Clinton devastating in debate

Posted by noonante on September 27, 2016
Posted in: Political/Social commentary, Politics. Tagged: , , , . 1 Comment

I haven’t followed boxing for years, but early in last night’s debate, Hillary Clinton caused me to start scoring it as if it were a boxing match.  If memory serves, there is a “10-point must system” for scoring rounds.  The winner of each round must get 10 points and the loser a lesser amount.  I gave Clinton 10 points for each round.

I think it was the comment on Donald Trump’s father providing him with $14 million to start his own business that caused me to start thinking this way.  Clinton had wasted no time in getting under Trump’s notoriously thin skin, and he promptly responded defensively.

As someone who will be voting for Clinton as soon as my ballot arrives, I was worried that her debate performance would demonstrate her worst qualities as a candidate  –  overly wonky, evasive, defensive, etc.  It has been clear to me for some time that the way to go after Trump  –  apart from his ignorance, bigotry and manifest unfitness for the office  –  was to zing him with attacks on his self-perceived strengths, since he never fails to rise to the bait.

There was, of course, his discussion of the size of his penis in one of the Republican primary debates.  This was occasioned by Marco Rubio’s throwaway line about Trump’s small hands.  It would have been dismissed as a somewhat tasteless remark  –  if anyone even noticed it  –  had Trump not elevated it in a national forum.  Then we had the remarkable Trump speech following a primary victory in which the stage was surrounded by Trump steaks, Trump water and other branded merchandise.  All because Mitt Romney had criticized his unsuccessful business ventures.

Clinton kept it up.  At one point she speculated that Trump did not disclose his tax returns because he did not pay federal taxes.  Trump responded that makes him smart  –  I am sure much to the delight of those tax-paying low wage workers for whom he claims to be concerned.

Near the debate’s end, Clinton raised some of the numerous Trump comments derogating the physical appearance of women.  After saying that Trump “loves beauty contests, supporting them and hanging around them,” she noted that he referred to Alicia Machado, a winner of the Miss Universe contest, as “Ms. Piggy” and “Ms. Housekeeping,” an apparent comment on her Latina heritage.  Once again, Trump demonstrated his inability to pass the baited hook and proceeded to discuss his negative comments about Rosie O”Donnell:  “I said very tough things to her and I think everybody would agree that she deserves it.”  Yes, this is a statement by the nominee of a major political party in a debate about the future of our country.

While one might think that any sensible person would treat this as an embarrassing exchange akin to obnoxious drunken comments at an office party, Trump instead doubled down on his remarks on his personal news outlet, “Fox and Friends.”  In what Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo has called the “full Khan,” referring to Trump’s attacks on a Gold Star mother, Trump continued to deride Machado for putting on weight after winning the Miss Universe contest.

So Trump was his usual boorish and ignorant self, which should be no surprise to anyone who has observed his behavior since he announced his candidacy.  The surprise, to me, was the performance of the Democratic nominee.

I have often said that one of the maddening things about Clinton was that she does not come across in public settings as the person she is in smaller events.  I have found her to be knowledgeable, witty and personable.  I thought she was all of that last night, although the knowledgeable component was never in doubt.

The highlight for me came after Trump unleashed an unhinged rant in which he continued to perpetuate the demonstrable lie that he opposed the Iraq war from the start.  He supported it on the Howard Stern show, but now wanted people to call the trustworthy Sean Hannity to confirm that he was opposed to it despite the recorded proof.  Once he concluded his tirade, the moderator turned to Clinton for a response.  She laughed, said “Whoo,” and did what has become an internet GIF of “The Shoulder Wiggle.”  Kind of like “The Drive” or “The Fumble” of lore in the National Football League.

In the first Presidential debate in 2012, Mitt Romney did a number on Barack Obama.  The punditocracy concluded Obama was finished.  I do not recall reading anything in which Obama sought to blame anyone else or anything for his dismal performance.

Donald Trump, however, is never at fault.  So far, he has blamed a defective microphone, although I did not notice any problem in understanding what came out of his mouth.  He also thought moderator Lester Holt asked “unfair” and “hostile” questions.  This from the tough guy who is a great negotiator and will “Make America Great Again” by virtue of his powerful and commanding personality.

There was a compelling  –  and yes, Presidential  –  person on the stage last night, and it was not Donald J. Trump.

Start to general election campaign a major embarrassment for media

Posted by noonante on September 8, 2016
Posted in: Political/Social commentary, Politics. Tagged: , , , , . 4 Comments

NBC held a “Commander-in-Chief Forum” Wednesday night in which Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump appeared separately in half-hour segments.  Moderator Matt Lauer, whose credentials appear to be based on conducting endless fluff interviews on NBC’s morning program, demonstrated he is completely out of his element when serious conversation is called for.  As one commentator noted, even Ryan Lochte was able to roll over him.

Early in the Trump segment, Lauer questioned what in Trump’s life prepared him to make the decision to send American service members to war.  He repeated his frequent assertion that he opposed the Iraq war from the beginning, disputing Clinton’s statement that he had initially supported it.  This isn’t a “he said, she said” situation.  It is a demonstrable fact that he had supported the war at its inception in an appearance on Howard Stern’s show.  Given how frequently Trump’s claim has been refuted for over a year, it is unconscionable that a journalist would let him get away with an obvious lie.

Then we had Trump’s praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin as an effective leader with, according to Trump, approval ratings of 82 per cent.  Setting aside the validity of polling in Russia when Putin has reportedly had opponents and journalists killed, a valid line of questioning would have been to ask Trump about his reported financial dealings with the Russian oligarchy.  That, however, would have required Lauer to do some background work.

And we had the completely inane question to Trump about the confidential national security briefings he received upon becoming the Republic nominee.  (This after Lauer spent a third of his time with Clinton on the possible mishandling of classified information from the email issue.)  Lauer asked him if he learned anything alarming.  Step back for a moment and think about what could possibly be an acceptable answer.  It was a confidential national security briefing.  He obviously should not disclose any specifics  –  indeed Lauer said he did not want any.  So Trump, whose connection with the truth is merely coincidental, responded that he was “shocked” at a decision by President Obama and Hilary Clinton that was a “total disaster.”  Now we can expect weeks of speculation from the far-right fever swamps as to what this could be.  All because of Lauer’s incompetence.

Trump’s performance should give pause to anyone who thinks he is the most manifestly unfit candidate ever to run for the Presidency.  His answers were a rambling mix of lies and bullshit that had no connection to reality.  In a debate, Clinton will be able to call him on it.  Journalists, however, should be more than transcribers of unfounded nonsense emanating from a candidate.  Lauer demonstrated he was not up to that rudimentary standard.

Only 317 days until Opening Day

Posted by noonante on September 6, 2016
Posted in: Horse Racing, Political/Social commentary, Politics, Saratoga thoughts. Tagged: , , , , . 1 Comment

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The morning after Labor Day is a bittersweet one.  Entire barns are already empty and the energy level is down significantly.  But the Spa backstretch remains a magical one.  Beautiful scenery, the early Adirondack autumn air and, of course, horses make for an unbeatable combination.

Some final thoughts:

The total handle was encouraging.  Last year was a record and this year was close to the same level.  That despite last year having ideal weather, fewer races coming off the grass and, needless to say, the excitement created by American Pharaoh’s presence.  One major jolt was the late Pick 5 on the last four days.  I had never paid attention to the handle on the early Pick 5, which is also significant, but was staggered by the size of the late one.  The Saturday card generated $980,000.  The Pick 6 pool for the day was $200,000 (also an amazing number).  The Pick 5 also allows a 50 cent bet which has to be a major factor in driving the handle.  Here’s hoping NYRA continues with this experiment at Belmont.

Attendance figures are meaningless.  NYRA reported a figure of 1.1 million, an increase of 5.4 per cent over last year.  Since they count season pass holders as being here even if they are on a Cape Cod beach, and double count ticket holders with a pass who do show up, why bother even reporting a number?  It used to be the only questionable attendance figures were on giveaway days.

There were many complaints about field size and racing quality.  I am working on an analysis of field size, but there seemed to be a bunch of five- and six-horse (or fewer) fields.  Also, a seeming surplus of low-level claiming and 5 1/2 furlong turf sprints.  Yesterday’s opener, for example, was a $12.5 claimer that scratched down to four horses.  I think, however, that the NYRA Racing Office is not carding such races to irritate horse players but, like most of us, would prefer full fields of stake and allowance horses.  But where are they going to get them?  After all,the purse structure and state breeding program may well be the most generous in the nation.

Gabby Gaudet is a breath of fresh air for a stale product.  I stopped the automatic use of the mute button when NYRA added Gaudet to their team of broadcast analysts.  I’m not the only one who started to enjoy the on-air handicapping when she was paired with long-time analyst Andy Serling and was obviously not overwhelmed by his self-perceived genius.  There is also the hope that Serling will realize that his not-too-subtle and constant sniping at Gaudet is doing nothing to enhance his appeal.

There are good food options at the track.  The Shake Shack is hardly a surprise and a frequent choice.  On the last day I discovered the wood-fired pizza, which will also be a frequent choice if they return.  There are the Saratoga Chips.  Druthers has a small stand near the escalator and provides top-quality beer brewed about a mile from the track.

And the Spa is the Spa.  There is nothing better than a morning on the backside followed by a summer afternoon on the front side.  I think NYRA’s management is commendably trying to come up with new things, but sometimes it is just better to step back and realize what a priceless experience is already there.

Some thoughts on the Spa meet

Posted by noonante on September 2, 2016
Posted in: Horse Racing, Political/Social commentary, Politics, Saratoga thoughts, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , . 1 Comment

The meet is inexorably winding down, but the last week restores a measure of peacefulness as outfits start to move out and traffic behavior returns to a more sane level (i.e., fewer NYC or Boston drivers).  Some observations:

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The “Big Day” concept took a hit on Travers day.  The notion of packing a bunch of Grade I stakes on a single day was designed to ensure a high handle even if a marquee star  –  a potential Triple Crown winner or actual winner  –  isn’t going to appear.  Last year, of course, American Pharoah won the Belmont and ran in the Travers.  With no superstar in this year’s Travers, attendance did not hit NYRA’s self-imposed cap of 50,000 and handle was down 9 per cent from 2015.

What NYRA loses when it loads Grade I’s onto a single card is the ability to promote other stars of the sport and grow fan interest.  When it’s the Travers, a Flintshire or a Lady Eli isn’t going to fit NYRA’s promotional agenda.  But you have a turf star and an undefeated filly who survived a life-threatening illness to come back after a break of over a year.  Each could have been the object of a marketing campaign that might have produced buzz on a day other than the Travers.

Speaking of buzz, the Travers had none.  Now when you have a Triple Crown winner drawing 15,000-plus for a gallop the day before the Travers, one cannot expect a repeat the following year.  This year, however, there was no danger of a sell-out.  Even hotels were available Travers week.  NYRA’s imposition of a cap may have deterred many who would have come had they not worried about being shut out.  (For last year’s Belmont Stakes, NYRA announced it would not sell tickets at the gate even if their self-imposed cap of 90,000 had not been reached.)

The Travers is an event that will draw a substantial crowd whether there are six other graded stakes on the card or none.  The handle from a stakes-heavy card, however, is going to be substantial when off-track bettors are added in.  NYRA is missing an opportunity to draw interest when the Grade I events are put on a single day instead of being spread across the calendar.  There was a time not too long ago when every day at Saratoga was a big day.

NYRA has done a great job improving living quarters for back stretch workers.  I guess I am paying more attention to the Oklahoma training track now that I have a couple of horses over there.  I knew about the new dormitories that were built recently, but missed the refurbishing of existing dorms.  I haven’t been inside them, but the exterior structures and the addition of air conditioning are a commendable improvement by NYRA to improve the conditions of those who are with the horses 24/7.

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NYRA needs to work on its treatment of trainers.

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This sign is along the rail at the Oklahoma Training Track in an area used by trainers and owners to observe their horses working out.  In late morning it becomes a parking lot for fans.  When I was there Wednesday at 9:30  –  as fans were arriving and training hours were coming to an end  –  there were all of eight cars that presumably belonged to owners or trainers.  The sign is obnoxious and rude.

Most trainers  –  not the Bafferts, Pletchers and Browns  –  have small operations and are struggling to get by.  They are often at their barns from sunrise to sunset.  If they could park closer to their barns, they rather obviously would, so the sign is not necessary.

There is another issue, however, that rankles trainers even more.  NYRA seemingly cannot produce timely condition books.  For those not familiar with the term, a condition book is a schedule of the races NYRA intends to run over a period of several weeks.  It is a most essential tool in planning the training of a horse since it enables the trainer to pick out a race and train his charge accordingly.  NYRA, however, is notoriously late in releasing them.  The Belmont meet is a week away.  The condition book was just released on Tuesday.

It’s time for Chris Kay to stop talking about his museum.  At this year’s Jockey Club Round Table  –  a prominent national forum  –  NYRA’s CEO was a featured speaker.  In describing NYRA’s capital improvements, the first two he identified were his own creations,  the so-called Walk of Fame incorporating the Red Jacket winners and the Durkin Replay “Center.”  The Durkin Replay “Center” is a monitor affixed to a pillar in a bar.  The Red Jacket ceremony is a superfluous event recognizing people who are in the Hall of Fame located across the street.  This year’s Red Jacket ceremony was an interminable production between races that delayed the start of the next race.  No one goes to the Walk of Fame.

While this presentation was embarrassing in its own right, it was particularly so when compared to the talk of Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, CEO of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, describing the remarkable changes brought by that organization’s management.  While Kay boasted of bringing the Goo Goo Dolls to perform after the races on Belmont Stakes Day, Hong Kong markets a Wednesday night card to attract a younger audience and draws 18,000 to one of its tracks.  It has also dramatically increased handle  –  or, as they refer to it, “turnover.”

Will NYRA start counting cats in the attendance figures?

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Where is our country going?

Posted by noonante on July 11, 2016
Posted in: Political/Social commentary, Politics. Tagged: , , . 3 Comments

Have we turned a corner in our country when a local newspaper runs a Sunday column headlined “A summary of recent violence,” making it seem that it will be a regular feature recounting the preceding week’s most noteworthy atrocities?

The police shootings of two black motorists, Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge and Philando Castile in Minnesota, followed by the murders of five Dallas police officers and seven others, appears to have stunned the country  –  again.  That it comes less than four weeks after the massacre at the Orlando nightclub makes one wonder if our reaction to unspeakable violence is becoming routine  –  we are initially horrified, move on, then have the same reaction the next time.

It is not routine, of course, for the families and friends of the victims.  Nor is it routine for those who are in the targeted groups, whether they be black citizens or police officers.

On the morning of the Dallas shootings, I was listening to an On Point program on NPR devoted to the deaths in Baton Rouge and Minnesota.  One caller in particular struck a chord.  He was black (I assume) and emotional.  Part of the emotion was a feeling of deep hurt that this is happening in the America of 2016.  It is a hurt that we can hear in so many voices of African-Americans who had hoped that these feelings would become a thing of the past.

The other emotion was anger, and it was an anger that I thought could be a harbinger of horrible consequences.  In less than 24 hours I witnessed what those consequences could be.

By all reported accounts, the Dallas Police Department  –  whose chief is black  –  has made significant efforts to work with the community they police to become part of that community.  One of the poignant images taken that day before the shootings was of two officers, one black and one white, standing on each side of a demonstrator.  All were smiling.

We can hope that the week’s events can become a catalyst for reconciliation.  As a white man, I can say that I have never been concerned for my safety when stopped for a traffic violation.  One would have to be exceptionally obtuse to realize why that is not the same experience for someone who is black.

I also never feared that I may not be going home from my job, a feeling a cop must experience every time he or she puts on a uniform.

That reconciliation is not going to happen, however, as long as the so-called leaders in politics and the media continue to use every tragedy as an opportunity to score points advancing their own agenda.  But it’s also not going to happen until ordinary citizens start pushing for a changed America.  We can all start by vocally rejecting the bilious nonsense being spouted by our most noxious figures that accompanies every tragedy.

What if this happened in racing?

Posted by noonante on June 20, 2016
Posted in: Golf, Horse Racing. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

I am not a fan of golf.  I will watch the end of the fourth day of a major tournament, and I think the stories by recreational golfers about their rounds are every bit as fascinating as horse players describing that day’s beats.

But the closing day of the U.S. Open on Sunday introduced an aspect of surreality that may be unique in sports.  Dustin Johnson, who ended up winning, was preparing a putt on the 5th hole when he did something described as “grounding” his putter.  Something caused his ball to move a truly imperceptible amount  –  “distance” would be significantly overstating what occurred.

Obviously, if a golfer does something to alter the ball placement, whether deliberate or inadvertent, it should be counted as a stroke.  Had an official determined that occurred, fine.  But it was not until the 12th hole, according to ESPN, that an official approached Johnson and told him that he might be penalized a stroke.

Again, if a review of the “incident” had taken place and it was determined that Johnson should be penalized, fine.  It may have taken too long in this day of endless replays, but at least he had seven holes to deal with it.  Except that a decision would not be made until all the players had completed their rounds.

So in a contest that was close to the end, no one knew if the leader was two strokes ahead or three strokes ahead.  It’s an uncertainty that likely would have affected the play of Johnson and his closest competitors.  And a decision would not be made until everyone was of the course  –  and it’s a decision that could have been made two hours earlier while play was underway.

There are parallels in other sports except that any reviews are done promptly and a decision made before play can resume.  In football or hockey, it would be whether the ball or the puck crossed the goal line.  In baseball, it’s whether a ball was a home run or just touched the outfield wall.  The idea that such a call would be after the game was “over” is, of course, ludicrous.  Yet that is what the United States Golf Association did.  They ended up counting it as a stroke, but Johnson had a sufficient lead so it did not affect the order of finish.

Horse racing, fortunately, does not have an analogous situation. Yes, there are disqualifications that can happen because of the circumstances during a race, but you cannot stop the action while the stewards huddle.  And drug testing disqualifications happen several days later, but it does not affect those who already cashed (or did not).

It would almost have been worth it for the USGA to add a stroke that would have affected the order of finish just for the reaction among the public, some of whom presumably had wagered on the event.  Their decision-making process is a level of incompetence that stands head and shoulders over other major sports.

The sad state of “leadership” in New York racing

Posted by noonante on June 16, 2016
Posted in: Horse Racing, Political/Social commentary, Politics, Saratoga thoughts. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

It was sad watching the Saratoga Springs local Chamber of Commerce and an offshoot, Concerned Citizens for Saratoga Racing, hold a rally to support legislation they claimed would reprivatize the New York Racing Association.  As the group twice did a chant on command of “WHOA Cuomo” for the TV cameras, the Legislature was passing the bills they supported.

Unfortunately, as one of the group’s leaders acknowledged in response to a question, the Legislature’s bill would guarantee the Governor control of 11 of the 15 members of a new Board.  So much for stopping the Governor.

The New York legislative session ends today (or whenever they decide to start the clock again after stopping it at midnight), and there is a need to do something about the governing structure of NYRA.  The current law that gives the state government control of the franchise expires in mid-October.

Four years ago when Governor Cuomo seized control of NYRA following bogus allegations of mismanagement, he promised his takeover would last only three years, because “state government has no role in running horse racing.”  His administration did not come up with a recommended plan by their deadline, so government control was extended another year.

This year, NYRA, charged with coming up with a proposal, did as little as possible to meet their legal obligation, although it was clear that the only opinion that mattered was sitting (sometimes) in the second floor of the State Capitol.  One house of the Legislature came up with a plan on May 25 that was soon adopted by the other chamber.  The Governor’s plan was revealed a week ago.  When you have four years to do something, I guess late is better than never.

There are two major differences between the bills:

  • The Governor’s plan would give him effective control of appointing 13 of the 15 members on a new Board of Directors;  the legislative bills would give him effective control of 11 of 15 members of the Board;
  • The Governor’s plan would take $11.5 million in revenues from the Video Lottery Terminals at Aqueduct and direct them to government expenditures and not to NYRA.

Understandably, the debate on the legislation has focused on the money the Governor would like to take from NYRA.  They project $57.5 million in VLT receipts this year, and the Governor proposes capping it at $46 million starting next year.  The Comptroller of New York, Thomas DiNapoli, released an audit last week in which he concluded that NYRA is not currently profitable without VLT revenues, nor has it developed a plan to attain self-sufficiency without the monies.  Charles Hayward, writing in Thoroughbred Racing Commentary, outlines the history of the VLT monies becoming a guarantee for 25 years, both contractually and by statute.

The composition of a future Board, however, is as significant an issue.  On the current Board, remarkably, the Governor has less than half of the appointees, although he and his loyalists have controlled NYRA without needing a majority.  There is perhaps a misperception that a “government-controlled” Board means it is composed primarily of state employees.  Only one such person, however, has served on the Board since its inception four years ago.

So when both bills purporting to “reprivatize” NYRA would give increased and overwhelming control to the Governor, one would be inclined to laugh if the prospects for New York’s racing and breeding industries were not so grim.  When one reads the Senate chair of the Racing and Wagering Committee challenging the Governor to veto their legislation, one does have to laugh.  Cuomo is in a no-lose situation  –  he controls NYRA under either scenario, and he gets to keep his seizure of NYRA’s money alive.  Someday, the so-called racing leaders in the Legislature will realize they are playing checkers while Cuomo plays chess.

We should also not minimize the possibility of a new NYRA Board moving ahead with an agenda that acts as though NYRA does not get VLT monies and budgets accordingly.  This was actually proposed in August 2013, by Cuomo’s hand-picked Board Chairman David Skorton.  In a rare instance of the NYRA Board actually commenting on something, it became an idea that was shelved quickly.  Significantly, the charge was led by one of the Senate’s appointees and John Hendrickson, a Cuomo-appointee who resigned recently because the Governor did not listen to him.

So if we have a new Board composed of Cuomo loyalists, who can be counted on to serve the interests of New York’s owners, breeders, trainers, backstretch employees and fans?  The state’s Gaming Commission?  Mostly Cuomo appointees.  The Franchise Oversight Board?  Mostly Cuomo appointees.  NYRA?  More Cuomo appointees.  There are groups representing owners, trainers and breeders, but they have been mostly silent on this debate, possibly because of their need to work with the Administration.

And when the Concerned Citizens and their legislative allies finish draining their champagne flutes after yesterday’s vote, perhaps they can consider how they will explain a new NYRA Board composed almost entirely of Cuomo loyalists as a result of the legislation they supported.