Brushes with Greatness

A few years ago I had a chance to go on a fishing trip with an all-time athlete, one of the top 50 to ever play his particular sport, first-ballot Hall of Famer, yada yada yada. He seemed like he’d be kind of difficult, so that was a turn-off, but even if he’d been a peach of a guy, it probably wouldn’t have moved the needle. Thirty-year-old Pete would’ve been excited to tell his friends about meeting and fishing with a world-renowned superstar. Forty-year-old Pete would’ve been excited to tell his friends he’d fished a world-class fishery. Fifty-year-old Pete is generally just happy with the experience.

That doesn’t mean that I don’t occasionally stargaze, but my values were once again evident to me at the Pro-Am before the recent Bassmaster Classic. In that event, Rick Clunn fished with Randy Moss – or, depending on how you look at it, Randy Moss fished with Rick Clunn. 

I’m a huge fan of Randy Moss, one of the most electrifying, quotable, and dominating athletes of my lifetime. I’m a huge 30 for 30 fan, and I’ve watched ESPN’s “Rand University” multiple times (it doesn’t resonate with me quite as much as the ones about Len Bias, Ricky Williams, Steve Bartman, or Marcus Dupree, but it’s pretty damn compelling). Nevertheless, given the choice of who to fish with, it would definitely be Clunn. Given the choice of who to have a beer with, or just a long drive across the country, it would again be Clunn. I can’t say that about a lot of anglers, but I’m comfortable enough with myself to know that I still have a lot to learn, and I still have a lot of passion for the sport.