I should have been writing, or at least handicapping this Saturday’s Derby preps, but the unusual spring-like weather we had in the Boston area this afternoon lured me outside for a long walk that ended at one of my favorite used bookstores — Robin Bledsoe, Bookseller — where I contemplated buying a copy of the 1991 edition of the gorgeously illustrated “Secretariat” by Raymond Woolfe and admired a first edition of Joe Palmer’s “Names in Pedigrees.” Robin specializes in equine books and knows racing, and hanging out in her cozy Cambridge shop was a nice antidote to the mid-winter no-horses funk that’s been hanging over me lately. After nearly an hour of happy browsing and conversation, I left with a copy of Avalyn Hunter’s now out-of-print “American Classic Pedigrees” and a short list of books to look forward to in coming months, including a new biography of Man O’War by Dorothy Ours, a history of the great match race between Eclipse and Henry in 1823 by John Eisenberg, and a coast-to-coast guide to American racetracks (not written by McChump). There may be no live racing in Boston until May, but at least I won’t lack for reading material about my beloved sport until then.
Posted by JC in Books on 01/13/2006 @ 5:00 pm / Follow @railbird on Twitter
– Retired jockey Gary Stevens makes his debut as a TVG analyst on Saturday. “Gary offers a unique perspective that viewers will really want to hear,” said Tony Allevato, TVG senior vice president and executive producer. “We think he is going to be a superstar on television.”
– Nick Kling has a few suggestions for New York’s Ad Hoc Committee on the Future of Racing. Here’s a good one: “Why shouldn’t the panel of Stewards at every New York racetrack have a fourth member, one chosen by bettors?”
– “Like a centenarian who still dances on Saturday night, Cormorant hasn’t lost his spirit. His reddish-brown eyes, unusually bright, watch the world with weary curiosity rather than the explosive aggression that defined his youth.”
– Interesting: This article about Massachusetts politicians-turned-lobbyists glancingly mentions that Raynham dog track owner George Carney has applied for 20 live thoroughbred racing days at the Brockton Fair on days Suffolk Downs isn’t racing.
Posted by JC in News on 01/13/2006 @ 4:55 pm / Follow @railbird on Twitter
And on Google: Sports videos.
Sports Business Journal has two interesting articles on its front page this week about various sports leagues rushing into the new and very profitable online and iPod video market. The NBA has signed with Google to offer full-length, downloadable videos of every game this season, as well as some archival games, through its new video store. ESPN and ABC Sports are selling videos from Bowl games and ESPN programming through iTunes, which is also set to start distributing NHL and NASCAR video content. The NFL has no deal with either yet, but is in discussions.
Needless to say, there’s no mention of the NTRA or any other racing entity in either of the articles, which is a real shame. Imagine — the Breeders’ Cup or the Kentucky Derby on an iPod. Great races from years past on a laptop. Daily or weekly highlight shows from Del Mar or Saratoga wherever you go. The videos could be a promotional tool and a revenue stream. A new outlet for a sport that’s being squeezed out of others. Just the kind of thing “a new generation of fans familiar with electronic technology [need to see] in their face every time they log onto the Internet.”
From the archives: 21st Century Racing Fans
Posted by JC in Web/Technology on 01/11/2006 @ 5:00 pm / Follow @railbird on Twitter
