One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was from a horse master. He told me to go slow to go fast. I think that applies to everything in life. We live as though there aren’t enough hours in the day but if we do each thing calmly and carefully we will get it done quicker and with much less stress.
Viggo Mortensen
Phil’s reprising Sal:
Sal says that while Phil was able to read and post select writings from the NY Times – The Rail Blog all we’re left with today is the NY Times – Hoppert and Drape – Belmont 2017: Our Predictions to Win, Place and Show.
Sal doesn’t want to shatter your illusions that thoroughbred racing is prospering when the amount of landscape that thoroughbred racing retains in the major and minor newspapers’ sports sections couldn’t grow a handful of radishes.
Phil says that media coverage has not improved and more of racing coverage these days is negative sensationalism.
Times have not become more violent. They have just become more televised.
TwinSpires – Belmont 2019 News & Notes
151ST BELMONT STAKES
| PP | HORSE | TRAINER | JOCKEY | ODDS | ||||
| 1 | Joevia | Greg Sacco | Jose Lezcano | 30-1 | ||||
| 2 | Everfast | Dale Romans | Luis Saez | 12-1 | ||||
| 3 | Master Fencer | Koichi Tsunoda | Julien Leparoux | 8-1 | ||||
| 4 | Tax | Danny Gargan | Irad Ortiz Jr. | 15-1 | ||||
| 5 | Bourbon War | Mark Hennig | Mike Smith | 12-1 | ||||
| 6 | Spinoff | Todd Pletcher | Javier Castellano | 15-1 | ||||
| 7 | Sir Winston | Mark Casse | Joel Rosario | 12-1 | ||||
| 8 | Intrepid Heart | Todd Pletcher | John Velazquez | 10-1 | ||||
| 9 | War of Will | Mark Casse | Tyler Gaffalione | 2-1 | ||||
| 10 | Tacitus | Bill Mott | Jose Ortiz | 9-5 |
samedi 8 juin
Accuweather – 2019 Belmont Stakes
NY Times – Drape – For War of Will, the Belmont Is About What Might Have Been
Glorious Belmont Day a welcome respite from all the negative news
Brisnet – Belmont Stakes Report: Final analysis and selections
Bloodhorse – Ehalt – Eventful Triple Crown Year Set to End in Belmont Stakes
LA Times – Cherwa – Racing! It’s time for a huge day at Belmont
Brooklyn Backstretch – Brian Nadeau’s Road to the Triple Crown: The Belmont Stakes
Bloodhorse – Mammoth Saturday of Graded Stakes Races at Belmont Park
TDN – Carasso – Met A Supporting Act in Name Only
FiveThirtyEight – Dubin – The Raptors Are One Win Away From Ending The Warriors’ Dynasty
ESPN – Bontemps – Kawhi’s 3rd-quarter outburst deflates Warriors
ESPN – Lowe -What Kawhi and the Raptors have done to the Warriors
TSN – Lewenberg – One win away, Raptors remain focused on securing NBA title
NY Times – Stein – Warriors Meet Their Match: A Raptors Team With Their Playbook
Phil has a question:
Could Chris Bosh not find an ascot to match that pretty in pink jacket.
It ain’t over till it’s over.
Yogi Berra
Sports Network -Raptors’ Fred VanVleet gets seven stitches, loses tooth after elbow to face
NY Times – Millard – Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders
One of Phil’s phans pointed out that Ruffenuff’s half brother Wendell Fong is stepping up to Graded competition in today’s Woody Stephens GI.
TDN – Sherack – Big Field Ready for ‘War’ in Belmont Stakes
NY Times – Jordan – The ‘It Books’ of Summers Past
vendredi 7 juin
Horse Race Insider – Pricci – Belmont 151
NY Times – Drape – 27 Racehorses Have Died at This Track Since Dec. 26
Phil has a question:
Why does the thoroughbred industry keep thinking that silence is golden when it come to dealing with the general public on horse deaths.
Does the thoroughbred industry not realize that PETA has pulled the rug that they used to sweep things under out from under them.
LA Times – Cherwa – Racing! Jon White’s final Belmont Stakes rankings
NY Times – Drape and Hoppert – Belmont Stakes Experts’ Picks: Who Will Win?
Paulick Report – Nevills – The Haiku Handicapper Presented By Brisnet: 2019 Belmont Stakes
Everybody ought to have a lower East Side in their life.
Irving Berlin
Live About – Pierson Dulay – Traditions at the Belmont Stakes That Make the Event so Unique
NY Times – Stack – Drag Queen Story Time Continues Its Reign at Libraries, Despite Backlash
Drag your thoughts away from your troubles… by the ears, by the heels, or any other way you can manage it.
Mark Twain
Bloodhorse – Ron Mitchell – Agent Casse Proud of War of Will’s Accomplishments
There’s something so romantic about being broke in New York. You gotta do it. You have to live there once without any money, and then you have to live there when you have money. Let me tell you, of the two, the latter is far better.
Amy Poehler
TDN – Sherack – Thursday’s Trackside Belmont Stakes 151 Report
Phil has a question:
If Mark Stevens gets a 1 year suspension and a $500,000 fine for one shove, what will Robert Kraft get for a couple of rubs and tugs.
“The National Hockey League’s getting a black eye with their officiating in these playoffs, and there’s another one that’s going to be talked about,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said.
“It’s right in front of the official. It’s a slewfoot. Our guy’s gone. The spotter took him out of the game for a possible concussion. I mean, it’s blatant. It had a big effect on the game.
“It really made it difficult for us to get the win tonight. So, I’m disappointed.”
Sportsnetwork – Fox – Tyler Bozak non-call latest ‘black eye’ for NHL officiating
Phil has a question:
Would a 10 year suspension and 50,000 hours of community service work at American Foundation for the Blind be enough for Kelly Sutherland and Steve Kozari. Or should we add on 10,000 hours of mucking stalls for the Rycrofts.
When will the NHL replace the joke that David Stern played on them with a real commissioner.
How successful could the NHL be with a real commissioner.
Bloodhorse – Shulman – Bill Mott Hopes to Land Rare Classic Double
Bloodhorse – Volponi – Velazquez on Verge of Record for Belmont Starts
TDN – DeBernardis – Belmont Has Always Been the Goal for Intrepid Heart and the Lows
Paulick Report – Belmont Stakes Racing Festival Notes: Everfast ‘Never Has A Bad Day’
Brisnet – Hanson – Must-see Met Mile, Ogden Phipps, and Jaipur to offer Breeders’ Cup berths
TwinSpires – Scully – Why tactical speed plays well in the Belmont Stakes by James Scully
jeudi 6 juin
Bloodhorse – Ehalt – Master Fencer Chases Triple Crown Glory for Japan
TDN – DeBernardis – ‘Fencer’ Hopes to Be First Japanese ‘Master’ of the Belmont
What’s the use of a great city having temptations if fellows don’t yield to them?
P.G. Wodehouse
TDN – McGrath – Derby and Belmont Lessons On a Game Without Frontiers
Guys like you can’t escape the city. Hell, you a got a blood contract with this place. You’re married to the old girl.
Mickey Spillane
TDN – Sherack – Wednesday’s Trackside Belmont Stakes 151 Report
ESPN – Rafael – Promoter says Joshua-Ruiz rematch triggered
Paulick Report – Triple Crown News Minute Presented By Niall Brennan Stables: Back In The Big Apple
LA Times – Ganguli – Raptors hit big shots to beat Warriors in Game 3
NY Times – Cacciola – Raptors Beat Warriors in Game 3 of the N.B.A. Finals
Bloodhorse – Precious – New York Legislators Hold Hearing on Racehorse Welfare
TDN – Thornton – NY Senate Hears Diverse Views on Racehorse Welfare
Paulick Report – Strong Feelings On Display At New York Senate Hearing On Racing
There’s a man in Mobile who remembers that Honus Wagner hit a triple in Pittsburgh 46 years ago. That’s baseball.
Ernie Harwell
TDN – Thornton – New Stronach Salvo: ‘Blatant Self-Dealing’ Skews TSG Financials
New York City is a great monument to the power of money and greed… a race for rent.
Frank Lloyd Wright
Warren The Headless Thompson Gunner
Paulick Report – Pletcher Under The Radar With Intrepid Heart, Spinoff In Bid For Fourth Belmont Win
Paulick Report – Escape Clause Gets Rematch With Midnight Bisou In Ogden Phipps
mercredi 5 juin
This is Horse Racing – Tom Law – Ten set for Belmont Stakes
Bloodhorse – Ehalt – Favored Tacitus to Break From Post 10 in Belmont Stakes
TDN – Sherack – Tacitus Draws Post 10 as Belmont Favorite
Paulick Report – War Of Will Finally Off The Rail For Belmont; Tacitus Installed As 9-5 Favorite
Bloodhorse – Ehalt – Casse’s Message to Maximum Security: See You at the Spa
Horse Race Insider – Berner – Cuomo is Not Good for NYRA
NY Times – Wells – A Stand-Up Example of Sit-Down Pizza
People in China say: ‘If you love your children, send them to New York. If you hate your children, also send them to New York.
Li Na
NY Times – Kerr – What to Do With All Those Tote Bags
Phil has a question:
Is box of boxes related to bag of bags .
New York, you are an Egypt! But an Egypt turned inside out. For she erected pyramids of slavery to death, and you erect pyramids of democracy with the vertical organ-pipes of your skyscrapers all meeting at the point of infinity of liberty!
Salvador Dalí
Paulick Report – Turf Star Bricks And Mortar Leads Brown Brigade In Manhattan
Phil has a question:
Have thoroughbred racing fans become so accustomed to the stars being retired to the breeding shed at 3 that they wonder what’s wrong when a star races at 4 or 5.
Paulick Report – Met Mile Sets Thunder Snow Against McKinzie, Coal Front In Nine-Horse Field
Phil has a question:
Have thoroughbred racing fans become so accustomed to the stars being retired to the breeding shed at 3 that they wonder what’s wrong when a star races at 4 or 5.
Paulick Report – Frank Mitchell – Bloodlines: Living In Galileo’s World
ESPN – Lowe – Four big questions that will decide this mysterious NBA Finals
Bloodhorse – Busy Belmont Week of Racing on Radio, Television
Bloodhorse – Ehalt – Noisy Appearance at Belmont Park for War of Will
Bloodhorse – Angst – Looking at the Varied Paths to the Belmont
Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.
Albert Einstein
TDN – McGrath – This Side Up: Belmont Showcases Minister Influence
Paulick Report – Oaks Heroine Serengeti Empress Back On Track For Grade 1 Acorn
mardi 4 juin
Bloodhorse – Ehalt – Belmont Hopeful Tax Putting Stone Bruise Behind Him
Bloodhorse – Shulman – Second Chance Brings Added Value to Owners of Tax
TDN – Bill Finley – The Week in Review: So, What Would It Take to Appease Animal Rights Activists?
Phil has a question:
Which group are we trying to appease – the animal lovers, the animal rights people, the animal activists or the jihadists of animal activism.
Paulick Report – Brown Labor Investigation One In A Series Of Probes By Department Of Labor
The universe is hilarious! Like, Venus is 900 degrees. I could tell you it melts lead. But that’s not as fun as saying, ‘You can cook a pizza on the windowsill in nine seconds.’ And next time my fans eat pizza, they’re thinking of Venus!
Neil deGrasse Tyson
FiveThirtyEight_ Roeder – James Holzhauer Broke ‘Jeopardy!,’ But Is Broken So Bad?
NY Times – Jacobs – How Emma Boettcher Beat James Holzhauer on ‘Jeopardy!’
NY Times -12 New Books to Watch For in June
The Irish are the only men who know how to cry for the dirty polluted blood of all the world.
Norman Mailer
Bloodhorse – Meet the Jockeys of the 2019 Belmont Stakes
Everything is change; and you cannot step twice into the same river.
Mary Renault
Bloodhorse – Thunder Snow Enters Quarantine at Belmont Park
Everybody always thinks the grass is always greener.
Patrick Ewing
TDN – Belmont Buzz: Everfast Works; Joevia, Tax Confirmed
Paulick Report – Joevia Readies For Belmont Rebound, War Of Will Arrives In New York
TDN – Berry – The Weekly Wrap: Not Just A Sister Act
lundi 3 juin
Bloodhorse – Ehalt – Master Fencer Helping to Bridge U.S., Japanese Racing
TwinSpires – Reilly – 2019 Belmont Stakes workout round-up: War of Will won’t breeze; Tacitus sharp
Bloodhorse – Tacitus Strong in Final Breeze Ahead of Belmont Stakes
TDN – Tacitus Records Bullet in Final Belmont Tune-Up
Paulick Report – Tacitus ‘Very Level And Very Even’ In Final Belmont Stakes Workout
Too many pieces of music finish too long after the end.
Igor Stravinsky
Paulick Report – Tax’s Belmont Stakes Status Up In The Air After Final Breeze
Bloodhorse – Illinois Close to Approving Casinos for Racetracks
Anytime four New Yorkers get into a cab together without arguing, a bank robbery has just taken place.
Johnny Carson
Bloodhorse – Oser – Demarchelier on to Longtime Target Belmont Derby
The Globe and Mail – Golden State’s victory in Game 2 means this NBA Finals series is truly on now
NY Times – Powell – The Golden State Warriors Are … Alive!
ESPN – MacMullen – Six-minute monster: The Warriors’ run that won Game 2
NY Times – Stein – N.B.A. Finals: Warriors Tie Series With Raptors
ESPN – Bontemps – With Dubs reeling, Raptors let Game 2 slip away
NY Times – Hunt – Everything a Drag Queen Taught Me About Parenthood
Paulick Report – Pedulla – Challenges, Opportunities Face NYRA’s New CEO David O’Rourke
TDN – Maximum Security Breezes; Next Start Still Uncertain
NY Times – If You Licked These Photos They Would Taste Like New York
The gay world that flourished in the half-century between 1890 and the beginning of the Second World War, a highly visible, remark ably complex, and continually changing gay male world, took shape in New York City…. It is not supposed to have existed.
George Chauncey
I’m not afraid of werewolves or vampires or haunted hotels, I’m afraid of what real human beings to do other real human beings.
Walter Jon Williams
dimanche 2 juin
Horse Race Insider – Pricci – Belmont Horsemen Concerned About State of the Game
True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country.
Kurt Vonnegut
Bloodhorse – Spinoff, Intrepid Heart Log Final Belmont Stakes Works
TDN – Pletcher Duo Put in Final Belmont Breezes
Surrey Live – Evans – Good for the town or bad for business? How the Epsom Derby affects traders
Bloodhorse – Racing Post – Motterhead – Anthony Van Dyck Lands Derby Thriller for O’Brien
Bloodhorse – Racing Post – Stevens – Galileo Sires Fourth Epsom Derby Winner
TDN – Anthony Van Dyck Prevails In Galileo-Dominated Derby
Brisnet – Reilly – Anthony Van Dyck hands trainer O’Brien, sire Galileo record-tying Derby victory
Derby-winning jockey Seamie Heffernan has been suspended for two days for careless riding for making a manoeuvre to his left aboard Anthony Van Dyck in the Classic, causing Circus Maximus to be taken off its intended line.
The Guardian – Anthony Van Dyck wins the 2019 Derby – as it happened
Phil has a question:
How many hundreds of base points did Gary West’s blood pressure leap when he saw the Epsom Derby winning jockey receive a 2 day suspension for careless riding in the Epsom Derby but the order of finish remained the same.
How quickly will the phalanxes of West’s legal weasels jump on the Epsom Derby result to try and obfuscate their Kentucky Derby appeal with irrelevant incomparables.
When you leave New York, you are astonished at how clean the rest of the world is. Clean is not enough.
Fran Lebowitz
ESPN – MacMullan – ‘We’ve got to take it ourselves’: Nick Nurse’s journey to the NBA Finals
Brisnet – Reill – Demarchelier punches Belmont Derby ticket in Pennine Ridge
Bloodhorse – Ehalt – Demarchelier Stays Perfect in Pennine Ridge
TDN – Dubawi Colt Stays Perfect in Belmont’s Pennine Ridge
Paulick Report – Demarchelier Stays Undefeated In Pennine Ridge
Bloodhorse – Daugherty – Moon Colony Rockets to Victory in Penn Mile
TDN – Uncle Mo’s Moon Colony Too Strong in Penn Mile
Paulick Report – Moon Colony Rides The Rail To Upset Penn Mile
Brisnet – Reilly – Moon Colony upsets Penn Mile
Never make predictions, especially about the future.
Casey Stengel
I Heard It Through the Grapevine
LA Times – Racing – Cherwa – Racing! Catching up on the news
NY Times – Anthony Joshua Upset by Andy Ruiz Jr. in Stunning Seventh-Round Knockout
The three toughest fighters I ever fought were Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Robinson and Sugar Ray Robinson. I fought Sugar so many times, I’m surprised I’m not diabetic.
Jake LaMotta
NY Times – Asimov – Zen and the Art of Australian Winemaking
As a bee gathering nectar does not harm or disturb the color and fragrance of the flower; so do the wise move through the world.
Buddha
TDN – Jimmy Creed Colt Earns TDN Rising Star Honors at Santa Anita
TDN – Ghostzapper Colt Runs to the Hype, Tabbed TDN Rising Star
Nothing ever exists entirely alone. Everything is in relation to everything else.
Buddha
samedi 1 juin
Racing Post – Anthony Van Dyck paints a picture of success to win Derby for O’Brien
Bob Hope, like Mark Twain, had a sense of humor that was uniquely American, and like Twain, we’ll likely not see another like him.
Dick Van Dyke
Racing Post – Paley – Bookies confident Derby will hold its own on bumper day of sport
SportsNet – Grange – The maestro of load management has been key to Raptors’ playoff success
Phil received a cryptic text from Sal last night:
Sal says in a four game championship series don’t count your chickens before you steal them.
Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road
Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road
Steal a chicken if you get a chance, Huck, because if you don’t want it, someone else does and a good deed ain’t never forgotten.
Mercury News – Medina – Draymond Green on Game 2: ‘Aggressiveness starts with me’
If you can’t beat ’em in the alley, you can’t beat ’em on the ice.
Conn Smythe
Mercury News – Harrington – The 5 worst Drake songs: A Warriors Dub Nation playlist
TDN – Bourbon War Joins Belmont Cast
Bloodhorse – Angst – War of Will’s Belmont Prep Work Won’t Include a Breeze
New York was a city where you could be frozen to death in the midst of a busy street and nobody would notice.
Bob Dylan
Bloodhorse – Angst – Appeal of Stewards’ Decision Puts Rule Under Scrutiny
TDN – Finley – Wests Want Maximum Security, Country House Declared Co-Winners of Derby
LA Times – Cherwa – Racing! Roger Stein, RIP
TDN – California Trainer, Radio Host Roger Stein Dies
LA Times – Cherwa – Roger Stein, horse racing institution and longtime radio host, dies at 65
TDN – McGrath – Another Derby Mission With Noble Possibilities
Paulick Report – Frankel Gets First British Classic Winner With Anapurna In Investec Oaks
NY Times – Tamarkin – We Don’t Need to Be Saved From Making Smoothies
NY Times – Branch – The N.F.L. Has Been Consumed by the Concussion Issue. Why Hasn’t the N.H.L.?
Phil has a question:
Can we trade Betmann for a sack of pucks and used tape.
What is Betmann going to say when the TV and other sports media ratings for The NHL Stanley Cup game Saturday June 1 for all Canadian Markets other than Ontario won’t have garnered half the audience of the Raptors – Warriors Game 1 on a Thursday night.
SOURCE SPORTS: Grove – Bill Russell to Receive Arthur Ashe Award at the 2019 ESPY’S
The idea is not to block every shot. The idea is to make your opponent believe that you might block every shot.
Bill Russell
ESPN – Bontemps – Drake, Dubs’ Green exchange words after game
Phil has a question:
Would Adam Silver discipline the Raptors and Drake when the NBA is getting boatloads of free publicity on social media chains it wouldn’t otherwise be on.
With the Knicks as crappy as ever and slipping further into the dumpster will Spike Lee ever get a chance to outdrake Drake.
Sports Illustrated – West – Spike Lee on Knicks Missing Out on Zion Williamson: ‘Dagnabbitt’
I think it is very important that films make people look at what they’ve forgotten.
Spike Lee
ALL THE INVISIBLE CHILDREN What’s special about Sundays is that’s really the only time the whole family is together. We all sit down to eat at 7. Tonya cooks. We talk — what’s happening with everybody, what’s happening in the world. Then dinner’s over, we got to clean up, put dishes in the dishwasher. Satchel and Jackson, they go out again. Most times Tonya and I are in bed before they come back home. I don’t know where they are; I don’t want to know.
NY Times – Mayer Robinson – How Spike Lee Spends His Sundays
You just wait. I’m going to be the biggest Chinese Star in the world.
Bruce Lee
Charles Barkley Talks Drake’s Sideline Antics During Eastern Conference Finals
MSN – Charles Barkley Says He’d ‘Run Over’ Drake as an NBA Player
Phil has a question:
Do Shaq and Barq ever agree.
If they think we’ve got an edge, we’ve got an edge.
Red Auerbach
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Damn! I Missed!
Yogi Berra
Dedicated to Evgeny Kuznetsov
vendredi mai 31
NY Times – Krueger – Where the Who’s Who of Horse Racing Celebrate the Belmont Stakes
TDN – Frank Barroby Named Avelino Gomez Memorial Award Winner
That kid who sang the US National anthem did a bang-up job so why bring in 3 clowns performing like it’s a funeral dirge who think they not the Raptors are the show. Those 3 clowns should have been the ones with the red hair. Roger may have changed the words to his liking but at least he knew that he was supposed to be short and sweet so they could get on with the game. Those 3 clowns together couldn’t hold a candle in the wind to Roger.
Star Spangled Banner and O Canada
Allegro
You always hear that nobody loves the horses more than their handlers. But when are they going to show it? If they can’t muster the will to organize and institute a national governing body with a uniform program of protections for horses and penalties for abusers, then they don’t really love them. They just like and enjoy them, until they have to dispose of them.
The best advocate for a thoroughbred is not a congressman. Representatives Garland “Andy” Barr (R-Ky.) and Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.) have proposed the Horseracing Integrity Act, a bill that would regulate the game by law and institute World Anti-Doping Agency-like drug testing. But it should never come to that; anyone who would prioritize the horses’ best interests only because of a law doesn’t belong in the sport.
Washington Post – Jenkins – Thoroughbred racing needs reforms, and not from lawmakers
LA Times – Cherwa – Dianne Feinstein renews call for suspension of Santa Anita races
TDN – Ross – CHRB Keeps Lines of Communication Open with Feinstein
LA Times – Cherwa – PETA sides with Santa Anita on new horse racing safety rules
The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word ‘crisis.’ One brush stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity. In a crisis, be aware of the danger–but recognize the opportunity.”
Toronto Star – Are race horses being put in danger? – Lamb – Yes – Bramlage – No
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way—in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.
Charles Dickens
Forbes – Genaro – ‘Raced To Death’: HBO’s Real Sports Investigates Deaths In Thoroughbred Racing
In a time of domestic crisis, men of goodwill and generosity should be able to unite regardless of party or politics.
John F. Kennedy
Horse Race Insider – Jicha – “REAL SPORTS” POINT/COUNTERPOINT
The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis.
Dante Alighieri
InsideRacingRegs – Gorajec – Racing’s new normal – “just one damn thing after another”
An idea, like a ghost, must be spoken to a little before it will explain itself.
Charles Dickens
Bloodhorse – Frank Stronach Questions TSG Management
The most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government and I’m here to help.
Ronald Reagan
Paulick Report – Martinez – Offender Or Offended? Thoroughbred Owner Sounds Off On Media Coverage
Cities have sexes: London is a man, Paris a woman, and New York a well-adjusted transsexual.
Angela Carter
NY Times – Edwards – Next Out of Prince’s Vaults: The Hits He Gave Away
Sometimes, all you can do is watch things burn, and wait for the ash to settle.
Jodi Picoult
Bloodhorse – Haskin – Who Says Justify Didn’t Beat Much?
Bloodhorse – Ehalt – Pennine Ridge a Steppingstone to Turf Trinity
LA Times – Raptors defeat the Warriors in their first NBA Finals game
ESPN – Bontemps – Siakam stars for Raptors with all-around effort
NY Times – Hoffman and Stein – How the Raptors Won Game 1 Over the Warriors
Horse Race Insider – Jicha – Super Met Mile will save Belmont Stakes Day
LA Times – Cherwa – Racing! Jon White’s Belmont rankings are in
TDN – Master Fencer Sound After Stumbling During Wednesday’s Breeze
Brisnet – Scully – Belmont Stakes Report: Upset candidates
TDN – Ross – California Governor Newsom Issues Statement on Racing Licenses
Bloodhorse – BackTrack: Roberto Prevails in 1972 Epsom Derby
TDN – Belmont Stakes Post Position Draw to be Held at Citi Field
And if I have my choice between a pennant and a triple crown, I’ll take the pennant every time.
Carl Yastrzemski
LA Times – Cherwa – Racing! Jon White is in with his Belmont rankings
Brisnet – Get to know the 2019 Belmont Stakes contenders
Bloodhorse – Angst – War of Will Takes Aim at Elusive Preakness-Belmont Double
NY Times – Grynbaum and Tracy – ‘Frightening’: Charges Against Julian Assange Alarm Press Advocates
TDN – TD Thornton – Chad Brown Must Pay $1.6M for Federal Labor Violations
Phil has a question:
If this was Richard Dutrow instead of Chad Brown how many lifetimes would the New York racing authorities suspend him for.
Bloodhorse – Eric Mitchell – Catholic Boy to Stud at Claiborne Upon Retirement
Paulick Report – Voss – Something’s Missing Here: Explaining Ridglings
Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.
Alberta Einstein
Paulick Report – NYTHA Launches Empire Racing Club With Durkin, Pletcher At The Helm
Horse Race Insider – Berner – Can Dream With Empire Racing Club
The genius of the United States is not best or most in its executives or legislatures, nor in its ambassadors or authors or colleges, or churches, or parlors, nor even in its newspapers or inventors, but always most in the common people.
Walt Whitman
TDN – McGaughey: Code of Honor Spooked in Derby, Too
Mercury News – Becker – Even Warriors’ Steve Kerr can appreciate Raptors’ biggest fan
Mercury News – NBA Finals roundtable: If no Durant, might Raptors just have enough to do this?
What’s more, the story of the Warriors is inextricably linked to Oakland’s racial and political fabric at a key moment in post-civil rights USA, not to mention in the NBA’s evolution as a league, both on the court (Nellie-ball!) and off it, from a niche league with a primarily African American fanbase to what it is now: the most dynamic league in America, led by Curry, a superstar whose mere physical appearance – light skin, boyish smile – reflects for many black NBA fans the gradual whitening of the league and the erosion of the game’s inner-city roots. And nothing – nothing – drives that feeling home for the city of Oakland like their Warriors leaving for upscale, IPO-inflated, impenetrably expensive, lily-white San Francisco.
..
The Warriors are doing it, though, and for the Oakland-based fans, it’s akin to watching your first love move on to someone richer, taller, and more attractive but agreeing to remain friends, go to their wedding, and watch them raise a family, knowing all the while that they’ll never have what you had.
The Guardian – Gordon – The Warriors gamble their soul as they swap Oakland for San Francisco
ESPN – Purdum – Warriors heavy favorites over Raptors for Finals
ESPN – Bontemps – What we know and don’t know about this Warriors-Raptors Finals
TSN – Barkley’s NBA Finals prediction: ‘I’m taking the Toronto Raptors’
I love New York City; I’ve got a gun.
Charles Barkley
Like you think Phil was gonna let that one go by.
TSN -Stephen A.: ‘I was wrong and I fell on a sword of ignorance’
Phil has a question:
Does Nurse hope that Stephen A keeps feeding him his dressing room motivation posts.
FiveThirtyEight – Herring – 3 Big Questions Heading Into The NBA Finals
ESPN – NBA Finals experts’ predictions: Warriors-Raptors and Finals MVP
ESPN – Lowe – Predicting who wins a tight, tense NBA Finals
Like you think Phil was gonna let that one go by.
ESPN – Steele – NBA spoke with Raptors about Drake during ECF
Arena Digest – Proposed Islanders Arena Construction Will Not Begin in May
Perhaps the arena project’s biggest stumbling block is the property’s lack of viable mass transit service. Elected officials have said that creating full-time train service to Belmont’s Long Island Rail Road station should be a prerequisite to building the arena development.
The Nassau County Village Officials Association recently passed a resolution that any approval of the Belmont project must be conditioned on the requirement of a full-time station at Belmont and that the “developer be required to bear and pay all costs associated with the upgrade of the station, without the expenditure of public resources (tax revenue, bond proceeds or otherwise) to rebuild said station.”
Officials of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said they are exploring options for expanding service to Belmont, while estimating that full-time service would cost at least $300 million.
Long Island Business News – Winzelberg – Belmont Park arena project to be delayed
PHOTOS: Belmont Arena Renderings
Bloodhorse – Ehalt – Belmont Stakes Field Begins to Take Shape
Horse Racing Nation – NYRA lists probables for Belmont Stakes weekend races
NY Times – Brantly and Green – Heavenly or Hellish? Our Critics Debate the Broadway Season
NY Times – Paulson – Watch 7 Songs from Tony-Nominated Broadway Shows
Electric communication will never be a substitute for the face of someone who with their soul encourages another person to be brave and true.
Charles Dickens
TwinSpires Blog – Hanson – Fluid three-year-old title race a good thing for second half of 2019
Paulick Report – ‘Don’t Be Afraid To Dream Big’: Mandella Sends Letter To 7-Year-Old Omaha Beach Fan
New York is the meeting place of the peoples, the only city where you can hardly find a typical American.
Djuna Barnes
NY Times – Greenwood – How Making Chocolate Is Like Mixing Cement
We have these weapons of mass destruction on every street corner, and they’re called donuts, cheeseburgers, French fries, potato chips, junk food. Our kids are living on a junk food diet.
Joel Fuhrman
NY TImes – Nosrat – The Best Green Salad in the World
Garden and Gun – In Search of a Southern Cole Slaw Tradition
A middle finger is more New York than a corporate ambush. I bleed for my hometown, and I’d die for my fans.
Lady Gaga
The Atlantic – Shapiro – Eat Food. All the Time. Mostly Junk.
Eat all the junk food you want – as long as you cook it yourself. That way, it’ll be less junky, and you won’t eat it every day because it’s a lot of work.
Michael Pollan
Garden and Gun – Sanders – John Lewis’s Best Brisket Secret
Southern Living – Essential Etiquette Books Southerners Should Always Have on Hand
Phil has a question:
Has the average New Yorker read any of these.
Practically everybody in New York has half a mind to write a book — and does.
Groucho Marx
The Verge – Liptak – These eight short story collections would make excellent sci-fi anthology shows
NY Times – A Season to Catch Up on Reading
The Bitter Southerner – Tibbs Jones – 2019 Summer Reading Roundup
I believe in New Yorkers. Whether they’ve ever questioned the dream in which they live, I wouldn’t know, because I won’t ever dare ask that question.
Dylan Thomas
Paulick Report – ‘Run For Glory’ Belmont Stakes Handicapping Event To Benefit TCA, PDJF, BCCA
NY Times – Reed – The Fusion Reactor Next Door
I once took a ride to the beach in L.A., and all along the shore there were all these so-called jazz places. And I saw these college guys and session players playing this fusion Muzak stuff. It was just a lot of notes, and the more notes they played, the more it kept them from expressing anything. So I came back home and got out my Zeppelin albums.
Jeff Buckley
Forbes – Seigel – Is Cold Fusion Feasible? Or Is It A Fraud?
Concern for man and his fate must always form the chief interest of all technical endeavors. Never forget this in the midst of your diagrams and equations.
Albert Einstein
Dr. Gerald Pollack | The 4th Phase of Water in Nature, Health, & Energy
‘Sunshine Superman’ was a pioneering work that for the first time presented a fusion of Celtic, jazz, folk, rock, and Indian music as well as poetry.
Donovan
Sports Illustrated – Kolur – What is the Official Drink of the Belmont Stakes?
America’s Best Racing – The Official Drink of the Belmont Stakes
Craft Spirits Exchange – Peterson – Five New York Bourbons You Should Know
They say some of my stars drink whiskey, but I have found that ones who drink milkshakes don’t win many ball games.
Casey Stengel
Garden and Gun – Bourbon, Bourbon, Everywhere
Paulick Report – Sherman Keeping ‘Occupied’ During Recovery From Cancer Surgery
MSG Networks – Fishler – John Davidson: The Perfect Fit as Rangers President
TSN – KHL’s Lokomotiv hire MacTavish as coach
Montreal Gazette – Hickey on hockey: Mitch Marner is worth offer-sheet risk for Canadiens
The Los Angeles Lakers have emerged as one of the most dysfunctional franchises in the NBA or, as Jay Williams describes, “the best reality show on TV.” During Tuesday’s episode of ESPN’s “Get Up,” Williams labeled the Lakers as “The Kardashians of the NBA.”
“I think I’m finally ready to say it. The Lakers are the Kardashians of the NBA. It’s the best reality show on TV.”
“A good friend gave me some advice – no matter how bad you want to hook up with them, don’t do it. Don’t do it.”
hnhh – Rooney – Lakers Are “The Kardashians Of The NBA,” Says Jay Williams
Make no mistake, Johnson’s words have value, his viewpoint is important, he’s telling his truth, and Lakers fans should listen. Yes, Jeanie Buss has lost control of the room. Yes, Rob Pelinka is not a respected leader. Yes, the team is being guided by too many voices with too few credentials.
Johnson is an incredibly credible witness. But he’s no hero here. Where and how he’s choosing to testify doesn’t make him noble, it makes him selfish.
LA Times – Plaschke – Magic Johnson continues to tarnish the Lakers’ and his legacy
ESPN – Shelburne – The Lakers’ public drama is a crisis of ownership
ESPN – MacMullan – Pat Riley on Magic Johnson: ‘He’s going to speak his mind’
Phil has a question:
Does anyone read Aesop anymore.
ESPN – Report: Pelicans toyed with Lakers on Davis
Phil has a question:
Could HNIC please trade Don Cherry for Rachel Nichols.
Jazz, to me, is one of the inherent expressions of Negro life in America: the eternal tom-tom beating in the Negro soul – the tom-tom of revolt against weariness in a white world, a world of subway trains, and work, work, work; the tom-tom of joy and laughter, and pain swallowed in a smile.
Langston Hughes
ESPN – Holmes – Lakers 2.0: The failed reboot of the NBA’s crown jewel
Silver has the luxury of embracing mostly manageable challenges. The N.F.L. commissioner, Roger Goodell, is besieged at all times by questions about concussions, player rebellions, domestic violence and refereeing debacles. News conferences by the M.L.B. commissioner, Rob Manfred, double as referendums on whether baseball’s economic model is broken and if young fans have abandoned the sport.
And American sportswriters don’t even bother about commenting about Gary Betmann and the NHL as the consider him and it irrelevant.
NY Times – Draper – Adam Silver Says the N.B.A. Is Flying, and He Is Sort of Right
Phil has a question:
Would the NHL please trade Gary Betmann for Adam Silver.
Squamish Chief – AP – Karoub – The Stray Cats in mostly fine form on 1st album in 26 years
ESPN – Junod – Inside the relationship that unleashed Steph Curry’s greatness
Paulick Report – Field Of Nine, Led By Tacitus, War Of Will, Shaping Up For Belmont Stakes
TDN – NYRA Announces Belmont Week Community Events
TDN – Wednesday’s Belmont S. Updates
Paulick Report – Belmont Notes: Tax Records ‘Nice Easy Work,’ Joevia ‘Still Learning And Improving’
Paulick Report – Frank Mitchell – Bloodlines: War Of Will’s ‘Depth Of Family’ Bodes Well
Bloodhorse – Thunder Snow’s American Campaign to Start With Met Mile
Bloodhorse – Brother, Can You Spare Pimlico? – By Evan Hammonds
The New Yorker – Singer – David Milch’s Third Act
Give me such shows — give me the streets of Manhattan!
Walt Whitman
NY Times – In the Arizona High Desert, Taking the Temperature of a Wine Boom
We need to take vegetables out of the role of side dish, even in low-fat, vegetarian diets, whose calories are generally derived mainly from grains and other starches.
Joel Fuhrman
Bloodhorse – Master Fencer Breezes Ahead of Belmont Stakes
Paulick Report – Master Fencer ‘Fresh And Energized’ On First Tour Of Belmont Park
TDN – Master Fencer Puts in Final Keeneland Work for Belmont
Paulick Report – Master Fencer Brings Bonus Chance, Japanese Wagering To Belmont Stakes
Bloodhorse – Tacitus Breezes in Preparation for Belmont Stakes
Paulick Report – ‘I Liked The Rhythm Of It’: Tacitus Puts In Another Solid Breeze Toward Belmont
Peace on earth would mean the end of civilization as we know it.
Joseph Heller
Bloodhorse – Belmont Contenders Work in New York
Paulick Report – Casse’s Belmont Duo: Sir Winston Puts In ‘A+ Work,’ War Of Will ‘Feeling Good’
Paulick Report – ‘Big Work’ From Spinoff Has Pletcher Trainee In Good Form For Belmont Stakes
Paulick Report – Spinoff, Intrepid Heart On Target For Belmont; Game Winner On Fence
Paulick Report – Baffert: Game Winner To Target Travers, Not Belmont Stakes
Horse Race Insider – Pricci – Logjam at the Top of HRI 3YO Poll
Bloodhorse – Ehalt – Brant Has Grand Plans for Improving Payson Park
TDN – McGrath – Brant Seals Deal for Payson Park
Harpists spend 90 percent of their lives tuning their harps and 10 percent playing out of tune.
Igor Stravinsky
Paulick Report – Voss – Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: Gaudet Loves A Horse With A Good Story
NY Times – Barnes and Ransom – Harvey Weinstein Is Said to Reach $44 Million Deal to Settle Lawsuits
New York now leads the world’s great cities in the number of people around whom you shouldn’t make a sudden move.
David Letterman
The Bitter Southerner – The Ultimate Graduation Gift
Paulick Report – New FanDuel Deal Adds Horse Racing, TVG Networks To FuboTV Streaming Service
TDN – Pikulski – Harlem Rocker Wins Hearts in Racing and His Second Career
Bloodhorse – Precious – New York Lawmakers Consider Aftercare Measures
The Paris Review – Compagnon – In Praise of Travel, Particularly on Horseback
You can observe a lot by watching.
Yogi Berra
TDN – Thornton – CHRB Extends Lasix Reduction to Other Tracks
He knew everything about literature except how to enjoy it.
Joseph Heller
NY Times – Sports Illustrated, the Brand, Is Sold for $110 Million
Bloodhorse – Haskin – Mott, Casse, Could Join Exclusive Club
Paulick Report – ‘I Know What He Meant To Our Family’: Awhitesportscoat Proves Lucky For Hall
Phil M Stockmen
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