Andy Beyer Retires From Writing

[Cratos]

Originally Posted by ReplayRandall

Timeform was established in 1948....If you mentioned Phil Bull, why didn't you also mention his talented associate, Dick Whitford?

You are correct on both accounts and that is why I said “one of the founders” of Timeform.

However, per history, Phil Bull was legendary as a gambler before Timeform.

[JustRalph]

Originally Posted by cj

They were slow back then but definitely around.

In the early 90's I carried a laptop in the police car with me. I was the only cop I knew with one. It was expensive as hell. I kept records on dirtbags and general/tech orders on floppies in a small plastic box.

It was thick enough to stop a bullet too

[dilanesp]

Originally Posted by AskinHaskin

That is absurd.


They are all in a completely advantageous and enviable (from the standpoints of other competition for the gambling dollar) position where it concerns "doing more" for their bettors, but they are collectively too stupid to lift more than the one figure to the racing fans as a group.


It is more that track management has known only a long tradition of doing zero for their patrons, and so continuing that pointless and senseless tradition is the only path they know.

In case you missed it, lots of tracks have gone out of business. That suggests that they were not, in fact, in a position to give horseplayers a break.

[Lemon Drop Husker]

Originally Posted by cj

They were slow back then but definitely around.

Slow?

Al Gore hadn't even invented the internet yet and Microsoft Excel wasn't even around.

Lotus123 for spreadsheets?

What possible good could a laptop have done for a guy in the 90s at the track?

[Tom]

They ran programs.

[cj]

Originally Posted by Lemon Drop Husker

Slow?

Al Gore hadn't even invented the internet yet and Microsoft Excel wasn't even around.

Lotus123 for spreadsheets?

What possible good could a laptop have done for a guy in the 90s at the track?

Your timeline is off a bit. Office was around in the very early 90s. I remember using Excel to do post position analysis back then, moved on from the TI-81 programmable calculator. I also used it to help make speed figures by storing my baseline data for each track and having the math all automated.

I didn't carry a laptop to the track, but I'm sure it could have been helpful if I had. I, at the least, would have had bigger muscles.

[Tom]

My right arm is 2 inches longer than my left one.

[JustRalph]

Originally Posted by Tom

My right arm is 2 inches longer than my left one.

Don't blame the laptop!

[Lemon Drop Husker]

Originally Posted by Tom

My right arm is 2 inches longer than my left one.

Maybe you should have carried it around with your your 5th appendage?

[overthehill]

I met him once at Saratoga, and unlike some other prominent racing personalities, who would barely give me the time of day , he was friendly and receptive. Impressed me as a decent guys. BTW do horseplayers ever retire?

[ultracapper]

Originally Posted by JustRalph

Don't blame the laptop!

SMOKE!!!!

What goes on in the bathroom, stays in the bathroom.

[AskinHaskin]

Originally Posted by dilanesp

In case you missed it, lots of tracks have gone out of business. That suggests that they were not, in fact, in a position to give horseplayers a break.

Uh, wrong answer.


Just because they opted not to optimize their huge edge over traditional casino/gaming competition, does not mean they weren't in (the same, simple) position (known to all larger parimutuel tracks in North America) to do so.


It is numbers and common sense - thus, a 'constant', and not a variable.

[DeoVolente]

I could never understand how such an instrumental and significant person to the horse player as Beyer has always been can get so much criticism on a racing board.

[EMD4ME]

Originally Posted by DeoVolente

I could never understand how such an instrumental and significant person to the horse player as Beyer has always been can get so much criticism on a racing board.

It's the character of a horse player. Most think they are the smartest horseplayer ever and act like it. They look for any reason to knock someone else down, as internally, their jealously eats at their fiber.

Not saying people on PA did that. I'm saying overall, quite often, that's my opinion of why many players have knocked him over the years.

Was/Is Beyer perfect? Absolutely NOT. His figures are not perfect and are flawed and I've heard he doesn't even know how to watch a race properly. Not sure how true that is.

However, one can not dispute his testicular fortitude at the windows and his ability to speak his mind, despite it being contrary to what the snowflakes want to hear.

The latter, can not be disputed by his enemies.

[Saratoga_Mike]

Originally Posted by EMD4ME

It's the character of a horse player. Most think they are the smartest horseplayer ever and act like it. They look for any reason to knock someone else down, as internally, their jealously eats at their fiber.

Not saying people on PA did that.

Nah, never.