I got sandbagged one Monday evening watching the "new" American Sportsman.

ESPN2 has done a pretty good job of sullying the reputation and name of a venerable show of the past.

Back in the '60s and early '70s, Curt Gowdy and his gaggle of pals brought outdoorsmen a television show that held us on the edges of our seats: the "old" American Sportsman. The new ESPN incarnation is as exciting as watching some kid pierce his nose and ears.

Like many of the other networks and independent stations, it appears to me ESPN is out to capture viewers in the 20- to 40-year-old range. There's nothing wrong with that.

But I yearn for those days when outdoor television broadcasting sent shivers through my body. It was those exciting scenes from all points in the world. The visuals along with the commentary so expertly handled by Curt Gowdy.

The American Sportsman was created after Gowdy and a camera crew traveled around the world on various fishing and hunting jaunts. ABC was wise enough in 1964 to step out on a limb and feature this award-winning outdoors program on Sunday afternoons. Millions became addicted to Gowdy's adventures with his pals.

His specialty was fly-fishing, of course. His angling tutoring came from his father in Laramie, Wyo. To this day, Gowdy is still one of my all-time favorites, on and off-camera.

Pallot Good Too

The other chap I'd walk a mile to share a boat with is Flip Pallot, host of ESPN's Walker Cay Chronicles. Now this is a show that deserves my attention.

Flip is a wonderfully smooth and gentle narrator. In fact, I've often said that Flip's soothing style is pure prose, wrapped in a comfortable blanket of tranquility.

His specialty, like Gowdy, is the fly rod, but one doesn't have to be a fly angler to appreciate Pallot's laid-back descriptions. He's a natural, without any pretenses, and doesn't seem to be afraid of making mistakes on-camera.

I was once told by a colleague that Gowdy's stylized banter was formed and couched by his many years of wading trout streams and dealing with the best of what Mother Nature happened to offer out in the West. Gentle streams equates to easy-going Gowdy.

Pallot, on the other hand, is living proof that one does not have to rely upon commercial tranquilizers in order to be a content human being.

Gowdy appears now from time-to-time on an ESPN Outdoors segment, while Pallot is a regular Saturday fixture on ESPN2.

In-Fisherman Was Good, But...

Mind you, there are some other decent outdoor television shows on the air. In- Fisherman used to be the king of the hill, but since chief jigger and former company president Al Lindner hung up his trademark sunglasses for the last time, the show has taken on a pallor of a different shade.

In the past, In-Fisherman Television's secret had been its ability to fuel the imaginations of its viewers. That and teaching the basics was the show's formula for success. All that's changed since Al and brother Ronald moved on to seek greener pastures.

Just Because You Won a Bass Tournament...

I've said this in the past, and I'll stick to my guns: Just because someone wins major bass tournaments doesn't automatically qualify them to become a television show host.

Ron Lindner and I once shared a laugh about one other television personality who always had his back to the camera. All he did was cast to a shoreline and mutter, "Good fish."

Another television celeb goes to great extremes to make sure he catches a fish while the camera is rolling along. He never tells you that every small lake and pond where he shoots his programs are stuffed with big fish, waiting for him to show up and toss them a lure or two.

Painting Pictures

Flip Pallot and his writer understand what it is to paint pictures with words. Gowdy discovered that well over 30 years ago. And a few others have come close to accomplishing that same feat.

Fishing is a wonderful sport. Writing about it is how I make my living. It's also a great way to meet people in my many travels, learning about their lives and the ways they live.

In my opinion, Gowdy and Pallot also discovered that too. And every word out of their mouths rings clearly with poetic license and meaningful prose. I can never get enough.

But this new American Sportsman effort on Monday evenings is as exciting as going to the old Fisherman's Dude Ranch on Golf Road in Niles, Ill. Canned fish and contrived scenes seem to go together.

Mike Jackson's outdoors column appears in The Daily Herald, one of Chicago's major daily newspapers.