February 17, 2010 Mary-Kate Roan

mkroan@connectstatesboro.com

    When I heard the news that Capt. Phil Harris of the show “Deadliest Catch” died, I couldn’t help think to myself, ‘There goes another tough guy.’ Little did I know that right up until the end Harris insisted that Discovery’s cameras keep filming. He even went so far as to tell them to keep filming just after he woke from his stroke.
    When the producers told him they wanted to give him and his family time and space, the Cornelia Marie captain told them to keep filming.
    “No, we need a great finish to this story,” he reportedly told the camera guys.
    I’ve been a fan of “Deadliest Catch” ever since it first came on. Maybe it’s because these men put their lives on the line every time they leave Dutch Harbor. Then again, it may also be because they’re a dying breed.
    These brave men are this generation’s cowboys and pirates all wrapped into one. They brave the elements and live with the idea that they may not come home at all. The top two professions I respect are soldiers and Opilio and Alaskan King Crab crabbers.
    Think I’m wrong when I say they’re a dying breed? When was the last time you saw a true tough guy? I’m not talking about tough in the sense that they won’t wear pink or like to be outside. I’m talking about tough in the sense that they do backbreaking work for the pleasure of it, and they have no problem showing they can do what they want.
    The cowboys saw the beginning of their end in a traditional sense when barbed wire was invented in the 1880s. It only got worse when cattle cars were invented in the 1940s. The American legends of cowboys lingers in movies today, like the upcoming “Lone Ranger” re-make in Hollywood.
    Soldiers have to be tough guys because of the journey they have to take. Going through boot camps, taking orders, leaving behind family and friends for extended periods of time, sacrificing so much… It should all go unsaid. All sacrifice some, but some sacrifice all.
    That being said, tough guys everywhere should be mourning the loss of one of their own.
    Harris was guaranteed to make you have at least one chuckle – from either a joke or from his tongue-lashing of a crewmember when they made a mistake. The show won’t be the same without him, and I’m sure the Cornelia Marie and Dutch Harbor won’t be the same without him either.
    To the true fans of the show, you’ll know what I mean when I say let’s all have a Duck Fart for his memory. To those who don’t know what I’m talking about, I’ve provided the how-to guide for making the shot. This was the same shot the captains of the “Deadliest Catch” ships took together right before starting the crabbing season.
    Note: It’s actually a very good shot that tastes like coffee.

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