Smarty not worthy?

[KingChas]

Not saying any names but a certain big time editor doesn't feel Smarty is worthy of the triple crown.He says yes Smarty is 8 for 8,but how many grade 1's did he win?(ha-ha).He feel only horses that take the Ny or Calif route as 2 year olds are worthy.I guess 5 different tracks and track conditions aren't enough.I guess he knows more than the hall of fame jockeys who watched Smartys ass get smaller.These are the people who say racing needs a shot in the arm, which will also make them wealthier.Well all I can say is they wouldn't know a gift horse if they looked him in the eye.Kiss Smartys ass bluebloods!

[PaceAdvantage]

Who's the editor? That's just silly...."isn't deserving???" If he wins the Belmont, how could he NOT be deserving??? LOL

What a silly, silly thing to say. They don't call the Belmont Stakes the TEST OF CHAMPIONS for nothing. The RACE ITSELF will tell us whether or not Smarty Jones is WORTHY of being a Triple Crown champion.

[Latin Qtr]

SJ won the Derby & Preakness TOTALLY. Never challenged at any
part of the races. He won laughing. And the fields weren't that
bad. Right now I'm about 85% sure he will be a Champion. Soon
theres going to be a race with the right mix of speed etc that will
make him dip into reserve energy but so far it hasn't happened.

[KingChas]

If you would like to read an excellent article adding to my letter,read Bob Neumeier's article at MSNBC.I do not know the link but you can find it with a Google search by typing"Bob Newmeier on Smarty Jones".The articles title is "Naysayers are full of Baloney."Its a Must Read.

[CryingForTheHorses]

I am so tired of these media assholes,always trying to dig up dirt on something,Was it one of them 2 assholes on NBC!, Could never understand how they can have people commentate on a race and they dont have a clue to what they are talking about. (Forty years a cowboy and never stepped in shit ).I would love to have that job, Least I do know what end a horse shits from.How bout if we say they arent worthy of watching Smarty?.Sorry people like this just cant stand to see someone do good.Smarty is truly a gift horse!!.He will make mincemeat out of them in the belmont..Smarty by 10

[Valuist]

If you asked most of the media, they aren't even aware there's racing away from both NY or SoCal. We've seen some pretty good horses who didn't reside in New York or Southern California: Smarty, War Emblem, Buck's Boy, Favorite Trick, Tejano Run,One Dreamer, Hansel, Unbridled, Summer Squall, Black Tie Affair, Risen Star, Lil E Tee just to name a few.

[andicap]

I don't get. Why not post the editor's name? Was it an off-the-record remark? Did he say it to you privately? Was it heresay evidence? And if you can't use his name, what's the point of the post?? Was it a racing writer or a sports writer? How can we evaluable the attack on Smarty Jones without more information on who said it?

already people are making attacks on "those assholes on NBC," and they are not even editors!! This is setting off false accusations, recriminations, and unfair rants.

Big city editor?? Steve Crist is not a big-city editor if you're implying it was him. He's a national editor.
There are really few "big-city" racing editors -- they are mostly writers. Andy Beyer is a writer, not an editor. As is Bill Finley in the NY Times.
Was it the sports editor of the NY Times or the Daily News or the LA Times??

People attack the media for hiding behind "Sources said," so I wonder if you are setting off a straw dog here. Planting a false lead so you can attack him in the name of media-bashing.

My mom used to do stuff like that. "Everyone is saying that Joe Schmo is a liar."
Who's everyone?
She'd name one person.

Without the name of this person, this post is baseless, a waste of time, and a scurrilous (sp?) attack on newspaper people.

I'm tired of people criticizing the media and then writing exactly the same types of things they rip them for doing. When you made that accusatin you were acting like a reporter -- you were "reporting" something you heard or read. Without more details, you have absolutely NO credibility.

I'm in the media (not the racing media tho) -- I'm not saying the media is always right or even usually right. I attack the media as much as anyone, but when I do, I name names and I use specifics, not hide behind some item not worthy of a gossip columnist.

I happen to agree that most sports writers don't know racing and only come to it when something big like this happens. I agree that many racing writers parrot the same old canards and do little original thinking. But it's just wrong to launch an item that leads to wholesale attacks on an entire industry while hiding behind
the worst kind of Hedda Hopper/Louella Parsons/Walter Winchell type of journalism.

[kenwoodallpromos]

At least year round cappers know a little about racing. Media types like to jump on stories before they get lost in the shuffle- Tom Arnold and his show; Leno; Letterman; Beyer; Sports Illustrated.

[KingChas]

Perhaps Mr. Andicap has a point.I am not a professional journalist
I didn't know the difference between an Editor and a Writer.This was written about an interview between a trainer and race writer.I do not wish to divulge thier names.I don't want to get political but the Media has been doing this for ages.But ala "Walter Winchell", The media has tossed many bricks our way,but if we throw one back be dammed.I guess thats why a high pct. of Media people use Pen Names.

[andicap]

I'm not objecting to throwing bricks at the media.

As I said in my post, I am often highly critical of my own profession and its ability to ruin people's reputations with false accusations and insinuations.

Two years ago I got into a hurt of trouble when I posted a rant against sportswriters on a very popular and visible media weblog (poynter.org). You should have seen the hate mail and responses I got.

The point is not how the media covers racing -- I agree it does a shoddy job.

The point is that it is unfair to hurl an accusation at the "media" with a straw dog argument that is reminiscent of Joe McCarthy holding up a sheet of paper, "I have in my hands, a list of 200 people who work for the Communist Party," and he had no such thing.

Your post stirred a hornets nets of insults against my profession so it is only fair if you name the specific writer you are referring to, that's all. If it was published why the reluctance. It's public knowledge anyway!

Already you had people guessing who it was, and throwing out names that unfairly libel these people. Someone guessed it was the NBC analysts (big-city editors?).

I did a huge search of the stories AFTER the Preakness and had a hard time finding this story in question. Was it in the DRF? I could not access Crist's story that headlined "Smarty Fans, Cover Your Ears?" Was this it??

If not,

You are from PA, the nearest big city to you is Philly and I could find nary an article in local papers questioning SJ. It was all huzzahs and hype. I checked the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. All raves there too. Nothing in the NY papers or from Beyer after the Preakness. Lets check the LA Times. Nope, nothing but love letters.

I am hard pressed in my search of loads of stories in big cities to find a single one NOT singing SJ's praises. So why post something here that gets everyone bashing the media when there is NOTHING to bash. The press LOVES Smarty and almost universally predicts he will become a TC winner and perhaps find a cure for cancer.

Now I found PLENTY of negative stories about Smarty BEFORE the Preakness, but I saw that on this board as well.

And after re-reading your post, I have to also point out it is the media's job to call (and report) as they see them, not to act as the industry's cheerleaders. There's a famous baseball book, "No Cheering in the Press Box" by a sportswriter. Reporters are not paid to do racing's PR -- if someone has a contrary opinion, good for them to have the guts to express it.











Was it in the DRF? I could not access Crist's story that headlined "Smarty Fans, Cover Your Ears?" Was this it??

[cj]

It's not the Steven Crist article. That is about betting against Smarty because he thinks he will be a huge underlay. It has nothing to do with his being "worthy" or not.

[andicap]

So where was this piece???

Who said it???

Yes, the horrible media doesn't believe SJ is for real.

Only trouble is I spent 30 minutes on Nexis and couldn't find anything.


The media knows a good story when it sees it and LOVES Smarty.
I love Smarty.
Everyone loves Smarty!

The media is always a convenient whipping boy for everyone's problems. It's the media's fault racing is in trouble -- always focusing on the negative stuff, the illegal drugs, etc. If they would just shut up about the bad things racing would recover.
The only way to get rid of the negative aspects of the game is to shine a light on it and that's the media's job.

If anything, the media has not been outspoken enough on the industry's drug problems.

Yeah, not like on this board where we are all Mary Sunshine/Pollyanna about the sport.

[KingChas]

I have the link for Bob Newmeier's article-(http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5015618/).The article I read was not on the internet.The purpose of my letter was to say that people (trainers ,writers,editors,etc.),say they need things to help horseracing stay alive and become popular again.Then when a gift horse comes along they become pestimistic.Of course now after the Preakness everybodys on the bandwagon.(which is great).I love every aspect of racing and didn't want to divulge the source of my story ,but it can be found.I find it funny that a professional media person(Newmeier)can write a story and not reveal his sources too.Perhaps I should have used the word (NAYSAYERS) in my letter.His letter is on the national internet for all to read.

[kenwoodallpromos]

I think when it comes to horseraciong the media just takes snippets of racing news and reflects what racing is saying.
The media's whole purpose is to brings news, stuff that is new and that means not the norm. Racing itself in talk, news stories, and promotion goes for the next big horse, owner, or race, all being extremelt transitory in racing. Racing puts negative stories and big races on the front burner- just look at the subjects of a lot of the PA threads and the responses received.
Do not blame the non-racing media for trashing racing with negative stories if that is what is most obviouis- The pick 6 that was fixed was the biggest payoff; horses that win the KD and PS do not lose coverage and the Belmont due to the outside media rigging the races; The media did not invent Stronach or the "boycott" against him; I do not see the outside media using offsdhore problems to trash racing.
If racing wants positive publicity they should stop shooting themseves in the foot and use more common sense in publicizing racing and the long-term personalities involved in racing.

[alysheba88]

I think what often happens, not saying this is the case here, is that a writer or fan "creates" an alternative opinion and then argues against it.

Very disegenous technique, in sports and politics.