Can't remember the last time I opened this board, but I was curious to know about Belmont/Aqueduct being canceled. Then I see this thread, and I figured it had to be vibratory disruptions that shut down Belmont/Aqueduct today. You don't lose a classic like Richiebee and not have serious cosmic repercussions.

So I go deeper into the board and I see where Alan also passed away. I knew both only marginally from the backyard at Saratoga.. It was clear that only the blood of a true horseplayer coursed through Alan's veins.

Richie was one of the best scribes to grace this board. I could only mention BB and Rich Curtis in the same breath. I have not been here enough to suggest that's an exhaustive list, but I can confidently say I never read a post of Richie's that did not occasion either a wry smile or a nod of recognition, or both.

Not sure if there's an afterlife, but if it's worth a damn, it will have a backyard and two chairs have now been filled by legends of the game.