And if you were a tv exec and read a week before the race the trainer of Curlin threatening not to run because of the weights would you spend the time and money to cover such a race? It wasnt a compelling race in reality. Watching Curlin run a bunch of overmatched horses into the ground is not really a good story unless it is happening in a big race. It would have been nice to have it on TV but I cant see where it ESPN would have felt it was compelling enough that needed to be shown.

Exactly. I don't pay for porn, but I will say that if she were to get naked, I would be all over that.....

I am hard to offend unlike most of America these days. I admit the aluminum bats are annoying but these games have been good. Under your theory of watching the better players NBA ratings should be a lot higher than the Tourney because ...well the players are a lot better. But watching Fresno States depleted bullpen trying to hold on on Monday night was good tv. As was last nights rally after digging a big hole early. Unlike college football these teams actually earned their way in.

I think most sports outside of the three major ones are pretty irrelevant to most people unless there is something to sensationalize. Tennis is almost never covered unless it is a major. All we have heard the last week is how golf will get miniscule ratings because Tiger isnt playing. Is the NHL season over yet?

ESPN.com has 15 sports across their banner on the top. Horse Racing is in More+ with Lacrosse, Poker, the WNBA, and MMA. We are about as low on the totem pole as you can get and expect any coverage.

Actually, I think the game of College Basketball itself is a better product than the NBA. So, whether or not the players themselves are better doesn't matter to me. The NBA is bad by itself, but having to watch the Knicks, uugh. Prefer the old sharp stick in the eye.

I'm glad you are enjoying the CWS.

As a side note, ESPN will be covering the Hollywood Gold Cup on Saturday. (ESPN2)...

During the runup to the TC and BC we have a spot.Like it or not ESPN covers the "now" events. College baseball has gotten a ton of coverage the last 2 weeks. Can you remember the last coverage they got before the World Series started? How about none. There is a definite lull in horsereacing right now. The TC and BC are events that they can justify covering.

We are on Congress list of problems in America. That HAS to mean something.

Unless something goes horribly wrong when everyone is watching. Otherwise it is kind of "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?"

The Knicks have poisoned the waters but college basketball is far inferior to the NBA game unless you just like crowd noise. The game of basketball is much better executed on the NBA level. I am always amazed that people dont like the NBA. Scuds would call you racist. But he calls everybody racist.

I think it was about a year ago that Dutrow got extra days when they checked phone records and found out that he had been in contact with his barn during the suspension. The state racing boards do have some power.

As others stated, there are obviously ways around this. A trainer could borrow a cell phone. And in terms of getting paid, if a trainer was paid by cash instead of by check and if he didn't put the money in the bank, he might get away with it.

ONLY because something happened in the Kentucky Derby.

Excerpts from DRF article by Matt Hegarty
 

Alan Foreman, a Maryland lawyer who represents horseracing clients, said that Rose contacted him on Tuesday night for representation in the case. Foreman said that he only had a brief conversation with Rose, and that the two will decide on a legal strategy later on Wednesday.

"I saw the film, so I understand what we're dealing with," Foreman said. "It was an accident, and it was not done on purpose. No one feels worse about this than Jeremy Rose."

I can't wait to hear this...

Link to story:

http://www.drf.com/news/article/95768.html

I'm not into 1 on 1 basketball while 8 guys stand around and watch.

Yeah, I'll take the college game anyday.

He violated the terms of a 60 day suspension (down from an original 120 days), and they only gave him 14 days, which he then used to take a vacation with Frankel in Brazil. He essentially laughed at them.

Couldnt they check the phone records of the assistant too? There arent too many people who you could get to pay with cash. Honestly it is more of a nuisance than anything else but should be enforced if it is the rule and if it can be. I have been told by a lawyer that they feel that they could beat this in court if it went to that

Maybe if you watched the NBA you would see that this is a myth. I'm not that into watching guys one year out of HS auditioning for the NBA draft playing with a bunch of other guys who cant shoot. Maybe 10 years ago you could argue that the NCAA was good basketball when the teams stayed together and played for a few years. Now it is one and done for the stars and everybody else plays a role. It really isnt that far from being the NBA with bad players.

Your brothers in the Bar are what allows this, no?

I meant that the assistant could give some money to the trainer. It probably would be hard to do because the assistant is getting paid by check. He would have to withdraw cash from the account if he was going to give some cash to the trainer. There would be a record of the cash withdrawl so it is possible they could get caught. On the other hand, even if the racing board saw that the assistant withdrew $10,000 cash from the account, they couldn't prove what he did with it. He could claim that he used the money to bet on some of their horses and he lost.

In terms of limiting contact between the trainer and the barn, I'm sure they would check the assistant's phone records. Both the assistant and the trainer would need to borrow cell phones.

I think he was on with Steve last night on ATR, what a turnaround...he sounded like a reasonably sane guy in the interview. How anyone thinks that was an accident, should be taken to task. The first blow maybe, but the second and third whacks of the stick even Perry Mason would have a hard time explaining.