Peter Berry done with racecalling??

[thespaah]

Originally Posted by AstrosFan

Believe it all P.A.

This is exactly why the Travis Stone, Matt Dinerman, Pete Aiello types keep catching the breaks they DO NOT deserve. It is all because they are in the good graces of the overrated Larry Collmus!

Too many decent callers like Berry don’t get the true shot they deserve and someone mentioned Geller...well he sure didn’t get a chance at a big track in the USA and that’s due to other hacks that suck landing jobs they don’t deserve

The industry blows on who they employ and it continues to promote and support people in high profile announcing and management positions based on who they know!

Bitter much?

[thespaah]

Originally Posted by AstrosFan

Now that's a b/s statement!

There is no way in hell Dinerman gets the EMD job without the endorsement of Collmus, when the job was calling for someone with at least 5 years experience. Then, magically, out of nowhere, Matt steps in to guest announce two races (how do you suppose he got that chance NTamm?) and ta-da gets the job over others who applied, such as Vic Stauffer and Mark Johnson who has extensive prior experience, including Jason Beem who wanted that job, badly!

Before that, Luke Kruytbosch controlled who went where in the announcing game and that's how Pete Aiello ended up at River Downs. River got into a bind when Beem left, so Luke got him the gig. During that time, Aiello was trying to get in good at Prairie Meadows, which wasn't going to happen.

Then GP extended the meet to year round racing years later, so Larry gave Pete a call since GP management asked Larry's thoughts about it and the rest is current history.

I also wonder how Matt got to be on the airwaves ontrack at Del Mar during the BC races. Oh that's right, he knows the right weasels to get him in! All kinds of happy photos on Matt's twitter account with Larry and Trevor.

Don't give that propagated crap on here, when it's 100% fact!

These so called announcer guys post quite a bit on their public twitter accounts as well as facebook, thanking the guys who got them in.

Nothing else to discuss here when the facts are presented



Oh and p.s. smart aleck I am a Doctor, my jobs have been in the medical field.

You're a doctor? And you have time to do an impression of the NY Post Page 6 of track announcers?
Quite frankly, you 'know too much'
So, my guess is you are NOT a doctor ( medical) . I think you are in the racetrack industry or once were.
If not, you are 100% full of stall muck

[thespaah]

Originally Posted by Peter Berry

Thanks for the kind words, everyone. I haven't been on any forums in a while, so let me address a few things mentioned in this thread:

Mountaineer does not pay $500 per day; it pays $252. I was able to pick up winter work over the past three years at Charles Town ($300), Buffalo harness ($250) and Louisiana Downs ($325), but nothing so far this year with John McGary leaving Mahoning Valley to do both meets at Louisiana Downs.

When I started at Mountaineer in 2004 we raced for more than 11 months. I have not been able to make ends meet for the past few years with our reduced schedule, reduced health care and stagnant salary. I had hoped to get the winter job at Mahoning Valley to fill the gap but missed out for a third time. I also applied for Golden Gate and Aqueduct when their announcers moved on.

Indeed, I was on the verge of putting the race-calling cue in the rack but decided to return to Mountaineer in 2018 and have one more crack at finding winter employment at the end of the year.

As for the Larry Collmus the influence, of course there would be some truth to that. Given his standing in the game, a nod of approval or recommendation from Larry would hold great weight, as was the case with Luke Kruytbosch.

Time is running out for me to be calling at one of the elite tracks, especially with NYRA and California in safe hands for the next 10 years.

Thanks again, everyone, for your positive words. I'll keep trying.

Hopefully you can land in a spot that allows you to continue to display your talents.
Good luck Looking forward to hearing your calls in '18

[bello]

Gee Whiz Peter, this is really a shame.

As far as I am concerned you are an elite race caller and you are better than the mountain. I just wish one of the elite tracks would recognize this.

Not only that, your style creates interest and fans. It certainly was not the racing product at Mountaineer. Your wit and race calling kept me more interested than the racing.

If this sounds like a referral, it is . From someone who has listened to a zillion race calls all around the world, you and Mr. Calo are the best in the industry right now. All the best and I will follow you wherever you land.

[Peter Berry]

Originally Posted by bello

Gee Whiz Peter, this is really a shame.

As far as I am concerned you are an elite race caller and you are better than the mountain. I just wish one of the elite tracks would recognize this.

Not only that, your style creates interest and fans. It certainly was not the racing product at Mountaineer. Your wit and race calling kept me more interested than the racing.

If this sounds like a referral, it is . From someone who has listened to a zillion race calls all around the world, you and Mr. Calo are the best in the industry right now. All the best and I will follow you wherever you land.

Thanks for the kind words, Bello. I’ll be back at Mountaineer in 2018 but clearly I need to do a better job of hunting down winter employment. I’m starting to get paranoid!!!

[craigbraddick]

Peter is a great caller. Truly great!

Whatever validity there is to Astrofan's posts on this subject is spoiled by the fact he is obviously one of the following:

1.What he says he is (and the reason for his interest in this subject is unexplainable.)

2. A current or former racecaller who feels unfairly treated.

3. Someone who has never called a race in his life, desperately wants too and cannot get a break so takes it out on what he perceives (rightly or wrongly) as cronyism.

Whatever room there was for a discussion of caller opportunity based on talent, versus caller opportunity based on who wants to help you has long since sailed because of his vindictiveness.

But the fact remains there are far inferior callers to Peter Berry calling at tracks over the winter who should be lining up to hire him!

If anyone on the forum is visiting Rillito, stop by the Announcing Booth and say Hi to me in February and March!

Regards,

[Peter Berry]

Along with just about every other announcer with a pulse, I’m going to target Los Alamitos in 2019. I lived near the track in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s and was actually offered a job there in the publicity department in 1988. I backed out at the last minute to take a job at FIGS form. I hope LosAl doesn’t hold that against me when they begin considering applications.

[thaskalos]

Originally Posted by craigbraddick

Peter is a great caller. Truly great!

Whatever validity there is to Astrofan's posts on this subject is spoiled by the fact he is obviously one of the following:

1.What he says he is (and the reason for his interest in this subject is unexplainable.)

2. A current or former racecaller who feels unfairly treated.

3. Someone who has never called a race in his life, desperately wants too and cannot get a break so takes it out on what he perceives (rightly or wrongly) as cronyism.

Whatever room there was for a discussion of caller opportunity based on talent, versus caller opportunity based on who wants to help you has long since sailed because of his vindictiveness.

But the fact remains there are far inferior callers to Peter Berry calling at tracks over the winter who should be lining up to hire him!

If anyone on the forum is visiting Rillito, stop by the Announcing Booth and say Hi to me in February and March!

Regards,

Okay, Craig...let's try and decipher what you are trying to say here:

You admit that there are "far inferior" racecallers than Peter Berry working out there, and that there are tracks out there which should be "lining up to hire Berry"...but you neglected to tell us why you think Berry is without a winter job, and why these tracks, who are in obvious need of his services, are unwilling to hire him.

Astrofan presented his "theory"...which you found "unsatisfactory" because of your assumptions of who Astrofan is in relation to this game. Would you care to enlighten us on this topic with a theory of your own? If Peter Berry is as "Truly great!" as we all think he is...why isn't he working somewhere right now?

[cj]

These things are odd. No offense to Peter at all, love his calls, but a lot of the inferior callers in place have been there for a while. They aren't going to get fired just because a better guy is available. Not many jobs work that way.

Maybe the tracks are comfortable with the job the current guys are doing for the amount they are getting paid.

[craigbraddick]

Thaskalos:

You make great points.

Honestly, I think it comes down to people in track management either not recognizing a good race caller when they hear one or not thinking it is that important to have one in their operation.

[Peter Berry]

Originally Posted by cj

These things are odd. No offense to Peter at all, love his calls, but a lot of the inferior callers in place have been there for a while. They aren't going to get fired just because a better guy is available. Not many jobs work that way.

Maybe the tracks are comfortable with the job the current guys are doing for the amount they are getting paid.

Inquiring, or worse applying, for a job at track that already has an announcer is the height of audacity and shamelessness. I’d rather never call another race than lower myself to such abhorrent behavior.

[cj]

Originally Posted by Peter Berry

Inquiring, or worse applying, for a job at track that already has an announcer is the height of audacity and shamelessness. I’d rather never call another race than lower myself to such abhorrent behavior.

Good to hear, I hope you didn't think I meant you were doing that. I never meant to imply that at all.

How you've been passed over for some of the jobs you did apply for is beyond me.

[Peter Berry]

Not at all, CJ. I was just thinking out loud. Sometimes I feel like Dr. Smith in Lost in Space. As the announcer at Mountaineer for 13 years I’ve become typecast. If I’ve worked at Mountaineer for so long, I can’t be much good. I prefer to think I’m loyal.

[Alc]

I think you are getting screwed..You are good!

[VigorsTheGrey]

Problem is, most tracks that are located anywhere decent most likely have a high cost of living also. For example, Golden Gate Fields in the San Francisco Bay area...Living there takes 2 incomes just so you can cozy up in a 2 bedroom apartment for 3 grand a month if you are lucky enough to even find one at that price...so really how much can any announcer really earn to be able to afford living anywhere decent. The job is simply not that important to warrant paying anyone big bucks to do...