Swindle no joke with mic

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Gerald Swindle finished 53rd in the Bassmaster Classic in his home state, but he stole the show during Saturday’s weigh-in at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex.

Swindle was angry when he weighed just one fish during the first round, but he turned a full-blown rant Saturday into a standup act that amused a packed arena.

“You hear people talk about home advantage,” Swindle said. “You can forget that. I know this lake better than anybody, and I couldn’t have caught one today with a grenade. I’m more confused than I was when I tried to fill out the Obama health care plan.

“I’ve never made it to the third day of the Classic, so I guess I’m never going to win one.”

With that, Swindle took the microphone from Dave Mercer, the emcee and asked the crowd to cheer for him as if he were the winner so he would know how it felt. The crowd obliged with a long roar.

“That’s the loudest cheer I’ve ever heard for an 8-pound finish in the Bassmaster Classic,” Mercer said.

“In Alabama, we care about two things: bass fishing and Dale Jr.,” Swindle said, referring to NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. “To be a great champion, you need to learn to be a really good loser because it’s going to happen, and you’ll be judged on how you act when times are hard.” War Eagle!

Tripp Weldon, the BASS tournament director, is an ardent fan of University of Alabama football.

During the weigh-in warmup, Dave Mercer played the video of Auburn’s Chris Davis returning Alabama’s missed field goal attempt for the game-winning touchdown on the big screen. Then the camera panned to show Davis, who was in the audience.

“When I saw that, I texted you and asked you how you felt,” Mercer asked. “You never texted me back, so I’m asking you now.”

“We needed one more second,” Weldon said.

“Alabama fans know what I’m talking about. That was a sucker punch right there.

Roll Tide!”

Happy 60th, 33!

Gary Klein of Weatherford, Texas, finished last in his 30th Classic.

He came on stage carrying a Zebco 33 rig.

It’s the 60th anniversary of the famous reel, and Klein said it was the first piece of fishing equipment he owned as a child.

“I decided to celebrate my 30th Bassmaster Classic by making my first cast of the day with a Zebco 33,” he said

Sports, Pages 27 on 02/23/2014