I came across a Mende column in the State Island Advance from April 6, 1997, titled, "Where Is The Passion." I would post it here, but I don't want to run into any copyright issues.
In the article, Mende blames racing fans' lack of passion on "a lack of information of information and education." He then goes on to criticize ESPN for filling dead time during a Jim Beam telecast with, among other things, replays of the Gotham and Bourbonette.