Quote:
Originally Posted by Kasept
He's kidding you for telling us about the big P4 hit at Los Al now...
Didn't get a chance to respond yesterday, but wanted to. I never thought I'd ever get to a place where I couldn't care less about the MLB box scores or the batting average list or miss a Championship or World Series game. Same with NFL action. But I grew so tired of pro sports, (other than the NHL which remains the most pleasant professional sport), that I barely pay attention.
I was a season ticket holder of the Reds, Royals and Expos while living in Cincinnati, Kansas City and Montreal. I was an Eagles season ticket holder in the Vet (Sec. 729, Row 13) for 14 years commuting to Philly on Sundays and Mondays from Montreal and later Saratoga the whole time. And I had Direct TV to watch he road games. Last year I may have watched only 6-7 of the Birds' 16 games.
Point is, ardor ebbs and flows, and passions go in various directions. As I've gotten older, racing has become more interesting and enticing to me than team sports. I'm as surprised by it as you seem to be with your declining interest in racing and wagering.
You may not have acknowledged that there were people 'taking an edge' when you first got involved as a horseplayer, but there were. The fact is that there is better policing of the sport now than ever in its' history, and more progress has been made in the area in the last 5 years than in the previous 30. The Rudy Rod stories will always jump up with something that is providing them an edge, but it never lasts. They get stopped and the latest innovation is added to the list of super testing.
If you really examine it, I'd expect you'll find more underlying reasons for being drawn away from racing than the less-widespread-than-people-think drug issue.
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A couple of things: 1. Is that guy insinuating that I made up hitting the Los Al pick 4? If so, that is kind of funny. If people really make up big hits on a forum to gain favor with people they don't know....that is pretty sad.
2. Your points are well taken. I love horse racing and always have. I just hate where the game is today. I also hate that I don't trust any of the great equine accomplishments any longer and probably never will. I've been jaded by what I've seen. That's what makes it very tough. Even when losing, I've always been able to fall back on the fact that I loved the "sport" of racing AND the intellect needed to play the game. Both of those areas are being seriously hindered at the moment.
3. I don't buy the "better policing". I know what I see in the PP's and when trainers are winning at 28, 30, 35, 45, 60% across the country....there is a serious problem. In addition, how about explaining the Dick Clark phenomenon. This guy would win at a 30% clip at PRM for years on end. He was automatic. This year....4% in about 162 starts. Obviously, he was caught and has reverted to not using what he had in the past. Point is....The difference between using something to get and edge and not is the difference between winning 30% and 4%? If so....wow!!
Any way you slice it....I just don't see the game moving in the right direction. There are a lot of good people, smart people, involved and they alone have kept the game afloat. I believe the people that don't care about the long term health of the sport will run it over and into the ground. And I believe this to be sooner than later.
07-13-2010, 04:59 PM
Hybrid Mode
