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Originally Posted by theiman
Magna: I guess the results for Remington 2006 and SA 2007 dont count?
CD: Arlington just released plus numbers for 2007
As for NYRA--a Chimp could run Saratoga and do great. What exactly do they do the other 46 weeks that everyone loves them?
But again, that is off topic and off from my question.
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Your question was about Goodell? His quote was indeed not as egregious as Perle's, but it struck a similar tone.. The grandest idea these guys have had from the start of the process is to paint as broad a brush as possible with soundbite smears and innuendo versus NYRA in a political atmosphere. They have failed to offer any constructive suggestion as to what they have to offer as solutions to the problems that face ALL of racing except to say "we can do great things"...
Comparing any American racing venue to Aussie racing is ridiculous. Does Australia have major league baseball, football, basketball, NASCAR, PGA golf, et al competing for TV airtime and headline space? Does Australia have a casino every 27 miles competing for its' gambling dollars? Does Australia have a fractured OTB and TV licensing problem like the US? The answer to these questions is no. My complaint with his approach to the issue is that like Perle, he can only keep dragging out old news that is no longer germane to the discussion as opposed to giving specifics as to why Capital Play is a viable alternative worth considering.
The fact is that when there was NO racino dollars in the mix with the franchise, NYRA was the ONLY party interested in running racing in NY. Anyone that wants the racing itself to be the focus of the franchise holder is backing the Association.
And a point as to the comments above...
"A chimp could run Saratoga and be successful"? Really? Any recognition for NYRA's role in making Saratoga so successful? You think that what goes on at Saratoga has been happening forever? No one seems to remember when Saratoga was a money pit for NY racing, attendance was modest, or worse, and there were calls for the meet to be abandoned in the 60's...
This may be news to you and others as it's rarely brought up. But before Saratoga as a town began its' renaissance, the track was a burden to the Association costing a fortune to maintain and drawing little in the way of the acclaim it enjoys now. It was NYRA, with Gov. Harriman, that legislated that Saratoga race a minimum of 24 a year, assuring the permanent status of the Spa, and began to heavily market the "August place to be". That's when the phenomenon of Saratoga began.
You cite Remington and Arlington as feathers in the cap of MEC and CDI, but offer no credit to NYRA for Saratoga being the crown jewel of race meets in the industry. Interesting rationale..