning

(14:55):
what to do.
I believe that, you know, I saw
that they posted a thing on you
in bass master coms,
you know, on the occasion of your,
you know, stepping back
and everything like that.
And they had a piece of video.
I don't know if you saw this
of the very first time
we were on camera together
for the bass masters,
doing the posted show
for the bass Masters.
And it was it was surprised.

(15:16):
It seemed surprisingly comfortable.
This,
which is really I,
you know, from my experience,
not a common occurrence
for the first time to talk to, you know,
eerily similar to, to
to doing this with Dave.
There's always like, some awkwardness,
throughout most
so now
and I
genuinely I take it as a compliment,

(15:38):
I really do.
It's genuinely true.
Like, listen, I just did.
Dave, I talked to you about this.
I just did
a, video, a piece for, for hummingbird.
And and the,
the person that I was doing
some some of the,
you know, the features, at
you either have chemistry with somebody
or you do not.

(15:59):
And it's not something you can
what I've learned
and and I know
I don't want to speak for Tommy on
this is
man.
It either
just kind of works and flows
or it just doesn't.
And what's strange is I really enjoy,
when it doesn't
because it gets into a very awkward

(16:19):
pausing situation
and nobody knowing what the hell to say.
And I've never, I've never.
It's strange. Tom.
Tommy is like that college roommate.
I never had,
where you kind of know
exactly what he's thinking
and what he wants to do for the evening.
Yeah, you don't even need to.
It's just very strangely natural.

(16:42):
It's.
It really helps to have
someone who's as demented as you are.
And I appreciate that,
you know, to bounce back that.
What should that story you just told me?
I can I can relate a similar story.
Back in the earlier days
when when we were
I would I would host ESPN outdoors.
There's sometimes be guest on there
and sometimes for other projects.
You had a guy and this was with a, a,

(17:05):
a very top level,
figure in a major
American sport and a very nice guy.
And, he, he's now in broadcasting.
I think he does more radio than anything.
But I did the interview with.
And the way of not connecting he was
it was super to talk to in person,
driving around the car and everything.

(17:25):
But we would do an on camera, a two shot.
As I say, let's talk to each other.
Right?
And I would look at him and he would
he would be looking at an object,
you know, he'd be right there.
But he was looking at an object
45 degrees away.
He could not look at me
while we were doing this,
while we were doing the thing.
And I thought, that is so odd.
That is so strange.

(17:46):
And I it worked anyway.
And I say was a super nice guy,
but that was really odd.
It's hard to work that way.
He look at you and you were
like casually talking now.
Oh yeah.
When we were casually talking about,
okay, no problem at all.
It was just the on camera.
He got in a mindset
that I can't be distracted
by this person's face looking at me

(18:06):
the next time.
The next time we work together,
I'm going to start looking off
to the northeast.
And zero eye contact
and weird and I'll, I'll,
I'll I'll freak out probably.
Oh, what was they.
What? I mean, you guys, you ladies.
You said it looked
remarkably comfortable on camera, but,

(18:26):
Tommy, you went from a previous tizzy.
Jeremy Kenneth was hosting
the best masters with you, correct?
Yeah.
That's a big difference in personalities.
Oh, it's everything it is.
It's a
it was a little more laid back
I think with Jerry.
Jerry still,
you know,
had great energy and everything like.

(18:47):
Yeah, it was just it
it was just a different thing.
It was, it was,
Jerry was,
you know, the same Jerry
you knew from the fishing hole and, and,
you know, from from 30 years ago.
So it was
it was definitely different than that.
But, it was
I was just
I was just shocked by Marcus on
how great he was.
I mean,
first time

(19:07):
I'd ever done anything like that,
you know, he'd been working it.
You've been working with,
with Jay and the gang on the varsity
basketball. Yeah.
What was the name of the show up now?
Says feud. That bastard is fine.
Okay, well, quite fit.
Quite fitting for this year. Really?
Yeah, exactly.
Exactly.
So did you ever see that?

(19:28):
So there was never a timid zone
like when he came in.
Was there?
Did you see nerves, or was he just this.
No, no no, no,
I remember that first time we met you,
you you medicine in Connecticut
to do a thing at the ESPN studios
and you didn't know.
And we pulled into the parking lot
at the same time, and I saw you,
but but
I, I was I wasn't totally sure it was you

(19:51):
because you had a skull cap on me,
Yeah, I had a skull cap on.
Yeah, you did, you did it.
Of course, but.
Right.
Well, I was,
and I think we're both a little,
a little bit, you know,
tentative during that, like,
which is a weird deal.
I can't remember what it was, though.
It was pretty strange,
but I guess it was,
I don't know what it was.
But anyway,
it was so different

(20:12):
when we could actually
sit down in the room
and work together on that.
Yeah.
And the shows, I was just so, so great.
You know, one, I guess one of the most
bizarre things was,
and Tommy, I've told you this, you were,
you were.
And our
take our working relationship aside, your
Al Michaels, Joe Buck,

(20:33):
Vin Scully all wrapped into one
before I started work there,
just because I was
I was an FLW
you FLW tournament show addict,
you know that.
I mean, I'll talk to you about that
at length.
I would burn,
I would burn, burn
VHS cassette tapes out.
Watching that.
And then when I
remember when I came to that first show,

(20:54):
I thought I completely sucked.
And I remember coming home and
and telling Karen,
hey, at least we can tell the kids
when they grow up.
I got to host the Bassmaster
one time with Tommy Sanders.
I was really kicked ass.
And, it it.
I may not have shown it.
I was terrified,
I was absolutely terrified.

(21:15):
I was as terrified the first one as I was
the first day of Bassmaster Live,
at Lake Hartwell.
Those were the two most terrifying
days, I believe, of my.
My tenure was the first day of work
and then the first day of asthma.
It never came across.
I can promise you, it never came across.
Of course, I was terrified, too.
Yeah, absolutely.

(21:36):
Absolutely.
We've
we've had several of those days, friend.
So several of those and like I said,
you know, looking looking back.
Yeah I mean this
I know it was hard,
but we don't talk about this on camera
a lot. There, there were some.
What if you, this is
one thing
that I talked to Dave about was,
if you remember, all the way back to

(21:56):
the dungeon of Birmingham.
Right.
Good morning.
Yes, yes.
Good morning. Mont.
That's what we called our show.
Yeah.
And, and these were some of that.
There was that tournament.
There was a couple different majors.
I remember one major
that was in Texas
where I would, you'd be on the set

(22:16):
and you're you're losing.
You're losing your mind. Well yeah.
With, with some of the folks
that we were working with at the time.
And I remember, Dave, this is no joke.
I would look at Tommy halfway
through the day taping and go,
have you ever been through
anything like this?
And before it would get out of my mouth,
he would go, no.
And I'm like, all right, all right.

(22:37):
Well,
maybe this is helping
us doing it together. Maybe.
And I do, I but I believe
I believe it did. Tommy.
It was almost
like, tragic to magic,
to the way it started.
Yeah.
Oh, I definitely
that kind of stuff makes you stronger
because you just you just start.

(22:57):
Your brain starts to figure out pathways
where you'll never get
put in that position again, you know,
if only for that reason.
It's valuable beyond beyond compare.
It's. Yes. True.
Why did you refer to that
one classic as The Dungeon?
Because we were shooting in the bottom
in the basement of a hotel,
a convention hotel,

(23:19):
that had supposedly
its own television equipment,
but it was very small
and very cramped
and very vaguely, claustrophobic.
And we were locked in there all day.
We had no video
coming from the coming from the lake
being the technology,
the state of the technology.
This is before live
and you just feel the stuff
and you just were, you know, there

(23:39):
they'd be peace in some things.
The people in the truck
were piecing things together
and then they'd say, okay,
we're ready to roll for you.
Get we get three to that.
That was that was the warning you got
and and make it make it work. Right.
And it wasn't.
But we didn't even know what the hell
we were going to look at.
We had no idea of what we could,
where it was going
or was or what

(23:59):
the score was at this time,
or what the actual situation. Yes.
But I'll tell you what, making the game.
Right.
So there was
there was basically three days
of just total rando random fish catches.
So you would try to create a story
about not knowing
what you were talking about.
What are you looking at
or what are you talking about?
But the the,
the over the top,

(24:20):
the gas on the fire to me was
where it was the tournament
where Gerald Swindle got penalized.
That he ought not to done that
with Randy Howell. Right.
And we we
because it was back in the ESPN time era,
we replayed that 317 times

(24:42):
in the better side of I'm going to say
90 minutes. Right.
And finally, Tommy could see that
my rev limiter was getting
was starting to peak.
And,
the executive producer from ESPN said,
his name was Patrick Cavanaugh.
Here's a he was a dandy and.
All right. And and

(25:03):
I said, I,
I can't, I can't, I can't,
I can't talk about it anymore.
We've just covered it.
We covered we covered it literally.
Tommy, you tell me.
We covered it 20 times in 30 minutes.
And I said, I can't, I can't,
I can't do this anymore.
I don't even know what the penalty.
Then we just had no info.
We got it. But he wanted you.
He wanted you to call somebody out.

(25:24):
He wanted you to take someone to task
and just completely be
judge and jury right there.
And I could tell
that was what made you
super uncomfortable.
Yes.
He wanted me to absolutely hang
Darryl Swindle. Yeah.
And I said, whoa,
I don't know the context of this.
I don't know the context of what
this stands.
I don't know the context of of a penalty.

(25:46):
I know nothing less.
I'm looking at a dude
driving a boat fast.
That's what I'm looking at.
And his exact words were,
you're paid to give an opinion
and you'll give one now,
that's not an exaggeration.
Boats go fast, boats go fast.
Oh, my God, this is traumatizing.
Targeted

(26:07):
therapies, therapy.
It's good to get it out there.
So you you referred to
you guys as a tandem.
You thought you had had some potential,
but you said we were like the bears.
So was that.
You're mad I ever flew, sir.
Who was your bat?
Flew on the way up.
It was all those.
But at least for me, it.
Well, I, I, I am speaking for Tommy.

(26:29):
There was a couple there. It was just.
And there's another thing.
There's a you know,
that's a that's a good question.
There's also besides having chemistry
with the dude
you're sitting next to is, is Tommy.
Tommy and I would talk
about the same B.S.
when we would get off cameras,
we would on camera.
So the other
the other dynamic in
there is the chemistry between us two

(26:52):
and whoever is driving the bus and,
and, and and the the really that's
for at least me the, the
who's the Kansas City coach.
What's his name?
Andy Reid, the Andy Reid. Great.
Andy Reid, the great Andy Reid.
So for me at least, is the dynamic name

(27:12):
of of of Mike McInnis and Michael
Middleton.
That's really the glue
behind the scenes
to make that chemistry,
I think come out.
We've so, so fortunate
to have people like the two
you just mentioned there to work with.
But I, you'll agree, is
the more you cycle
through these different

(27:33):
outlets, these networks and people
that come
and go producing you and everything,
you'll find out that,
you know, you might think
it's just a, Hollywood
sort of invention.
The, the,
the stock producers
sitting in a sitting in the truck
looking at three screens,
and there's a guy fixing to jump off
the Golden Gate Bridge, and he's going,
good stuff, good stuff.
Jump, jump, jump, jump, jump.
The actually there are few people like,

(27:56):
yes, yes,
we got to work with a couple of them
through the years.
You guys had some incredible
moments together.
Do you refer to the pre live days
as the good old days though?
I mean absolutely, yes,
absolutely.
Yeah.
It's like taking a world

(28:17):
you can
control and trading it in for a world
that is like you cannot be chaotic.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
That but more immediate
and more potentially way more
engaging than, than a post.
Yeah sure. Yeah.
Do you is that
I mean am I a weirdo to say this but
is that part of the appeal of your job

(28:39):
like it wasn't?
I mean, previous to life,
there was taped stuff
which you could go back and,
you know, if you
if you said something you didn't want to,
you could rerecord it. Whatever.
But as part of the appeal
of what you guys have been able
to do together,
that tightrope
that you walk on like that
at any minute,
like you don't ever stop to think,
I would say you'd be in the ditch.

(29:00):
But I think for what I get to do, it's
definitely part of the appeal.
Oh yeah. And when you.
And the best thing about when,
when it's done, the event is done,
you're done.
You walk away from it.
You don't have to mess with it anymore.
Yeah. You
it
it's that's hard because when,
you know, when Mercer.

(29:20):
I've talked to you about this,
Tommy and I would complain
when we would have to.
When we started doing live
hits from tournaments,
we would do live hits for ten minutes.
And then Mike extended it to 15,
which created a lot of chaos with the.
Tommy and I were like,
wow, we're having it,
you know, say he mimics 15 minutes.

(29:42):
Do you have to watch New Day?
Why don't we just go to 30 next time?
But yeah, I think somewhere in there,
there was there was an is,
you know,
when you're not doing
pre produced content there, there is a
I think there's
more of a rush of the unknown.

(30:02):
You know what. You know what I'm saying.
The not knowing look it was very
we got to try to tell a story together
while the story
was unfolding in front of the viewer.
And, it took

(30:23):
it took a little bit of time, I think,
to understand. Just call
Tommy's best advice
that he
gave me many, many years ago,
two decades ago.
Just tell us what what just happened.
Just tell us what just happened.
Yeah.
You have to to fill it with,
you know, tangible info.

(30:45):
But if you really
tell us what just happened
and most of all, most of all,
let it breathe,
let it breathe, let
let the first morning of the classic,
let the silence be tense.
Those are the things, as time has gone
on, that I think Tommy and myself

(31:07):
understood together there
another famous Tommy Sanders line.
Don't ever
miss the opportunity to to shut up.
You know, and and
and knowing when that time is
and then knowing when.
All right.
Now we got to fill some.
We got to fill some time here. Yeah.
Yeah I mean this
this is we'll never have a
this sport will be never one
that you can buy a ticket

(31:28):
and sit down and watch it
take place live in front of
you have to let
you have to let those sounds
and just and periods
where people don't talk,
you know, play out in front of people
because that's what they'll do
so many of them can identify with and,
you know,
you may convince yourself
that they really miss me talking,
but they really don't.

(31:49):
Has it
gotten harder to let it breathe
in the last number of years?
Just if I look
with the increase of cameras,
you know, the increase of,
you know,
we got that many more people
that are being covered,
that many more features
that need to be played out.
Is that a battle on live now?
I'll let Tommy answer that.

(32:11):
Yeah.
But but but you know, the
the the
the upside is, is so much more valuable
when you got more cameras,
you're,
you're more likely going
to have something had,
you know, some juice.
You just you just can't watch a guy
take his practice swing at golf for,
for 30 minutes.
Except in fishing,
you get you sometimes
get put into the into that's
a similar sort of equivalent situation.

(32:33):
So yeah, the upside
just far, far outweighs
the downside of that.
Yeah.
At the beginning that's
every once in a while
have people say, well,
why don't you drive around
and do the goofy stuff you used to do?
And I'm like,
because we have cameras that work now,
like back, right?
And I remember it would be like,
let's just just keep talking.
And I'm like, well, I'm talking to it.
So this is nothing
to do with the tournament.

(32:54):
But we had no cameras,
you know, at the beginning,
what do we start with, like four cameras
and then
only cameras for,
for three hours or something like that.
Yeah, yeah.
And now you got ten
and and a lot more reliable too, like.
Oh yeah. The segment.
Yeah.
We're structured way better.
Yeah.
Was that the most terrifying day

(33:15):
for you guys.
The day you kind of live.
Yeah.
For ESPN more than Fox.
Any of that stuff
we've you know that it's done well
from from the standpoint of, you know
going into a,
a classic production
and really none of us knowing

(33:36):
what was coming the next day,
you know what I mean?
It was it was more,
I guess when, when a camera,
I think the first camera that popped up,
I think it was Casey,
actually, is to see a camera
that popped up and a dude
actually casting live.
It was more there was a sense of relief.
Oh, wow.

(33:57):
Look at that. Worked. Yeah.
It worked.
And granted a lot of it back then.
Besides that first day
going past that first day.
I know you were driving
when Bassmaster Live went live that day.
And you also knew
that that was a turning point
in how this would be consumed.

(34:21):
You know,
like I said,
I used to burn out VHS tapes.
I would have been
I would have been a Bassmaster
Live junkie
if I could be at work
or all my buddies now
watch it
when they're out fishing at a tournament,
they'll just click it on live
and just listen to it all day.
Not even visually look at it.
Just listen to it.
But you knew,

(34:42):
you know,
the also I give, I give Mike McInnis.
Bowman
and that whole group at GM and I'm not
this is just factual.
I give them
a huge amount of credit
for rolling the dice and just saying,
all right, let's let's flip the switch.
Now, with that being said,
let me tap into something else.

(35:03):
And this took
Tommy and myself a very long time
till very long time to learn
is every mike is hot.
Yeah.
I think there was
one time in the, in the, the GM
cafeteria,
somebody ran in and they're like,

(35:24):
mikes are hot.
And somebody posted a comment.
Wow.
The show better during commercials.
That's why I.
Those are some great imitations
you guys are doing there.
Yes. Yes.
Okay.
And I think what it was
oh my God, what have I shown.
What have I said.
And we said some stuff

(35:46):
is what we always do for funny stuff.
And you had to be there.
You had to be there.
You can't. Are you.
I mean, I am as equally I mean,
I think I always knew
that life
would be as successful as it was because,
I mean,
I remember that
first morning, like you said,
I was driving in the car

(36:06):
and I remember, like,
taking pictures of my phone,
showing I'm driving in a car
and I'm watching this.
And then I was in the elevator
at the hotel
and I'm like, I'm at the elevator
and I'm still watching this, like that.
Exciting.
But,
I think I'm is equally
impressed that nobody ever like it.
Up to this point,
there hasn't been a real bad hot Mike,

(36:30):
you know?
You know what I mean?
Like like
we're we're.
Yeah.
I mean, I would have petty like,
if you viewed 20 years ago,
if somebody said you're going to do this
for this long and you're going to
I mean, oh, we came we came very close,
I would say.
Yeah. Yeah.
I mean it's like the, the, the,

(36:51):
I think the worst hot
mike incident that we had together
was actually before
it's before Bassmaster Live.
It was in the ESPN days
and there was a certain
there was a certain producer
that was like he was a handful and
I was on the set
with Tommy, and I had had my fill of him

(37:11):
and let it rip.
And somebody goes, hey,
your live at the truck.
I'm like,
can't take that back.
I can't take that back.
It's not like that bad.
Yeah, yeah.
So you just committed to it.
Well sadly, sadly
he was the person that that
that signed my contract
which in return I was sitting there.

(37:32):
You get that warm feeling where I'm like,
well, I just wrapped up my whole career
right there.
So like Tommy
said, let's let's just move on.
What?
Tommy, how hard was it over the years,
or was it hard at all to keep?
I mean,
Zona is an amazing bundle of energy,
but I hate that energy.

(37:54):
Ball bounces
around a lot of places
and and the amazing thing and one of the
my favorite things is when
he gets focused on something,
he finds a way to make that something.
Everything.
How hard was it over the years to keep
the train on the tracks?
Was he or did you even try that?

(38:14):
That really is like a gift
that you get because.
Because then
you can kind of assert yourself
and say, well, let's take it.
Don't hold that thought.
You know, words like that, you know what?
Will you take care of whatever business
you have to take care of?
It's it's really
that's that's the chemistry between a
you've got to have
a sort of a straight person,
a set up man,
and you've got to have the guy who

(38:36):
delivers the goods,
who delivers the milk
or the mail or whoever
however you want to put it.
And it's got to be
they can't be the same kind of guy.
They cannot be the same kind of guy.
When one guy, it's just like comedy.
You have to straight man.
And the funny, the straight man.
Is that the funny man up, you know?
And it's it creates a tension
that makes it makes it watchable.
I don't know if anybody ever has

(38:56):
figured out why,
but you certainly think
of all the things you've ever seen
that were
there were two people who
who kind of work together.
You know,
they had that sort of tension
and chemistry.
So it's it's really a gift in the sky.
The other the other gift in disguise.
I'll just say the way it is, Tommy, is
you are a gift in disguise.
Because a lot of people.
You made the comment, Dave.
You just shook your head.

(39:17):
You made the comment
that I'm demented off camera.
You're you're you're
you're twisted out too pretty well
and and and what,
like Van Damme even said, this is is
you did the through the years together.
You started to show
a little more of that
as the years went on.
The problem was you

(39:38):
a lot of your
like some of your comebacks,
they were so intelligent.
They blew right by me just.
And then I would catch it
like five minutes later.
I'm like, what did he just say?
Right.
Oh all right. Yeah.
No.
But that to me that was some of the most,
that was some of the most fun was
this was before Ronnie.

(39:59):
And so much
is when we had to fill time together
and there was a lot of time.
It was a massive, massive amount of time.
That was some of the most painful fun,
of my career. It really was.
You know,
when you're picking, hey,
who do you want to be killed
by Michael Meyers,
Jason or Freddy Krueger?

(40:20):
You run out of things to say.
You've run out of things to say?
Yeah.
Did did he ever startle you, Tommy?
You know,
because Zona is the kind of dude
you can hang out with,
and out of nowhere,
he'll start making noises
and sometimes like, oh, my God,
anything he ever did.
Like, were you ever there?
You startled me.

(40:40):
Is these
these personas, these characters
he would take on
when we were on location, back
when we'd go to every tournament
and we'd someone would show
up, show us
that they gave us a boat ride,
or we'd just encounter
somebody at the food truck or,
you know, on, on the side.
And he would become this
completely different person.
And.
Yeah, yeah, it's have to be someone.

(41:03):
Yeah, yeah, yeah,
I know exactly what you say there, buddy.
I'm with you all the way now.
Come on, man.
Guys, we
were at the New York State Fair and
and we went in the midway.
We had to cross the midway
to get from one place to another,
and we stopped at,
the smoothie place
or something like that. And.

(41:24):
And the lady hands it to him, and,
and it's not very appetizing.
And she said, sir,
she looked right to the well, I was
I came here to get a smoothie,
but now I think
I'm going to be sick to my stomach.
You know.
Oh my gosh.
And just
and take that character
and just run rampant with it,
you know, till people are just finally,
finally they get on to the fact

(41:44):
that they're being had a little bit.
I think I'm going to be sick
to my stomach.
If she was in Hollywood,
he'd be a method actor.
I mean, he could totally commit to it.
Character. Yeah. Character method. Yeah.
So I know, he's not wrong with you.
As you know, Tommy,
you are the king of, like,

(42:04):
sliding in these some.
And, I mean, you were very similar
in the way
that we just talk a lot,
and you don't always absorb,
like, a lot of things.
I'll see when I see a playback of it
or something.
But like, there's so many, like,
brilliant little barbs and moments like,
what was it two years ago
or a year ago
when we had David

(42:25):
Hyde eat the pig's feet
on Live and and I'm Bought and Davies
sick to his stomach,
which you should be
if you've ever looked
at a jar of pig's feet, and Tommy reaches
right and grabs one,
and then he looks at the thing,
he's like, oh, are they big johns? Oh,
it's me who would eat it like it was you.
Do you have some devious brilliance

(42:47):
to you?
Yeah, there was a lot of at once a ham.
Always a ham.
You know, I'm always looking for
looking for the low hanging fruit.
You know what I mean?
You say that,
but you are never searching for the low
hanging fruit.
Yeah.
You you keep the fruit hanging.
Sounds bad that sounds really,

(43:08):
really bad.
Zoning.
You had a lot of names
for Tommy over the years.
A lot of names.
Oh, yeah, I did, I did at first.
Tommy.
I don't think he liked,
He actually said that
it was one of the only times he was very.
There was, like, 2 or 3 times.
He was very stern with me.
One was a funny, nominal,

(43:28):
classic picture of me,
Tommy and Rick Klein, and my wife gave it
to the production group,
and they put it on the jumbotron.
At the time, he was so mad.
Oh, now I know what picture.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it was it.
We were in. We were,
we were we were in workout costumes and,

(43:48):
I don't know,
somehow the picture leaked out
and it was on a jumbotron.
Tommy so pissed at me.
And so there was one other.
So I would call him,
Timmy Sanchez t naughties.
And there was one day.
And there was what?
They in studio, Tommy said.
And we were
it was very, very,
very new working together.
And

(44:10):
Tommy goes, we were in a in a break
between taping something
and he goes, hey, don't,
don't, don't do that again, okay?
And I said, yeah, not a problem. Timmy.
Yeah,
I probably wasn't serious.
Although I will
I will add to that I was in
we're at one of these locations
like I'm sitting
waiting for people
to show up down at the in the hotel

(44:31):
bar, maybe, or something like that.
I hear a voice behind me
using using another name
he uses for me, but in his own,
in his own particular accent.
This person you'll recognize when
you go stand. Patty.
So you guys, Danny.
And that would be, of course, Jeff Coble.
Yeah, yeah.
Sam. Nicknames. Yeah.
Sam. Patty and sandpiper.

(44:51):
Sam. Sandpiper.
So? So there was a classic.
There was a classic.
And this was again Birmingham.
But we were on the outside,
said it was the
it was the, the classic Van Damme one.
Yeah, it was in them anyway,
the, we were,
we were up on the set and, and the,
the way in was done
and the crowd was leaving.

(45:12):
And a dude
group of dudes,
you could tell that
they had been partying pretty good.
Just start screaming out Sanchez.
And Tommy just looks over at me.
I'm like, it is what it is at this point.
It is what it is. You.
Can we finally clear one thing up?
What the hell is a grebe?

(45:33):
Any animal, any animal is.
But at this point, like,
I can look out my window.
Dave,
I have I honestly ever seen a grebe
in my entire lifetime?
I don't think so.
I don't think so, but it fits.
And what's funny is the
the cameramen are on to it,
where
they'll just put the camera on any animal
when it's slow.

(45:54):
To me that's a great it,
it is it, it's what it is.
But it's funny
because there's people
that actually like, comment,
they're not on to it
that that I have no idea what really
what a creep is. So they get mad people.
They get really get pissed.
Not agreed was a baroness
do you have seen a review?

(46:15):
A loon is a grebe. See?
You know what I like.
Grebe is a little I do now, I do agree.
Yeah.
I don't know what a loon is.
Down south is a group.
Yeah, yeah, I've seen them.
So if I see a loon down
south it's a grape. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
But if I see it up
here, it's a loon alone.

(46:35):
Yeah, yeah.
All right.
Helpful information to a Canadian guy.
Yeah, yeah.
Thank you.
I'd hate to say
there's a loon when we're down south.
Did you guys ever really get,
like, was there ever a moment
where you actually got upset
with each other? No. No. Real never.
No, never.

(46:55):
It's it's
just too easy for either one of us to
to make it
sort of collapse into humor, you know?
Yeah, I notice,
I mean, that's
that temptation is too big.
Yeah.
It the other
the other thing in there, Dave, is
there was also there was also a dynamic,

(47:15):
at least in my mind is you.
I always knew at least I think
this now besides the on camera thing
TV, it's, it's just it's a strange
it's a strange world.
It's a weird world to work in.
I always knew Tommy off camera.

(47:36):
I knew Tommy had my back unconditionally.
Whether I sucked at work, you know?
Did I go to a motley Crue
concert one night
and then come to studio the next day?
Wants. Yes, yes I did.
I don't think I
put on the best performance.
But but but but but but I always knew.

(47:57):
I always knew Tommy had my back.
And I unconditionally had his
because I didn't want to work
with anybody else.
I just didn't
I never,
I never
after after
starting my career in this with Tommy,
I never ever,
to this day
wanted to work with anybody else, ever.

(48:18):
So it was a weird trust, at least
in my mind.
Now, that's
the same way I feel about Mark Zona.
It's just I.
I'm to spoil now.
I'm ruined, you know, for anybody else.
And they're like great people out there.
But there's nobody that's in his, his,
his part of the cosmos.
He's part of the,
the, the, the firmament.
Because it's just,

(48:39):
that that's the one a
once in a lifetime deal. Absolutely.
I've said it a lot,
and I'm not the only one that said,
a lot of people have said it,
that I think
you guys are two of the greatest
broadcasting tandem
that's ever been put together,
literally in any sport.
I'd love to see you do
Monday Night Football.

(48:59):
I'd love to see you do the Olympics.
I'd love to see
you do eating competitions.
When you do,
you have a unique chemistry that I think
not only portrays
or relays the information
and makes the viewer smarter,
but it engages them
and also entertains them.
What if you guys could do any sport

(49:20):
other sport?
Like let's
just throw it out in the universe.
Oprah does it.
I mean, just say you want it.
What would it be?
What would you two love
to sit in the booth together
to do other than fishing?
I think I'd like to sit in the booth
and do a
golf tournament with Z here,
because I know he watches some, I do.
I was
trying to get some sleep on the couch

(49:41):
when he gets some time,
gets home on the weekends,
but I know he watches it too,
and I think he'd be terrific at that.
I mean, I would love that
the more irreverence,
you know, the really good,
irreverent guys
they got rid of in golf over the last
ten years, you know,
the Gary McCord
and the Johnny Miller
and stuff like that,
you know,
and that's they need a mark zone.
And I could

(50:02):
I could speed up the straight stuff.
I can I can be Jack man and that duo,
I would say golf for football
just because I do.
I don't play golf,
but I watch golf religiously.
And,
and I watch football religiously and,
you know, off camera,
I mean, hell, before we started this
Mercer podcast,
all we were talking about was football,

(50:23):
you know, and, and Mike said this too.
This is I'm taking a right hand turn.
That's maybe that's why,
you know,
a lot of it,
you know,
worked through the years
because we're all
every one of us is a nut bag sports fan.
Yeah.
And you, you know, you always.
Hey, fishing's a sport.
Fishing is a sport.

(50:45):
I, I do think that we have
covered it together.
All of us.
Not just, you know, me and Tommy.
I really believe we've covered it
just because we're sports heads,
that's all we talk about, Dave.
What?
What sport do you sort of harbor
a, a long a longing for to to work in?

(51:07):
I mean, football would be really cool,
just because I'm
probably the most obsessed about that,
but I think, MMA I would love to.
I was going to say that.
Totally.
To do something and
I mean I just think it would be,
it would be cool.
I had an opportunity
once a few years ago, but we had
and it was like a smaller, promotion.
But it, it

(51:28):
we had an event so I couldn't do it.
But I would like to at some point,
I mean, I don't know that I ever would
get, but.
Yeah, like, I mean, I honestly love
the job that I have.
Like, it
is the like,
if I didn't have this job
and somebody said, hey,
what do you want?
It would be the job that I have.
But I would

(51:48):
or WWE, I mean, that would be that's
what I thought the three of us
would make a great
a professional wrestling broadcasting.
Oh, know I don't.
Oh, I love that question. Yeah, yeah.
Look at him
just smacking the hell out of that.
I'm giving a little given his lash.
Yeah, my nipples just got hurt.
I mean, screw this bastard.

(52:09):
I said, let's call up.
Let's go, let's go.
This your make me.
Let's go,
I did, I have a pad
and Tommy knows this.
I did have the opportunity outside
of talking about commentating
football, commentating golf.
I did have the opportunity.
But Dave, you know Dave, you know this.
I am

(52:30):
out of control with
buying and and displays of fireworks
on July 1st, second,
third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seven.
That's my gig. That's my jam. Right?
I did have the opportunity to
to be the, the
the co-host of the Nathan's,
hot dog eating contest.
Remember that
Tommy I do, I watched it, I,

(52:51):
I turned it down, I turned it
down the year that,
because I had a, unbelievable
fireworks display,
and I did not go to it.
And the dude that they had
was all business, like he called
the hot dog eating contest,
like it was the masters.

(53:12):
And I watched it, and I'm like,
there is no way I would have called it
like that.
I wouldn't call it for what it was.
And one more wrestling comment.
Just a little story
that I,
I don't know if you two know
that I want to share with you.
It's about our friend Gerry McCann.
It's,
as a connection to the wrestling game
and this
this mate, the wrestler
I'm going to talk about
goes maybe too far back for

(53:33):
you guys who are younger.
But in the early days of the fictional
being on cable, ESPN,
you know,
was not as elaborate
and didn't have so many contracts
with with big name sports back then,
they were still building up
and so they showed a lot of wrestling.
They showed wrestling,
they showed Australian rules
football and stuff like that.
And plus there weren't
giant big cable
conglomerates and controlled

(53:54):
everything was a lot of mom
and pop systems who had to choose
whether they were going to buy
ESPN or not,
so they would send Jerry,
to set up in a booth,
at one of these,
these shows
that are for pro people shopping
for programing for their systems.
And, and they sent him
to one up in the northeast,
and he had to spend three days in a booth

(54:14):
with the Honkytonk man.
Yes.
Oh, you never told me that.
Shake, rattle and roll.
That is absolutely.
Make sure that is true.
Can you imagine walking up to a booth
where there's Jerry
and the Honky Tonk Man,
waiting to talk to him to find some ESPN?
I would have preferred that
Jerry did it with,
here's the host of the flower shop.

(54:35):
Adorable.
Adrian or Kamala, the Ugandan headhunter.
Exactly. The Ugandan warrior.
You're right.
Oh my God, Robbie, talk hockey
turkey man.
You go
wild and hit people with his guitar.
Yeah, yeah.
That stick. Oh my God.
Yeah.
That's the
greatest inter-county
intercontinental champion of all time.

(54:57):
That's exactly right.
That was he? Yes.
You're so well done.
Rattle and roll and roll over.
And he would do this.
So much.
The weird thing is I'm
still into wrestling.
I used it as an excuse.
I say my daughter's into it, but I.

(55:18):
I pushed her into it, I'll be honest.
But. So I still follow a lot of.
Dude,
the honky tonk still goes
to, like, a bunch of card signing stuff.
You don't think really?
Oh, and he.
Dude,
he looks just exactly
like you would think.
He's got that job way too dark and die.
Yes. Yeah, I'll tell you.
Like hair dye? Yeah. Yes.
And and that is what to me,

(55:38):
what was great about the Honky Tonk
Man is when he'd just batter
somebody with that guitar,
his hair would would turn into, like,
the guy's Bill Murray from kingpin
and just be like.
And he'd let that guy out and
grab the guitar again
and and not really play it, but start
strumming it
and strutting around like that.
You know, it was just.
Yeah, yeah. Yes, yes.

(55:59):
Dye would start running down his face.
Yes.
No.
He, Who is it?
Jake the snake claims.
I think it's Jake
the snake,
which we got to see in little Rock
one time,
but there's, like, a long
standing his belief
that he screwed up his neck,

(56:19):
the honky tonk,
because he thinks he didn't
use the right guitar.
He used like a real guitar.
Yeah. Okay.
It's just Stratocaster,
right?
A Fender, which he most likely did.
Jake fishing.
So screw you, honky tonk.
I'm taking Jake's side of this.
Yeah.

(56:39):
So we just got to figure out
that wrestling gig, and we're all set.
That's right.
You know who was the wrestler
that we would have it?
When we go to Hartwell? And, he would.
He was like the mayor.
Yes.
Oh, no.
Not horrible.
You're talking about Nashville or Kane?
Yeah. Kane.
Knoxville. Knoxville.
Knoxville. Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
Kane,

(57:00):
can I swear to you,
one of my greatest regrets in life.
And this means no sense to anybody.
So you guys know, I
battled a bad back forever.
I got scoliosis,
which is a whole other story.
But I had said to Kane
the first time we were there,
when I met him,
I was like, starstruck
because he was, dude.

(57:21):
He was the scariest individual alive
when I was a kid.
That was like,
I mean, the Undertaker's brother.
That was all burned up and so
super cool guy.
I get to meet him,
you know, when we went there
for the first classic
and I said,
if we ever come back here,
I said,
I want you to chokeslam me on this.
Let's go.
And I say a lot of stupid things.
This was one of them.

(57:41):
But so the classic comes
and he remembered like he right away
brought it up like he told Lopez.
And everybody's like, Tell Mercer
I'm going to chokeslam him on the stage.
So go, I'm so excited to do this.
But at the time my back was really bad
and I'm like, do I like.
One of my great regrets is that my back
was not well enough
to get chokeslam from him,

(58:02):
because that would have been
a great, great honor.
But instead he never said
those words before.
In the human history
of the human language, it's come on.
My greatest regret is
I didn't get choked slapped.
Amen, Amen.
I've been chokeslam time.
Let's not be wrong I stopped justify.
Yeah I maybe for another time that.

(58:23):
Whoa, whoa.
It,
you guys both just are working.
You.
I know you both do a lot of prep
and research going into things.
Did you guys ever.
You were so seamless.
Did you guys just do that independently?
Did you, like, would you ever discuss.

(58:44):
No. Yeah.
Oh for you went oh yeah.
And never never had Mark
Zona showed up without being 100.
He makes it look easy.
But he's he's always
he's like a duck blasted on top.
But his feet are pedaling hard.
As far as the
the research and the calling people and
and getting the story before
for we open our mouths.
So my hat's off me.

(59:05):
Journalists.
Yeah that that was you know
and that was more I probably
just to not let you down
more than anything on those tournaments
but the, you know,
I always as much time as both of us
filled in
had to fill really, to this day,

(59:26):
no matter who sits and Bassmaster
live ten years from now,
15 years from now, the the,
Bassmaster Elite Series
tournament literally comes down to
you set you set the scene
and and throughout day
one all the way to day four, it's who,
where, how and why.

(59:47):
That's it, that's it.
And it's up to them.
It's up to them
if they actually want to
to give that information
to, to the viewer.
And if they don't want to give
that information,
I'll, I'll give what I'm saying.
You know, that
that's one of the funniest things
about anglers
that don't want to give
a lot of information.

(01:00:08):
If you have remotely
any knowledge of tournament bass fishing,
you can watch Bassmaster live
and have it instantly,
instantly know what that angler is doing.
You know it.
That's what my role was, were
just to make sure
I knew the nuts and bolts,

(01:00:29):
when, they thought it
would happen
and and went
when I, when I would visually see.
Wow, he is in trouble.
And and calling an audible
that that's what a fishing tournament.
That's what fishing is.
Because you had talked to him
enough the night before to know
what his game plan
was going to be that day.
Yes, you could tell
when it was going off the rails
or when it was working, you know. Yes.

(01:00:50):
Like what's
what's funny is
and I would always
to to to my first day
doing Bassmaster live to my last day
I would always walk in, sit next to Tommy
and we would have quiet time.
And I would look at him and always say,
hey, this angler's in bad shape today, or
the exact polar opposite side,
this angler's

(01:01:11):
more than likely going
to win this tournament.
We could
we we have said that,
countless, countless times on a Friday,
three days before,
before a championship Sunday.
You just knew, by, by
by the game that they had going or the.
You know, I hate to say it,
there was also a lot of blind
luck leaders throughout the year.

(01:01:34):
You just knew.
Yeah.
Is there an event that stands out to
you guys as the toughest event to do?
Is there's a few candidates there.
There is some candidates there.
There is no doubt about it.
Some of the
kind of post seasoning things you're

(01:01:56):
seasoning hard to hang with.
You know, what they call in golf?
The silly season
when it's just kind of,
you know, it's kind of related to
points maybe, or but yet not at all.
But or not at all, or not out at all,
you know, one,
one particular
in the end,
that you were part of Dave and Rick
Niagara River comes to mind.
Yeah.

(01:02:16):
Yeah, it was nuts. It was crazy.
Yeah, it was a crazy event.
And that's the
a few in Montgomery.
At the end of the season there was. Yes.
Alabama River. Yes. Yeah.
Yes.
It's not some sorcery with points and
and stuff like that.
Let's look at some of the
sorcery.
Oh my gosh it's so great.
Yeah, that's what it was.
Maybe that's too strong a word.

(01:02:37):
I know it was. It was.
Those were crazy events.
No doubt.
What was the easiest event to call?
Oh man.
Just about everyone at Lake Fork was.
Yeah. No. Yeah.
Those are easy
because it's like a ticket to the circus,
you know? And.

(01:02:57):
Yeah, yeah,
you get constant entertainment.
Yeah, yeah.
You know.
Yeah.
The the the a Lake fork tournament.
You know, you can look back on the,
the Falcon tournaments.
You didn't need to say a word.
You did not need to say yes
just because there's just fireworks.
You know,
we would always use this, this reference.
There were certain tournaments

(01:03:18):
that were a home run derby. Those were.
Those are the easiest tournaments.
You just kind of sit back and let it
ride, you know what I mean?
I'm not going to lie, man.
I thought
I thought the last tournament
of the season
last year
was one of the most
hilarious, entertaining,
absurd tournaments

(01:03:40):
that I've ever called wits.
I was like, wow,
this is my final event,
and it's one of the most entertaining,
fun ones.
Just because you've got you
you've got this shoes.
You got two Canadians
that are basically walking
in a bank, two outlaws with love with
with loaded revolvers,

(01:04:01):
and they're gonna walk away with the bag.
No, they're not going to walk away
with one bag of loot.
They're going to walk away
with all of it.
Oh, yeah, that was easy.
That was an easy tournament to to call
and hilarious, to be honest with you.
Yeah, it
it definitely had a lot of pieces.
Yeah, it had a lot of pieces.

(01:04:21):
Yeah.
I always say the coolest thing about
getting to do the jobs that
we've all been lucky enough to get to do
is moments that nobody sees,
you know, it's moments that,
you know, everybody says, oh,
that was cool on stage.
That was cool on live. That was cool.
None of those moments are what I think.

(01:04:41):
Anybody will look back and be like,
wow, I was lucky to get to do that.
I mean, it's cool
to be part of something,
but I think we'll all look back
at those moments
that you spent afterwards.
Are you are you are
you get to see moments
that you would never see other you
that no other human on earth gets to see.
So that's what I want to hear from

(01:05:02):
you guys right now.
I want each of you to tell me it's zone
and tell me something about.
Tell me something you've got to see.
Like a moment and night out or whatever.
Give me a Tommy story and Tommy,
you'll get to defend yourself after zone.
So, Okay.
I'll get actually, I'll give you two,
one of them,
one of them for me is from my

(01:05:23):
from my heart.
One of from my heart is is you.
You hear coaches like Bill Belichick
always say this.
Say do your job, do your job.
Which I think as a group
Mercer, you you do your job right.

(01:05:44):
Those those mornings of anxiety,
whether it's been a classic
or just an elite series of that,
I don't want to say
just an elite Series event,
because each one of them
I was lucky to sit there is
I would always take a few minutes
before we go live,
and I would look at Tommy, and I knew

(01:06:05):
that dude's
going to do his job,
and I would give him a fist pump.
That that meant so much to me
knowing that that
that quarterback right there,
he's he's got he's
got to get the ball rolling.
I'll take a handoff here and there.
That meant so much
to sit next to somebody and, and know
that dude is going to do his job, period.

(01:06:29):
No matter if it's tough tournament.
A great whatever it is.
That meant so much
and was a safety net for,
for hundreds
and hundreds of events together.
Now, outside of a tournament,
Tommy and I would.
Which I hope we still do.
We would go fishing all the time
together in Arkansas
when we didn't have to do

(01:06:50):
37 hours of live a day, we would go.
We would go fishing together.
I jumped in Tommy's boat one time. Take
Dave.
My boat is my my kingdom.
It's where I work.
And I jumped in Tommy's boat.
And you know those like
those in Arkansas,
those dirt divers
that they get on everything.
Yeah.

(01:07:10):
I'd like to tell me.
I'm like, dude,
what the hell is wrong with you?
What is going on here?
He's like, yeah, I just ate
and cleaned her up for a while,
but I'm gonna I'm gonna get cracking
as soon as you leave town.
Like,
I was scared to go in the rod
locker that, a feral cat, I had a rabid
beaver would would fly exactly where and

(01:07:32):
and but it put things into perspective.
You know, Tommy had a,
a very vigorous schedule
and was always high and tight.
There was one time I got in Tommy's car,
and there was
a mini baseball bat,
a nice
and a half eaten plate of like, pasta.

(01:07:52):
Now that we had it was nope.
Off the bat a year ago
we played on two different memories
or something.
I will say
with regard to the boat,
I will say that
because he is
he would come into town,
we'd have the time he arrived into town.
We didn't have to work till the next day.
We would go out to this, this, this pond
that we had been sort of let

(01:08:13):
in, land on the lease of
great little pond to fish in.
And I have a small boat
and I, you know,
just so I didn't have to hook up
the train,
I would
leave the boat out there in the boat,
you know, in the,
in the boat yard,
which was completely encrusted
with, with the spiderweb or everything.
Yeah.
And other people would use it,
leave dead brim in the live

(01:08:34):
well and stuff like that.
It was it was just.
It is.
He's right. He's right about that.
I have to honest,
that was the most miserable,
squalid vote
bass boat you've ever been in your life.
But looking back on it
though, those were some of the most.
Those are some of the most fun
fishing days together,
you know, to go out together and

(01:08:54):
catch a 7 or 8 pounder.
You look back on that now,
I mean, oh man,
I gosh, man,
that was those were the times
those were at that was a good stuff.
Didn't last for all those things.
Never last forever.
But that that was a good place.
So the only thing you defended
was that there there's no pastor.
Yeah. There was,
there was
I think there wasn't knife

(01:09:15):
and many baseball bats.
Yeah.
Yes, I think I,
I think that
I think there was a weed whacker
and a set of golf clubs in the back
there. That's true. It.
Yeah. That was true.
Absolutely true. Right.
He's got to play the front nine
and then do some hedge trimming.
Right. That.

(01:09:35):
Tommy
give me one of those moments about Z.
Moments about Z.
I you know, just once I've
he is consistent
his you know,
he plays some other characters for
if conditions are just right.
But he, he is consistent.
And one time
Jerry was nice enough
to take us on a fishing
trip up to Canada,

(01:09:56):
with his friends Harry and Mary.
Where you
where you'd paddle out
to leave civilization.
You have nothing.
In fact, this this is a sidebar.
But, you know,
we have both brought a little time,
you know,
maybe a little bit of something
just to have refreshments
at the end of the day.
A little bit,
a little alexy of some sort.
And he did he,
he went through all our bags
before we leave now.
No, there's no room for you.

(01:10:17):
There's no that's no way.
That's not going,
that's not going, that's not going.
And so we were kind of
we were pissed about that
and especially pissed
about three nights later
when he's kind of walking
by our tent carrying a coffee cup,
kind of in the afternoon.
You know, the guy, the guy was a swell.
He's taking a little nip for bow down.
And then.
And this is what you got the cup there.

(01:10:38):
Oh, that that's that's bourbon.
What you watch.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah. Oh, yeah.
See was they was.
And I have to admit to
we were both fit
to be tied at that moment.
Right there we were.
What was fun.
So go ahead. Yeah.
So we're out.
We're out in the bush
and we're out there for four days Friday,

(01:10:58):
whatever it is.
And we're paddling back
and Tommy and I were together
paddling back.
And I'll never forget this.
So we're coming back into civilization,
right?
Coming back into civilization.
And I there was
there was like four kids
on a little bluff rock with a cooler.
And you saw
they had a 12 pack of beer
and a one kids pop in a mask.

(01:11:18):
And I looked at Tommy. I'm like,
I'll kill that kid
right now for those two things.
I'm.
But the part of the trip
that is so marked
zone it to me is,
is that we would split partners
every we'd be different partners
every day.
And I was fishing
maybe with that with with Mary his wife.

(01:11:39):
She was she was in the canoe
and and a new somewhere out
there was Mark and Harry there.
And it was a thick fog.
You could not see really 15ft and I
I'm starting to hear two more.
And it's unintelligible
with the Puerto Rican and,
and the
but the first thing I could
I've heard clearly

(01:11:59):
was Mark is on his voice saying, Harry,
I swear to God,
if you mention the word phytoplankton
or biomass
one more time,
I'm going to smack you in the
back of the head with smoke.
That's right.
That's that's my charge.
I don't remember saying that,
I don't, I didn't know I heard no, I do,
I remember,
I remember that,

(01:12:19):
because I remember turning around like,
what are you talking about
right now?
Yeah.
Seriously,
if you keep talking, saying this,
which also makes,
I think it was Champlain last year,
even funnier
because only you talked
about the biomass of fish.
So, like, how often?

(01:12:40):
I mean,
I think the greatest thing
being part of working with you guys is
knowing how often
there's a joke happening.
And it literally is for nine
people like Kids First.
That's it
for the crew,
for Mike McKinnon's,
for everybody in the truck.
Like nobody else knows what's going on.
But there's been a

(01:13:00):
a lot of words
and a lot of things over the years
that literally were
just for us.
Oh, absolutely.
And a group of words
that if you use them, you were on notice.
And when the
when we went to break the one,
it would turn to the other two.
Did you just really say intuitive?
You know, we're right for.

(01:13:22):
Or habitual or something like okay.
Yes.
Well you guys have entertained
so many people for so many years and
bass fishing,
you know, is not the same
without you guys together.
I think, you know,
like, everybody
celebrated Zona earlier this year.

(01:13:43):
You know, retiring.
Get in the Hall of Fame.
Tommy, you're already
in the Hall of Fame.
But,
you guys, as a tandem,
have a unique and amazing chemistry.
And,
I was at the Hall of Fame,
and I listen to Zona speech.
Which, dude, as always,
you freaking killed it.
Like people should look at your speech
on how to write a speech. It had a point,

(01:14:06):
which was really.
And it came.
It had recall at the end.
It was a beautiful speech,
but the most beautiful part about it
to me, standing off the side of CMC
was at one point Sona, you said,
I don't know what, I don't know how,
I don't know where, but we're not done.

(01:14:27):
And you pointed to Tommy Sanders.
What did that mean?
At the time, I had no idea
to, I had a thought.
What's weird about that speech
was for me to get through that
and and to Tommy,

(01:14:48):
and I've talked about this at length.
I'm terrified of public speaking.
I'm okay.
If there's a camera, I'm
okay doing that, but I'm terrified.
So I literally was like,
I kept Tommy was right down here,
stage left.
I kept talking to Tommy the entire speech
and looking looking at him
just as as a safety net.
But what I meant by that was, yeah.

(01:15:09):
So Bassmaster Live is, is at least,
you know, for the regular season,
in the past. But,
I, I had an idea then
that I wanted to do,
and I've talked to you about a Dave.
I wanted to do a podcast.
I wanted to do a podcast, but something

(01:15:30):
that's not been done,
at least in my mind.
And I talked with Mike about this,
and then I started talking with
Tommy about this is is to do a podcast,
together to do a,
and, and,
like I said,
even though Bassmaster lives
done for, for me right now is,

(01:15:51):
I wanted
basically I was just looking for a reason
to still work with Tommy is,
I guess is what I'm saying.
But I wanted to do,
I thought about it at first of of maybe
doing it alone.
And then I was like,
I don't want to do that.
I just want to work with Tommy. Period.
And the story.
And I remember Dylan asking

(01:16:12):
Karen one night
and and she shook her head.
Yes.
And and the way at least I see it.
It's going
to be more it's
going to be on bassmaster.com.
It's going to be,
I think, way more of a sport show vibe.
Blending with the podcast together

(01:16:33):
and, and just,
listen, you said it at the top of this,
this podcast is
you're not going to run out of things
to talk about in the fishing world
right now.
I mean, it it's almost a daily
a daily situation.
And and for Tommy to accept,
doing that together,
means the world to me.
I think it'll it'll be something

(01:16:54):
that's fun.
That's really not been done before.
It may fail miserably.
I would expect that, but it
it will we'll
we'll we'll find our way together
so that there's my take on it.
I think it is tremendous, but just
I think it one thing
just just on the base of this one thing,

(01:17:15):
we talked about the tension between one,
one person and another there.
This is now it's a different set
up, a little bit of a different set up.
But as a step back
from being the commentator,
you know, presenter in many senses
of, of the competition
that we've covered all this year.
He, he
you know, I have to sort of
I have to, to align a little bit,

(01:17:36):
you know, I, I can't be too partizan,
you know.
But but Z now is free to, you know,
comfort the afflicted
and afflict the comfortable
a little bit more.
Has had his hand
hadn't had that so much latitude before.
Not that it's stopped him sometimes
but you know.
Yeah.
Here here's what's, what's

(01:17:57):
the sport of professional bass
fishing has always been
for the most part,
it's been the accolades,
the accolades of who's catching them.
I'm the type of viewer.
I'm the type of viewer.
And I know a bunch of
viewers that are on
here are the same way.
I look at the top of the standings
and I
look at the bottom of the standings,
that's what I do.
I just, I don't,
I don't know why that is.

(01:18:19):
I like
to see who
who really is catching them,
and I'd like to see who really struggle.
And I think
I, I personally think
that's one of the things that
hasn't really
there is always been walking on eggshells
when saying, hey,
this angler had a bad tournament
or he had a bad year.

(01:18:41):
Because feelings get hurt.
We'll do this as a sport.
And and the other
the other side of that
is giving an opinion giving analysis.
Yes.
And and the next podcast
holding us goofballs
that have a million opinions on stuff.
And I,

(01:19:01):
I guess in my head,
if you watch the show,
first things first.
That's what I, what
I brought up to you, Mercer,
if you watch first things first,
they sit there and give absolute
great analysis, nonsensical analysis,
and then actually say when they're wrong,
when the when the hosts and the,

(01:19:22):
you know,
the analysts are are not correct.
I don't think that's been done
in, in fishing that much at all.
But it's okay for the angler standpoint.
It's okay to, to take your roses.
It's okay to take your roses.
But for this to actually be a sport,

(01:19:44):
you have to talk about the guy
that threw five interceptions.
You have to,
And I hope I hope we do that
in a tasteful, fun, informative way.
And also call B.S.
on ourself.
But don't get me wrong,
I'm also going to ask Tommy.
Tommy has amaze Zinged amazing

(01:20:05):
opinions on anglers and
and reasoning of that.
What? Tommy?
Tommy will throw it to.
We'll we'll get it all out there.
Yeah, yeah.
It's, Yeah,
it's gonna be real interesting, actually.
And plus, Dave,
I mean, we did a lot of research,
a lot of experts

(01:20:26):
researching this and,
you know, and one
the the possibility of a of a
of a podcast and one, one clue
kept coming up again and again
just like one of these
CSI shows or something.
And there was that clue
that there just aren't enough podcasts.
And, you know,
there's so rare and they're so rare.
And if you're lucky enough to find one,
it's always great.

(01:20:48):
Why wouldn't we jump in?
Tommy,
let me give you an awkward silence
I got from Mercer a while back,
which I rarely get any weight.
So Bassmaster Live was all done
and I was driving and versus,
what are you going to do next?
I said, I'm
going to do one of these podcasting.
And it just got real fly.
No, no, no no, it did not.
There's,
the beautiful thing about a podcast

(01:21:10):
is anybody can do it.
The bad thing about a podcast
is anyone can do it.
So there's a lot of podcasts,
but there's not a lot of I mean,
you guys are going to deliver
something different.
I mean, I could, like, I
always said, do you two
get together,
start talking about stuff, and,
your podcasts can be wonderful, trust me.

(01:21:31):
And,
you'll see it in
the comments of this show.
The amount of people
that are excited to know that you guys
are going to be back together and
doing things.
So let's just say,
I mean, am I jumping too far like I
if I was more professional,
I would have mentioned this beforehand,
but why don't you just take
like one of the most recent topics
that's going on in this sport,

(01:21:51):
whatever one you want to choose,
pull from a bucket
and give me two minutes of the T
and Z show right here
on the Mercer Podcast.
Go ahead, Tommy, tee it up.
Let's go tee it up for you.
Whatever topic you want.
Yeah, whatever topic you want,
whatever topic you want.
Oh my God. Yeah.
I mean, how about there's a lot,
there's a lot.

(01:22:11):
What's the most recent one?
I guess
it's the announcement
that there's not going to be
entry fees anymore.
Wait. What?
It would meet with universal open arms.
But we know better than to expect things
like that, right?
You know that
with open arms in this sport.
Well,
I mean, if you really look
at the revised payout,
it kind of just brings me to talking
about Ben Millican, Tommy.

(01:22:33):
And that's, oh, real reason.
Okay, so
so yeah, I mean,
look, those
are all the things that we'll talk about.
I mean, those are it's obvious.
Hell, I'm talking to Ben
a bunch since Saturday.
Those are things
that we'll talk about and
and hopefully shed some light.

(01:22:53):
And if you want to get right
into the the.
In all honesty, I thought about the,
the payout situation
and looking at the revised
one that they did, I do mean this.
If you are a rookie,
Tommy, if I'm if I'm a 30 year old.
Yeah.
When when we first met each other.

(01:23:14):
Right. Yeah.
You have to be licking your chops
to finish the elite series without that
enormous luma
of terror.
Oh, yeah. Right.
You are not going to have
that cocoon of power
at all your first year.

(01:23:35):
For the simple fact you're.
What do you got, a ten grand shooter.
You got a ten grand shooter
to just to get the plane off the ground.
And I'm not saying this for,
I'm saying it for any of the rookies.
That might not be a silver spoon.
They might not have,
you know, a bunch of credit cards
that were given to them.

(01:23:56):
You have
got to be licking
your chops to be a Bassmaster
Elite Series professional
and be able to fish for three.
To me,
that is the best thing about the ribeye.
Are we doing this right now?
Dave we're doing it right.
I'm I'm
I'm sitting on the edge of my seat.
I love this show. Keep it. Go.
Let's go, let's go. Yeah.
But but but take the let's

(01:24:17):
go to the other end of the age
and experience and achievements.
Spectrum dare if you want to.
I mean, what do you think?
If you're there
and you have done your your due
diligence, you've put together a
a a career paying your way
all the way through,
and then all of a sudden,
you know, the world has changed.
And, you know, some of that,

(01:24:39):
some of the funding
maybe you've been getting has,
has been in the form of, of, you know,
in lieu of, of,
you know,
having to pay your own way
and some and somehow
that may not be there anymore
since you don't have to work
to, to pay entry fees anymore.
What on that side of the spectrum,
what goes through your mind? Okay.
So you've got basically

(01:24:59):
you've got two groups
that I think this favors. Okay.
Folks that rookies
or folks
that are kind of
at the bottom of the standings.
Okay.
And then the headhunters,
the guys that are perennial,
I am here for only one place to finish

(01:25:19):
and that is first place win $100,000.
Now here's the problem in there.
A lot of the voices
come from the majority.
The majority in the fishing world.
I'm not talking the elite series.
I'm talking a Tuesday night tournament.
A weekend tournament
all the way up to the Bassmaster

(01:25:39):
Elite Series.
The mass majority of fishermen
are.
What is it going to take to get a check?
What is it going to take to get a check?
Not we do that goofy, goofy thing,
you know.
Hey, what's it going to take to win
the majority of people
that when they do that
that photo gallery on bassmaster.com,

(01:26:00):
they're not thinking about
what it's going to take to win.
They're thinking about what it's
going to take to cash a check.
Well, that's where everything exploded
of where
I'm going to win $500 if I cash a check.
And that's
where the revision came through,
because that always has been.
That always has been.
The majority of the field wants to be,

(01:26:21):
you know, boom, 40th place, 50th place.
Get my check, get my points
and get the hell out of town.
And the next one.
And that's why that that revision,
happened
the other side of that is it is.
If this is just the start, okay?

(01:26:42):
If this is just the start,
the biggest problem
to get into professional bass
fishing is the nut that it takes
to get to the poker table.
Yeah, right.
It's what it is.
The
without having that terror and fear.
I think you will see

(01:27:03):
a lot more fishermen.
This is my opinion.
I think you'll see a lot more fishermen
not fighting for their shooter,
for their entry fee
and actually fighting to win events.
I think guys
this year, next year
in the years to come,
if we stay in this format,
guys that may not have previously won

(01:27:26):
an Elite Series tournament by playing it
safe, give me a get my entry fee back.
I think you'll see them go for it more.
And I think you'll end up
seeing guys that maybe we did not see
winning events,
contending and
actually winning tournaments.
The point

(01:27:47):
there you go.
The TNC show coming to your life.
When does this start?
When does this show start?
Tommy, what do we got going there?
I don't know.
I you worry, I,
I, I think I'm thinking about the WWE
schedule right now, but.
Yeah. Yeah, that's.
No, it's, I think it's in January.
I think we're looking at rolling out
late January or early February

(01:28:08):
or early February right before. Yep.
Right.
For the first Elite Series tournament.
And then we'll probably do it
every two weeks
or we'll try to we'll try to, you know,
we're we definitely want to get traction.
You know, obviously
we're
we have a somewhat
of a legitimate schedule.
But like I said, there will be a lot of
I think there will be a lot of,

(01:28:29):
you know, pundits picking and choosing.
But but I want to also circle back of, of
when we suck,
which will be often it'll be often. Dave.
Yeah, that's the one hurdle we see out
there is apparently with these podcasts.
You're supposed to not suck.
So we gotta figure a workaround right?
Right, right.
You guys have figured out how to not suck

(01:28:51):
a lot.
Z, though,
I have to go back to something
you said just moments ago
that I have to ask you.
Because if I don't, get railed for it
because these fine viewers
are educated viewers, and they heard
let's go,
while Best
Live is done for the regular season,
what does that mean?

(01:29:12):
I don't think I said that,
you 100% said it, I heard it.
I think you and I have focused on
nothing since you said it.
I, I, I, I think there is a potential
that maybe
I could jump on the set for,
11 minutes or 6 hours
with, with Tommy in the,
in the gang at the classic.
So, if that all comes together,

(01:29:33):
I would love to.
Obviously, I'd love to still be
with the group at the Bassmaster Classic.
I think that'd be awesome.
Yeah, that would be awesome.
I, I build
this is the show that keeps on giving.
It's the gift that keeps on giving.
You guys are back doing a podcast.
Everybody make sure to support this.
We'll talk about it
before the first episode.
I'm sure we'll promote it.

(01:29:55):
Because the world needs it.
And if I heard right,
maybe you're going to hear the
deep voice of Z train on the bass
message.
Like, how happy does that make you?
Tommy Sanders?
It makes me very happy.
It's, That's I'm ecstatic about it.
Obviously. And why wouldn't I be crazy?
Would it be not to be?

(01:30:15):
That's awesome.
You know.
Of course, of course.
Well, lots of fun ahead.
I thank you both for doing this,
for taking the time to do this.
It's become a tradition, though,
that we have Tommy,
before we get into the final tradition,
we also celebrate Festivus
for one of its airing of the grievances.
Any grievances
you guys want to air about anything?

(01:30:37):
Cleansing of the palate?
No, no, no,
I'm just saving them for the show.
I think they have to play him in fantasy
this weekend
for a for a for a big,
a big boost in my the end of the season.
Let's go.
Yeah.
In both in the two different leagues.
And you might be pass me this, Dave,
before we get to the traditional closing
of the of the Christmas week show,

(01:30:58):
can you and Zeke
take it for one minute
while I go get my charger cable for a guy
I had to move at the last 100,
I don't know.
Yeah. Go, go go on. Go. Oh, yeah. Yeah.
You play
one of the one of the cool things
I do give I give Bassmaster.
Really.
Thanks again.
I they,
they've given me, you know,

(01:31:19):
I said this at the Hall of Fame,
they've given me a
unbelievable opportunity
sitting in the chair next to Tommy
and for them to, to roll the dice on
on the TMZ podcast, T
and Z, podcast.
It it for them to,
you know, that's where it's going to live

(01:31:39):
is on on bassmaster.com.
And I'm sure they'll
disburse it to the world.
You know the podcast world
wherever that goes.
You know where that goes.
That that
that's that
that that's a great opportunity.
I'm very, very excited for that.
So very cool.
I'm still shocked at the fact
that Tommy thought this show
was professional enough, that him
ducking out is a problem.

(01:31:59):
I mean, I love it.
He's in the dressing room too.
I can see that in the dressing room.
It's so great. It's so great.
It's so
and so
so really I was retired
from Bassmaster for 37 minutes.
Yeah.
So that's it's in essence
kind of what happened.
So yeah we got good
braids almost there now.
It's kind of yeah actually it's

(01:32:23):
I remember you made a comment.
It was it was a year or two ago.
You said you're going to figure out a way
to just do the classic.
Well, we're way to chipping away.
You frigging did it.
It's unbelievable.
G I mean,
and I was joking, but, But I believed.

(01:32:46):
Yeah, if anybody can figure out
it is you.
I actually
when you said that, I'm like,
damn, that is a good one.
That's an easy.
Oh.
I mean, it just makes it more special.
It makes it like Christmas.
I mean, there you go.
It only happens every once in a while.
And I'm blessed to be a part of it.

(01:33:07):
The other the other thing is that,
I mean, that it was time.
It was time, you know, that it was
y you know, it.
Hard to hard to explain.
Just hard to explain.
But it was just time.
It was time to leave that.
But I didn't want to, you know?
I didn't want to leave Tommy.
That's what it comes down to.

(01:33:29):
It was just time.
There was.
There was, this
lot of other, other things in my head.
You know why?
You know, you and I talked about that.
So it's all good.
Well,
before we get into this final thing,
I have one big question for you guys.
I can't believe I didn't ask it for now.

And I
really want your honest opinion on this.

(01:33:52):
Is it the excessive entry fees
last year
and the expensive forward facing sonar?
Is that the reason Ben Millican
didn't buy a fishing license?
Wow.
You have sleuth it out.
Okay.
Have you ever.
Have you ever thought

(01:34:13):
that Millikin possibly
did this on purpose just for more clicks?
Okay.
See if I would do stuff like this.
This show would be so much better.
I mean, it seems to be working out.
There's people making videos like that.
I mean, I would like somebody to make a,
like, put, put the numbers together.

(01:34:34):
Like, how many clicks did that get this.
Oh my gosh.
Because there's like
people are showing up on my feed
that I didn't even know had a podcast.
And they're just like cow breaking news.
It's,
it's wild, it's wild.
He'll be fine. He'll be fine.
I'll be just fine.
Yeah, yeah, he he'll be fine.
Okay, let's do this.

(01:34:56):
Is one of those awkward moments.
Supremacy. Let's go.
Let's bring it back.
Because it is Christmas.
And as I've always told Tommy,
I would love to hear him
read anything to me and and a gift
that he's given this show.
I think maybe
the last two years is the set.
Is he not saying.
I mean, you can if you wish.
I mean,
I want you to stretch

(01:35:17):
your theatrical prowess
during this performance.
I mean, because I will
I mean, you've brought it before, but
level two stuff,
and I know that we're just
going to keep on climbing,
but I would like to present
the one,
Tommy Sanders with a reading of The Night
Before Christmas.

(01:35:38):
Twas the
night before Christmas,
when all through the house
not a creature was stirring.
Not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung
by the chimney with care.
In hopes that Saint Nicholas
soon would be there.
The children were all nestled
snug in their beds,
while visions of sugarplums
danced in their heads
and mom in her kerchief and I in my cap,

(01:35:58):
just settled our brains
for a long winter's nap.
When out on the lawn there arose
such a clatter.
I sprang from the bed to see
what was the matter.
The weight of the window
I flew like a flash,
tore open the shutters
and threw up the sash.
The moon
on the crest of the new fallen snow
gave a luster of midday to objects below.

(01:36:21):
When?
What, to my wondering,
I should appear,
but a miniature sleigh
and eight tiny reindeer
with a little old driver so lively quick,
I knew in a moment
it must be Saint Nicholas.
More rapid than eagles.
His coursers they came.
And he whistled and shouted,
and called them by name on comet,
on Cupid, on Donner and Blitzen.

(01:36:42):
To the top of the porch.
To the top of the wall.
Now dash, dash away, dash away. All
is dry leaves before the wild hurricane.
Fly.
When they meet an obstacle
mount to the sky.
So up to the housetop the cautious.
They flew with a sleigh full of toys.
And said Nicholas to.
And then the twinkling, twinkling

(01:37:03):
I heard on the roof,
the prancing
and pulling of each little hoof
as I drew in my head,
and was turning around down
the chimney Saint
Nicholas came with a bounty,
was dressed all in fur
from his head to his foot,
and his clothes were all tarnished
with ashes and soot, a bundle of toys
he had flung on his back,
and he looked like a peddler

(01:37:23):
just opening his pack.
His eyes how they twinkled!
His dimples, how Mary!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose
and like a cherry.
His droll little mouth
was drawn up like a bow.
And the beard of his chin
was as white as snow.
The stump of a pipe
he held tight in his teeth and the smoke,
and insert his head like a wreath.

(01:37:44):
You had a broad face
and a round
little belly that shook when he laughed
like a bowlful of jelly.
He was chubby and plump,
a red jolly old elf.
And I laughed when I saw him.
In spite of myself,
a wink of his eye, the twist of his head.
Soon he gave me to know
I had nothing to dread.
He spoke not a word,
but went straight to his work
and filled all the stockings,

(01:38:05):
and turned with the jerk,
and laying his finger a side of his nose,
giving a nod up the chimney he rose.
He sprang to his sleigh,
and his team gave a whistle.
And away
they all flew like the down of a vessel.
But I heard him exclaim.
Ere he rode out of sight.

(01:38:25):
Merry Christmas to all
and to all a good night.
Let's give it up.
Let's give it a shot.
The name of that is
is a visit from Saint Nicholas.
It's not the night before Christmas.
Just a really fun factor
that would have literally taken me
the better side of ten hours
to get that correct.

(01:38:46):
And I'm hoping.
I'm hoping
you give Tommy a longer read
the next time we're on together.
Go over there.
I'll write the entire
Charles Dickens Christmas
Carol next time.
David will be great.
I'll play Tiny Tim, and
that's awesome.
I mean, it's a gift to the,
To be honest, it's selfish.
I literally threw the whole way
through that.
I kept looking at Tommy,

(01:39:08):
and I kept looking at Jonah,
and I kept thinking like,
how in the world is Mark
Zona and Dave Mercer getting?
Tommy said
during the night before Christmas.
Oh, idea.
No idea.
Well, what's known as an incurable ham.
Oh, well, I can't love it.
Love it?
Well,
you've made
many people's Christmases
better, and I thank you for that.

(01:39:29):
And,
I can't wait to see the TNT show, and,
Yeah, I got nothing else.
Merry Christmas, boys, merry Christmas.
You're the best.
Thank you.
Love you guys. Love you.
What a
way to end the festive special with
the almighty Tommy Sanders reading.

(01:39:51):
What do you call it?
I mean, night before Christmas.
Whatever it is,
it's something else.
But Tommy's much more educated than I.
A great show to great guests
and great news.
T and Z is coming to your life.
Those two will be back together on bass

(01:40:11):
master.com starting mid-February.
TMZ, they've told me some of the plans
for the show
and it's going to be really, really cool.
I'm excited about it as a friend.
I'm excited about it as a fan.
And,
I know a lot of you guys are excited.
Another exciting thing
that was revealed during today's show.

(01:40:32):
If you weren't paying attention,
Mark Zona admitted
that he's going to be on the mic
at the Bassmaster Classic.
He will be part of Bass Live.
I'm sure all those details like when
and how often
or what
that will all be released,
in the coming year.
But it is a good thing to go into

(01:40:53):
Christmas in the New Year
knowing that those two
are back in our lives
and Mark Zona is back on bass live.
It's like the mob, really.
He tried to leave,
but we pulled him back in
and with good reason.
Because we love
listening to you pontificate
about bass fishing.

(01:41:16):
Make sure to support the contest.
Make sure to like, comment, subscribe.
Win that $500 Megapack
include jumpers in your comment,
jumper or jumpers,
whichever direction
you want to go is fine.
Make sure that's
included in your comments
and we will pick a winner
on our first show January 1st.
The bonus prize for our streamers.

(01:41:36):
Whether you're listening to Spotify,
Apple, or any streaming
service, make sure to leave a review,
rate the show,
put jumpers in
your comment,
and we will do a bonus prize there.
Wherever you're watching,
we're trying to make your Christmas
a little merrier.
And Tommy and Zona just made, well,

(01:41:57):
not just my Christmas, but 2025.
A whole lot merrier for me.
Thank you guys for spending
all the time
that you guys have spent
on this show in 2024.
It was an incredible season
and we got some incredible stuff
planned for 2025.
Some new and exciting things

(01:42:18):
that we'll be doing on this podcast
maybe.
Well, let's not get into that residency
seem to be really taken off. On podcast.
It seems to be a thing.

I shouldn't, shouldn't
I did, but I shouldn't.
I hope you all have a very,
very Merry Christmas

(01:42:38):
and a happy New Year.
Oh, new shows coming out, facts
efficient back in your life.
Obviously during that break.
We're going to talk a bunch about that
when I come back on January 1st.
Keep your eyes out
for the first episodes of Facts Fishing.
The first episodes of Zona’s
Awesome Fish Show, KVD shows coming out,
the Kevin Van Damme experience,
the Van Damme experience. Sorry.

(01:43:01):
Check those out.
Enjoy the festive season.
Merry Christmas, happy new Year,
enjoy being.
And as always Bob Cobb, take it away.
Thanks for watching.
Please like, comment and subscribe.
Because Bob Cobb of the Bass Masters told

(01:43:21):
you to, you hear?