Mythical Jackpot in Queens

You may have noticed the link to the mythical Aqueduct racino in a prior post. It's not a goof, but rather the vision of developer R. Donahue Peebles (presumably representing his own bid with MGM Mirage rather than the one with Delaware North).

Oh, so this is what it's gonna look like, eh?

Wow, pretty swanky. (Maybe photographed at Yonkers?)

OOO, look, is that a......horse race?

Oh man, talk about hitting the jackpot.

I know it's going to be classy because it has a porte-cochere, and I had to look that up to see what it is. It looks like the slots would occupy the second floor of the plant, "thoughtfully configured based on denominations," with "an intuitive flow," and "ample parking opportunities."

Hmmm, parking opportunities sounds like he's going to sell PSL's for the prime spots; or perhaps for a personal valet.

This is all no joke to the breeders and owners in the state however....nor to those of us who maintain a fondness for the Big A. It's time man, I've written ad nauseum how much I dig the place, but at this point it's starting to lose its charm. We've been staring at the same faded decor for a lot of years, and it's getting really tired. A complete renovation of the plan is long overdue, and I have to admit that I get excited looking at cheesy pictures like these, just considering the possibilities. Yeah, bring in the damn slots, and get the joint a-jumpin'....and that means night racing. If the thoroughbred horsemen aren't into that, then bring in the harness guys, they can use the inner track as a mile oval and even race on the turf.

Of course, there likely won't be a decision on the winning bidder until the Senate stalemate is settled, and score one here for Governor David Paterson. The embattled governor has taken all kinds of abuse of late, but he's the one laughing now after a State Supreme Court judge ruled that he does, indeed, have the authority to call the Senate into extraordinary session even if the Assembly isn't around. The judge ordered a joint session this morning, though the Republicans immediately appealed and put that on hold. Regardless, the triumph led the governor to boast: “With today’s Supreme Court decision, we confirm that at least two branches of government are working in Albany."

Yeah, take that. It was very brave indeed of Democrat and Republican senators alike to attack a governor with an approval rating of around 8. He was labeled as 'incompetent' for forcing them into special sessions that they claimed, wrongly at this point, were illegal; and vilified for threatening to withhold their pay. But the Democrats' only proposed solution was to pack up and go home. Instead, they're at least in town and have been negotiating power-sharing with the Republicans, though those talks seem to be going nowhere fast. The sticking point is no doubt the issue of leadership, with the Republicans holding fast to the 32-30 vote that empowered the so-called coalition (30 Republicans plus two shady Democrats), even though the count now stands at 31-31. Would Senator Skelos still insist that the vote is the vote if five Republicans switched sides tomorrow?

- The parent company of Monticello Raceway has $65 million in debt due at the end of July, and it doesn't have the money. The largest creditor is Plainfield Asset Management, which co-owns Jeff Gural's Vernon and Tioga Downs, and is said to want to own the property. It's kinda hard to see why.

Its daily take per slot is the lowest of New York's eight racinos — the second-lowest of all 42 casinos and racinos in the Northeast, according to the most recent Gaming Industry Observer's East Coast Slot Report. Attendance continues to plummet, down 11 percent from last year. [Record Online]

Whatsmore, they'd soon, at least in theory, have competition from Cappelli's racetrack and racino at the Concord and its 75% retention rate. Could be that what Plainfield is really interested in is a piece of that action.

- I guess I'm much too old to talk about a rock concert in terms of life-changing experience. But everything's relative, and for me to see Dinosaur Jr last week, a band which I've revered for two decades and which is now in prime form two albums into their reunion, in an intimate (but not too crowded) space with an absolutely pitch-perfect sound system (hardly a given; in fact, I'd say a relative rarity in my concert-going career), is the equivalent of a Bruce fan seeing their Boss while sitting in the 10th row at Radio City Music Hall. The downside is that, with the summer concert season still young, I'm not likely to see a better show. Except perhaps Dinosaur Jr., when they play a free show at Central Park in August. Don't expect to see me at Saratoga that day.