Nobody's perfect, but Tampa Bay Downs, c'mon!

[ponyplayerdotca]

Please let me know if I'm being too hard on those working at TAMPA BAY DOWNS, but some of the following is really beginning to wear on me as I try to watch and support this track over the last few years.

1) What is with the incorrectly listed post times?

It happens almost everyday, but the last two Saturdays, it's been atrocious. DRF lists the post times in the first column (I know, I know, usually DRF is unreliable, but it's at least a starting point). The second column is the list of times posted by Tampa Bay Downs in the changes section on their own website (you'd think these would be correct!)

Well, the third column illustrates the actual or announced post time of the races so far. The track announcer announced race 4 as being at 1:48pm. The track website says it is 1:39pm. How in the hell does the web guy not have the same time info as the announcer? Do they not talk to each other at this place?

The fourth column shows the actual time they were "off". The screen shows "zero" minutes to post for 2-3 minutes before the gates finally do open. How hard is it to get this right? I know they keep the windows open to get more money bet, but 3 minutes past the announced post time before starting the race? Just say the post time is what it will be!

DRF TAM Announced OFF

12:25 12:25 12:27
01:01 12:50 12:53
01:28 01:14 01:20 01:23
01:55 01:39 01:48 01:51
02:22 02:07 02:17
02:49 02:37
03:16 03:07
03:43 03:37
04:10 04:07
04:37 04:38
05:01 05:09

2) JOCKEY LUIS GONZALEZ

The track announcer for three years now has called this guy "LUIS GON-SAL-VES", as if there is a "v" in his last name. There is no "v". It is "GON-ZAL-EZ" - sounds the way it looks. What is so hard about pronouncing that?

3) OTHER PRONUNCIATION PROBLEMS - As an owner, the one thing you'd like to hear during the call of the race is the name of your horse pronounced properly. And, if it isn't, how about get word to the announcer so the next race, he gets it right. I can't tell you how many races over two years it took for the owners of RIVERSRUNRYLEE to finally get him to get their horse's name right!

OTTASEA

He kept saying "O-TISSA" when it was supposed to be "OTT-A-SEE"

SILVER PEAGUS

He kept saying "PEGA-SIS" when it was supposed to be "PEA-GUS"

RIVERSRUNRYLEE

He kept saying "RIVER-RUNS-A-LEE" when it was supposed to be "RIVERS-RUN-RILEY"

MARQUET CAT

He kept saying "MAR-KEE CAT" when it was supposed to be "MARKET CAT"

SCRUPLES IN

He kept saying "SCRUP ILLS" when it was supposed to be "SCROO-PULLS IN"

The guy does a good job race calling, and no one is perfect, or is going to get every horse right in every race, but when you are pronouncing the wrong thing because you think it is right, that is a problem.

Just my two cents.

[johnhannibalsmith]

Well I know a track announcer that calls "Jabanero" - Jab-a-narrow, rather than hob-a-nyerrow... so nobody's perfect...

But that is better than his predecessor, who defiantly referred to "Annaqued" as "Antiquated", insisting that was what they meant.

[Vinman]

I for one am a major "non-fan" of Mr. Tampa Bay Downs announcer. Stiff, shrill delivrery....text book "fingernails on a blackboard"

If I could replace this guy with the long lost deep baritone delivery of the dear departed Ross Morton (R.I.P.), mistakes and all, I'd do it in a flash. And they ran Ross out of town because he made a few foibles. It seems to me that Mr. Tampa is no better.

What's Milo Perrins doing these days?

Vinman

[BillW]

Originally Posted by Vinman

What's Milo Perrins doing these days?

Vinman

There's a name from the past. I haven't seen/heard from him since the Sam Houston days (1995 ???)

[MickJ26]

Richard "sets 'em down for the drive" Grunder.

[Ian Meyers]

I love Richard's style of calling a race and anybody who knows him (I do) will tell you he is a great human being and a class act.

[Vinman]

Ian.....nothing against him personally of course. It's the voice....grating.

Like that line from Chariots of Fire...."You can't put in what God left out".

Vinman

[therussmeister]

He was much, much worse in his one year at Canterbury. His list of mispronounced names probably exceeded 200 horses.A few years back he went to Japan to be the announcer in a horse racing video game they were developing because the Japanese thought he had the quintessential* American horse racing voice. When I read that I threw-up a little in my mouth.



* I can't even guess how he would pronounce this word.

[Zman179]

Who cares about post times unless you arrive late to the track? I look up at the tv screen, it says 12 minutes and that's good enough for me.

[CincyHorseplayer]

I hate cold weather and am thinking about driving down to Tampa.Got friends there.But this report changes everything for me.

[rrbauer]

Originally Posted by CincyHorseplayer

I hate cold weather and am thinking about driving down to Tampa.Got friends there.But this report changes everything for me.

I wouldn't make/not make a trip to Tampa based on any post in this thread. Grunder has his idiosyncrasies as do most race callers and just listing post times from a variety of sources and then blaming the track because they're not all in synch seems a stretch. "Off" times are often different from tote post times because of delays at the gate, late scratches, etc.

As to the weather, well I got here (in Tampa) 8 days ago and I think there was a 58-degree day and some sunshine in that period, but a couple headlines from this morning's (Sunday) St. Pete paper sum up the weather:
"Cold nights imperil million-dollar crop" and "Sleet falls for the first time since 1966".

However, a "warming trend" is in the offing!

[phatbastard]

5.2 million handle

6 winning faves

4 exactas over 100$

rolling dd's

great exotics platform

and not a bad roster of riders and trainers [gp also ships in some]

these are what i consider


grunders voice isn't the most important thing, but it is distinctive

they always go 2-4 minutes after posted of time...big deal


its my getaway track for a couple weeks every year, nicer folks you will never meet

[post time]

MUTE BUTTON works everytime

[CincyHorseplayer]

Originally Posted by rrbauer

I wouldn't make/not make a trip to Tampa based on any post in this thread. Grunder has his idiosyncrasies as do most race callers and just listing post times from a variety of sources and then blaming the track because they're not all in synch seems a stretch. "Off" times are often different from tote post times because of delays at the gate, late scratches, etc.

As to the weather, well I got here (in Tampa) 8 days ago and I think there was a 58-degree day and some sunshine in that period, but a couple headlines from this morning's (Sunday) St. Pete paper sum up the weather:
"Cold nights imperil million-dollar crop" and "Sleet falls for the first time since 1966".

However, a "warming trend" is in the offing!

Hey Rich.You turned me on to Tampa Bay.And believe me 58 degrees is better than 18 degrees in Cincinnati!!!

With the potential of 70 degrees on a regular basis,I'm down!!!


If I don't shrink away in pure cowardice I'll look you up when I get there.

[Maumeeriverangler]

Turfways Battaglia, puts a knot in my stomach listening to him try to call a race I have to mute him.