Sal says that if the tracks want to avoid the 4 and 5 horse fields in major races they need to use a bit of imagination. When you have a standout that will be entering a race very few of the owners and trainers want to enter their horse to run for place money. If you want to attract more horses how about bumping the purse up and making first and second money the same. You’d need competent racing secretaries who understand the supply of horses, but it’s worth a try.

Sal says that any effort that puts more money into the hands of owners is always worth the effort.

TDN – Runhappy Travers Day Generates Record 2022 Handle

Sal says that speaking of handle the chart for MOOSOMIN D & E AT MARQUIS DOWNS shows attendance of 600. Sal says that they must have contracted the admission gate work to the same rose coloured glasses pie in the sky pick a number out of the hat companies that Horse Racing Alberta uses.

With Sheldon Chickeness winning 4 of the 5 races total handle hit $8,318.00 CDN.

In The Air Tonight

Paulick Report – Eddy – Epicenter Dominates Fellow 3YOs With Open-Lengths Travers Win, Proves Place Atop Division

Sports Illustrated – Chavkin – Ravens’ Mascot Poe Carted Off Field With Apparent Injury

Nevermore.

The Raven

Front Office Sports – Ainbinder – The Marriage of Sports Betting and Media

Sports Illustrated – Salvador – Charles Barkley Rips Kevin Durant As ‘Abject Failure,’ ‘Mr. Miserable’

Sal says that no matter what anyone says about Charles Barkley, he sure knows how to sell newspapers.

Crazy

Vox – Heilweil – NASA’s latest moon mission is the dawn of a new space age

SportsNet – Flames’ Nazem Kadri brings Stanley Cup to hometown for special celebration

TSN – Valji on Kadri bringing the Cup to a mosque: ‘This is a historic day for sports in Canada’

TSN – Kadri: ‘I’m honoured to be the first ever Muslim to bring the Stanley Cup to the mosque’

PageSix – Nathan – Judge says ‘enough is enough’ as ex’s $20M lawsuit against Phil Collins dismissed

You Can’t Always Get What You Want

Los Angeles Times – Shalby, Lopez amd Newberry – NFL punter Matt Araiza released from Buffalo Bills amid sex assault allegation in San Diego

“This afternoon, we decided that releasing Matt Araiza was the best thing to do,” Beane said, per the team. “Our culture in Buffalo is more important than winning football games.”

Sports Illustrated – Scott – Bills Release Punter Matt Araiza Amid Gang Rape Lawsuit

Sal says that the Bills answered Sal’s query about how they would handle the rape allegations pretty quickly. Araiza’s NFL career is pretty much toast unless the Browns come knocking.

On Friday, Araiza issued his first public statement on the matter via ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Because the incident occurred while he was in college, Araiza is not subject to NFL discipline.

“The facts of the incident are not what they are portrayed in the lawsuit or in the press. I look forward to quickly setting the record straight,” he said.

Sal says that how is Araiza going to set the record straight when he said that he remembers nothing from that night in a phone call with the victim.

Haitian Divorce

Thoroughbred Racing Commentary – Duckworth – Properly unique – and uniquely well-funded: welcome to Kentucky Downs, the most distinctive racetrack in the US

Horse Race Insider – WHICH RACING EVENTS HAVE THE MOST HISTORY?

Saratoga Weather

Saratoga – August 27, 2022 Changes

The Athletic – Kravitz – Before Wayne Gretzky was ‘The Great One,’ he made people in Indianapolis ask, ‘who’s that?’

Horse Race Insider – Pricci – UPDATE COMPLETE: ALL SIX GRADED STAKES PLAYS ON A LOADED TRAVERS DAY PROGRAM

Paulick Report – Starr – Equibase Analysis: Derby Runners Cyberknife, Epicenter, Rich Strike, Zandon Square Off in Runhappy Travers Stakes

Paulick Report – Undefeated Flightline Headlines Nominees For Sept. 3 Pacific Classic

TDN – Carasso – Record-Setting International Sire More Than Ready Dies

The Ringer – Parker – The Thunder’s Skinny Love Will Need to Wait a Year

The Athletic – What is a Lisfranc injury? Analyzing symptoms, treatment, recovery time for Chet Holmgren’s foot ailment

Sports Business Journal – Brewers seeing lower attendance than previous non-pandemic years

National Post – CP – CTV exec Michael Melling to take leave amid fallout from Lisa LaFlamme’s departure from Bell Media

Another Shade of Grey

Sports Illustrated – Williams – Two Women Sue George Foreman for Rape, Sexual Abuse

Canada’s National Observer – Cimellaro – Native American Journalists Association bars New York Times from its conference over harmful coverage

CBC News – Canadian politicians defend Finnish PM’s dance video, saying backlash shows double standard

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

I always cheer up immensely if an attack is particularly wounding because I think, well, if they attack one personally, it means they have not a single political argument left.

Margaret Thatcher

CBC News – Michelle O’Bonsawin confirmed as Canada’s new Supreme Court justice

TDN – DeBernadis – Blue-Blooded Juveniles Debut on Travers Card

San Diego Union Tribune – Zeigler – Column: Fernando Tatis Jr.’s ringworm explanation is plausible but is it probable?

Tiny Dancer

To be successful, a woman has to be much better at her job than a man.

Golda Meir

Los Angeles Times – Rogers – Welcome to the ‘Hotel California’ saga: Missing lyric sheets, rare book dealers and a relentless Don Henley

I Can’t Explain

Loose lips sink ships.

The Captain

Sal says that with the Forego and the Allen Jerkens Memorial both being run at 7 Furlongs on the Travers Day Card at Saratoga NYRA needs to get into the 21st century of sports betting and offer a couple of prop bets – which race will have the faster time for the winner and which horse will run the fastest time.

The Nosher – Romanow – An Elegy for Liberté Cream Cheese: A Montreal Bagel Schmear Like No Other

Sal says that maybe it’s time for craft cheese.

Canadian Gaming Business – William Hill halts Ontario operations amid regulated launch plans

Legal Sports Report – Evans – Operator Earnings Calls Largely Quiet About Ontario Sports Betting

Sal says that the Ontario provincial government appears to have a plan to control the grey market sports betting in Ontario – give out a bunch of licenses to shut the greys out. Alberta on the other hand appears to have no plan for anything other than blame Trudeau.

Just Walk Out

Paulick Report – The Friday Show Presented By Woodbine: Travers Day Is Upon Us

Thoroughbred Racing Commentary – Eddie Delahoussaye: I don’t like having rules made by people who don’t know anything about the game

Bloodhorse – Wilkin – Velazquez Gets 1,000th Career Win at Saratoga

Paulick Report – McCalmont – ‘So Respected And So Loved By Everybody’: Hall Of Famer Velazquez Records 1,000th Saratoga Victory

Sports Handle – Warren – Canada’s Single-Event Wager-versary: A Look Back At The Past Year

Do not tell fish stories where the people know you; but particularly, don’t tell them where they know the fish.

Mark Twain

National Post – ‘When you’re threatened by a bully the answer is not to cave in,’ says Freeland after criticism in Kushner book

What the fuck did the demented Twittler and his rag tag group of riff raff swamp ruffians expect – that Canada would bend over for them. Kudos to Freeland for standing up to them.

Time wounds all heels.

Groucho Marx

American Woman

HuffPost – Boboltz – Read The Redacted Trump Mar-A-Lago Search Affidavit

Canada’s National Observer – You probably don’t know who’s on our Supreme Court. Let’s keep it that way

The first lesson of economics is scarcity: there is never enough of anything to fully satisfy all those who want it. The first lesson of politics is to disregard the first lesson of economics.

Thomas Sowell

Garden and Gun – Clements – What’s the Deal with Orange Wine?

Southern Living – Beall – Spirited Bourbon Desserts For Any Occasion

Let us leave pretty women to men devoid of imagination.

Marcel Proust

Hotel California

Horse Race Insider – Pricci – CHAMPIONSHIP TITLES ON THE LINE SATURDAY AT THE SPA; BALLSTON SPA AND FOREGO PLAYS

Bloodhorse – Johnson – A Plethora of Picks for Travers Day

Mrs. Robinson

Grunge – Oliver – How Two British Astronomers Documented The First Transit Of Venus In 1639

Front Office Sports – Perez – Buffalo Bills Punter Matt Araiza Accused of Sexual Assault

LA Times – Shalby and Lopez – NFL punter Matt Araiza and two San Diego State football players accused in gang-rape lawsuit

“This was a horrific crime, the kind of which happens all too often,” attorney Dan Gilleon said in a statement to the AP. Gilleon said this case is especially egregious because it not only involved “self-entitled athletes,” but multiple organizations from the university to the Buffalo Bills “have acted the part of enablers looking the other way in denial that my client deserves justice even if the defendants are prized athletes.”

SportsNet – Bills’ Araiza, two SDSU teammates accused of gang rape in civil suit

Sal says that Sal’s interested in watching how the NFL and San Diego State handle this complaint.

Speaking of complaints and investigations Sal says that Sal heard a rumour that Hockey Canada is trying to channel Mattress Mack and will be wagering copious amounts on the 3 horse in the Sword Dancer GI at Saratoga on Saturday August 27, 2022 to recoup the lost revenues from the sponsors who hightailed it after the botched sweep it under the rug coverup of the 2018 sexual assault complaint. Who’s the 3 horse – Broome.

Speaking of Broome maybe his stall muckers could lend Hockey Canada a hand to sweep the useless shit out of the Hockey Canada Boardroom and Executive Suite.

TDN – Record Stakes Schedule Highlights Del Mar’s Bing Crosby Season

White Christmas

National Post – CP – Deschamps – A grey area: Brands should be wary when jumping on hot topics, experts say

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.

Marcel Proust

Hold Me Closer

Moosomin D & E At Marquis Downs – Entries – August 27

But McBean says the offer was withdrawn a week later after she made it clear her joining the committee would be conditional on Hockey Canada’s top officials being removed from their positions.

…

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result,” McBean said. “I said I would be involved but that it would require a change in senior leadership and a board that was prepared to do hard work, which could include updating and or replacing themselves with [others who have] skill sets required to do the work.”

Eight days after they first spoke, McBean said that Vaughan told her on Aug. 18 that Hockey Canada chief executive Scott Smith and other top officials have the support of the board and would not be replaced. (Hockey Canada announced board chair Michael Brind’Amour’s resignation on Aug. 6.)

TSN – Westhead – McBean says offer to join Hockey Canada committee withdrawn after her call to fire top execs

Sal says they’ll probably hire Huck Finn to apply a couple of coats of whitewash.

Sal says instead of Huck and his paintbrushes it’s time to get the brooms out and sweep the shit out of the boardrooms and executive offices at Hockey Canada. Sal says there’s probably a couple of stall muckers who’d volunteer their services.

Bloodhorse – Ehalt – Artorius Hoping to Follow Arrogate’s Lead in Travers

Esquire – Westenfeld – The First Trailer For Noah Baumbach’s White Noise is Appropriately Creepy

Sometime Around Midnight

In a repressive society, a writer can be deeply influential, but in a society that’s filled with glut and repetition and endless consumption, the act of terror may be the only meaningful act.

Don DeLillo

None of their views is entirely wrong, though to a great degree they’re skirting the point. It’s true Alberta is anything but hard-up. It’s a wealthy province and has been for decades. It hosts one of the country’s most critical industries. If it suffers from unpredictable finances, it’s largely the fault of provincial governments that insist on blowing through the ready cash provided by irregular oil booms, then bemoaning the hangover when the booms goes bust.

National Post – Kelly McParland: How decades of Liberal indifference created Danielle Smith

Sal says that McParland’s thesis glosses over the Harper years when the Harper government treated the province of Alberta as a cash cow and used the transfer payments to buy votes in Quebec and Ontario. Can’t blame just the Liberals when the Federal PCs screwed Alberta just the same.

Common Sense Canadian – Nelson – Harper’s War on Science

Sal says that the war on science and research has continued under the UCPs in Alberta.

Rabble – Climenhaga – Alberta is Calling promotes services UCP seeks to undercut

I don’t have to write about the future. For most people, the present is enough like the future to be pretty scary.

William Gibson

Horse Racing Nation – Pedulla – Saratoga: Pletcher, Cox, Asmussen voice track concerns

Horse Race Nation – Macatangay – Travers 2022: Epicenter’s pace strategy is unpredictable

Boom Boom (Out Go The Lights)

Canadian Bon Jovi

ReUnited

MLB – McTaggart – ‘Older and wiser’ Verlander eyes big picture, exits despite no-no bid

The Athletic – Rosenthal: The new Justin Verlander — Those closest to Astros ace have seen him evolve

Sal says that Phil sent Sal a question:

Do Justin and Kate buy their furniture from Mattress Mack.

My pitching philosophy is simple – keep the ball way from the bat.

Satchel Paige

Horse Race Insider – WHAT ARE THE BEST UPCOMING RACES IN 2022?

TDN – Thornton – Long, Twisted Zayat Bankruptcy Settlements Approved

ABC – AP – Collins – Paul Newman’s daughters sue late actor’s charity foundation

Paulick Report – Frank Mitchell – Bloodlines Presented By Texas Thoroughbred Association: Frankel Hits The Century Mark With Stakes Winners

Bloodhorse – Eric Mitchell – Karakontie Growing Into His Family as a Sire

He was happily married – but his wife wasn’t.

Victor Borge

ABC News – Rubin and Steakin – Foreign politicians, an indicted election clerk and Vanilla Ice: Inside the revolving door of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago

SportsNet – AP – Vanessa Bryant awarded $16M in trial over crash photos

Front Office Sports – Jury Awards $31M in Kobe Bryant Crash Photos Case

Sal says that LA county is on the hook for $31M because its employees wanted to boost their egos by sharing private information with their buddies, but yet the demented Twittler gets away with sharing American state secrets with the riff raff that shows up at Mar-a-Lago.

Sal says that it’s unfortunate that the taxpayer’s of LA County will be on the hook for the misfeasance of employees who probably never even got a reprimand.

SportsNet – Report: Two players identified to police in alleged 2003 HC sexual assault video

TSN – Westhead – MP plans to call former Hockey Canada board member to testify about gifts, perks

I think my top salary was maybe in 1966. I made $17,000 and 11 of that came from selling other players’ equipment.

Bob Uecker

SportsNet – Sarah Nurse becomes first women’s hockey player to appear on cover of NHL 23

SportsNet – Loung – How Nurse and Zegras’ EA Sports NHL 23 cover represents bright future of hockey

CTV News – Antoneshyn – Edmonton city council takes side of community, charities in opposition to Camrose casino’s relocation

The Ringer – Nayman – George Miller Has Never Compromised

Front Office Sports – McCarthy – Tiger Woods’ New TGL Could Be ‘Monday Night Football’ For Golf

Front Office Sports – Byers – NFL Remains King of TV Ratings with Strong Preseason

Rule Number 027: Never knowingly be serious.

Dr. Who

DRF – Grening – Like in the Kentucky Derby, Rich Strike on the outside looking in for Travers

Styles is a kind of millennial anomaly: He plugs his phone in across the room, never once sneaking a glance for a rogue notification. He maintains eye contact as his thoughts unfurl in his often slow, British drawl. He’s a bit more Zen, even stoic, than he once was; that goofy, class-clown energy he exuded when the world first fell in love with him in One Direction 12 years ago has naturally diminished. But he’s still as affable and charming as ever, remembering details from small talk we had in all the other cities where I had been (professionally) stalking him, and proving earnestly curious about how I was going to spend my time in Hamburg and how magazine deadlines work. (Back in New York, after surprising fans at a Spotify event for his new album, he asked me my thoughts on David Crosby’s most recent album, which he loved.)

Rolling Stone – Spanos – How Harry Styles Became the World’s Most Wanted Man

Sal says that Sal always thought that Styles’ boy band’s name was One Dimension.

It’s Only Rock N Roll

Now, as a de facto spokesman for survivors of abuse connected to the game, Tisdale has added his voice to the chorus calling for the resignation of new Hockey Canada CEO Scott Smith. Smith has been with that organization since 1995 and taken the brunt of the criticism over its handling of a lawsuit filed by a woman saying she was sexually assaulted in 2018 after a Hockey Canada gala event by eight CHL players, some of whom were members of the 2018 Canadian world junior team. Similar allegations have also arisen against the 2003 Canadian world junior team. 

“When the ship goes down, the captain goes down with it,” said Tisdale, an installation and repair tech in the telecommunications industry. “It’s mind-boggling. I can’t believe the audacity of some of these Hockey Canada executives to stay on after they know the public of Canada does not want them there. They’re still hanging on to these positions. It needs to start with Scott Smith.” 

SportsNet – Hazing survivor Tisdale calls for overhaul of ‘broken’ hockey culture

Front Office Sports – Sportsbooks, Tribes Slug It Out Over Sports Betting in California

BBC – Dowling and Gray – A pizza topping that divides the world

Pineapple Pizza Recipe

Meat Lover’s Pizza

You better cut the pizza in four pieces, because I’m not hungry enough to eat six.

Yogi Berra

Thoroughbred Racing Commentary – Mark Johnston becomes first trainer to reach 5,000 winners in Britain

Sports Business Journal – ASU’s new venue to be named Mullett Arena in recognition of donors

Bleacher Report – Stanley – NHL Hockey Hair: 23 Best Mullets in NHL History

BarDown – Mitch Marner and Jake Muzzin gave Jesse a mullet

Sports Illustrated – Herring – Durant’s Move to Stay With Nets Makes His Motivations All the More Convoluted

It’s not that the grass is greener on the other side, it’s that you can never be on both sides of the lawn at the same time.

Laura Fraser

Should I Stay Or Should I Go

TDN – McGrath – Unsung, but Vital: ‘The Johnny Burke Treatment’

The Atlantic – Zhang – Does DNA Prove These Wild Horses Came From a Spanish Shipwreck?

Brisnet – Hanson – Epicenter favored over seven rivals in Travers

Bloodhorse – Ehalt – Favored Epicenter Draws Post 6 in Upcoming Travers

Lord, what fools these mortals be.

Puck

Horse Race Insider – Pricci – GIRL POWER

Ideas are like pizza dough, made to be tossed around.

Anna Quindlen

Bloodhorse – Downey – Bankruptcy Court Approves Settlements in Zayat Cases

Paulick Report – Linda Rice’s Appeal Ongoing: Opening Briefs For Appellate Court Due Nov. 17

The Third Man

The Ringer – O’Connor – Kevin Durant Is Staying, but the Foundation Is Fractured in Brooklyn

The grass isn’t always greener on the other side. What the younger generation didn’t understand was that the grass was greenest where it’s watered.

Nicholas Sparks

Sports Business Journal – Arte Moreno exploring sale of Angels

Good riddance, Arte Moreno. You could’ve been a somebody, in a region that sorely needed it. Instead, you leave my beloved Anaheim in political ruins and the Angels a joke. May you take your sombrero of shame on the way outta here.

Los Angeles Times – Arellano – Column: Good riddance to Angels owner Arte Moreno and his sombrero of shame

Sal says that if Bobby Flay put out inferior product in his restaurants the way that Moreno did Flay would be out of business in a week, but the sports fans keep supporting their losing teams and filling the billionaire’s pockets while those billionaire’s piss on the fans.

The Athletic – Drellich – Inside MLB’s Astros cheating investigation: GM Jeff Luhnow deleted phone data

Sal says that Phil sent him a question:

Which is worse – your favourite team having an owner that casts a blind eye when his team cheats to win or having an owner who is more concerned with the team’s financial performance than on-field performance.

How would Mattress Mack answer that question.

National Post – AP – Giles – Victims irked as Spain lets gunman die before trial

Hawthorne Sal

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