- I saw My Bloody Valentine play at Roseland tonight; earplugs were given out at the door. The Head Chef, remaining at home, wondered why one would block out the music you pay to see. Well, because it's really loud. So much so that it became a physical as well as an aural assault. This guy sums it up pretty well. It's the first of a tinnitus doubleheader this week, with Dinosaur Jr. coming up on Thursday; but that will be nothing after this.
My ears aren't ringing too much, but I'm wide awake, so I wanted to mention a few more things. That piece by James Odato also contained a note about Jeff Gural performing the opening notes of an inevitable drumbeat which I'm sure will soon be spreading throughout New York and the mid-Atlantic states with slots.
"I'm constantly asked by my customers why I don't have table games....The state has to look at sources of income ... In light of the events of the last two weeks, everything should be on the table."It's true, even after bailing out the financial system, the taxpayers will still be called upon to gamble what's left of their money away (though they probably stand to get a better return from the casino). However, the path to table games could be a long one in New York. Two separately elected Legislatures must pass the resolution before it can be put to voters. There's something I have to admit I did not know. What it means is if the legislature doesn't pass an amendment measure this year, then it would be a minimum of three years before it could be passed on to the voters for a vote.
Also wanted to congratulate my fellow bloggers who were on the NTRA Online Marketing Task Force. They presented their report on Monday in Las Vegas; and the story in Bloodhorse had top billing into today. Also was a story in the Thoroughbred Times. After getting dissed by Bloodhorse, Handride, the dictatorial but occasionally affable leader who somehow brought a lot of diverse views to (more or less) a consensus, gets a mention there. It also mentions my name, which is a little silly. I didn't do a damn thing. These guys (and girls) put an incredible amount of effort and passion into this, and deserve all the credit. Their entire report can be found here (pdf file and it erroneously lists me as one of the authors, for heaven's sake!!!)
Finally, I missed the developments in Florida late last week, and wanted to mention that. It's a pretty fascinating situation, with the state unable to supersede Federal law and compel the Seminoles to halt the table games which have been declared illegal by the courts (a decision upheld by the state Supreme Court earlier in the month).
So, Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum is appealing to the Feds to help stop the illegal gaming at the Hard Rock Cafe. McCollum sent a letter to Philip Hogen, the chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission, requesting his help. In his letter (which you can read [pdf] here) McCollum lays out a methodical argument showing how the games are illegal, adroitly using the words of the Interior Department and the Seminoles from past court cases against them. But most notably, McCollum expresses his irritation with his inability to enforce the law.
“The State of Florida is in the untenable position of having a tribal gaming operation, which everyone acknowledges is unauthorized, ongoing without the jurisdiction to stop the illegal activities. As a former United States Attorney, I know you can understand the frustration of a law enforcement official forced to stand by and watch illegal activities go on with impunity. I would therefore request that you, as the regulatory official holding the power to enforce this law, take action immediately to see that the tribe ceases its illegal activity until a valid compact can be consummated with the State of Florida.”[UPDATE: Big opening day at Santa Anita today, and, unlike certain cowering trainers, the fearless DiscreetCat is not afraid of the unknown surface. Click for his free play here.]
9 Comments:
It seems everyone I know is seeing My Bloody Valentine on this tour; I haven't seen them since the early '90s, but even then I recall thinking it was too loud.
Santa Anita - Race 9
#10 Cajun Gent (5/2 ml)
Long-absent Sise comebacker ran a huge race in his debut, breaking slowly to be off last and then moving up to challenge while wide with a smooth rally down the backside. He was steered in behind horses to try and save some ground on the turn (as opposed to continuing 5 or 6 wide), and reacted badly to what looked like some nasty kickback (throwing his head around noticeably), but then angled back outside into the clear and really leveled out nicely down the straightaway, particularly in the late going. That effort was flattered big-time, as the horse who finished just in front of him (Two Step Salsa) returned to win again and subsequently became one of the top 3yo stakes colts on the circuit. Also note that Sise has won with nearly 30% of his horses returning from a 6-month-or-greater layoff, for a giant flat-bet profit of 75%. Returns with a best-of-62 bullet over the new Pro-Ride surface, and looks tough to beat with anything resembling his debut effort.
DC is pretty good but does he ever pick a horse with a ML greater than 3-1?
Of course i do. I posted Reynaldothewizard here for his debut win, and he was 8/1 ml (if memory serves). Argyle Pink was 12/1 ml in her debut, i think. Pretty sure i posted that one here as well. In fact, Alan posted an excerpt from my site once where i had picked Canteen (20/1 ml, paid $55.40). I like them as high as i can get them, believe me. I don't pick longshot just for the sake of picking longshots, however. Same deal with favorites, i don';t pick them just because they're the favorite. Regarding this particular race, i just thought it was a good play, one with good potential for winning, so i posted it. That's all.
Here's hoping the Task Force was listening as well as talking and shares what they've learned. My uninformed guess is that there is a huge gap between what fans would like to see done and what is achievable. More flow of information to fans from people in the trenches at race tracks (like the LATG interview with Charles Hayward a few months ago) might foster more realistic expectations and happier fans. And if existing fans are unhappy, it's going to be hard to attract new ones.
alan,
let us know how the dinosaur/built to spill show is tomorrow. i'm going friday.
cheers, chris
Did anyone see Bennett Leibman was appointed to the NYRA Board? Seems to be a win-win. The Governor looks great because he actually made an appointment of an individual who knows racing from a side other than that of a rich owner. NYRA wins because with Professor Liebman on the Board, they effectively muzzle their most credible critic.
Ethics may prevent Liebman from writing critical pieces given he will be privy to information that is confidential ...
The old adage keep your friends close and your enemies closer prevails. Agreed, Liebman's objective analysis of the racing organization has just been eliminated. Let's hope he can make some sense at that crowded board table.
>let us know how the dinosaur/built to spill show is tomorrow. i'm going friday.
Chris - Don't know if I'm gonna be able to post today, so here goes. Dino Jr is awesome. J Mascis is a guitar god, but Lou Barlow's bass playing makes the band so unique and keeps the solos from getting tiresome. I really went to see them, but BTS was really good too. They performed the album Perfect From Now On in its entirety. I think that's their best album, so it was nice to hear live. It's mostly brooding though, so they didn't really rock out until they did Goin Against Your Mind at the end. Meat Puppets were great as well. I'd never been to Terminal 5, and I liked it a lot. I was in the crush near the stage for Dino, and scored a spot on the third floor right above the stage for BTS. Survived two nights of loud music with no apparent hearing damage. Cheers, and have a great time!!!
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