Ghost of Dwight Drane

OK...here we go.... Here are my Oaks day picks. Race 1 at 10:30 AM....... Not sure how to go here....I want to differentiate between love/like/ok..... I guess I will use a bankroll of $250 and assume you have to put all bets in before work and hope it works out. Odds are my expected odds, not the morning line. Race 1) #4 Irish Lute (2-1) Going to use in a pick 3 as there is no value in small field. Nice horse coming off layoff and loves track. Great sprint pedigree. $1 Pick3 4/2,3/2,3,11 $6 Total Race 2) Again...no value without looking at the actual horse at post time. I am using the 3 and 2 so maybe a $1 exacta box for action $1 ExB 2-3 $2 Total Race 3) #3 Flipcup (4-1) - #2 Tiz Windy (3-1) - #11 Run Hide My Girl (12-1)....... Flipcup nice NY horse. Pedigree says should get better with age and little more distance. First time on true dirt course. Tiz Windy beat a horse nicely who came 2nd to My Miss Sophia who is my Oaks pick. Throwing out favorite as should be overbet on big day. $10 win 3 $2 ExB 2-3 $.50 TriBx 2-3-11 $17 Total Race 4) #5 City Connect (6-1) - #2 Song to You (7-2)......like the pedigree and the fact that has run on dirt last 6 for a cold trainer...so could get 10-1. Don't love it, but worth the exacta. $5 Win 5 $2 ExB 5-2 $9 Total Race 5) Pass Race 6) This is the one we go for it..... #5 Scatman (6-1) - #4 Marchman (4-1) - #6 Positive Side......Scatman is 12-1 on the morning line, which is an overlay. Has only run 2 times on turf and clunked....but is ALL TURF in his pedigree. 1st time with new trainer and I think this is great spot. Marchman was long odds but did great last few races. He is 4 years old and can still improve nicely. Big exacta play. Positive Side ran right with Marchman and belongs. $25 Win 5 $10 Place 5 $5 Exacta Box 5-4 $1 Tri Box 5-4-6 $51 Total Race 7) #3 Creative Spirit (4-1) #6 Annoy (12-1)....Really pretty filly who romped last time. Dirt should be fine. Annoy should move up on pedigree. $15 Win 3 $2 Exacta Box 3-6 $19 Total Race 8) 4-7-10....3 BOMB!......#3 Designer Legs is a beautiful filly that hasn't progressed since early success. #4 Our Amazing Rose has everything right here, but will be 5-2. $2 Win-Place-Show 3 $1 ExB 3-4 $1 TriKey 4/3,7,10 $14 Total Bet the 4 for a safe wager. Race 9) #1 Miss Machaiavelli (6-1) - #5 Little Journey (8-1).....Love the pedigree and she hasn't run in 6 months but put up numbers close enough at 2..and now is 3. The 5 is a reach, but trainer gets imports to run well. $15 Win 1 $5 Place 1 $2 ExB 1-5 $.50 Pick4 1,5/2/11/2,7,8,10,11... $29 Total Race 10) #2 Will Take Charge (4-5)........No value, but biggest threat scratched. Love this horse over time but is a tick off lately. Will use in multi bets. $1 Pick3 2/11/2,7,8,10,11 $5 Pick3 2/11/2.... $10 Total Race 11) KENTUCKY OAKS.......#11 My Miss Sophia (7-2) - #7 Fashion Plate (6-1) - #4 Rosiland - #13 Untapable......Untapable is a big deserving favorite, but she came on recently for a trainer known to get them going early. Also not the prettiest of specimen for a trainer that thrives with young fillies. I am going with My Miss Sophia. I LOVE her in general, although think her best is a little shorter than this, but she just ran huge at same distance. Pletcher has been really gearing her for this as she is tucked up and lost a little weight. I hope he is right. She is just a classy girl. Fashion Plate is a game girl. Good pedigree but not a big filly. She has "compete". I can see her going near the front and running her eyeballs out. Rosiland is a beauty too and probably more geared for this distance. Not the fastest, not the most talented, but consistently solid. There are chances to bet the Oaks/Derby double....so if you like Untapable, more value hooking her up with your Derby pick. Also a pick 3 with Woodford race on Saturday and Derby. $30 Win 11 $5 Exacta 11-7 $2 Exacta 7-11 $1 TriKey 11/7,4,13 $1 Super 11/7,4,13 $5 Regular Double 11/2 $10 DerbyDouble 11/???? $64 Total Race 12) #2 Crack Your Whip (8-1) - #8 Taketheodds (5-1)..............Horse ran solid last year and is bred for the dirt with speed underneath. Many viable choices however. $10 Win 2 $2 Exacta 2-8.... $14 Total Come in with a total of $235 bet. I will go over the Derby tomorrow, but I really have zero clue. Good luck....don't bet stupid.....just what you can lose.

Sylvester needs to buy that fancy new $400 driver in time for the good weather.....he ain't touching on anything that's going to shut the direct deposit down.... No problem. It isn't Battista himself that scares me. I don't think he has bad intentions. He just wants to feel part of being "one of the boys". It's that the true hockey guys have Pegula's favored son roaming around. It is going to shut down honest communication and turn things political. If you are a scout and think Battista is full of it, and you want to go to bat for something that goes against him....is he going to go to Terry and rat on the guy? Tim Murray can like the guy, Battista can get butthurt from this guy taking him on.....and then where do things end? I've said it before.....some people get into horseracing so they can go into the winner's circle and take a picture. Some do it because they enjoy the puzzle and finding hidden gems and couldn't care less about notoriety. Murray seems like the latter.

I hear you. There are tons of "what-ares" with Penn State though. My point was it wasn't enough for the NBA to act or the NHL to act. Only when there was an illegal and maliciously motivated tape circulated which tipped public opinion, then the NBA acted. I won't hammer the what-ares on Penn St.....I just think everyone is happy keeping things hushed as long as $$$$$ rolls in. Tis life....

If you can only listen to 3 minutes....listen from 5:00-6:30 and from 11:00-13:00 He also mentions that the Ice Arena came in under budget.......which is nice. I guess when Terry bumped the donation to $100 million it will allow that to go to other areas of the athletic department?

At 5 minutes into the interview he answers the question....

He says in the interview....(not looking up exact) "I think you need players that are hard workers and have some grit and are team players. IT'S MY JOB TO FIND THOSE PLAYERS AND THE JOB OF MY HOCKEY OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT!!!!!!!!!" He also said point blank Terry brought him here to look at things at the top and bring in the right people. Then he pumped up Murray. I still don't think Battista had the goal in mind to screw Lafontaine over. I think he probably honestly admired Patty and got his kicks by hanging with him. Lafontaine probably just saw the whole show for the amateur hour that it is, told Murray, "Good luck buddy", and went home one last time and made 4 martinis. I just hope if Murray shows to be a success...he isn't out of here on the first flight to a higher profile, more efficient city. He finally sounded like a Sabre at the end of the season press conference, so that is encouraging.

:)

Which is fine as long as it isn't in public....and in a few years he actually learns what it takes. I'm waiting until next weekend to decide if I want to slit my Buffalo sports fan's wrists........

Nobody got all 8....and you get to watch Me, Wookie, Wildcard, Taro, and Glatt.....have a 5-man scissors for getting 7 of 8. If it was any other team but San Jose...I would be shocked LA came back....but it's San Jose...so I agree with your mentorship! At this point, I'm just proud of my preseason prediction thread entry. All 4 teams there and Sabres tanked like a bee hatch.

Going back to Magic Johnson....so you have no opposition or hesitation to tell someone you regularly have sex with to go ahead and have sex with someone who has HIV? You said that was bonkers for me to suggest that Sterling should be more concerned about that than Johnson being (whatever term for non-white does not offend you). As an avid armchair psychologist, and a skeptic of certain factions.....this fascinates me to all get out....

Zuccarello.....holy pass.....

I guess you didn't see Welker's press conference before he played Rex Ryan in the playoffs? Here's a clue....true racists don't value people. PETA won't care if you kick a chair in disgust.....if you kick a puppy though......get it yet? Yabba Dabba Do!!! (Flintstone-Caucasian)

So if Sherman said the exact same things about Wes Welker if he played on the 49ers.....would the response of those claiming that people calling Sherman a Thug are racist be???: A) More subdued and less likely B) The same C) Amplified and more likely This should be good........

I agree...hearing that Sterling tape was crazy. If it was some redneck or Nazi saying it, you would just brush it off as some ignorant a-hole. It is goofy on so many levels. And I am not saying every educated/academia white person is like that....but those who find "offense" and try to tell people they are racist or how to think....those usually fit the profile. When the Sherman thing happened, the old 80's-90's Bills were at the least saying "WTF?", and some called him out as a punk. I was just glad that when I was younger and enjoyed those teams...you had classy guys like Talley and Hull, etc. who could give you honest takes but were A+ all the way. Sterling deserves any flack he gets....but it is a slippery slope to install rash punishment for something that was done illegally on multiple levels...recording and then extorting with multiple motives. You could bring down everyone on earth if that was standard practice. The difference is, most people would be joking about something or venting....not being irrational and ignorant and ironic to such a level.

The difference is....many of those people I know who are "offended" and want "to support" certain issues where the average person can discuss things rationally....are usually well-educated, high salaried people. I have no idea if people really believe what they say, and if they do...what malfunction in their heads causes them to not process reality. Is it guilt?

The most ironic thing about this whole story is that Sterling would rather risk getting AIDS than have his girlfriend be in a picture with a black person. I can't believe that isn't getting more press.

I know you get the point.

I am a reverse racist. I will admit it. When the nukes come in...I'd much rather them hit Elmwood and Spaulding Lake than the Fruit Belt. I do not look highly upon sheltered, entitled fellas who want to feel part of some faulty popularity contest by demonizing good and rational people.

Considering I haven't gone in there...forgive me. Put it this way...most black people I know are down to earth, have common sense, honest and are god fearing. Most people trying to create conflict out of thin air in the guise of protecting someone by calling someone else out, do not and are not.

????? Sherman....black, tattoo wearing, dreadlock wearing, selfish, demeaning....THUG Stephon Gilmore....black, tattoo wearing, dreadlock wearing, humble, supportive....QUALITY HUMAN BEING I don't know what malfunction is in some people's heads....but I will tell you this.....I'd gladly get a fishfry on Bailey Ave before I would go into a Spot Coffee.

Nope....I hear Diva....I thing either Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin.....or overpaid, egomaniac, black wide receivers..... See how that works? It's true though.

No...a racist wouldn't care because Sherman was talking down to and insulting Crabtree....another black man. By calling out Sherman, people are saying his actions are unbecoming of an intelligent human being who is supposed to be a professional and show respect for his opponent, the game itself, and the situation. He was selfish, angry, demeaning, and was using verbal intimidation. Hence.....thug. By calling out Sherman, you are therefore protecting and empathizing for Crabtree. A racist wouldn't give 2 iodas. That's the problem. There are actual people out there who look down on a certain race, class, gender....whatever. With all the "outrage" these days....the majority of people that have common sense and would like to discuss or call out certain actions now get lumped in with a-holes. This leads good hearted people to adopt Swamp's view of ..."I just hate everybody"....because there is so much PC bullcrap these days....it's easier just to shut up and stay to yourself. The world used to be fun. People could tell the difference, or allowed a difference between jokes/stereotypes, and actual demeaning activity. Sherman was a thug...he was involved in demeaning activity. Heck...have you heard Snoop-Dog's response to this Clippers story? He throws out terms like Cracker and White Devil. You know what....I don't care because it's funny and the guy deserves any flack he gets.

Direct proven guilt? The guy was getting extorted through a taping of a private conversation. He's guilty of being ignorant. He also has the highest ratio of African American players on his team in the league. Some making hundreds of millions of dollars.... Some say Pegula has a "loose" connection to the situation at Penn State. What if per chance there was a tape circulating out there, taped at a cocktail event without Pegula's knowledge. In it he is talking to someone high up in the Penn State food chain and discussing the upcoming indictment of Sandusky and what it means for the sports program. Pegula then says something like "So Jerry went a little too far with some of the kids....we need to make sure we keep these teams afloat. This thing needs to go away. I'll do whatever I can to make sure that arena gets built and the football team doesn't lose the coaching staff and recruits." If that tape was made public, what should the NHL do about it? There was nothing illegal that Sterling did in that tape....just as there isn't anything Pegula would have done illegal in that scenario. This is some spooky stuff how fast and how far things got with the NBA. Yes.... Holy crap....can you imagine the reverse outcry if he said that about Wes Welker? There would be marches in the streets.....

People were speaking of Sherman's actions.....TOWARDS ANOTHER BLACK MAN!!!!!! How in the F is that racist. A racist wouldn't give 2 sh!ts. This world has gone mad.

Is that Sylvester or himself calling himself Batista instead of Bateeeesta? I agree with you. He dropped about 20 names on 8 different subjects....then made it a point to go on a roll about finding players with character and this quality and that quality, "And that's my job and the job of the guys with me in the Hockey Operations Department". So he basically wanted to make clear that he IS evaluating players and making hockey decisions......for all those that were making fun of people for questioning what he was doing involved in the whole process and poo-pooing those who raised concerns. He can't help but talk talk talk.......which is great for us fans who want to hold guys accountable. He let a couple doozies go on this interview.