Highlights from my wedding!

Bass responding to opportunity's knock.(SPORTS)

Browse back issues of this publication by date December 30, 1999 | Seifert, KevinAnthony Bass is having fun now, clearly enjoying the scenery after his arrival in the Vikings' starting lineup. A Division I-AA college player two years ago, a member of the practice squad last season and a reserve until last week, Bass figures he has nothing to lose. Jokingly describing his responsibilities Wednesday as a free safety, Bass said, "I'm the deep man, so if anyone gets behind me, I'm the one getting pulled out of the game." An unlikely scenario, to be sure, especially after Bass set a career high with seven tackles and intercepted the first pass of his career in the Vikings' 34-17 victory against the New York Giants on Sunday. Because of a season-ending shoulder injury to starter Orlando Thomas, and the Vikings' desperately thin depth at the position, Bass seems destined to stay put, no matter how he plays. The third man to start at free safety and the eighth to start in the Vikings' secondary this season, Bass is aware of his unlikely ascendance. "I had no idea, no idea at all," Bass said."I was just trying to make the roster. Once I made the roster, I was just worried about trying to get playing time, whether that be on special teams or defense. Then once you get playing time, you worry about trying to make the best of the opportunity as you can." In a more ideal situation, Bass would be continuing a gradual development process that began last season. But starting in a secondary that also includes rookie cornerback Kenny Wright and converted wide receiver Robert Tate in the nickel, Bass held his own against the Giants. He gave himself a "B" for the performance, although Bass admitted, "If I was a veteran, I'd give myself a `C.' " "Anthony Bass is a very good athlete that we've had in our program for two years now," Vikings coach Dennis Green said. "He's worked his way up. He has tremendous range. He's playing a position where a lot of veterans play, because you have to do a lot of [play] calling, but Anthony has handled it." Signed as a free agent out of Bethune-Cookman last season, Bass was released in 1998 training camp before joining the practice squad in September. He was activated and played in three regular-season games and also served as a nickel back in the playoffs after Thomas and fellow rookie Ramos McDonald were injured. Bass played sparingly as a backup to Thomas and strong safety Robert Griffith this season, and he had a total of six tackles before Sunday's game. Despite increasing shortage of personnel in the secondary, Bass seemed to fall more out of favor each week. Rookie free agent Chris Rogers moved past him as the nickel back after McDonald was released, and another free agent, Antonio Banks, started ahead of Bass at strong safety, with Griffith moving to free safety, when Thomas was sidelined by a sore hamstring against Kansas City on Dec. 12. Bass had been deactivated for the previous two games, and his roster spot seemed in jeopardy. "When you're not on the field, you're concerned," Bass said. "You're an NFL player, and you want to be on the field. I don't know of anyone with any competitive spirit who would not want to be dressed." Bass ended up splitting time with Banks in Kansas City. At 6-1 and a lean 200, however, the Vikings thought he was better suited to play free safety than Banks was to start at strong. Thomas returned to start the following week against the Green Bay Packers, but Bass got the call after Thomas broke his scapula in that game. "Last year, Coach Green kept saying we have a lot of players on our team that came from the practice squad," Bass said. "So I knew it was possible. I was just waiting my turn, and I'm happy it happened the way it did. I can't look back and say, `Man, I wish it happened any other way,' because it happened." Responsible mostly for covering the middle of the field, Bass benefited from the Giants' insistence on throwing sideline routes last Sunday. And he picked a good time for his first interception, a play cornerback Jimmy Hitchcock called "one of the biggest plays of the year." With the Vikings leading 14-6 in the third quarter, Bass made a diving catch of a twice-tipped pass and returned it 4 yards to the Giants 27. On the next play, Randy Moss' touchdown pass to Cris Carter gave the Vikings a 21-6 lead. "You see things like Cris Carter playing on a bad ankle, and Robert Tate going from offense to defense," Bass said. "You say, if those guys are doing that, I've got to hold up my end of the bargain. So I think that playing free safety, I've got to show I'm doing the things I need to do to help the team." Revolving door Ten different players have started in the Vikings' secondary, including nickel backs: . Position Player GS - CB Jimmy Hitchcock 15 - CB Kenny Wright 10 - CB Ramos McDonald 5 - SS Robert Griffith 14 - SS Antonio Banks 1 - FS Orlando Thomas 13 - FS Robert Griffith 1 - FS Anthony Bass 1 - NB Chris Rogers 4 - NB Kenny Wright 1

TROY AIKMAN VS. ANTHONY BASS.(SPORTS)

Browse back issues of this publication by date January 7, 2000 | Seifert, KevinAs the free safety, Bass is responsible for playing a kind of center field and is often the last man standing between a receiver and the end zone. Bass has started two games in place of Orlando Thomas, who suffered a season-ending shoulder injury, but neither the New York Giants nor the Detroit Lions went out of their way to test Bass. Rest assured Aikman will. A three-time Super Bowl champion, Aikman is especially adept at seeking out and attacking the weakness of a defense. A likely target for that search is receiver Raghib Ismail, the speedster who caught 80 passes for 1,097 yards this season. The Vikings' improved pass rush is to Bass' benefit, and he may well develop into a front-line NFL safety. There is no way to tell, however, until he matches up with a few quarterbacks such as Aikman. Troy Aikman, Cowboys quarterback - Age: 33 - Season: 11th - Height, weight: 6-4, 226 - College: UCLA - How acquired: Drafted first round (first overall) in 1989. Anthony Bass, Vikings cornerback - Age: 24 - Season: 2nd - Height, weight: 6-1, 203 - College: Bethune-Cookman - How acquired: Signed as rookie free agent in 1998.

Safety Anthony Bass steps up for Vikings.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

Browse back issues of this publication by date December 30, 1999 | Johnson, GregEDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. _ For someone who had to be talked into playing football in high school, Anthony Bass has overcome the long odds of becoming an NFL player. Bass' professional career could have taken a different turn if he hadn't accepted an invitation from Bryce Casto. Before two-a-day practices started at South Charleston (W.Va.) High School in 1991, Casto made a request. ``(Bass) didn't play football his sophomore year, and when he came to our school he was a basketball player,'' said Casto, who was Bass' high school football coach and now is the athletics director at West Virginia State. ``We asked Anthony to come out before his junior year. I asked him to give it a week to see if he liked it. If he did, then stick with it, and if not, there would be no hard feelings or anything. He came out and excelled. I knew he had been an excellent football player in junior high school.'' Bass, a free-agent signee by the Vikings who has become their starting free safety because of season-ending shoulder injury to Orlando Thomas, competed against DuPont High School stars Randy Moss, Eric Moss and Bobby Howard, who later became Notre Dame's captain. Bass, 24, remembered those days as he prepared for the regular-season finale Sunday against the Detroit Lions. ``At first I was like, `Man what is (Casto) talking about,' '' said Bass, who made his first career interception Sunday in a 34-17 victory over the New York Giants. ``But he really wanted me out there, and it made me feel good. The first game I caught a 50-yard touchdown, so I said, `Oh, I can still play football.' They had a lot of talent in that area around that time for whatever reason. Most of the guys didn't make it to college. But we had a plethora of talent in that area, so I went against good competition.'' Bass, whose father, William, was his secondary coach, became a better football player and was West Virginia's player of the year after his senior season, when he played wide receiver as well as on defense. He played at Division I-AA Bethune-Cookman and spent most of his 1998 rookie season on the Vikings' practice squad. Bass was signed to the 53-man roster and played late in the season, including in the 41-21 divisional playoff victory over the Arizona Cardinals. This season he has bounced from being on the first nickel defense to playing exclusively on special teams to being inactive to starting. ``Mentally it's tough, but realistically the whole time I could say, I'm in the pros,'' Bass said. ``I could sit here and complain about not getting a shot but like (former Viking and current West Virginia State coach) Carl Lee said, `You're getting paid and you're still living your dream.' Chris Doleman told me it's best to be on the inside looking out than the outside looking in. I took that into consideration and kept my mouth shut. I just kept working as hard as I could.'' Bass has used Lee, a Viking from 1983-93, as a mentor in the offseason whenever he visits home. Applying what he has learned from others who have traveled a similar path is one of Bass' strengths. ``(Bass) is a product of what everybody around here wants,'' Vikings defensive coordinator Foge Fazio said. ``You develop a young guy, and you keep him around. You put him on the practice squad, then you elevate him and he learns. If he stays with it, then he probably is going to get a chance to play. He has done everything. The big thing with him is he listens.'' Bass is making sure he enjoys the moment. ``It's very exciting,'' he said. ``When I wake up in the morning, I'm just smiling for more reasons than just football. Life is so short, and this is an opportunity to do something I love to do every single day. It helps me feel good, and when you go out on the field, the whole city is cheering for you. We're all working together for a common bond. When people support you like that, it makes your job a whole lot easier.''< X X X (c) 1999, Saint Paul Pioneer Press (St. Paul, Minn.). Visit PioneerPlanet, the World Wide Web site of the Pioneer Press, at http://www.pioneerplanet.com/