If the announcement that ESPN cancelled BassCenter was a shock to you, it wasn't to many of us "inside" the bass fishing industry. Not that we knew anything in advance, it's just that someone had to "stop the bleeding," to use a popular phrase I've been hearing – meaning, it looked to a lot of people that ESPN Outdoors and BASS were spending more than they were making. Judging by what's been happening, it appears that's the case.

So what do I think about no more BassCenter? I have two ways of looking at it.

1. Short-Term, Not Good

The first is that in the short-term, it stinks.

In the interest of full disclosure, I can tell you that I almost never watched the show. I'm not a big TV-watcher, especially on Saturday mornings. So I can't comment on the content.

But to have a show on fishing that shared the SportsCenter name is great. Or was great. It sent a signal to everyone in America that the best sports television network on the planet (and one of the sexiest networks to advertisers) valued fishing – and specifically bass fishing – that highly.

And the show was well-produced. Quality-wise, have you ever seen better bass-fishing TV than what was on ESPN2 the past 2 years?

I'm a big fan of the old Bob Cobb-produced "The Bassmasters" show too, but in terms of modern-style TV, you'd have a hard time convincing me that anything's been better than what ESPN has been producing lately. In fact, I believe here and there that it's been some of the best fishing/outdoors TV ever produced.

The person on the ground who was responsible for BassCenter (and the ill-fated Loudmouth Bass) is a guy named Jerry Goodman (on the technical side, the guy in charge was Dave Williams). Jerry produced basketball, SportsCenter (I think) and other programming for ESPN out of ESPN's HQ in Connecticut. Then, in late 2004, he took a chance on bass fishing.

In my opinion, those guys and their staffs in Charlotte, N.C. did a heck of a job. It's a shame they're all out of one now.

And it's a shame – as well as a black mark on former ESPNO/BASS management – that the entire industry can't point to BassCenter anymore as a shining example of what fishing means to people, and what it can become.

2. Long-Term, Who Knows?

I hear, but can't confirm, that BassCenter was one of ESPN2's higher-rated outdoors shows. If true, those ratings apparently didn't translate to profitability for ESPN Outdoors' businesses as a whole. But eventually they might.

What I mean is, if this is a case of "stopping the bleeding," then when the patient recovers – notice I said "when" and not "if" – I hope one of the first signs of that recovery is a restart of BassCenter.

Maybe it won't be called that anymore, and that's okay. The association with SportsCenter helps, but the more important thing is having that type of show on an ESPN property.

Hopefully by then, ESPNO/BASS will be managed better because the people in charge will be smarter. And if they're smarter, they should realize that if they're selling ratings, they shouldn't air fishing shows on Saturday mornings. Or at least they should find a way to measure how many people are recording the shows. (It also wouldn't hurt for the Nielsen folks to own up to the fact that they're selling bunk.)

So for now, file me in the "hoper" category. ESPNO/BASS seems to be doing what it has to do, and when it figures that out, I hope it takes some baby steps beyond that, starting with a BassCenter-type show.

For what it's worth, I believe a show like that can rate highly and can make money. But what do I know?