Maybe he sniffs his peppers too much?

[Tom]

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/horse...PUQeF49do0zexI

* New board member Bobby Flay served notice he is going to be a forceful spokesman for NYRA’s customers, saying, “NYRA used to be the leader of the industry. That’s not true anymore. We have a product the public doesn’t want. We need to build a great racing product.” — Ed Fountaine

The handle might not agree with the cook.
Stick to your sauces, Bobby.

[tzipi]

He wants to put racing back on the map here. Handle is one thing but no one cares about racing like they used to. 95% of racing news never even gets into the papers unless it's one of the big thoroughbred races. Younger people growing up are choosing other games. I think a lot of that handle is big time whale money. Handle has potential to be way bigger with more fans.

No one really shows up to the track anymore. OK a few people play from home and OTB takes their share but non of my younger friends play internet or go to OTB. Racing has to make a change. The handle could be way bigger and the tracks more filled with life. JMO

[MaTH716]

Is he not factoring Saratoga in to the equation?

[goatchaser]

Sounds to me he's Cooking up something

[OTM Al]

Does anyone find it remarkable that one of the very few employed newspaper turf writers left, who is based in NYC, didn't have the time to actually go to this meeting, which was open to anyone that bothered to sign up and was held in....wait for it.....NYC?

Read Tom Noonan

http://tenoonan.com/2012/12/13/first...is-unsettling/

Read Steve Crist

http://www.drf.com/news/crist-much-t...-massive-tasks

They actually went. They have a well balanced approach.

The video is now archived on the NYRA web site, but guess Ed didn't have time to look at that either.....

[Robert Fischer]

spice things up a little bit ...

[Tom]

Al, if you listen to Byk's coverage of the meeting as opposed to the three stooges of racing - Paulik, Finely, Johnson, you would think there were two different meetings.

Paulik talks through his ass and Finley agrees with it all.
Not sure if Johnson knew where he was.

[OTM Al]

Originally Posted by Tom

Al, if you listen to Byk's coverage of the meeting as opposed to the three stooges of racing - Paulik, Finely, Johnson, you would think there were two different meetings.

Paulik talks through his ass and Finley agrees with it all.
Not sure if Johnson knew where he was.

Was this stuff on radio Tom? Don't listen to the radio shows though I would listen to Byk if I did. Run into him every once in a while and like him. I read Ray Paulik's site but he didn't have any personal coverage there that I saw and he did link Steve Crist's. I would say if you want to be really confused, read Pricci's site....

[Tom]

Down the Stretch from Saturday interviewed Paulik.
Byk had a lot of coverage last week. As usual, top notch.

[OTM Al]

Originally Posted by Tom

Down the Stretch from Saturday interviewed Paulik.
Byk had a lot of coverage last week. As usual, top notch.

Finley now has an article up as of yesterday

http://espn.go.com/horse-racing/stor...ra-great-again

I find it poor at best. Humorous for the wrong reasons too.

First we get the Bobby Flay quote "We're not at the top, we're somewhere in the middle." which he agrees with. Been to a few tracks, seen a lot more on TV. If these tracks are somewhere in the middle, I'm missing something I think. Of course there are several things that they can work on and should work on, but "somewhere in the middle" is a silly statement.

Next we learn something new. The NYRA decline came when they opened the inner track in 1976. Then he insults Finger Lakes. I'm just shocked someone finally remembered there is another T-bred track in NYS.

Next we get this gem: "At least once [Aqueduct] was over you still had Belmont and Saratoga, where NYRA racing was pretty much still NYRA racing. In time, that changed, too. Understanding that races with large fields normally out-handle races with small fields, NYRA pretty much stopped caring about quality. The idea became to get as many horses in the starting gate as possible and the best way to do that was to card as many cheap races as possible. They gave us $16,000 maiden claimers, $15,000 claimers for horses who have never won two races and all sorts of other rock-bottom events that would have been considered unacceptable only a few years ago.

I'm really lost in all these how to fix racing arguments. People tell me we need to close tracks but you can't get new fans without people going to the track. People tell me they hate short fields but it is bad to card races with full fields but low quality. I just don't get it. And those mentioned are the "rock bottom" events. Levels much higher than what are run at tracks like Gulfstream, Santa Anita, and blessed Keeneland itself.

Next we get this quote from the meeting "The Big A is so dirty and in such a state of disrepair that NYRA Board Member Leonard Riggio said he will no longer attend the races there. " Wondering when the last time Mr. Finley went there. Aqueduct is worn and more than a little beat up, but it's not filthy. You want to see filthy, go look at the back yard at Saratoga as the crowd leaves. That's filthy. And then they clean it back up and get it ready for the next day. I won't kid you either that a few of the patrons should practice a little more hygiene, but these are the customers.

The best of all is this:

"But I strongly suspect that it has backfired. In his restaurants Flay may have made more money in the short-term had he chosen to go with cheaper, less tasty cuts of meat. But he is a smart businessman, knows that the Bobby Flay name means excellence and chooses to serve his customers nothing but exquisite meals. That philosophy has made him wildly successful and, I assume, wealthy. He wants the same for the New York Racing Association because he believes in unwaveringly high standards and knows that's a guaranteed recipe for success. NYRA used to be to racing what Flay's restaurants are to dining. Now it's more like a Denny's. "

Really? Does he know that Bobby's Burger Palaces, which he's opening in shopping malls, now outnumber his "fine dining" restaurants? Hey, they might have good burgers, but still. And he's schilling his cookware collection out of Kohls. Guess you can hit that after lunch at the Burger Palace. And Flay isn't really even top of the heap when it comes to his dining. He did get one Michelin star once for one of his Vegas restaurants. It was taken away the next year. That's a nice achievement but clearly there are far better rated places out there. He's done well for himself, but certainly isn't the icon of excellence the writer tries to make us believe.

And we get little else other than a writer's beliefs about how NYRA should emulate Flay. Except Flay is doing what Finley says isn't good. This is just sad sad reporting. I may have to try a Bobby's Burger Palace. I do like a good burger. I'm not going to Paramus to have one though.....

[Tom]

Apparently, Nick Cling has a hack-job out, too.
You have to catch Byk's show Wednesday, first hour and well in to the second.

He has some great commentary using something Bill Finley never heard of before - facts!

It is probably the best stuff he has broadcast all year long.
Must-hear radio!

If they gave out Eclipse awards for radio journalism, Steve would need to build a shelf to hold his every year - dynamite show!

[andicap]

Tom,
I know you want some of that free Carolina BBQ at Saratoga, but really, do you have to suck up that much?

[Tom]

Wow!
Are you insinuating that I would......oh, wait.
I WOULD!!!

[OTM Al]

Originally Posted by Tom

Wow!
Are you insinuating that I would......oh, wait.
I WOULD!!!

I would too!!!

[Saratoga_Mike]

[QUOTE=OTM Al]Does anyone find it remarkable that one of the very few employed newspaper turf writers left, who is based in NYC, didn't have the time to actually go to this meeting, which was open to anyone that bothered to sign up and was held in....wait for it.....NYC?
QUOTE]

Maybe he had a conflict - you can ask him if you'd like:

ed.fountaine@nypost.com