Chris,
I find it hard to swallow some of your comments from atop the fence. You are a worthy monthly winner with your shore 44# for the month of May. And you offer to be willing to take a polygraph test as a one of the winners with a significant prize at stake. Clearly Team Striper should be proud to have you on their team.
Yet, you then go muddy the waters with talk of a potential team withdrawal in the name of "solidarity" with a team member 'accused' of breaching the laws, even when the charges were made after the Cup ended. And the comments relating to rumors about last year's tournament and the winners are news to me, and appear to be a smokescreen to direct attention away from the "poaching" subject.
On the Fall fishing thread, you said you were 'only able to manage a 37#' fish the previous night... Do you realize how many anglers only dream of fish in that class???
Sit back and enjoy what is to come your way. You earned it. If there is to be a statement/decision from the team, let the 'captain' make it. I would much rather see you up on stage as a humble, deserving winner rather than a lightning rod tied to the poaching incident.
Congrats to your team, and best wishes for getting the right key. I'll look forward to seeing you there.

Again, to lie detector everyone is not possible dollar wise.OTW doesn't even offer subscriptions for a weekly prize so I wouldn't hold my breath for them to spend big bucks for a lie detector test.In their defense they have offerred to reinstate Sean if he takes and passes a test.
If I had sour grapes regarding the outcome of last years tournament I guess I would have spoken up then. In the past I have discussed these allegations with S-B members but decided it was better to keep quiet. It is still my belief there should be seperate divisions for boat and shore but obviously even that type of rhetoric hits a nerve. I have alredy been told not to drink from the Cup this year because of some members less than charming antics (potty?)regarding said cup. I'm sure the boss knew nothing of that also but that doesn't mean it didn't happen.BTW, I am fishing the Back Eddy tournament in October. It is an open tournament and I feel confident I can compete vs. the boat guys without a handicap system.

Are u serious, or are you further spreading rumors?

Maybe you should keep this stuff factual, ie: stuff you saw, or were involved in. Speculation, rumors, lies, and innuendo are just that

Was arunning joke, thats all.

The few ruin it for the many.
Enough said.

is this cupgate?

Thats what I thought Tony.

It's seems like there are some real sour grapes out there....

I see no reason for the individuals on team Striper to withdraw from the Cup. Your fish in May was a great catch and deserves recognition. Keith's "performance" this year undoubtedly ( at least in my mind ) deserves a round of applause.
I go back to what I originally said " the Team should be held accountable ".
The thought of the team passing fish never entered into my mind. That team had plenty of heavy hitters very capable to catch on their own.
I look forward to talking at the Cup or the Eddy, I'll be at both. Art

This is starting to look like something my wife would watch on the "Soap Channel" :rolleyes: (I'm still waiting for a Tampax Ad to pop up in this thread)

Team Striper is in 1st Place

Someone on team Striper got caught (allegedly) doing something wrong....OTW said "See ya"...So.......Don't let the Doorknob hit ya where the good Lord Split ya.

Now Does Team Striper have a fish big enough so they still Win....yeah...So enter it and move the frig on.

This "Show of Solidarity" is doing nothing more than adding Melodrama to a simple cut and dry situation....Guy got Caught, Guy got Bounced....simple....see ya. only guy that should have an issue is the guy that got bounced.

Team Striper Goes to the Striper Cup Celebration gets the cup and Drinks from it (bring some Sani-wipes if your that paranoid) and have a great day.

When its over you can write a letter to OTW suggesting some changes for next year (lie Detectors, Seperate Surf and Boat, No Comms.....Whatever).

They can Listen to you or not listen to you...either way when the rules come out next year you can either sign up or not sign up. And if you sign up then you agree to play by the rules they put forth....not Biatch about them because you don't like them.

if you don't like them then Don't sign up....its that simple.

well said (written) TDF. The Striper Cup is an exciting competition IMO, but sadly, these types of things always result in some melodrama. I mean really, how many controverisal threads have come up since the cup started? It's just fisherman nature!

I guess now is when I confess that the part about solidarity was fabrication on my part to add melodrama and increase hits on my favorite website. Catch em up.

Bradshaw's weighted fish of 51 lbs. is disqualified therefore leaving only 9 top fish for the team. There should be no 11th place fish to replace the one that is lost.

I am sure OTW will move the next biggest fish into the top 10...they have the weigh slips!

Don't forget that Luds withdrew a 40+ fish last year because he realized that he hadn't been entered for 24 hours before catching it.

Slip and I were the guys who called his attention to the rule.

I think this is my last year for this thing. Too much finger pointing and rumors. Tip your cap to OTW for a nice try, but nothing's changed in the last 40 years. Jealousy and greed just are too ingrained in the human spirit :(

It's like the MV Derby--an off-Islander wins back to back, and he has to be cheating :rollem:

So now this thread was a troll ??

Then you are penalizing the team, which to my knowledge has nothing concrete against it, for the actions of one guy. It is were more than one...

And that error was resolved early and easily (and nothing against the law either)...

Does take out some of the fun of fishing the tourney

This may be closer than you guys think. I was just on the OTW site and the boss man's 39Lb =46.8LBS fish has not been added to the totals yet. This will be very close

I was thinking the same thing Mike......and they will not update the last week as they probably want a little mystery. Usually updates were done on Fridays!

Man I was on the fence about signing up for the Cup.Now I'm glad I didn't.

Tournies for charity like the Chris Potts or Hab's are what its all about.The only winners are the families of those who died way before their time.

Anybody who has thought about fishing a competitive tournament will think twice after reading this thread.

After seeing the responses in this thread I'll never sign up for the Striper Cup ever again.

interesting

No, it wasn't a troll. The part about the letter and subsequent DQ was information for the masses I thought would be appreciated. The solidarity part was meant as a joke. Like going potty in the cup I guess. As far as the tournament being close;I doubt it as a member of our team hung a corker from shore on the last day of the competition that wil place him in our top 5 for points.Finally, for the sake of clarity,let me reiterate that nobody on Team Striper condones poaching and I am certain there was none committed to give the team an advantage in this stupid tournament. That being said, "Where is my key."

Chris - Thanks for clearing that up. Wasn't sure where the story began and ended.

Even without a large shore fish at the end, S-B would not have near enough points.

Troll ?

You Rang :shocked::hidin::gorez:

OOOOOO, basswipe!
i'm skeeeered now too!!
NOT!!!

well, if WE follow that irrational, then we should ALL withdraw
because of the alleged illegal actions of one LOSER!??!

ya gotta be sheeeting me, MAN!
one guy efff's up and NOW the whole Tourney is suspect, tainted,
not worthy of basswipe's participation. who gives a rat's arse??

have your opinion, no prob,,,,,,,,,,,,,:smash: :smash:

but to state that NOW everyone else should follow your position is somehwat grandiose, doan ya think? perhaps you didn't enter cuz you don't do so well when pitted against other high hookers? or, is the deadline thing too much pressh for ya? or, simply you don't like meat tourneys?

whichever, or for whatever reason, state it for what it is~~
but, to blame OTW and its signature event, or to just universally condemn tournament fishing sounds like someone with an axe to grind and it is not related to the case, in point, here! what's wrong bw, did they not deliver a coupla issues last year?
:wavey: :wavey: :wavey:

for me, the Striper Cup was a BLAST!!
i thought that it was very well run ~considering the scope and magnitude of such a HUGE event. LOVED the Team competition and the added excitement that comes with following the totals board, seeing who's won for which week, and checking for the angler of the year race ~~which was a tight one this season and very inspiring!! the added bonus is the big shindig that gets thrown next weekend on tha Hahbah to commemorate this 2008 Season, the HIGHS and the LOWS!!!
:jump: :jump: :jump:


something tells me that the POSITIVES of this Year's Striper Cup
will far, faaaaar OUTWEIGH the negatives or the misgivings of the FEW:heybaby: :heybaby: :heybaby:

This is rediculous! Not too long ago there was a thread about cheating in tourneys. This is why I stated why I cant stand them. Jealousy, rumors, cheating, backstabbing and a whole lot of petty drama.

Assuming the rest of the team still pulls off the win it should be theirs to celebrate (minus the bad apple of course). Though its apparent they will be guilty by association and rumors.

i have to wholeheartedly, and with much RESPECT, disagree!!

there is NO TAINT to Team Striper's WIN!!

one guy cheated, HE was removed from their totals,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
LEGITIMATE points were/will replace the illegitimate ones
and we and The Cup moves on. only those, mostly non-participants angling to justify their non-entry,
seem to be the most effected by the unfortunate choices by a slime-ball poacher. i could care LESS, and i salute Team Striper as a whole unit and will not misrepresent them ~or the Tounament~ by the misbehavior of ONE crumb-bum!

nor, should we assume that Team Striper would not have won!
this does not mean that THEY ALL cheated! those guys would've won this year without Bradshaw's
ill-gotten stripeys, and they feeshed their tails OFF, and they deserve to SIP, PISS, RAISE The Cup high,
hold it for the year, and do whatever the heck they want to do to IT ~~ until WE WREST it from their "pro" hands next season.

simply, CHEERS Team Striper!!! and CONGRATS
on a well fished and well deserved WIN!!!
:claps: :claps: :claps: :claps:

besides we still had the Angler of the Year, and
I predict the Trifecta for next year: :as: :as: :as:

The Cup, Angler of the Year, & Catch of the Year!!
:kewl: :kewl: :kewl: :kewl:

Bassdawg....I think basswipe was just saying that this ain't his cup of tea....don't think he meant we all needed to stop participating.

dont u dare get capt cupcake involved. he was at church that day...

Really?

i hear ya, The Dad, just seems never and anybody are kindof absolutes,
and i just feel that ONE mommaluke does NOT a tourney make!!

i had a BALL, and would encourage ANYBODY to sign up for next year ~who was thinking about it!
you get a cooool shirt, a hat pin, and a discount on the subscription,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

what's BETTER than that? the PERFECT meat for grand prizes/schwag tournament does not exist, and this one got cleaned up in due process. good on ya, OTW!!

If U reely fast they always call U da cheetah!!

funny stuff, Mikey!
:rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao:

All this bull%$%$%$%$ for a stupid CUP !!!
:conf:

Exactly.
Fishing is fishing. It is supposed to be fun.

There is a reason I don't enter....

I've put teams together before, not for fishing tourneys but for other sport activities. In putting those teams together, each individual is chosen based on his honesty first, talent 2nd. To me, to win dishonestly, is NOT winning...period. I believe a team-mate is a reflection of the team and the team a reflection of it's members. I believe Team Striper SHOULD remove itself completely based on their poor decision in picking their players or allowing people to join.

To compare this to Professional football is :hs: wrong. They (Football) will do whatever it takes to win, be it honestly or NOT. In comparing this to PRO football, ...it's like saying you would do whatever it takes to win, including dishonest measures as has been and continues to happen in football. If that is the case, than so be it, but don't try to sell it differently. It is ....what it is.

If I were putting a football team together, I would not add an intentionally DIRTY styled player to my team. Regardless of how talented he was, I want to walk off that field PROUD of my victory, not clouded with thoughts that perhaps we won dishonestly. This is not an individual tourney, it's a TEAM tourney. IMO - his dishonesty would out weigh any of his talent. My team may not win the Bowl, but where-ever we got,...we got there honestly. You reflect what you surround yourself with. If one really doesn't care what people think.........than one should not post about it at all.
Just my Opinion - If he was caught during the first few weeks of the tourney, sure...disqualify HIM.
Being caught doing what he did after the tourney even though it's not tourney related....???....The team should disqualify itself to save face, as well as try to ensure OTW that the team is LEGIT regardless of what happened with one of it's members after the fact.




Short, but true story - I had a REALLY big guy on my Deck Hockey team, I wasn't sure of his character but knew of his intimidation factor from previous seasons when he was on the opposing teams. He was a guy that a forward didn't want to go into the corner with. In Hockey, intimidation is BIG, so he was added to the roster as a defenseman. Turns out he was an incredible HACK. He would intentionally hack the opposing players, I'm not talking about tapping shin guards here, I'm talking about taking guys out. He'd get penalized, but his intimidation also affected the referees, so he was putting a hurtin' on quite a few people....now hockey is hockey, it's NOT for sissy's...but he was abusing what I consider should be tolerated. He would also cross-check when he felt he could get away with it. So one day during one of our practices, I lost it. I ran up to him, and started whacking him with my stick....he looked at me like.....WTF are you doing as he fell to the ground ??? I told him, HOW DO YOU LIKE IT??? In the box we had the conversation, I will not tolerate DIRTY measures nor dishonesty on my team. If that's the way you want to play, go somewhere else. This isn't about winning the Stanley Cup and possibly millions $$$, it's about a bunch of guys who enjoy the sport, and even more when the competitive aspect is added to it.

Luckily, he thought I was n#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&g futz, and didn't turn me into a pretzel....:jump1:

NO, NO Ronnie!!
Not stupid Cup ~~~~~it's

The Striper Cup
:bl: :bl: :bl: :bl:

and many others and i had a BALL defending her, for
*SHE is the pinnacle of our recreation and the aspiration
for team angler's along the entire Striper Coast!!!*
:uhuh: :uhuh: :uhuh:

I feel bad for anyone that the Stiper Cup is the pinnacle of the sport. I joined and was happy to fish for S-B. The mere opportunity to fish is worth more than a thousand victories of the cup. Maybe Im not a competitive person, who knows.

I would agree that while the Cup is great to fish for and can add an interesting element, if the Cup were to disappear tomorrow I could adjust just fine.

I usually enjoy fishing Tourneys but that is not why I fish.

for MANY surfcasters,,,,,,,,,,,

competitive fishing is the very definition of:












:jump: :jump: :jump:
:jump: FUNNNN!!! :jump:
:jump: :jump: :jump:

Fun is fishing with my buddies and all of us catching fish! We don't care who gets the biggest fish or who gets the most fish.....its just fun to watch each other catching fish! I am not competitive when it comes to fishing and I only registered for a shot at winning the boat! So....all the rest of it really does not matter to me.....its the good will of fishing together and the good time at the Harpoon Brewery and a shot at possibly winning a boat that matters to me!:kewl:

i use the asterisk to dentote sarcasm, tongue-in-cheekedness, bro!
:wave: :wave: :wave:


my opinion is more inline with the Bossman's.

i don't fish because of the Tournaments, but the oppoprtunity
for schwaaaag is NICE, and the team aspect is envigorating!

with or without tournament fishing, i am still gonna pound the surf~~

working it to improve my personal bests, meet and feesh with fellow stripermen, and achieve the solitude and sanity that comes from being connected to our beautiful prey while communing with the majestic shores of NE ~~through sights and smells and sounds and lifetime moments that the surf of the Mighty Atlantic is wont to allow,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

*THAT, and i AM one sickly competitive BASTAGE ~~by nature!!!*
:humpty: :nailem: :laugha: :laugha: