ESPN needs new Horse Racing crew

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by Indian Charlie

i thought by now you'd have figured out that balletto is hank goldberg.

where's the avatar??!

oh great, thanks so much for putting into my head a picture of hank goldberg going out a door with his ass cocked up towards the camera.

wonderful.

[pmayjr]

Originally Posted by Travis Stone

The best ESPN line was when Mayne said to the Governor, "Your state still has the nations second tallest waterfall. What is your administration doing to get to number one?"

Or something like that -- hilarious!

My favorite:
"The horses are now loading into the 'Earthlink" Starting Gate. Earthlink... Fine maker of starting gates..."

As I said before, the thing ESPN needs to do is get rid of Hammerin' Hank, and find a way to get Durkin to break that exclusive contract with NBC. He should do every major race.

[dylbert]

Moss is solid racing journalist. I enjoyed his work at Oaklawn years ago.

Mayne is awesome! He knows horse racing and adds humor. Kenny reminds us that this is game and having fun should be part of your day at the track.

Edwards is excellent story teller. Her longer feature pieces have been outstanding this year. She is good, quick interviewer during post-race segment.

Goldberg -- if you think his horse picking is terrible; you'll love his NFL picks! I think we should dig up Pete Axthelm. He was true "man of the people" horseplayer.

I would replace Goldberg with Andy (Beyer), Little Andy (Serling), or Watchmaker. One of the best choices would be Gary West who works for Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He did fantastic job when he covered Louisiana Downs for defunct Shreveport Journal. He co-hosted weekly recap show for one local TV stations.

[Slewbopper]

Originally Posted by deltagulf

me too moss and maine bailey is o.k.
for that matter where is kenny maine?

Northeast of Ralph Boston

[Samarta]

Replace Bailey with Stevens and find something for hammerin hank and it will be fine.

[booner]

I don't mind the crew too much. Hammerin' Hank has his moments. I like Chris Fowler hosting on Arlington Million day. He did a good job and would get my vote over Mayne....by a whisker.

[SuffolkGirl]

Originally Posted by Slewbopper

Northeast of Ralph Boston

loved it!!

[Thunder Gulch]

I like the entire team except for Hank. How bad is that guy?

Mayne- better than some in the past and I like his dry humor.

Moss- a top notch public handicapper with good tv skills to boot.

Bailey- when he talks, people listen. I think he's better than Stevens because Bailey isn't afraid to step on some toes and question tactics.

Edwards- liking her more and more. Gets the story quickly after the races, handles longer pieces, and is easy on the eyes. Anyone remember how miserable Charlsie Canty was over at ABC?